Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Cucumbers are a popular vegetable, especially on hot summer days. However, the taste of store-bought cucumbers is often criticized. So why not grow the vegetables yourself? If the warmest place in the greenhouse is still free, then you have already found the ideal location for greenhouse cucumbers. And if you take care of the cucumber plants properly, then you can even harvest cucumbers several times a season.
greenhouse cucumbers
sorts
Cucumbers come in many different varieties. As a rule, the varieties are divided according to their intended use, such as pickled or salad cucumbers. The latter are also often called snake cucumbers. With popular vegetables, however, a distinction is also made according to the form of cultivation. There are special varieties for outdoor cultivation and others that feel extremely comfortable in the greenhouse. As a rule, cucumbers are grown in greenhouses and pickled cucumbers outdoors. But there are also varieties that are suitable for both forms of cultivation.
Examples of special greenhouse cucumbers are:
- 'Helena' Cucumber
- 'Fitness' Cucumber
- 'Eiffel' cucumber
- 'Dominica' cucumber
- 'Paska' cucumber
- 'Printo' cucumber
- 'Picolino' mini cucumber
- 'Silor' mini cucumber
- 'Iznik' snack cucumber
preparation
Prepare greenhouse
In order for the cucumber plants to grow well, inside the greenhouse must be the right one temperature prevalence. This applies to young plants as well as later to larger plants. Young plants like warm soil. If the temperature falls below 10 °C, they react extremely sensitively. Therefore, if you plant the greenhouse cucumbers in April, you should insulate the greenhouse, for example with bubble wrap. Alternatively, you can put a heater in the greenhouse.
tip: If you want to be on the safe side, insulate and heat. Alternatively, you can plant the young plants later, when the temperatures are higher.
The sun is of course the ideal source of warmth, but be careful, the plants don't like too much sun either. Especially on hot days you should make sure that the greenhouse cucumbers get shade, because the leaves of the cucumber plants burn easily in the sunlight. The best thing is a shade that can be removed if necessary. Other plants are only suitable as shade providers to a limited extent, as they can also take away too much heat from the plants.
prepare ground
Before the young plants are planted out, the soil must be prepared accordingly:
- loosen soil
- fertilize with 3 to 5 liters of compost per square meter or an organic fertilizer
Once all the preparations have been completed, nothing stands in the way of planting the greenhouse cucumbers.
plant out
In order for the young cucumber plants to thrive, you should only plant them out when they are 20 centimeters high. The ideal time for this is mid-May. The planting distance is also important, because cucumbers need a lot of space. Optimal is:
- 60 centimeters between plants
- 150 cm spacing in row or
- one to two plants per square meter
Cucumbers not only need a lot of space on the ground or in the bucket, they also climb up. Some cucumbers can develop tendrils of up to four meters. So you need one trellis. Climbing cords from the roof of the greenhouse are suitable as climbing aids. These are wrapped in spirals around the shoot.
tip: Rewind the climbing lines twice a week to allow the greenhouse cucumbers to develop well.
warm feet
Cucumber plants like to have warm feet. To increase the temperature in the root area, you can black mulch film put on the ground. However, this should definitely be provided with holes or slots so that the irrigation water can penetrate into the ground.
maintenance
Greenhouse cucumbers are very, very thirsty plants. Watering is therefore the top priority in care.
tip: Cucumber plants don't like extremes. Therefore, they tolerate neither fluctuations in temperature nor in the water supply. Therefore, you should maintain them continuously.
pour
Even if greenhouse cucumbers are very thirsty, they do not tolerate too much water either. Therefore must waterlogging absolutely to be avoided. In addition, the plants are also picky about the water quality, as they are extremely sensitive to lime, chlorine and salts. It is therefore best to water the greenhouse cucumbers with lime-free, lukewarm water. The ideal time for watering is in the morning.
tip: Lukewarm water is said to prevent the bitter taste of the fruit.
Fertilize
Fertilizer gives the plants nutrients and since cucumbers to the heavy feeders belong, they need a lot of it. However, since many artificial fertilizers contain chlorine and various salts, you should treat the plants with organic fertilizer fertilize. A thin layer of mulch, for example from grass clippings, also promotes growth.
tip: Nettle manure is ideal for fertilizing plants.
pinching and cutting
If the cucumber plants start to climb, you should pinch off the tops before the plants have reached the roof of the greenhouse. In addition, all side shoots of the plant are removed up to a height of about 80 centimeters. It is always topped after the first leaf approach. This serves as a preventive measure against premature fruit growth, which significantly weakens the young plants.
tip: So that the main shoot of the plant does not become too long, it is shortened.
Whether pinching cucumber plants actually leads to more yield is controversial. Proponents of the measures argue that infertile side or side shoots cost the plant an unnecessarily large amount of energy. Being stingy eliminates these “unnecessary” urges and the energy is directed to the “right” urges. Opponents of showing indicate that there is no difference in yield whether you max out or not. It is best if you check this yourself using two plants. If the stinging has led to a higher yield, you can continue to care for the plants in this way.
temperature
Cucumber plants thrive best at a temperature between 20°C and 25°C. At these temperatures, however, you should make sure that the humidity does not get too high. Otherwise dew will form during the night and this will literally attract fungal diseases.
tip: Even if cucumbers need a lot of heat, you should ensure good air exchange in the greenhouse.
diseases and pests
If the leaves of the cucumber plants are light or even yellow, then this indicates one nutrient deficiency there. In this case, fertilizing helps. If cucumbers fall off the plant by themselves, then the greenhouse cucumbers lack water or the temperature fluctuations in the greenhouse are too large.
pests
Greenhouse cucumbers are not only a popular vegetable for humans, but also pests such as spider mites or aphids like to eat them. Adhesive boards help as a preventive measure against the infestation.
If the pests have already settled in, you should fight them with environmentally friendly measures. Chemical insect repellents are not recommended that you absorb the toxins from eating the fruit as well. Beneficial insects such as predatory mites, predatory bugs or lacewings are particularly suitable for combating pests.
tip: In order to prevent an infestation or to recognize it early on, check the undersides of the leaves of the plants regularly, because the infestation often comes almost overnight.
Powdery mildew in particular must be combated in greenhouses that are very dry. You can recognize its damage by the white fungal growth on the leaves. To prevent infestation, you should plant the cucumber plants at generous intervals.
tip: A mildew-resistant cucumber is, for example, the "Bella" variety.