Why are the cucumber seedlings stretched out and what to do?

When growing cucumber seedlings, vegetable growers are faced with stretching shoots. From the material in this article, you will learn why this happens and what to do in this situation.

The seedlings are strongly stretched upward due to the mistakes made in agricultural technology. In the future, this negatively affects the growth and development of cucumber lashes.

There are several main reasons why, after the first shoots, the stems begin to stretch. Determining the cause allows you to eliminate the violation and create optimal growing conditions.

For the full formation of juicy greens, cucumber seedlings need access to sunlight. In order for the lashes to form strong and thick, the duration of daylight hours should be more than 12 hours.

In the conditions of city apartments, providing such a condition is often impossible. Seedlings on the windowsill do not receive enough light, which is why their color fades, and the stems have to reach for the light. Artificial lighting is not able to compensate for the deficiency of ultraviolet rays.

Often, when planting, seeds are placed close to each other. The fear that some seeds will not sprout turns into a thickening. However, from the moment they ascended and until disembarking in a greenhouse or greenhouse, their thinning is impossible. As a result, they are forced to compete with each other for light and food.

Due to the tight containers, the root system suffers, which leads to thinning of the stems. They grow unevenly. Some sprouts obscure others, there is little room for the root system, all the forces go to growing the stems up.

Comfortable conditions for growing seedlings on the window are +25 degrees. If the temperature rises higher, growth accelerates. However, the development of the root system stops.

It cannot form correctly, therefore, it does not provide adequate nutrition for the stems. They do not gain power, they grow weak and thin, they stretch upward.

Cucumbers are a moisture-loving culture. In caring for them, many vegetable growers overdo it with soil moisture. This leads to stretching of the lashes and vulnerability to diseases (eg black leg).

The seedlings are drawn towards the light, but the roots are unable to absorb all the moisture. There is a deterioration in the circulation of nutrients. Oxygen access is impaired.

The choice of soil for planting seedlings is a key factor that can cause the stem parts to stretch upward. Loose, breathable soil is needed to plant seeds.

The acidity of the soil should be medium. The alkaline and acidic earth kills plants. Due to the imbalance of nutrients, increased growth is stimulated.

Not all growers choose the right containers for cucumber seedlings. Often, many pour a minimum of substrate into the container. Its lack is fraught with stretching of the stems.

This is due to the lack of nutrition that the roots require. In addition, they have little room for growth and development. In crowded conditions, the energy of growth switches to the lashes.

If the cucumber seedlings are already strongly stretched, urgent measures are taken. There are many ways to remedy the situation.

• For example, when the reason is the location of the seedlings on a north-facing window, the first step is to rearrange the boxes on the south-facing windowsill.
• If a decision is made to use phytolamps, you need to mount the backlight above the seedlings at a distance of 20 cm. However, the lamps can be used no more than 7-9 hours.
• Lamps with a red-violet spectrum of rays can be switched on in the morning and in the evening. They do not heat or dry the air, unlike inefficient household incandescent bulbs.
• Classic light bulbs emit a minimum of light at a maximum of heat. In warm weather, it is better to take the seedlings out onto the balcony, be sure to clean them at night.
• The lamps are turned off at night. Plants should rest from them for at least 6 hours. Mirrors can be installed to increase the natural luminous flux. This will help to stop the growth of the stems and solve the problem of solar deficiency.

It is important to visually inspect the seedlings. If the size of the container is sufficient, and there is little earth in it, you need to add the substrate. This should be done up to the level of the cotyledon leaves.

Reception of the bedding is effective, you need to add dry and heated soil. It will become thermal insulation and a measure of preventing excess moisture retention. The rooting of seedlings will improve, the rapid pulling will stop.

The bedding contributes to the development of the root system. If soil is poured into 1/3 liter glasses, this can be done gradually, as it grows, so as not to injure the seedlings.

The need for watering must be judged by the condition of the soil. It should be damp, but not wet. Water stagnation and soil dryness are excluded. Spraying young seedlings is resorted to several times a week.

The lack of illumination can be compensated for by lowering the temperature regime. You can close the battery, move the containers to the insulated balcony or loggia.

Cucumber seedlings are grown without thinning. However, this rule has to be violated due to the close fit. In this case, this is the only way to solve the problem.

