Cucumbers do not grow well on the window. Features of growing cucumbers on the windowsill

Indoor cucumbers have long been to the taste of residents of urban high-rise buildings. This is not surprising, since even in winter you can grow crispy, fragrant cucumbers. Caring for them is so simple that even a beginner can harvest a good harvest. Today we’ll talk about how to grow cucumbers on the windowsill so that you don’t have to buy overseas analogues without taste and smell.

When it is worth carrying out work on planting indoor cucumbers

You can grow cucumbers on a balcony or windowsill all year round, and the result does not depend on the season. You can determine the time when to sow the seeds and plan the harvest time in advance. For example:

• If you want crispy cucumbers for the New Year, then you need to plant from mid-October;
• Pimply babies sown in January will ripen by March 8.
• From the moment the leaves are formed to the first harvest, it often takes about 45-50 days.

What variety of cucumbers to choose for planting in an apartment?

Growing indoor cucumbers in winter on a balcony is a little different from planting in open ground. It is necessary to choose and buy only certain varieties of indoor cucumbers:

• Farm-pollination can be carried out with a simple brush, transferring male stamens to female pistils. They have high taste qualities, and cucumbers with black "thorns" grow about 10 cm. They are suitable for both pickling and simple "raw" eating.

• Shchedryk - the yield is about 20 pieces of 12 cm each for 1 collection period. Refers to early ripening, since the ripening period is less than 1.5 months. 5-8 fruits grow on one ovary.

• Khrustik - sings 1.5-2 months, self-pollinates, gives a generous harvest. On 1 ovary from 5 to 7 fruits.

Important! Feature - wide growth of the bush, so prepare more space, and support for grown lashes.

• Onega f1 is a self-pollinating hybrid. The first fruits can please already in the first week of the second month. Cucumbers are slightly below average in size, but you can eat them in any form.

• Buyan. Ripens 50 days after planting. Of the minuses, the need for additional lighting in the winter.

• Emelya is resistant to cold, which gives him certain advantages. It was originally intended for "raw" use, but cucumbers can be rolled up and salted.

• Ant - maturation 38-40 days, and it belongs to the parthenocarpic species, which means the exclusion of manual pollination. Please note that the bush grows strongly in width.

• Babylon - flowers are more often female, from 1 to 3 flowers in a node. Cucumber up to 28 cm long, and weighing 240 g. More often the ovary is formed by a bunch.
• Baba Masha - requires special care during the appearance of ovaries. There are 7 cucumbers in one ovary, it depends small size fruits that have a dark skin and high tuberosity.

• The miracle is the maximum length of the fruit - 8 cm, but, despite the diminutiveness, the little cucumbers are very pleasant to the taste. You can collect already 45 days after landing.

How to process and germinate cucumber seeds

Seeds bought in the store must undergo special processing before they are sown, which consists of certain stages:

• Check for freshness and germination. To do this, cucumber seeds are poured into a container and poured with saline (half a teaspoon of salt per glass of water). It is better to throw away the pacifiers that float up, and the full-bodied pot-bellied ones pass on.

• Disinfection - soak the material for sowing in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then rinse them thoroughly.
• Sprouting - Wrap the treated and washed seeds in a wet rag or napkin, place in a bowl, and leave in a warm place for germination.

• Wait until it cools down.

Algorithm for sowing seeds of indoor cucumbers

Provided that all preparations are completed, you can proceed to sowing. To make indoor cucumber on the windowsill pleasing to the eye in winter, do the following manipulations:

• Make a hole 1 cm deep in the center of the plastic cup.
• Put 1 seed in the hole and sprinkle with soil a little.

• Place the cups in a common deep tray, cover with cling film or glass.
• Keep the tray in the dark and warm until germination. The appearance of sprouts is a signal to that. that you need to move the tray to a bright place.

For rapid and efficient development, seedlings should be created favorable conditions:

• When the surface of the soil dries up, pour it with settled, warm water. Water with a spray bottle so as not to wash out the roots.

• In cloudy or nighttime, add light. To do this, equip the place with special phytolamps and fluorescent lamps.

• The optimum temperature is +15 +17 during the day, and at night +13 +15.
• To humidify the air, spray the plants with water from a spray bottle or periodically hang wet towels on the batteries.
• Cucumbers grow normally room conditions even on a cool windowsill. To prevent hypothermia of the roots, place the box on a piece of foam.

Transplanting indoor cucumber seedlings

With the development of the root system, cucumber seedlings, as well as, require a larger area, therefore, when the cucumbers form 2 true leaves, they can be transplanted into flower pots with a volume of 4-5 liters. Picking is best done in cloudy weather. The procedure is:

• Half-fill the containers for planting with the substrate, initially lay the drainage on the bottom.
• Water, make a hole.

• Carefully remove the seedlings and move them into the hole without disturbing the earthen ball.
• Immersion is necessary before the cotyledon leaves of the cucumber.
• After finishing, cover the plants for 2-3 days with thin paper or cloth so that they adapt.

