Garden

How to cut cucumbers correctly and why

Healthy cucumber stems in the process of growth form many leaves and fruits. To limit the growth of tops and increase fruiting, pruning is used. If you are wondering if this can be done, find out the answer from this review. Here you will find information about the reasons for trimming and the features of its implementation.

Do I need and why prune leaves on cucumbers?

The correct answer: yes, you need to trim the leaves in order to balance the volume of leaf mass and fruits. Pruning is a way to control the growth of tops and stimulate fruiting.

How to prune cucumbers

3-5 weeks after planting in the ground and the beginning of growth, the time of pruning comes. At this point, the stem should reach a length of 0.5-0.6 m. Pruning is repeated every 2 weeks. This helps the cucumber to retain nutrients for greater fruiting. Important! If you cut the plant before the stem reaches a height of 0.5 m, then it will not have time to develop, and you can be left without a crop due to early pruning. Cucumber is formed into one stalk, which is wrapped around a support. You will need to remove the emerging side shoots, starting processing from the bottom and moving to the top of the plant. Damaged leaves or flowers should also be removed.

If plots that fade are found, they should also be removed. Lateral shoots are either plucked off with your fingers or trimmed with garden shears. Cut them at an angle of 45 °.

You will also be interested to know the best methods for garter cucumbers.

In the greenhouse

In greenhouse conditions, plant growth occurs at an accelerated pace. Therefore, in the greenhouse pruning is carried out once a week. This will prevent the cucumber from overgrowing with leaves and stopping fruit formation. The first time the procedure is carried out when the plant reaches a height of 0.7 m, and the second - upon reaching a height of 1.3 m.

As soon as the cucumber reaches the required height, pinch the top and wrap the vine around the support. When forming the ovaries on the side shoots, it is recommended to leave one ovary and one leaf, and remove the excess part of the shoot. If the cucumber begins to fade, then it is advisable to conduct a lightening pruning - cut off all the leaves that sagged.

Did you know? The largest cucumber stalk covers an area of 56.7 m² and grows at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA. Measurements taken in July 2006. The plant rested on a rectangular grid measuring 6 × 9 m.

In the open ground

Cucumbers are semi-tropical plants, as they come from the jungle of India. They are suitable for high temperatures, high humidity, intense lighting. The height of the vine can reach 10 m or more. Therefore, cucumbers in the open ground also need compulsory pruning.

This helps control plant growth. Forming is carried out in one stem, which is wrapped around a support. This helps to maintain and evenly distribute the weight, giving all parts of the vine enough light and air. Lateral shoots from the plant are removed.

The procedure has some differences from greenhouse pruning:

visually the vine is divided into approximately 4 equal parts;
from the 4th sheet from the bottom to the end of the conditional third part, cut off all the side shoots;
lower leaves are almost always removed, as they contribute to infection with putrefactive bacteria that live in the ground;
in the next part, 2 ovaries and 2 leaves on each shoot are left, and the rest is cut at an angle of 45 °;
in the last part, 3 ovaries and 3 leaves are left.

Important! Please note that male flowers are formed on the main stem, and female flowers on the side. Therefore, it is impractical to completely remove the lateral ovaries.

What leaves should be removed from cucumbers for a good harvest

If the soil is rich in nitrogen, then the foliage of the cucumber will be extremely lush. Such a plant is poorly ventilated, which means that conditions are created for the development of gray rot and other types of bacterial infection. Therefore, part of the foliage must be removed.

First, all diseased and damaged leaves are removed, and then located in those places that are very thickened. The cotyledonous leaves are not removed - they will disappear themselves when the plant does not need them, as well as strong, healthy leaves.

Features of pruning depending on the variety

Cucumber can grow in 2 forms: in the form of a vine or shrub. Both types are represented by a wide variety of varieties.

The vine climbs on the supports: pegs, trellises, trellises, trees. They give a larger crop, but need regular pruning and installation of support for growth. Such cucumbers are considered tall (for example, Herman f1, Courage f1).

The undersized form a compact bush and are great for growing in small spaces. They branch weakly and do not need pruning. These include Bouquet, Balalaika. The pruning procedure is mandatory only for cucumbers with strong branching.

Did you know? The largest crop from one cucumber plant was harvested from March 24, 2006 to July 5, 2006 from a plant located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista. A total of 2563 cucumbers were collected. Mandatory pruning will contribute to the formation of a good crop. Also do not forget about creating all the other conditions for the proper development and growth of cucumbers.