They resort to picking when it is no longer possible to add earth. Cucumber seedlings tolerate picking painfully. To minimize the stressful situation, the transplant is performed by transshipment.

To do this, you need to free the seedling from the container along with the earthy clod. Weak roots should not be exposed and injured. After the seedling is removed from the container, it is buried in the soil up to the cotyledons.

The shoot is folded into a semicircle or a ring, then it is gently pressed to the ground and sprinkled with soil. At the final stage, the planting is moistened.

To prevent the shoots from breaking during transplantation, to be pliable, watering is stopped 1-2 days before transplanting. They will weaken a little and bend better.

You need to transplant seedlings into prepared soil. To do this, mix 1 bucket of humus and leaf turf, 1 glass of ash, 10 g of potassium sulfate, 20 g of superphosphate. The soil should be light.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place is performed 30 days after the appearance of the first shoots. The methods for planting in open and closed ground differ. However, the basic techniques are the same.

• When planting in open ground, they are determined with a place for the garden. A well-lit ridge, on which cabbage or tomatoes were previously planted, is suitable.
• Before planting, prepare the ground. Complex feeding and ash are added to each heated hole. Then the holes are spilled with warm, settled water.
• The prepared seedlings are removed from the containers. You cannot plant it in plastic or paper cups, even by removing the side parts of the container. The roots of the plant must grow and form correctly.
• Do not squeeze the stems when buried in the soil. Sprouts are placed in the hole sideways, or wrapped in a spiral. Planting depth is 5-7 cm.The interval between holes is 0.3-0.5 m.
• The seedlings should not be buried too deep in the ground. To prevent the trunks from collapsing, they can be attached to the supports. This is how the seedlings are planted in the greenhouse. If the lashes are not buried in the ground, they bear fruit earlier.

It is necessary to apply top dressing to the ground correctly and in a timely manner. The first of them is performed approximately 1-1.5 weeks after the transplant.

• To make young bushes easier to endure the change of soil, you can use complex fertilizer. In the early stages of growing seedlings, the use of saltpeter is not recommended.
• Young lashes should be strengthened with potassium dressing. With the early use of nitrate, the growth of the aerial part is stimulated. The seedlings will continue to stretch upward.
• Mineral additives, on the other hand, contribute to the thickening of the trunks. Ideally, you need to feed the seedlings immediately after the formation of two true leaves. The second feeding is performed after 2 weeks using organic matter.
• During the execution, make sure that the solution does not fall on the green mass. Complex fertilizer is diluted with water according to the instructions. If chicken manure is used, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.
• In order to increase the nutritional value of the soil, potassium, superphosphate and urea are added to it. After fertilizing, a little soil is added to the seedling container.
• If the seedlings cannot gain strength, and the possible causes have been eliminated, they resort to the use of ash feeding. For this, 1 tbsp. l of wood ash is mixed with 0.2 l of water and watered the earth.

• To grow an early-growing plant, you can resort to using a growth regulator. It is often used when other preventive measures are ineffective. The active substance of the selected product stops the growth of the ground part of the seedlings. Thus, its overgrowth is prevented. Shoots are shortened, become thick, leaves grow wide. Along with stopping growth, nutrition is redistributed. Its main part is fed to the roots, due to which they grow stronger and properly begin to nourish the green mass. Effective drugs - "Athlete" and "Krepen".
• To minimize the disease of the seedlings after transplanting, you need to provide them with proper care. In some cases, you will need shading and protection from the cold, for which a special covering material is used. In others, you will have to protect the whips from breakage due to gusts of wind.To do this, you will have to put a special net or simple supports and tie up whips.
• We must not forget about loosening and timely feeding. If the buds have already set on the plant, they are removed so as not to deprive the plant of its strength to grow and form lashes.
• Early buds will prolong the survival of the seedlings in a new location and lead to the shedding of the ovaries. Because of this, yields will suffer in the future.
• You cannot apply fertilizers to the soil if there is no need for them. From an overabundance of certain substances, further stretching of seedlings is possible.
• A common mistake is the late transplant. The situation is aggravated by the deterioration of growing conditions. If the seedlings began to fall, you cannot do without a garter. In other cases, bedding is sufficient.
• When landing in a permanent place, compaction should be avoided. Cucumbers are climbing plants. For normal formation and high yield, they need a place.