Forming a bush of indoor cucumber

In order to grow an indoor cucumber large and developed, it is customary to form it into 1-2 large lashes, so all processes that develop to the sides on the central shoot must be pinched.

It is better to tie up already grown bushes. For this, a construction mesh with large cells stretched over the window is suitable. On it, clinging with antennae, whips will grow. Such a cucumber curtain will look fresh and spring-like.

Watering mode for cucumbers

• To stimulate flowering, watering is necessary 2-3 times a week.
• As soon as the bush blooms, watering is intensified.
• The procedure is best done in the morning or late in the evening with water +28 +30 degrees.
• Waterlogging threatens with diseases, and a lack of moisture will cause the fruits to become bitter.

Top dressing of indoor cucumbers

• Top dressing of indoor cucumbers begins from the time when the first fruit ovaries appear on them. 100 g of wood ash is dissolved in 1 liter of hot water. Water the soil.
• Dry yeast can significantly increase the yield of cucumbers. 100 g yeast + 2 tbsp. sugar + 10 liters of water. Let it brew for a couple of hours, and after that the sourdough is diluted in 50 liters of water. This composition should be watered around the seedlings.

Harvesting is easy. Ripe fruits do not overexpose on the whip, pluck carefully, trying not to damage the stem. Crooked, underdeveloped, spoiled copies also delete.

As you can see, growing cucumbers on the windowsill is quite simple. If you have any life hacks or procedure secrets, be sure to share them in the comments.

Video: Simple ways to grow indoor cucumbers

In every person lives a gardener and gardener. With the arrival of the first spring warmth, everyone is drawn to the dacha, to the village to the garden. It's nice to dig into the fresh earth, breathe in its aroma and throw the first seeds into the garden. But not everyone is lucky to meet spring on their own piece of land. Many citizens do not have time to travel to the garden or their own garden. We'll fix it. If it is not possible to go to the garden, then it can be built at home on the balcony or. On small homemade beds, you can grow green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers. The last vegetable requires special attention and care. To get a rich harvest, you need to know on the windowsill and balcony and not harm the plant. Due to inexperience, its tender sprouts can be destroyed within a few hours. But if you choose the right soil mixture, capacity, variety, adhere to the temperature regime, then the green liana will thank you with tender, crispy cucumbers.

The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill

If you choose the right varieties of cucumbers, then on the windowsill you can get a crop much richer than what your neighbor grows in the country. Fans of home gardening should pay attention to the hybrids of the F1 group:

• Natasha F1;
• Marinda F1;
• Masha F1;
• Fontanelle F1.

The last variety can be safely called the cucumber masterpiece of Moldovan breeders. For several decades, he has successfully pleased his owners with generous fruiting and disease resistance.

From the usual varieties for indoor cultivation suitable cucumbers:

• Thumb boy;
• Mazay;
• Stella.

They are light-loving and require cross pollination, but have a high yield, resistance to diseases in an enclosed space.

Parthenocarpic hybrids - the best varieties cucumbers for planting on the windowsill, as they set fruits regardless of the weather, temperature fluctuations, sunlight, have a large number of female self-pollinated inflorescences, do not require special conditions content.

The main rules for healthy seedlings of cucumbers

Pledge of a rich harvest -. In order for the seeds to sprout quickly, several important rules must be observed:

• The soil for sowing should always be sterilized. Do not trust purchased mixtures: they can be infected with bacteria and pests. The earth must be well breathable and absorb moisture. It is good if the composition of the soil does not include many trace elements. At this stage, the plant does not need them in large quantities. Best of all for sowing cucumbers, river sand is also suitable.
• Do not plant freshly harvested cucumber seeds. In such plants, male flowers predominate, which do not set fruits. Five-year-old seeds produce the largest number of female inflorescences.
• Seeds covered with a special multi-colored shell germinate much later and require constant moisture. If the soil is too dry or underfilled, the plant may die while still in the soil.
• It is better to grow seedlings in small ones, and after the appearance of the third true leaf, transplant into a large container.
• The optimum temperature for germination is 22 degrees with high humidity. To achieve a similar effect, you need to spray the room three times a day, or keep a damp rag under the cups with seedlings.
• After the appearance of the first shoots, it is necessary to slightly lower the temperature in the room, humidity, increase the amount of sunlight.
• To prevent young shoots from stretching, a fluorescent lamp is needed. The help of lamps is also necessary before laying buds on cloudy days (hybrids can do without lighting).
• Watering with warm settled water will help the plant absorb moisture faster.

After the appearance of the first true leaf, seedlings can be fed with liquid,. It is important to ensure that water and liquid with trace elements do not fall on the leaf during the daytime. A drop of moisture can cause burns.

