How is Cucumber Grown? Method, and the Most Important Tips

Cucumber (Cucumber) with the scientific name Cucumis sativus, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is a climbing horticultural plant with mild-tasting fruits. It is often used in salads, or its small fruits are pickled in brine, grown in fields, or in warm areas of gardens. household, or in pergolas inside greenhouses, and its vine or pergola can extend to 5 meters, and the leaves of the cucumber are fluffy and arranged alternately on the vine and the leaf, and are divided from 3 to 7 pointed lobes, and it has yellow flowers, and in general the fruit is a cucumber Cylindrical, curved in shape, rounded at both ends, and can reach 60 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter.

Cucumber Cultivation Methods

The following is the method of planting cucumber seeds:

• Suitable cucumber seeds must be purchased, and it is preferable to purchase hybrid seeds that do not need pollination to facilitate the cultivation process.
• You can purchase dwarfed cucumber seeds to take advantage of the small space in your home.
• Choose a large pot for growing cucumbers, with good drainage, because cucumber plants need more space to grow.
• Prepare the planting pot, by placing a group of stones at the bottom of the pot to keep the water draining into the soil, and to keep the roots of the cucumber plant from excess moisture.
• Fill the planting container with a mixture of suitable potting soil and compost at a rate of 50% soil and 50% compost.
• Place 4-5 seeds of cucumbers 12 mm deep, spaced ½ inch or more apart so as not to stunt growth.
• Mist the soil little by little with water until the soil begins to drain from the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
• Place the planter near a sunny window, and the plant should get approximately 6 hours of sun per day.

Factors favoring the growth of cucumbers

Here are the most important factors that help in the growth of the cucumber plant in a better way:

• A suitable site for cultivation: A suitable location must be chosen for growing cucumbers, so that the sun will reach them most of the time. The trees will compete with the cucumber plants for water and nutrition.
• Preparing the land for planting: Weeds must be removed from the planting area because they deplete nutrients and water from the soil and lead to starvation of the surrounding plants. For best results, weeds are pulled directly by hand and as much as possible is extracted from the roots. If the roots are left, they may grow again. .
• Humidity: The soil must be moistened before planting cucumber seeds. The level of soil moisture is checked by dipping a finger to the first joint in the soil. If the soil is dry, it must be watered with a water hose, after which 3 or 4 seeds are dropped together in a group, leaving a distance of 46 to 91 cm. between each batch. Planting several seeds together allows the strongest plant to grow.
• Soil preparation: The soil must contain organic materials to improve its quality, and it must contain fertilizer, whether organic or inorganic.

The most suitable species for home cultivation

There are many types of cucumbers, and here are some of them:

• English cucumber: It is one of the most common types.
• Snake cucumbers, or Armenian cucumbers.
• Lemon cucumber.
• Persian cucumbers.
• Kirby cucumbers.
• Garden Cucumbers.

Cucumber watering

Watering schedules

Attention should be paid to watering the plant slowly in the early morning or early evening, while avoiding water reaching the leaves to avoid leaf diseases that damage the plant.

irrigation methods

The best way to irrigate a cucumber plant is drip irrigation, as it is the most efficient, as it is used to deliver nutrients to the roots, reduces weed growth between rows, and reduces leaf moisture.

irrigation amounts

Care must be taken to provide the plant with plenty of water, especially at the time of its flowering and fruiting. Reducing irrigation during this period of rapid growth may lead to an increase in the bitterness in the taste of the fruits, and it needs the soil to remain moist at all times. Therefore, it must be deeply irrigated once or twice during the week, and more when planted in sandy soil.

Other information about growing cucumbers

How to extract cucumber seeds and prepare them for planting

Here is the most important information on how to extract and prepare cucumber seeds for cultivation:

Cucumbers are cut in half lengthwise to extract the seeds.

The seed, and all surrounding pulp, must be extracted from the seed cavity.

All seeds and pulp should be placed in a small bucket, or jar, with a little water.

The mixture needs to ferment for 1-3 days to remove the pulp from the seeds.

The mixture should be kept in an open container at temperatures between 21-26°C.

After the fermentation process is complete, the seeds are decanted by adding more water, and the mixture is stirred, as the pulp, light-weight seeds will float to the top, and the viable seeds will sink and settle to the bottom of the bowl.

Rinse the clean seeds, and place the seeds to dry on filters or screens so they can be cut.

The most suitable times for planting cucumbers

Cucumber must be planted after the danger of frost has passed and the soil temperature has risen, because frost may harm the plant and slow its growth, and it can be planted indoors three or four weeks before the expected time of planting outside,and it is worth noting that cucumber is an annual plant or yearling; That is, he lives for one growing season, or for one year.

Soil properties suitable for growing cucumbers

The soil temperature must be high, not less than 21 degrees Celsius, and grown in alkaline soil with a pH of up to 7.

Fertilizers stimulate the growth of cucumbers

You should mix granular fertilizers with the soil. If you do not want to use organic fertilizers, the quick-dissolving granular fertilizers will feed the cucumber plant well throughout its growth cycle. It is also preferable to use a shovel to plow and loosen the soil before adding fertilizers, and this allows the fertilizers to mix with the soil better.

Diseases that may affect cucumbers

There are some problems that cucumber growers may face, such as:

• Yellowing of cucumbers: Cucumbers may turn yellow due to overripeness; As its green color resulting from chlorophyll begins to fade, or the cause could be as a result of infection with a virus, or excessive irrigation, or as a result of an imbalance in the nutritional balance of the plant, and yellow cucumbers are generally unsuitable for consumption unless they are of the lemon cucumber variety, which is completely yellow. 
• Wilting of the plant: It is possible for the cucumber plant to wilt if it is infected with the striped cucumber beetle that eats the leaves of the plant, transferring the bacteria to the vascular system in the plant, causing it to wither, and attracting other beetles to it. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor the growth of the plant and remove any leaves or seedlings infected with bacteria, and cover them to prevent beetles from reaching them.

How to harvest a cucumber plant

The cucumber plant is one of the fast-growing plants whose fruits can be harvested after less than 50-70 days have passed only, but care must be taken to pick the fruits when they reach the required size regularly, and not to wait until they weaken, as the more they are harvested, the quantity produced doubles, and this step can be taken Using sharp scissors to cut the stem at a distance of 0.5 cm, then the ripe fruits can be eaten or kept in the refrigerator.

Cucumber plant care tips

Here are some tips to take care of the cucumber: 

• Once the seedlings have sprouted, mulch is applied to the soil around them. The mulch helps prevent weed growth and keeps the soil around the plant warm and moist.
• If cucumbers are grown in an area where summer temperatures exceed 32 degrees Celsius, it is necessary to provide some shade from the midday sun, and this is done by planting tall crops to provide some shade or using shade cloth.
• Use insecticides or fungicides to control pests and diseases. Organic and inorganic insecticides and fungicides can be purchased from local gardening stores, and spray plants with any sign of insects or fungus.