How to plant cucumbers in July in a greenhouse and is it possible to do it

Traditionally, cultivation of cucumbers indoors begins in the spring or early summer. However, some summer residents prefer later planting in order to have fresh vegetables at a time when most gardeners have harvested a long time ago.

In the article we will tell you if it is possible to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse in July and how to do it correctly.

When to plant cucumbers

Cucumber seeds are prepared at the end of May, and planted in open ground from mid-June. In greenhouse conditions, seedlings dive from the end of April. The specific timing depends on the temperature of the soil. It should not be less than + 15 ° C. Optimum performance is + 18… + 26 ° C. If the soil is not warmed up enough, the growth rate of the crop will slow down, in the worst case, the seedlings will die.

Heated greenhouses are almost independent of weather conditions - you can plant cucumbers in them all year round.

Is it possible to plant cucumbers in July and August

Many farmers grow cucumbers in the greenhouse, diving seedlings in July and August. To make the harvest happy with quantity and quality, several features are taken into account:

• the greenhouse should be heated, since the peak of fruiting will be in the cold season;
• early ripening varieties and hybrids are chosen;
• properly care for the seedlings so that they are healthy;
• observe the cultivation technique of cucumbers;
• lashes are formed in a timely manner

At night, the air temperature in the greenhouse should not drop below + 10 ... + 12 ° C. During the day, the optimum values ​​are + 23 ... + 25 ° C.

Advantages and disadvantages

Greenhouse conditions make it possible to cultivate almost all types of vegetables, regardless of the season. Growing cucumbers indoors in summer has its pros and cons.

Benefits:

• at any time of the year, the crop is protected from frost;
• the chance of early harvest is higher than in the open field;
• fruiting period is stretched;
• yield increases up to several times a year;
• abundant fruiting at minimal financial costs.

disadvantages:

1. In an enclosed space, special attention is paid to the prevention of various diseases: in greenhouses favorable conditions for the reproduction of fungal microorganisms.
2. For disinfection of greenhouses, expensive and not always safe means for health are used.

There are many more positive sides than negative ones, so many vegetable growers, including professional farmers, prefer to grow cucumbers in greenhouse conditions.

What varieties are suitable

For the cultivation of cucumbers in the last months of summer, hybrids and varieties are chosen that will have time to harvest before the cold snap. Hybrids do not require pollination, can withstand temperature changes and, with proper care, show high productivity.

Note!Future seedlings should withstand shade well, easily tolerate short daylight hours, be unpretentious in care and have a high growth rate.

Early-maturing hybrids are well suited, which will please the harvest after 40–45 days:

• Garland;
• Palekh;
• Emelya;
• April.

It is quite simple to distinguish first-generation hybrids from varieties: they are marked on the packaging with the F1 mark.

What cucumber crops are best planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse? For such structures, early maturing parthenocarpic hybrids are suitable: Herman, Courage, Adam, Gunnar.

How to properly plant cucumbers in July

When growing cucumbers in the summer in a greenhouse, they take into account the peculiarities of the vegetable crop, prepare the ground, seeds in advance and dive seedlings according to a certain pattern.

Soil preparation

The soil should be highly fertile, well permeable to air and moisture. Ideal for cucumber seedlings, humus, turfy soil or peat.

Some vegetable growers make their own soil by mixing:

• peat - 50%;
• humus - 30%;
• field soil - 20%.

Note! The pH level of the soil for cucumber seedlings should not exceed neutral, in extreme cases, weak acidity is possible.

Before planting seedlings, the soil is disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Sometimes bark, rotted foliage, ammonium nitrate or potassium sulfate are added to it to increase yields.

Disinfection removes ammonia and gases from the soil, which negatively affect the growth of seedlings. To warm the soil, they use hot biofuel, pour 25-30 cm of fertile soil and a layer of ash on top. Cover everything with plastic wrap for 2-3 days.

Seed preparation

After choosing the optimal variety, the seeds are pretreated. First, they check for germination in a saline solution (10 g of salt is taken for 1 tbsp. Of water). Seeds that float to the surface are removed: they either cannot sprout, or they will give weak shoots.

The specimens that have settled to the bottom are taken out, disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30–40 minutes.

Then the seeds are germinated. To do this, they are laid out on one part of damp warm gauze, and the second is covered on top. After about a week, when the first shoots appear, the shoots are carefully planted in the greenhouse.

Planting seedlings

Cucumbers are planted both by seeds and seedlings. In the latter case, 2 grains are sown in cups with fertile soil. Seedlings regularly watered, avoiding dryness of the soil and excessive moisture. After the emergence of shoots, the strongest sprout is chosen, and the weak ones are removed. A month later, the grown seedlings are planted in a greenhouse.

Landing methods and scheme

Sprouted seeds are planted in the ground no deeper than 2 cm, otherwise the seedlings will appear late. Place 1-2 or at least 3 seeds in each hole. Subsequently, the strongest and healthiest plant is left. After planting cucumbers, the soil is abundantly watered with warm, settled water.

At what distance in the greenhouse to plant cucumbers? DFor seedlings, they are kept 40-50 cm apart. If you reduce the distance, then as they grow, the plants will suffer from a lack of water, light and nutrition, and this will negatively affect the yield.

Note! When picking seedlings, additional fertilizers are not applied to the holes if the soil was prepared in advance.

Seedlings are planted both in one row and in a checkerboard pattern. It is much more convenient to care for cucumbers when they grow in one row.

Summer cucumber care

After emergence, vegetables especially need high-quality care.... For cucumbers, temperature, timely watering, and a sufficient amount of nutrients in the soil are important.

Water the culture every other day, and in hot weather every day. The optimal time is evening, but no later than 6 pm. The water is heated in the sun so as not to overcool the bushes. About 5 liters of liquid are used per plant. As the cucumbers grow, the volume is increased to 10 liters.

For the first time, the bushes are fertilized when 3 leaves appear on them.

Note! Cotyledons are not considered complete leaves.

At the very beginning of growth, cucumbers need nitrogen, so they are fed urea (1 tbsp. L. Per 10 liters of water) or ammonium nitrate (2 tbsp. L. Per 10 liters of water). Spend 2 liters of solution per bush.

After the first feeding cucumber shoots are fertilized in the flowering phase with urea or saltpeter. The proportions are the same.

Instead of chemical fertilizers, natural fertilizers are also used, for example, herbal infusion. For this, 1 liter of the product is diluted with 9 liters of clean water, poured into 2 liters per bush.

The third feeding is carried out during fruiting. Apply phosphorus and potassium, 2 tbsp. l. 10 liters of water.

Summer cucumbers are not pinched. All small stepsons must be cut off, as they take away nutrients from the main stem.

The bushes are tied up with twine, which is twisted into a figure of eight and fixed in the upper part of the greenhouse, and the lower part is not too tightly fixed to the plant. As they grow, the cucumber shoots are threaded through a twine folded in eight so that they grow up.

Some vegetable growers tie the shoots to bamboo sticks 2.5 m high. They are fixed in the ground before planting the plants, and when the cucumbers produce shoots, they are attached to the sticks with plastic clips at a distance of 20-30 cm.

Conclusion

Cucumbers are capricious plants that are difficult to grow in summer. To get a rich harvest, it is important to observe the conditions for planting cucumbers in a greenhouse in August or July: monitor the temperature of the soil and air, properly prepare the soil, choose a suitable early-ripening variety or hybrid, process the seeds.

Vegetables are fed 3-4 times per season, fertilized regularly, tied up. With proper care, the crop will delight you with the harvest of juicy crispy cucumbers already 50–55 days after germination.