Utensils for planting cucumbers

To grow cucumbers on the windowsill, you need to choose the right container. Then the plant will feel comfortable all season. Cucumber roots are located shallow from the soil surface and love to be warmed by the sun, irrigated by warm rain. For one plant, a five-liter plastic bucket or pot will suffice. Well, if its width will prevail over its height.

Care rules

Even inexperienced gardeners can follow the rules for caring for cucumbers on the windowsill. The main thing is to clearly follow the instructions and not rely on “maybe”:

• Cucumbers love diffused sunlight. On the southern window, their leaves will burn from the heat, and on the western window, the stems will stretch out, most of the fruits will have a characteristic, pear-shaped shape.
• It is better to water the plants after sunset or in cloudy weather under the root, along the edges of the pot.
• The soil for adult plants may be similar to that used for sowing seeds, with the addition of potash, phosphorus, nitrogen fertilizers,. When landing on permanent place, drainage should be built. If there is no expanded clay at hand, then you can use ordinary pebbles or break ordinary foam into small pieces.
• After the appearance of the fifth leaf, the plant needs support. You can stretch a special mesh along the window or whip with ropes. The trellis mesh on the windowsill looks aesthetically pleasing and is a good support during fruiting.
• In summer, the biggest problem when growing cucumbers on a windowsill is the heat: the percentage of humidity indoors and outdoors decreases, the earth mixture dries quickly even with frequent watering. Mulching the potted soil will help keep the root system from overheating and retain water. Chopped bark, straw, sphagnum moss, sawdust, fresh grass are suitable for mulch.
• When growing non-hybrid varieties, it is recommended to pinch off the top of the plant after 7-8 leaves. This technique will give impetus to the growth of side shoots, on which a greater percentage of female flowers are located.
• Proper care and cultivation of cucumbers is not only timely watering, fertilizers, but also regular harvesting. In order for the plant to bear fruit at full strength, it is necessary to collect greens every day. Then he will have the strength for abundant flowering and setting new fruits.

Growing problems

It seems that in the room the plants are protected from all diseases and pests, but often gardeners are faced with problems against which the most effective drugs. In most cases, this is a violation of the rules of agricultural technology or a lack of trace elements.

The most common question for many novice gardeners is: why do cucumber leaves turn yellow on the windowsill?
There are several reasons, but if there are no signs of infection powdery mildew, then it may be untimely watering, stagnation of moisture in the soil (appears bad smell black flies from the pot and small black flies) or lack of nitrogen.

When you do everything right, follow the advice of experienced colleagues, it is difficult to understand why the cucumbers started but do not grow. A similar situation is observed when the temperature drops below +16 or in extreme heat. Then the plant discards the fruits or inhibits their growth in order to save strength.

Everyone can grow cucumbers on the windowsill. The main thing: do not be afraid to make a mistake and love what you do. And the reward for your efforts will be new knowledge and crispy cucumbers for lunch.

It should be:

• short-fruited, with a length of greens from 6 cm to 25 cm.
• shade-tolerant not afraid of temperature changes.
• early or mid-season, with a fruiting period of 4 to 6 months.
• fruitful.

Preference is given to parthenocarpic hybrids F1. These self-pollinating plants have only female flowers. For growing cucumbers at home, early and ultra-early ones are most popular:

• April;
• Benefit;
• Zozulya;
• Carmen;
• goosebumps;
• Sail;
• Regina;
• Shchedryk;
• Crunch.

From medium early varieties cucumbers for growing at home are preferred:

• Athlete;
• Full house;
• Balagan;
• Bianca;
• Berendey;
• Urban;
• Far Eastern;
• Claudia;
• Courage;
• marinade;
• Masha;
• manul;
• Romance;
• Solar.

IMPORTANT! Cucumber hybrids late deadline maturation for home growing unsuitable.

Bee-pollinated hybrids of cucumbers, for indoor and greenhouse cultivation, require manual pollination.

The process requires certain skills and additional time.

But despite this, vegetable growers grow at home bee pollinated cucumber hybrids:

• Gribovsky 2;
• Dawn;
• manul;
• Surprise;
• Khutorok;
• Relay race.

Grow and bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers:

• Room Rytov;
• Marfinsky.

Advice! Manual pollination of cucumbers is carried out in the morning. With a cotton swab, with a soft brush, pollen is transferred from a male barren flower to flowers with an ovary (female). You can touch a male flower with torn petals to a female pistil.

Female single flowers grow separately. The males form groups in the axils of the leaves.

Pollination of cucumbers continues throughout the flowering period, until the first ovaries appear. To increase the yield of cucumbers experienced lovers advise pollinating female flowers with pollen of different varieties.

Location selection

Growing cucumbers in an apartment is better on warm, bright balconies, loggias, verandas, windows oriented to the south, east, west.

The north side is not suitable for growing. There should be no drafts in the room.

What to grow?

There are many options: hanging baskets, buckets, containers, boxes, flower pots, tubs. The main thing is that the volume of the container should be at least 5 liters. Drainage is laid out at the bottom - small pebbles, pieces of expanded clay, large sawdust. Make holes to remove excess water.

