Cucumber cultivation technology and methods

Cucumber , also known as zucchini, is edible for its young and tender fruits. It is a vegetable with large production volume and a long history of cultivation. Here are some cucumber cultivation techniques and methods.

1. Seedling cultivation

Cucumber seedlings are generally raised in a seedbed or a solar greenhouse to be planted. Garden soil that was not a melon crop before is chosen as the seedbed to avoid the spread of diseases. The specifications of the seedbed are generally 10 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. One acre of cultivation area requires a seedbed of 10 square meters to 12 square meters. The seedbed should be adequately fertilized with organic fertilizer , and the soil should be broken up and fully leveled. The general formula of nutrient soil is 2/3 garden soil, 1/3 decomposed organic fertilizer, add an appropriate amount of superphosphate, and use 200 to 300 times of carbendazim for soil disinfection.

2. Planting

Cucumber seeds should be dried in the sun 2 to 3 days before sowing, then soaked in 60℃ warm water for 15 minutes, and then transferred to 25℃~33℃ warm water and soaked for 3 to 4 hours. Finally, rinsed with clean water and placed in wet gauze to germinate. After about 1 day, when 20% of the seeds turn white, they can be sown.

Cucumbers grown in solar greenhouses are usually sown in mid-October, and about 150 to 200 grams of seeds are required per acre. Before sowing, the seedbed should be watered sufficiently. After the water has seeped into the soil, the germinated seeds should be evenly spread into the ridges and covered with nutrient soil with a thickness of 1.5 cm to 2 cm. Then, the ground film and small shed should be covered to keep warm and moist.

3. Seedling management

After sowing and before emergence, the greenhouse should be closed to keep warm and moist to promote rapid emergence of seedlings. Generally, the temperature should be kept at 25℃~30℃ during the day and 17℃~18℃ at night. After emergence, the temperature in the greenhouse should be lowered quickly to prevent the seedlings from growing too tall. Generally, the temperature should be kept at 22℃~25℃ during the day and 13℃~15℃ at night. Pay attention to increasing light to cultivate strong seedlings.

4. Land preparation and fertilization

Generally, 10,000 kg of decomposed urea fertilizer, 30 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 100 kg of wood ash are required per mu. Mix well and spread on the ground, then plow 30 cm to 50 cm deep, break up and rake the soil to make 1 m to 2 m beds. Before transplanting, the greenhouse should be covered 10 to 15 days in advance to increase the indoor ground temperature, and sufficient water should be poured, and the ground film should be covered on the bed, waiting for transplanting.

5. Planting

It is usually transplanted in mid-to-late November or early December, and can be put on the market around the Spring Festival. Transplanting should be done between 9 am and 3 pm on a sunny day. It can be divided into large and small rows, with a large row spacing of 70 cm and a small row spacing of 50 cm. The plant spacing is generally 20 cm, and the number of plants per mu is 4,000 to 5,000. When planting, attention should be paid to loosening the soil in the pot when removing the pot, which is conducive to the growth of the root system. At the same time, it should be planted shallowly so that the cotyledons are in a good growth environment.

6. Fertilizer and water management

After the seedlings have grown, water them to promote root growth, and do inter-cultivation and seedling baking to promote strong seedlings. After the roots are established, light fertilizer should be applied frequently. During the peak melon season, 15 kg of diammonium phosphate or urea is generally applied per mu. Depending on the growth of the plants, top dressing is applied every 10 to 15 days, with about 15 kg of urea applied per mu each time. In the later stage of fruiting, water and fertilizer management should be strengthened to promote the formation of fruits on side branches. 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.5% urea should be sprayed to supplement nutrients.

That’s it