The structure of the root system of cucumbers, hilling and loosening
One of the types of vegetable care is hilling and loosening. But you need to know whether it is necessary to huddle cucumbers and whether it is possible to loosen the plants in the beds. Cucumbers come to us from the humid tropical forests of India, where the soil is rich in humus, and the air is humid and hot. Hence the weakness of the root system of the vegetable, because food and moisture are always nearby, you do not need to extract it from the soil. And now the cucumber does not differ in the power of the roots. But how to increase the plant's intake of food and moisture from the soil, if not by loosening.
What is the root system of a cucumber, proper care for it
To get rich yields of a vegetable, you need to know the structural features of its root system. Indeed, thanks to her, cucumbers receive acceptable conditions for growing, they have enough air, food, and water.
The root of the plant is one and a half percent of the total mass. It extends to a depth of no more than forty centimeters. The lateral processes are located five centimeters from the surface of the earth. It is easy to damage the delicate roots, and they recover from seven to ten days, retarding the growth of a cucumber. It helps them gain strength:
- soil moisture content of eighty percent;
- the content of nutrient organic and mineral substances in the soil;
- neutral acidity of soil with a pH of six to seven:
- moderate concentration of salts in the soil.
An excellent vegetable product is obtained subject to the rules for caring for cucumbers.
How to properly care for a plant outdoors
Requirements for caring for the root system of a vegetable consist of the following provisions:
- Watering abundantly will allow the roots to get more moisture. The number of waterings depends on the air temperature. In hot summer, cucumbers in the open field should be moistened in the morning and evening. Reduce the frequency of watering at the beginning of flowering of the vegetable. Then more female flowers will form. They take warm water, using a bucket of liquid per square meter.
- The plants are fed with a mullein solution, first in a 1: 8 ratio so as not to cause burns, and then 1: 4. Mineral fertilizers are fifteen grams of ammonium nitrate, forty grams of superphosphate, ten grams of potassium chloride. When the cucumbers begin to bear fruit, the roots are doubled in nutrition. The vegetable is fed every seven to ten days.
- To form additional roots, cucumbers are placed at a distance of twenty to thirty centimeters from each other. There will be enough food for the vegetable when additional feeding is organized.
- Pinching the tops of the main stem leads to the fact that the growth processes are delayed, but the appearance of lateral lashes of the second and third order occurs.The resulting branches have more female flowers than male flowers.
- To strengthen the plant, remove the color that forms in the lower leaf axils.
Competent care of the root system of cucumbers can double the yield of a vegetable.
Growing in a greenhouse
Greenhouse cucumber is required for vegetation:
- abundant watering;
- fertilization;
- spraying foliage with nutrient solutions once a month;
- pinching of varietal cucumbers;
- increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse;
- pollination of plants with insects.
Greenhouse watering depends on the room temperature. In the spring and summer, watered once or twice, in the fall every three days. At the same time, the water is heated up to a temperature of 25 degrees.
On hot days, the foliage is sprayed with warm water. The root system of a cucumber will be stronger if the temperature in the room is kept at the level of 25-29 degrees, and the humidity is not higher than 85 percent.
Pinch the main shoot of cucumbers at the level of the seventh to ninth leaf, and the shoot of the first order, which emerged from the axils of the first true leaf, at the level of the fifth or sixth. The main lash must be pinched when it reaches the top of the trellis.
In greenhouse conditions produce pollination of cucumbers artificially, taking a male flower and connecting with the anthers of a female one. To attract insects to the greenhouse for pollination of cucumbers, place containers with sweet water.
If it is necessary to increase the level of carbon dioxide, then heaps of mullein or barrels of liquid manure are laid out between the cucumbers.
Thanks to the organization of competent care, the root system of the plant is strengthened, new roots are formed, and the cucumber bush is renewed.
How to loosen cucumbers
Although the roots of the plant are close to the surface, to increase the permeability of the soil, it is necessary to loosen it. After frequent watering, heavy rains, the soil is compacted so that moisture does not penetrate deeply and does not feed the cucumbers. And here it is imperative to loosen the upper layers of the soil. The procedure is carried out carefully, trying not to damage the delicate roots. It is best to use a rake for this, plowing through the area around the bush.
In order for organic and mineral substances to penetrate to the roots, the solutions are applied when loosening the soil according to the scheme: first, the soil is made permeable, loose with a tool, and then watered with fertilizers diluted in a bucket of water.
After the loosening procedure, watering will be better. Water does not leave, but easily penetrates through the loose soil layers to the root system of cucumbers. It is best to organize drip irrigation or grooves for this. The soil near the cucumber bushes will be better moistened, and the fruits will set faster.
It is necessary to loosen the cucumbers as necessary, combining with weeding of the ridges.
Do I need to huddle a vegetable in a greenhouse
The structure of the plant root suggests that cucumbers do not spud, that this is a useless exercise.
But this is not the case. Hilling cucumbers in a greenhouse is a prerequisite for a good harvest:
- Water the plants in the greenhouse along the grooves. If you moisten the plant at the root, then it will start to rot. Before watering along the rows, the cucumbers are spud, creating earthen ridges on the surface. The moisture will nourish the leaves and stems of the plant.
- As it grows, the roots of the vegetable are exposed. Therefore, they regularly sprinkle the earth, making hilling cucumbers.
- Prolongs the fruiting of the vegetable, creating conditions for the formation of a new root system. As soon as white tubercles with root rudiments appear on the stems below, they begin to spud.
- Another way to rejuvenate cucumbers. The coarse, bare stem is aging and does not give new roots. He is lowered to the ground, rolled up in a ring. After lying on the ground for a week, it begins to take root.To increase the length of the roots, the stems are sprinkled, sprinkling with earth.
A sprouted shoot of cucumbers will actively develop if:
- watered;
- fed with organics and minerals;
- create a comfortable temperature in the greenhouse of 23-25 degrees Celsius;
- increase humidity up to 80 percent.
New leaves that have appeared, cucumber whips will begin to grow and give harvests of greens. After all, the old sheets will already die, having lived 44 days.
New leaves that have appeared, cucumber whips will begin to grow and give harvests of greens. After all, the old sheets will already die, having lived 44 days.
How to save cucumber roots from disease
Due to the shallow depth of the roots of cucumbers, they are affected by pathogenic fungi. Determine a fungal infection by:
- brown spot and streaks on the roots;
- overgrowth of the root collar;
- the formation of a decaying interception at the bottom of the stem;
- wilting and deformation of leaves;
- the presence of spots on the sheet plates.
Spread root rot of cucumbers through infected seeds, soil. It provokes the disease by watering the plant with cold water, waterlogging of the soil, sudden changes in temperature. Excessive application of nitrogenous fertilizers also leads to the development of infection in cucumbers.
Since the causative agents of fungal diseases live in the ground, the loosening and hilling of cucumbers is carried out in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms. During the procedure, a week before planting cucumber seeds, the earth is spilled with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. When the first symptoms of disease appear, planting a vegetable is treated with fungicides. The disease will not appear on cucumbers if:
- disinfect seeds before planting:
- feed the plants on time;
- process the greenhouse before planting the vegetable;
- monitor the growing conditions of the vegetable;
- avoid thickening of plantings.
Since many fungal diseases of cucumbers arise from the lack of air in the soil, loosening will correct the situation. Moisture and nutrition in loose soil will reach from roots to leaves and ovaries of cucumbers faster than in dense soil. Therefore, it is necessary to spud the plant when the cucumber is in the state of a seedling. Loosening the soil will not allow pathogenic fungi to develop, and they will die.