Advice! To save money, they cut off large plastic bottles, use double plastic garbage bags.

How to grow cucumbers in an apartment: step by step instructions

Landing dates

Timing depends on the selected variety of cucumbers, growing conditions. They take into account the area of ​​​​the room, the ability to provide optimal temperature and light conditions, air humidity, and the climatic zone.

Cucumbers planted at the end of October will ripen for the New Year's table. From January plantings, they begin to harvest in March. The average time for the start of fruiting from the appearance of the first shoots is 40-50 days. February seedlings ripen by the May holidays.

Soil preparation

Buying in the store universal soil or mixture for growing cucurbits.

Self-prepared according to proven recipes:

1. Equal shares of peat, humus. A glass of wood ash on a bucket of mixture.
2. 1/3 of the turf, garden soil, compost with the addition of a small amount of calcined river sand, ash, rotten sawdust.

The earth is disinfected in one of the following ways:

• Steamed.
• Shedding hot (+ 90 ° C) solution of potassium permanganate of dark pink color.
• Warm up in the oven.
• handle special industrial preparations.
• Apply nitrophoska or full complex fertilizer. Pour into containers, pour abundantly, leave for a day to seal.

Sowing

1. cucumber seeds etch for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Washed. Dry. Leave for 2-3 days to swell in a saucer with warm water, wrap in damp gauze, spread on cotton pads. Read more about front.
2. Sprouted cucumber seeds sown to a depth of about a centimeter. Plant 1-2 seeds per liter at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. .
3. Expose to a bright place. Maintain temperature + 22-25°C during the day, + 16-18°C at night.
4. To maintain the required humidity covered with foil, glass.
5. When seedlings of cucumbers appear, the shelter is removed. Remove the weak stem. Lighting starts.

Advice! To eliminate the danger of hypothermia of the root system of cucumbers, a sheet of foam, drywall, thick plywood is placed under the containers with plantings.

Lighting

It is impossible to grow cucumbers in the winter at home without lighting. Light day should last 12-14 hours. from December to February, supplementary lighting is carried out from 16 to 20 hours.

Lighting devices for supplementary lighting (energy-saving, fluorescent, LED) are mounted at a distance of 30-40 cm.

To enhance the effect, reflective sheets of foil and mirrors are installed.

Temperature

The temperature is maintained until the plants form lashes not higher than +16°C. After the formation of lashes, the temperature on sunny days is maintained at + 24-26°C, in cloudy weather and at night + 18-20°C.

Watering

Watered in sunny weather daily, in cloudy weather - every other day. Water must be defended, brought to room temperature. Water several times a season with a weak pinkish solution of potassium permanganate.

It is useful to spray the plants twice a day, but the leaves should dry out by night. Watering cucumbers is carried out under the root or pour water into pallets.

Advice! To increase the humidity in the room, cover heating batteries wet towels. They put dishes with water next to the cucumber bushes. Turn on humidifiers.

Support

Home-grown lashes reach a height of up to two meters and require a garter. The garter is made using a sliding loop. Use twine or nylon cord.

Bush formation

After the appearance of the fifth true leaf, pinch the top to form a bush into two stems. With the growth of the next five leaves, the procedure is repeated.

The pinching of the lateral lashes is carried out in the lateral lower nodes over the 1-2-3 sheet.

top dressing

The first is carried out after the appearance of two true leaves. Feed with a solution of 3-4 g of nitrophoska per liter of water. The consumption rate per plant is a glass.

Can be used a solution of one teaspoon of urea in 5 liters of water. Feed once every 2 weeks.

With the advent of greens, the plant is fed every week, alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. As organic additives, 20% solutions of chicken manure or superphosphate are used. For mineral, dissolve 30-40 g of nitrophoska in a bucket of water, add a teaspoon of Agrolife or 2 caps of Rost along with watering.

Alternatively, a week later feeding cucumbers with vermicompost. The bushes are sprayed twice with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Advice! An excellent organic is a solution of fermented crushed banana peels, rye bread.

Diseases

Cucumbers grown in an apartment also suffer from whiteflies. Spraying with soapy water helps, it is dangerous to use insecticides in the apartment.

Harvesting

Zelentsy collected every day, preventing them from overgrowing. This contributes to the formation of new ovaries, eases the load on the lashes, prevents the depletion of the plant, and the deterioration of the taste of cucumbers.

Growing in a private house

It does not differ in agricultural technology from growing cucumbers in an apartment. However, rural residents, owners of cottages have more opportunities to successfully grow cucumbers in heated greenhouses all year round.

