Why did cucumber seedlings stretch out and what to do

In regions with a cold climate, it is impossible to plant cucumbers directly into the ground. The only way to grow vegetable plants is through seedlings. And here it is important that the seedlings of cucumbers do not stretch out, otherwise, when planted in the ground, the seedlings will die, and the work will be in vain.

How to properly plant cucumbers for seedlings

Planting cucumbers for seedlings begins a month before moving it into the ground of a greenhouse or vegetable garden.

Before the procedure, seeds are prepared in the form of:

• rejection of material with a choice of quality;
• disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate;
• bubbling;
• germination placed in a damp cloth or layers of toilet paper;
• hardening.

For better germination, seeds are taken that are two to three years old. The quality of the seeds decreases every year they are stored. Sorting seeds, select larger ones. Then the seeds are dipped in salted water. Those that sink to the bottom will give strong shoots. The ones that come up are thrown out - they are hollow.

Sparging is chosen when they want cucumbers to sprout quickly. To do this, an aquarium processor is placed in the water with seeds, which saturates the humid environment with oxygen. It is enough to keep the planting material in the container for 18 hours.

Disinfect the seeds with a 1% potassium permanganate solution for thirty minutes or an hour in a jar with garlic pulp.

Germinating seeds is necessary at room temperature in a humid environment.

Hardening procedures are carried out only when planting is carried out immediately in open ground or a greenhouse.

The prepared cucumber seeds are now ready for planting. First, you need to put a soil substrate of humus and peat, taken in equal quantities, and a small amount of sand and turf soil in a glass or pot. A week before placing the seeds of cucumbers in the ground, spill it with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. This will allow you not to be afraid of plant infection by pathogenic microorganisms.

It is not worth deepening the seeds of a vegetable plant. It is enough to place them inside the soil by one and a half to two centimeters.

When growing, they monitor:

• indoor air temperature;
• illumination;
• moisture of the earth in a pot.

If at first you need warmth and humidity for seedlings of cucumbers, then the temperature is lowered. The stems will be thinner if there is not enough light.

Why are cucumber seedlings pulled out

Weak seedlings of cucumbers happen for a number of reasons:

1. Cucumbers don't like shading. They need a lot of light. Even on the windowsill, the seedlings stretch, which suggests that they need additional highlighting.
2. Without observing the temperature regime, the cucumber seedlings will not be strong.In the early days, before germination, the temperature is high, and then it is reduced. By stretching, the stems signal that they are hot.
3. The stems of the cucumbers stretch strongly upward and with excessive waterlogging of the soil.
4. Anyone using the seedling growing method should know how to plant cucumbers. The distance between plants should not be very close, otherwise the seedlings will not have enough nutrition and light. When the plantings are thickened, it is clear why the cucumber seedlings are strongly stretched.
5. Diligent gardeners try to stuff the seedlings with fertilizers and get stretched seedlings of cucumbers.

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The reason that the seedlings of a vegetable plant have weak and long stems is the lack of knowledge of the rules of vegetable farming. And what to do if the cucumber seedlings are very stretched, you can get advice from experienced specialists. Such is Oktyabrina Ganichkina, who will help novice gardeners grow cucumbers in seedlings.

How to grow cucumber seedlings so that they do not stretch

So that the seedlings do not stretch when they are indoors, you need:

• reduce the air temperature to 16-18 degrees Celsius;
• put boxes with seedlings on well-lit windows;
• add fluorescent lamps to increase illumination;
• arrange seedlings spraying in excessively dry air;
• plant seeds in separate cups or pots, two or three pieces each;
• water the seedlings only with warm water, not lower than 25 degrees;
• pour soil regularly into the container to stimulate the growth of the root system;
• organize feeding with wood ash infusion or potash fertilizers.

If you know how to plant the seeds correctly and care for the seedlings competently, then there will be no problems why the seedlings of cucumbers have stretched out a lot and what to do in this case.

What to do if the cucumber seedlings are stretched out

Overgrown cucumber seedlings - this is not a reason for frustration. We need to think about how to fix the situation so that the seedlings become strong.

The elongated stems of the seedlings can be neatly laid into the groove that you make in the ground. Sprinkled with earth, they will take root after a while.

Transfer of containers to a well-lit place will save you from pulling seedlings. Additional lighting is organized with phytolamps, placing them on top five to seven centimeters from the cucumber seedlings. Boxes with elongated seedlings are put on the loggia for the day, bringing them into the room in the evening. It is important that the air temperature is not lower than 12 degrees Celsius.

Elongated seedlings require a change in watering. The transition from cold water to warm water will allow you to make adjustments to the growth of the stems of the vegetable plant. It will stop stretching.

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Densely standing stems lack nutrition, hence the long seedlings. It is necessary to correct the situation quickly, otherwise the seedlings will die. To do this, transplant them into separate cups. Since picking is painful for cucumbers, the procedure is carried out carefully. Carefully pull the stem together with the root from the container, supporting it, and place it in a pot, sprinkling it with nutritious soil. Do not forget about watering by abundantly moistening the soil. The seedling will take root only after a few days. But now it won't stretch.

The seedlings will stop growing if you pinch the stem over the second true leaf.

A stretched plant will get stronger immunity if you feed it with a solution of wood ash, taking a tablespoon of fertilizer in one glass of water.

When the seedlings of cucumbers lack sufficient nutrition, moisture, light, they will become overgrown and it will be more difficult to transplant them into the ground.

Is it possible to plant overgrown cucumbers in the garden and how to do it

With the strongest elongation of the stem on cucumber seedlings, they are transferred to the ground in a different way than strong seedlings.

It is best if the cucumber stems are elongated to continue their development in the greenhouse soil. Three to four days before planting, the containers are transferred to the greenhouse. But the temperature for cucumbers, both in the air and in the soil, should be comfortable. From plus twenty to plus fifteen degrees, respectively. Seedlings of cucumbers in the greenhouse should be protected from the burning rays of the sun. As soon as the plants adapt to greenhouse conditions, they begin to transplant them to the prepared beds.

Holes are prepared on the ridges, placing them at a distance of thirty to fifty centimeters from each other. It is not recommended to increase the planting density, otherwise the planted seedlings will outgrow, weaken and die.

It is known what to do in a greenhouse with elongated seedlings. It must be dried before planting, and then carefully removed from the glass along with the root. Twisting a ring from a long stem, put it in the hole. After deepening the seedlings, sprinkle earth around the stem, carefully tamping it.

To retain moisture in the soil around the planted bushes, lay mulch in layers. You can replace it with black foil.

It is clear what to do when the cucumber seedlings are stretched out. But if flowers appear on it, then they are cut off. Planted with buds, it will die. Thin, it does not have enough strength to withstand the fruiting of bushes. Most often, elongated seedlings shed flowers themselves. Seedlings need to gain strength after transplanting, to get stronger, in order to give a harvest of zelents a little later.