Early spring cucumber seedling raising schedule

Cucumber planting area ranks first among melon vegetables. Through protected cultivation, cucumbers can be produced all year round and supplied evenly. It is one of the main high-yield vegetables cultivated in greenhouses and plastic greenhouses . Let’s talk about the early spring cucumber seedling raising schedule.

1. Early spring cucumber seedling raising schedule

Early spring cucumbers are generally grown from January to March. Cucumber seedlings are grown in the early spring when the temperature is low and the daylight is short, which can easily lead to adverse conditions such as uneven seedling emergence and seedling diseases. To obtain strong seedlings with even seedlings, short hypocotyls, thick stems, short internodes, thick leaves, large, dark and shiny cotyledons, and white and clustered roots, in addition to selecting excellent varieties that are resistant to low temperature and weak light in the early stage, resistant to high temperature in the later stage, have strong disease resistance, strong continuous fruiting ability, and high early yield, you also need to equip them with the necessary facilities and equipment for seedling cultivation, as well as good seedling management techniques to achieve the goal of growing good seedlings.

2. Early spring cucumber seedling raising method

1. Seedbed preparation

Prepare nursery beds in the facility; lay electric heating wires and temperature controllers for seedling cultivation; prepare small arch sheds and non-woven fabrics or other coverings for insulation.

2. Preparation of nutrient soil

Crush and sift all fertilizers , garden soil and peat soil.

(1) Mix 3 parts of decomposed organic fertilizer , 6 parts of farmland soil, and 1 part of plant ash for later use;

(2) Mix 3 parts of decomposed organic fertilizer, 5 parts of peat soil, and 2 parts of perlite (vermiculite) for later use;

While mixing and stirring, spray the liquid medicine (spray broad-spectrum fungicide to prevent damping-off and other seedling diseases), then stir and water to mix evenly. The water content should be appropriate so that the clumps thrown away can disperse by themselves. Cover with a film and set aside.

Take a 7 cm diameter seedling pot and fill it with the above nutrient soil to 80%, water it, cover it with film and wait for sowing after 10 hours.

3. Sowing and seed treatment

(1) Direct seeding of dry seeds. Dry the seeds for 4 to 6 hours. Place the seeds flat in the center of the pot and press lightly. Sprinkle the seed covering mud about 1 cm over the seeds and cover them with a film.

(2) Soaking seeds to germinate. Dry the seeds for 4 to 6 hours. After washing in water, put them in 55℃ warm water (the amount of water is 5 times that of the seeds), stir in one direction. When the water temperature drops to 30℃, soak the seeds in water for about 4 hours, wash off the mucus and impurities, take them out, drain the water and germinate them at 28℃ ~ 30℃. The seeds can be sown after about 70% of them turn white. Keep the temperature at 30℃ during the day and 16℃~18℃ at night. Seedlings will emerge in 3~4 days. Remove the plastic film in time after 50% of the seeds have emerged.

4. Post-sowing management

(1) Temperature. Keep the temperature at 25℃~30℃. If the temperature at noon reaches above 30℃, it is necessary to cool down in time to prevent the seeds from burning. When 70% of the seeds have germinated, remove the film and start ventilation and cooling. Keep the temperature at 22℃~25℃ during the day and 16℃~18℃ at night. During the seedling stage (from the emergence of the seedlings to the top of the first true leaf), increase the light as much as possible, reduce the night temperature and the moisture of the seedbed to prevent the seedlings from growing too tall (water can be replenished with a sprayer in case of water shortage). The temperature can be adjusted to 20℃~25℃ during the day and 12℃ at night. From the top of the first true leaf to the third leaf unfolding, the daytime temperature is maintained at 25℃~28℃ and the nighttime temperature is 10℃~12℃. Cool the seedlings 4 to 5 days before transplanting (4 leaves and 1 heart), 22℃~25℃ during the day and 8℃~10℃ at night.

(2) Ventilation. When the seedlings have 3 true leaves, gradually increase the ventilation and light time. Especially one week before transplanting, the film must be removed early and covered late, and the temperature and water must be appropriately lowered to harden the seedlings.

(3) Light. When the seedlings have 2 to 3 true leaves, try to extend the lighting time. On sunny days, the seedlings should be exposed to more light. In case of continuous rainy days and low temperature, in order to reduce humidity, the film covering the non-woven fabric can be removed, which can achieve the purpose of ventilation and light transmission accordingly.

(4) Disease prevention. Low temperature and high humidity can easily lead to seedling diseases such as damping off and leaf blight. You can spray pesticides, but the concentration should not be too high to prevent pesticide damage.

That’s it