Features of greenhouse agricultural technology

• Stop the choice on greenhouse varieties cucumbers.
• When planting, be sure to bring into the hole at least a bucket of well-rotted compost or manure, with the addition of 10 g of phosphorus, 5 g of nitrogen, 15 g of potassium per 1 m².
• Landing seedlings of cucumbers are placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other, leaving a meter between the rows. Abundantly watered.
• Equip trellises, supports.
• A bush of cucumbers is formed as when grown at home.
• Remove yellowed and deformed leaves.
• First dressing after 4 weeks. For each plant, 1-2 liters of a 0.3% aqueous phosphorus-potassium solution are consumed. During the fruiting period, top dressing is carried out every week.
• At the optimum air temperature, watering is carried out at the rate of 2-3 liters of water per bush.

Disease prevention and control

• Should change soil annually. Develop beneficial microflora. Apply preparations such as Fitosporin M, rotted manure, nettle infusion.
• Maintain ventilation.
• For whiteflies, the soil is disinfected. Once every 5 days, the bushes are sprayed with karbofos.
• Dill, mustard, coriander, garlic, basil, tobacco are planted in the aisles. They repel pests of cucumbers.
• Aphids and whiteflies are washed off with a jet cold water. Wipe the leaves of cucumbers with soapy water.

Can it be grown in a basement?

In the equipped basement, up to 200 kg of cucumbers are removed from 1 m².

The main costs fall on ensuring optimal light and thermal conditions.

Requirements for a basement for growing cucumbers

• Temperature should not fall to minus levels throughout the year.
• No rodents, mold, fungus.
• tightness, protection from drafts, penetration of groundwater.

Basement Equipment

• Insulate floors and walls insulating materials.
• Install heaters, thermal and lighting. Mercury-arc lamps or incandescent lamps are most acceptable as lamps. For convenience, a time relay is used.
• Organize a ventilation system.
• Choose a growing medium: hydroponics or soil.
• Soil requirements are the same as for growing cucumbers at home and in greenhouses.

Hydroponics is more effective for basement gardening. Use quartz, granite granules with a diameter of 50-20 mm and a nutrient solution with a high content of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus. nutrient solution You can buy it at the store or make your own.

Growing Features

• Cultivate seedlings.
• Cucumber seedlings planted at any time of the year.
• Respect General requirements agrotechnics of cucumbers.
• To combat insects, rodents, dust, smoke bombs, traps with poisoned bait, special paints with insecticides are changed.
• From fungal, mold, moss primed walls with compounds with antifungal additives.

Pros and Cons of Underground Growing

To undoubted advantages relate high yield, obtaining cucumbers regardless of the season, weather conditions. Shortened period from emergence of seedlings of cucumbers to harvest. Already two months after planting the seedlings, the first greens ripen.

The main disadvantage is the high cost of cucumbers.

Is it possible to grow cucumbers at home in winter? If desired, cucumbers can be grown all year round. Enthusiasts get 35-40 pieces of cucumbers from a bush grown at home.

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There is not a single person who would not like such a dish as a salad based on cucumbers. It is especially pleasant if the cultivation of greens was carried out step by step on the windowsill or on the balcony with your own hands. There is such a category of gardeners who are not limited to the cultivation of tasty and healthy fruits in summer cottages, balcony cucumber - the pride of any specialist.

Cucumbers on the windowsill

For many novice gardeners, it may seem impossible to grow cucumbers on a windowsill, but this is quite real. Of course, you will have to work hard to get the harvest, but for those who like to show their talent in agricultural technology this process gives real pleasure. In addition, such an activity can become a family hobby.
There are no restrictions on the landing time. But planting is one thing, and taking care of it - following a step-by-step plan of events, especially in winter, is quite another. The conditions for success are the installation of a lamp with daylight near an impromptu garden bed from November to February, proper watering, attention to flowering, pinching and garter. Insufficient light adversely affects the vegetation.

Due to the absence of time limits, it is possible to plant and harvest fruits at any time of the year.

The best varieties to grow on a windowsill

The main rule on how to grow greens in a room is right choice seeds. What variety to use for planting? If you take the first variety that comes to hand for cultivation, the development of seedlings will be slowed down, which, most likely, will lead to the death of the seedling.
The following varieties are suitable for cultivating cucumbers on the windowsill.

Balcony

An unpretentious early ripe variety with a fruit ripening period of 40-42 days from the moment of germination. The yield per square meter is 8-11 kg. To successfully grow this variety and get a big harvest, the main thing is to water it correctly according to the instructions.

Buyan

A variety that does not require pollination has a long fruiting period. Zelentsy ripen 44-48 days after the appearance of the first shoots. The average yield is 3.5-5 kg ​​per m2.

Ant

The characteristic quality of the variety is ultra early ripening, the fruits appear on the 37-38th day after the mass germination of seeds. The plant does not require pollination. With proper care, 10-12 kg can be removed from 1 m2.

Marathon

A hybrid that requires pollination has a high yield (over 25 kg per 1 m2). Ideal for window cultivation due to its compact vine size and high disease resistance.

