How to Increase Yield of Cucumbers Outdoors Using Simple But Very Effective Methods

The question of how to increase the yield of cucumbers in the open field worries all summer residents. The number of cucumbers obtained from the garden over the summer depends on the care of the vegetables. It is important not only to choose the right place for planting and prepare the seeds, but also to follow the rules of watering and feeding, take care of the soil and roots, and regularly harvest. Read more about this in our article.

What determines the yield of cucumbers

The amount of harvest directly depends on:

• varieties of cucumbers;
• soil;
• the presence of special trellises;
• plant care.

There is also a factor that gardeners cannot influence - seasonal weather fluctuations.

The best ways to increase yields

The yield depends directly on the quality of the seed.

Correct seed preparation consists of several steps:

1. Calibration... Cucumber seeds are dipped in a solution of a liter of water and a tablespoon of salt for 15-20 minutes. The floating, dark, damaged seeds are removed, the rest are washed with clean water and dried on a clean cloth. After that, small and large seeds are separated from each other. When planting, small seeds are buried by 1 cm, and large ones by 2 cm.
2. Disinfection in a solution of potassium permanganate will protect seeds from bacteriosis, root rot, viral mosaic, powdery mildew and tracheomycotic wilting. The seeds in a tissue bag are dipped into the solution for 20 minutes, and then washed with running water. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can use a solution of a liter of water and a teaspoon of boric acid, Fitosporin-M or an infusion of garlic peel. The husk is poured with boiling water, insisted for 2 hours, filtered and the seeds are immersed in it for an hour, after which they are washed with water.
3. Warming up in the oven. To increase germination, seeds are heated for 3 hours at a temperature of 50-55 ° C. If there is time, the seeds are laid out near the heating device and gradually warmed up at a temperature of 25-29 ° C over a month.
4. Bubbling... Oxygen enrichment is used for seeds aged 6-7 years, which are dipped in a tissue bag in a warm solution of a growth stimulator for 18-24 hours. The aquarium compressor without a filter blows a stream of air to the seeds. If there are a lot of seeds, after 9-12 hours the solution is changed to a new one. If there is no compressor, the warm solution (20-25 ° C) is replaced every 2-3 hours and the seeds are regularly stirred with a wooden spoon.
5. Germination up to 2 mm. Seeds are spread on a damp cloth on a plate and placed in a bright, warm place for a day, if necessary, sprinkled with water to maintain moisture.
6. Hardening will increase the resistance of future plants. To do this, the seedlings are placed in a damp cloth bag on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 2 days. The bag is loosely wrapped in polyethylene so that it does not dry out.

Successful predecessors and neighbors will help increase yields

Cucumbers are best planted on the ground where the legumes grew... During the period of their growth, legumes saturate the soil with nitrogen macromolecules, which has a beneficial effect on the growth of cucumbers.

Planting cucumbers is best next to green onions, dill, spinach or salad... Before the fruits begin to tie on the lashes, the herbs are removed. With cucumbers, corn, legumes, sunflowers, and bell peppers are well adjacent.

Mulching the beds

Covering the soil with special materials has the following advantages:

• prevents soil leaching and weathering;
• cucumber roots are protected from temperature extremes;
• mulch prevents rapid evaporation of moisture, it is necessary to water less often;
• the earth remains porous, does not cake, it is not necessary to loosen it;
• mulch inhibits the growth of weeds;
• cucumbers do not come into contact with the soil, remain clean, do not deteriorate.

Important! Organic mulch will rot and increase soil fertility.

