When is the best time to plant cucumbers?

Cucumber is a common vegetable that can be eaten raw or fried. Cucumbers have a unique flavor when cooked alone or paired with most ingredients, or as a side dish in hot pot or malatang. Therefore, the demand for cucumbers in the market is very stable. So when is the best time to plant cucumbers?

When is the best time to plant cucumbers?

1. Spring

Spring is the main planting season for cucumbers, and the suitable sowing time is usually between March and early May. Due to the warm climate in the south, planting can be done around March, while due to the lower temperature in the north, it is suitable for planting around April.

2. Summer

In addition to spring, summer is also a suitable time to plant cucumbers, and they can be sown from June to August. Cucumbers sown in summer can take advantage of the high temperature and long daylight hours in summer to promote their growth.

3. Autumn cucumber

In some areas, fall is also an option for cucumber planting , especially in frost-free areas or when protected cultivation is used. The sowing time of autumn cucumbers generally starts from early to mid-July and lasts until early August. However, considering the growth cycle of cucumbers and winter frost, it is not recommended to plant autumn cucumbers in northern regions after mid-to-late August.

What are the common diseases and pests of cucumbers?

1. Downy Mildew

This is a common disease in greenhouses . The suitable temperature for the disease is 20-24℃, and the disease is serious in high humidity environment. Prevention and control methods include the use of protective agents such as 800 times diluted 50% carbendazim wettable powder and 600-800 times diluted 75% thiophanate-methyl for early prevention, and triazole agents such as flusilazole and cyanamide for later treatment.

2. Powdery mildew

It can occur from the seedling stage to the adult plant, mainly harming the leaves, but also the stems and petioles. For prevention and control, 1500-2000 grams of 20% triadimefon emulsifiable concentrate can be used as smoke.

3. Bacterial angular spot

The symptoms are similar to those of downy mildew and need to be identified before effective prevention and control. In the early stage of the disease, you can use 4000 times diluted 72% agricultural streptomycin for spraying.

4. Fusarium wilt

It is a soil-borne disease that can occur from seedlings to adult plants, especially during the fruiting period. Prevention and control measures include root irrigation with 500 times diluted 50% carbendazim wettable powder and other agents.

5. Anthrax

It harms leaves, stems and melons. The suitable temperature for the disease is 20-24℃, and the disease is serious when the relative humidity of the air is 95%. Prevention and control methods include spraying with 500 times diluted 50% carbendazim wettable powder and other agents.

6. Aphids

They gather on the undersides of leaves and tender stems to suck sap, causing the leaves to curl and shrink. Prevention and control measures include the use of pesticide sprays such as 70% acetamiprid and 40% acetamiprid.

7. Whitefly

It reproduces quickly and in large colonies. It sucks leaf juice to spread viruses and secretes honeydew, which affects product quality. 3. The prevention and control method is to use 30% aphid and lice fumigant for smoke control.

8. Liriomyza sativae

The larvae feed on the mesophyll under the epidermis of the leaves, forming a snake-like pupal tract. The prevention and control methods include a combination of yellow card trapping and killing of adults and chemical control, using 3000 times diluted 1.8% aifodin emulsifiable concentrate and other pesticide sprays.

In general, cucumber is a plant that likes warmth and is not cold-tolerant, making it suitable for planting in spring and summer. The suitable planting time for cucumbers will vary depending on the climatic conditions in different regions.