Olympics

The plant, although it has a long lash, adapts well at home. The fruits ripen on 47-49 days after germination of seeds on the surface of the soil. When grown in a greenhouse in compliance with the technology, up to 45 kg are removed from 1 m2, at home it is also noted high yield - over 24 kg per 1 m2.

Basic growing rules

The key to obtaining a good harvest of cucumbers will be the inviolable implementation of the basic rules of agricultural technology:

• Plant only varieties suitable for window growing.
• Conduct soil and seed disinfection.
• Observe the temperature regime characteristic of each stage.
• Avoid drafts.
• Control the degree of soil and air moisture, as well as the level of lighting.
• Timely transplant and garter, introduce fertilizers and top dressing
• Hand pollinate the flowers of those varieties that require it.
• Periodically loosen the soil to provide access to the roots of oxygen.

When to plant cucumbers at home?

More often, sowing seeds for seedlings is done step by step in March. A month later, the grown seedlings are transferred to separate pots. This decision is due to the appropriate time of the year, when there will simply be no shortage of good lighting.

What is the most suitable technology term for planting?

You can start sowing in January, this is also practiced quite often. There are no strict restrictions on the timing of planting on the street; when determining the period, one should be guided by the possibility of creating favorable conditions for the vegetation of the plant.

The right soil for growing early varieties in a pot

Loose fertile soil is used for growing cucumbers. A ready-made universal substrate or a self-prepared mixture of equal parts is suitable: fertile soil, humus, sand, ash, rotten sawdust. Why not do this at home? For aesthetic reasons, you should not fill the house with these smells.
To disinfect the substrate, it is necessary to warm it up in the oven. With the help of such a procedure, it will be possible to get rid of various larvae and spores, which can subsequently infect young shoots.

Preparing seeds for planting

The preparatory process for sowing on a balcony does not differ significantly from the usual procedures that are used when growing a crop in open ground or in a greenhouse. In addition to disinfection, carried out in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, it is necessary to sort out the highest quality seeds. A feature of home cultivation is the preliminary germination of seeds. This must be done in order to determine the exact number of bushes that fit into the box. In the cold season, there is nowhere to transplant adult seedlings, and it is blasphemous to throw away developing shoots. Forcing all the windows with cucumbers is not a way out, therefore it is better to sow only germinated specimens.

To accelerate the germination of seedlings, it is recommended to treat the seed with a growth stimulator before sowing.

How to plant and transplant at home

Seeding is convenient to do in wooden boxes or individual pots. You can also use plastic cups, it is important that there is a hole on the bottom to release excess moisture. After germination, the seeds are buried in moist soil by 1.5 cm. Until the emergence of seedlings on the surface of the soil, the container should be covered with glass or plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. The temperature regime at this stage is at least 25 °. After 2-3 days, it will be possible to observe how green dots break through the soil. After the shoots appear, you need to remove the shelter and reduce the room temperature to 20 °.
It is necessary to transplant strengthened seedlings with 3-4 leaves into more capacious pots, where up to 5 liters of soil can fit. Also, some owners use boxes, where 3-4 bushes are planted per 1 m2.

The shoots are transferred to a new place carefully together with the soil so that the weak root system is not damaged.

Care for the first shoots and seedlings in the apartment

Seedling care is tremulous, it is at this stage that it is important to help the shoots grow stronger, which in further development will play a positive role.

Lighting in spring and summer

Cucumbers need a lot of light, so it is better to choose a window sill or a loggia for a garden bed on the south or southeast side. On cloudy days and in spring, you need to compensate for the lack of lighting by installing fluorescent lamps. So that in the summer the plant does not dry out from the sun's rays in the apartment, the glass is tinted with a thin tulle. Light shading will protect the whips from ultraviolet radiation.

You can create additional lighting using mirrors, foil and other reflectors that will redirect sunlight to the bushes.

Watering indoor cucumbers

Seedlings are moistened by spraying. For this, it is better to use a spray gun. It should be filled only settled warm water.

Seedling feeding

After sowing, the seedlings are in a warm place with a temperature regime of at least 23 ° for 25-28 days. During this time, it is necessary to introduce several dressings: the first time 15 days after germination and another 10 days later. As a nutrient composition, it is recommended to use complex fertilizers.

Garter of grown lashes

The growing lash needs help - tie it up.

For the garter, a trellis net is used, which is easier to wrap in a semicircle. After immersing it in the ground and fixing it, the stalk should be launched onto the formed wall. Then he himself will wrap around the grid. You can tweak it, but do it carefully so as not to damage the plant. Excess tendrils are removed.
The garter is also organized using a cord, which is fixed on a specially made frame of slats. The sequence of the process is as follows:

• a cord is attached to the top of the frame ( from natural fibers);
• the end of the cord descends to the root zone of the bush, wraps (not tight!) Several times around the stem and
• returns to the top rail;
• both ends of the cord are tied together.

When and how to pinch?