Mulch types:

• manure with hay or straw (1: 1) activates earthworms, saturates the soil with nitrogen;
• humus also saturates the soil with nitrogen, protects against temperature extremes;
• compost quickly decays and warms the soil;
• caked and rotted sawdust with a layer of 2-5 cm scares away slugs, for this 3 buckets of sawdust are poured onto a film, mixed with 200 g of carbamide and 10 l of water, the film is wrapped and left for two weeks to heat the sawdust;
• neutral peat 5-7 cm thick disinfects, loosens and nourishes the soil;
• straw or dry grass insulates the soil and gets rid of slugs, but other pests and rodents can start in it;
• non-woven fabric is water and air permeable, protects against weeds;
• cardboard retains moisture and protects against weeds;
• plastic wrap accelerates seed germination due to the greenhouse effect, but black film can lead to overheating of the soil, so it is better to use white to prevent burns.

Before mulching, do the following:

1. Weeds and debris are removed, the soil is loosened, fertilized, the top layer is leveled, and watered if the soil is dry.
2. Seedlings are planted in rows, between which a distance of 60 cm is made.
3. The selected mulch is spread evenly around the plants.

Hilling cucumbers

To improve the yield of cucumbers, they are spud... Sprinkle wet soil to the roots of cucumbers when they already have 3-4 leaves. It helps in the formation of the root system and retains moisture in the soil.

Artificial pollination

The method is used when there is an insufficient number of pollinating insects on the site... For manual pollination with a soft cosmetic brush, they are carefully carried out first inside the male inflorescences of cucumbers, then inside the female ones.

Inside the female flowers, the pistil has a sticky liquid to which the pollen adheres.... As a result of pollination, a fruit is formed from the ovary of the pistil. To increase the yield, it is enough to process 10% of the flowers on a warm sunny day. The air temperature should be 25-30 ° C.

Watering with warm water

The temperature for watering cucumbers should be at least 23-25 ​​° С, in cold weather, you can increase the water temperature to 50 ° C. Until the cucumbers have bloomed, they are watered every 5-7 days, 3-4 liters of water per 1 sq. M. After the onset of flowering, water every 2-3 days with 6-12 liters of water per 1 sq. M. Water from a watering can strictly under the bush, without touching the leaves.

For the formation of useful microflora in the soil, cucumbers are poured with a solution from one glass of milk and 10 liters of warm water.

Strengthening the roots

A super way to increase yields is to add roots to the plant... When 3 pairs of leaves appear on the lash, it is necessary to cover the lash with earth to the first leaf and pour water over it. The plants will develop additional roots that will extract more moisture and nutrients from the soil. Such plants yield 40% more yield.

Top dressing

During the fruiting period, starting in July, the cucumbers are fed once a week.... If there is no mineral fertilizer, take 1 kg of mullein or 1 glass of wood ash and dilute in 10 liters of warm water. The need for certain elements can be judged by the appearance of the fruit.

Narrowing of the fruit in the upper part and a color change to light green indicates a lack of nitrogen. - then the soil is fed with peat or silt. They are dried in the sun for 2-3 days, then they are sprinkled with soil around the stems with a layer of 1.5 cm.

Stepson and tying

Stepsons are extra shoots, they take away the strength of the plant and reduce the rate of fruiting... When pinching, unnecessary side shoots 4-6 cm in size in the axils of the first six leaves are carefully removed. This method increases the yield: the first cucumbers appear by mid-July.

So that the lashes are not damaged, they are tied up after growing up to 30 cm. Tying saves space in the garden, simplifies plant care and harvesting, and prevents the occurrence of diseases.

Regular harvest

During active fruiting, cucumbers are harvested every 2 days., otherwise they will outgrow and interfere with the formation of new cucumbers. Fruits 8-18 cm in size are suitable for pickling and canning.

Important! Low-quality and damaged fruits are also regularly harvested.

Harvested early in the morningthis way vegetables stay fresh longer. When harvesting, the lashes are not raised or pulled, the cucumbers are torn off, pressing on the stalk with your fingers.

Tips for Increasing Yields Outdoors

A cucumber variety is important for a good harvest. Its choice is influenced by the region of planting and soil conditions.