To increase the yield, it is necessary to form a bush of cucumbers. Often the plant lays male shoots on the stem, the so-called barren flowers. To prevent their formation, after gartering the whip, remove the side shoots from the bottom. Next, 6-8 sheets are passed along the stem and pinched (cut off the edge). This procedure provokes the formation of lateral branches, on which greens are well tied.

Watering and feeding

For irrigation, it is used exclusively warm water , cold liquid inhibits the development of roots and reduces the formation of ovaries in the sinuses. You need to irrigate the bushes once a week. In the summer, the intensity of moistening, if necessary, is increased up to 2-3 times a week. You can also spray the whips throughout the day using warm, clean water.
Fertilizer should be introduced into the soil regularly, about 1 time in 10 days. The first time this should be done 2 weeks after sowing. For these purposes are used ready mixes from mineral substances or solutions based on organics:

• mullein and water (1:10);
• bird droppings and water (1:15);
• infusion on onion peel and etc.

How to pollinate

When choosing pollinated varieties, it is necessary to provide artificial pollination, in conditions open ground this function is performed by bees.
Before you conduct it, you need to learn to distinguish empty flowers from female flowers. The female inflorescence is formed on a green seal that looks like a mini-cucumber. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male flower to the fertile one. To do this, the barren flower is plucked and the stamens are opened as much as possible, removing all the petals. It remains only to touch the stamens of the female flower, repeating the procedure several times (to be sure). This should be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate inflorescence.
How to successfully grow cucumbers on the windowsill? The secret lies in the systematic care of plants, which will certainly thank you with a generous harvest.

Kira Stoletova

Many gardeners grow cucumbers on summer cottages. In this case, the culture of its harvest only in summer and early autumn. Growing cucumbers at home will allow you to enjoy them at other times of the year.

If you create the proper microclimate, the culture will feel good on the windowsill. The presence of a loggia with heating or a glazed balcony will allow you to successfully grow vegetables in other places.

Description of indoor cucumbers

It is worth starting the agrotechnical process at home with the choice of variety. Not all types are suitable for growing cucumbers in an apartment. It is better to choose self-pollinated hybrids (parthenocarpic). Among them are the following:

• Masha;
• Claudia F1;
• Room;
• Marinda F1;
• Home;
• Rytova;
• Marfinsky;
• Bianca.

These varieties with a female type of flowering, they do not have male flowers. Well suited for planting on window sills, because they look like bushes and are medium climbing. Their height is 1.5-2 m, they grow well on verticals. Disease resistant.

The fruits are 15-25 cm in size. They are distinguished by high taste qualities. It takes about 45-50 days from the emergence of seedlings to the beginning of fruiting. The yield is high - with proper care, one bush can produce 30-40 fruits. Ripe vegetables must be harvested on time, so new ones will be tied faster.

You can cultivate varieties that require pollination. They first appear male flowers, female - later and less. Their crops alternate from self-pollinated. To pollinate cucumbers yourself, you need to pick the male flower and touch the middle of the female.

Growing conditions

In the autumn-winter period indoor plants there is not enough light, which should be provided for 14-15 hours a day. Therefore, they are illuminated with a lamp. On cloudy days it can be on all day. It is better to grow cucumbers at home on windows that face south.

The daytime temperature in the room should be 21-24˚С, at night - 18-19˚С. In apartments in winter, it is maintained at this level. If there is not enough heat, use heaters.

A board is installed under the vessels that stand on the windowsill. Then the roots will not freeze. Culture does not like cold air. This must be taken into account when it blows from the windows. In such cases, it is better to cover them with plastic wrap or insulate them. When ventilating the premises, it is necessary to ensure that the bushes do not stand in a draft.

Seedling cultivation

The process of growing cucumbers in winter is made up of several stages. By following the rules of each of them, you can get a good harvest.

Soil preparation and containers

Cucumbers prefer loose soil. Soil mixture can be bought at the store. It is also prepared at home in this way:

• 4 parts of compost;
• 3 parts of peat;
• 2 parts of sod land;
• 1 part sawdust.
• 1 matchbox of urea per 10 liters of the mixture;
• 2 matchboxes of potassium sulfate and superphosphate for the same amount.

To prevent diseases, the mixture is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate while stirring. Then moisturize it warm water and placed in vessels, 5 cm upwards are left unfilled.

Seedlings are best grown in cups or pots. They can be shallow because the root system of cucumbers is superficial. Worth processing them. hot water(about 60˚С). Drainage is placed at the bottom - stones, broken bricks. Make 3 holes on the bottom. This is done to remove excess moisture so that the roots do not rot.

Seed preparation and planting

If the selected seed is in the shell, it is planted dry. Untreated seeds are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes.

To grow cucumbers at home, you first need to germinate the seeds. To do this, the earth is watered with hot water. Let her cool down. The seeds are laid on top and covered with a bandage folded in two layers (gauze, cloth). Leave warm, wetting all the time.

After the appearance of petioles (after about 3-4 days), one grain is planted in each cup. Deepen by 2 cm. The petiole should be directed down. All vessels are placed in one box in such a way that their edges protrude. Cover with film.

seedling care

Need to create optimal conditions under which seedlings will develop and grow rapidly. The room temperature should be 25˚C. After the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed and rearranged on a lighted windowsill. The temperature should be lower (about 20˚С) so that the seedlings do not stretch.

Watering seedlings is done moderately. If she is provided with artificial lighting, then moisturize 2 times a day. Without additional light - 1 time per day. Water for irrigation should be separated and have a temperature of 23-25˚С.

To grow high-quality seedlings for cucumbers, you need to feed it 2 times during the winter:

1. The first time fertilizer is applied 2 weeks after germination. Take 1 tsp. for 3 liters of water, dose 1 cup per sprout.
2. The second time - a week after the previous one. Top dressing is prepared as follows: 1 tsp. nitrophoska, 1 tbsp. l. wood ash is diluted in 3 liters of water. Apply 1 cup per plant.

Transfer

The process of growing cucumbers at home involves moving seedlings into deeper containers. This is done when the sprouts have 3 true leaves. Boxes, pots are suitable for transplanting, the main thing is that a sufficient amount of land is placed there. 2-3 bushes can go into the box, the distance between them must be maintained 25-30 cm. The containers should be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate.

Growing fruits

To grow cucumbers in the winter at home, you need to create the necessary conditions. Let's consider them in more detail.

The choice of mixture after transplantation

When moving seedlings to large containers, care must be taken to fill them. You can grow cucumbers in winter in a potting mix or hydroponics. The mixture is prepared as follows: ¾ parts of sod land, 1 part of humus, 0.5 l of wood ash. Drainage is placed at the bottom.

If seedlings are transplanted using hydroponics, gravel 8-10 cm thick is taken. Pour it into a tin. A vessel without a bottom or with holes is placed on top. It is filled with moss, sawdust, peat. Sawdust must be steamed. Gravel is poured full mineral fertilizer. Its solution is absorbed by the filling from the vessel. Fertilizer is constantly added. Changed once a week.

Complete fertilizer can be prepared at home. To do this, take 25 g of urea, 60 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt. You need to take 1.5 g of the mixture.

This method allows you to cultivate cucumbers even in the basement, in which all conditions are met. Lighting is provided by energy-saving lamps.

Bush care

How to grow cucumbers in the winter fresh vegetables happy with your taste? The secrets of agricultural technology are as follows:

• bush formation;
• garter;
• watering;
• top dressing.

Formation

When 4-5 leaves appear on the plants, you need to pinch the top. Then lateral shoots will begin to grow, which will give more fruits. They leave 2-3 pieces. When the lashes grow to 10 leaves, they are also pinched. Then new lashes will begin to form. It turns out a bush that will give a high yield.

Garter

For the proper development of plants, it is necessary to create a garter with such a project: at a height of 1.5-1.8 m above the vessels, a wire is pulled, bushes are tied to it with twine. This is done a week after transplanting seedlings. Plants are wrapped around twine, which is pulled into two threads. The top of the bushes is allowed between them.

Watering

In winter, indoor cucumbers should be watered 2-3 times a week. To do this, use separated water with a temperature of 27-30˚С. When the fruits are tied, watering is done as the topsoil dries. Watering should be moderate so that the cucumbers are not bitter.

top dressing

It is necessary to take care of plants by feeding them during the growing season. The first time fertilizer should be applied 15-20 days after planting. Take 1 tsp. urea per 10 liters of water. Consumption - 0.5 liters per 1 bush. The second - 7-8 days after the previous one. Prepare a solution: 2 tbsp. l. drug "Effekton" per 10 liters of water. Pour 0.5 l on each plant.

Diseases and pests

Growing cucumbers at home cannot protect plants from various diseases. Plants can be attacked by aphids, whiteflies or spider mite. At home, it is dangerous to use insecticides. Therefore, to combat pests, it is worth resorting to folk remedies:

• tobacco infusion will be effective against aphids and whiteflies;
• tincture of garlic with the addition of antibacterial soap to cope with spider mites.

The sprout fly is dangerous for cucumbers. A sign of damage may be yellow leaves of plants. For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to disinfect the soil, because pest larvae remain in it. If you notice it during the growth of culture, you need to change the soil.

Other problems may arise when farming vegetables at home. The reason for which is improper care of plants. For example, over-watering can cause root rot.

Conclusion

By growing cucumbers on the windowsill, you can have fresh fruits at home all year round.

Kitchen garden on the windowsill - Cucumbers in 50 days on the north balcony

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill. Proven method. // Oleg Karp

SUPER WAY! GROWING CUCUMBERS IN A PACKAGE ON THE WINDOW!

Growing seedlings of cucumbers at home

If you follow all the rules for caring for the plant, it is possible to get a generous and healthy harvest.