The best self-pollinating varieties for open ground:

1. Booth... Ripens in 40 days, the average length of a vegetable is 9 cm, up to 3.5 kg can be harvested from one bush.
2. Berendey... Ripens in 40 days, the average length of a vegetable is 12-15 cm, one bush gives up to 3.5 kg.
3. Gerda... The variety is especially resistant to fungal diseases. Ripens 1.5 months after sowing. Up to 3 kg are harvested from the bush.

The best early maturing varieties:

1. Hermann... When ripe, 41 days after sprouting, it has a long fruiting period. This variety is self-pollinated. The length of vegetables is 10 cm. From 1 sq. m you can collect up to 26 kg of cucumbers.
2. Valdai... Ripens 45 days after the emergence of sprouts, the length of vegetables is 10 cm.Up to 4.5 kg of cucumbers can be harvested from the bush. Most flowers are female, so pollination by bees is necessary.
3. Orlik bears fruit 50 days after sowing. The length of the cucumbers is 14-16 cm, 6-8 kg are harvested from the bush. The plant has immunity to diseases such as powdery mildew, root rot, olive spot.

It can be useful:

How to pinch cucumbers correctly and why is it necessary

Causes and treatment of cucumber anthracnose

Cucumbers require a particularly fertile soil... Normal soil acidity is 7 pH, soil analysis is done using the Alyamovsky device. Also, the acidity of the soil will help determine the herbs growing on the site. Plantain, sedge, woodlice, horsetail, heather grow in soil with high acidity.

To reduce it, liming is used. Fine slaked lime is added to the soil to a depth of 20 cm. This method improves it for several years ahead. Lime can be replaced with dolomite flour, wood ash or chalk.

Bindweed, wheatgrass, coltsfoot on the plot indicate to the normal acidity of the soil, suitable for planting cucumbers.

Grow cucumbers on trellises for high yields... On the trellis, the cucumbers are ventilated and illuminated, the fruiting period is lengthened, the yield doubles. The row spacing should be between 60 and 100 cm.

Trellis are rectangular, square, in the form of a tent, arch, lattice in shape. For the manufacture of trellises, wood, branches, metal tubes, corners, wire mesh, natural and synthetic ropes are used.

Cucumber does not like the wind - place the bed in a windless place or take care of its protection from air currents.

To protect plants from diseases, observe watering rules, weeding the beds in time. In case of a disease, the beds get rid of the infected plants, spray them with fungicidal preparations: "Bordeaux liquid", "Hom", "Fundazol", "Topaz", "Quadris".

To combat pests, use the drug "Terradox"... It is applied to the soil surface and into the ground during planting. The drug is effective against most soil pests, they die upon contact with it. From melon aphids and whiteflies, plants are treated with Biotlin, Fitoverm 0.2% or Fitoverm 1%.

With spider mites the drug "Fitoverm M" is fighting.The biological product "Glyocladin" is laid out in the holes when planting seedlings. This protects the plants from root rot.

In the greenhouse

High humidity and temperature in the greenhouse contribute to the development of fungal diseases, so the soil is treated with fungicides, for example, "Fitosporin".

In the greenhouse, it is recommended to completely replace the topsoil. before boarding. If this cannot be done, the soil is disinfected with bleach, 2% formalin solution or boiling water. For better illumination of the plants, the direction of the greenhouse is made from north to south.

Suitable varieties for greenhouses Adam F1, Zyatek F1, Well-fed dad F1, Chinese cold-resistant F1. These are early ripening high-yielding varieties with a long fruiting period.

Conclusion

The secret of a high yield of cucumbers lies in following simple rules for caring for plants and soil. This is the preparation of seeds, planting cucumbers next to neutral crops, proper watering and timely feeding, installing trellises, strengthening roots and other activities.

Taking care of the soil includes preparing and enriching it before planting, mulching or hilling. Cucumber varieties are chosen depending on the region of planting and growing conditions. Ripe and rich harvests for you!