Options for the formation of cucumbers in the open field

To get a good harvest of cucumbers, it is necessary to carry out the formation of a bush in a timely manner with pinching the loops. And if you abandon such actions, then instead of juicy fruits in the borage there will be a green deciduous mass. The future harvest will definitely only benefit from the formation of a cucumber. But the type of formation depends on various factors, for example, whether it is a bush cucumber or a bunch, from a variety ("Herman" develops on lateral shoots, for example, and there are varieties that are more fertile on the main lash).

Pinching and tying are part of the cucumber-forming process. It sounds intimidating because the operations seem laborious and almost gem-quality. In fact, everything is not so scary. The procedures can be performed manually, or tools can be used. True, some gardeners are indignant at the use of scissors or pruners, because such an intervention is not the best option for the health of seedlings. The pruning site heals for a long time, and there is also a risk of infection.

So why mold cucumbers when it can be risky:

• light access to all samples will be uniform;
• a place in a greenhouse (this option can also be admitted) is well saved;
• the organization of irrigation is simplified, with fertilization it will also be easier;
• the microclimate of the garden under the film may be more favorable;
• airing the soil can be adjusted in this way;
• plants gain additional protection.

And most importantly, cucumbers will bear fruit earlier, and the fruiting season will be longer. That is, you can count on a good harvest. While the plant is developing, it must be monitored, timely removing diseased leaves, antennae, old stems. Healthy parts are not removed, because food is supplied to the ovaries through them. The only exception will be the lower leaves.

Then, on a segment from 1 m to 1.5 m, 4 leaves and 2 ovaries are left. And in the next section, 1.5-2 m, you need to save 6 leaves and 3 ovaries.

There are several simple design schemes for cucumber bushes, new ones are just emerging. There are four of the most convenient scenarios.

At first, the bushes often require a garter. When fixed on a wire, the garter becomes a support and serves as it throughout the growing season. It turns out that the garter will save the plant from stem breakage.

The horizontal garter method is the most popular. This is how newbie cucumbers are made out in the open field, because it's simple. They take long sticks, deepen them, then pull a rope between them. The stalks of the young cucumber are carefully guided to the lower rope row. Seeds are planted 10-12 cm apart.

If the cucumbers have short stems, there is no need for a garter. The main thing in which you need to help a cucumber in growing is the ability to properly distribute food. The central stem remains the main one, but not so many nutrients may reach the sides. And this immediately affects the yield negatively. To ensure power distribution, barren flowers must be removed.

The trellis is made of wood, this is the most common case. But originality is also inherent in gardeners. For example, a row of cucumbers is planted with an indent from the grid or fence of 25 cm, and then oblique ropes are pulled on top to the top of the fence. And the creepers after some time will cover the entire fence. Cucumbers can also be placed under the arches.

Let's take a closer look at how to install the support.

• The support is always installed on the sunny side of the site, where there will be no drafts. And to reliably protect the plant, you can plant a sunflower or corn nearby, for example.
• The surface should be level, you may have to work on the soil in this sense.
• Organic top dressing should be introduced into the soil before installing the trellis.

By the way, a huge number of varieties are grown on the trellis, for example, "Phoenix".

Quite a popular method: one pipe is buried at the ends of the cucumber bed, a mesh is pulled over these pipes. Bottom shoots and leaves are removed because this is important to optimize natural ventilation. In the course of growth, the vines themselves are fixed on the grid.

Plastic cucumber mesh has become especially popular. Such products do an excellent job with high loads. The net can be bought at the store, or you can make it yourself. They are wear-resistant, they will break not in the first season for sure (if properly manufactured and correctly operated). More successful are those models, the width of the cells of which is more than 15 cm.

Cucumber bushes of different varieties require their own approach, and their features will have to be taken into account.

In such varieties, the type of fruiting in most cases is female. It all starts with the fact that the first ovaries on the bushes must be left when four leaves appear on the stem.

Step-by-step diagram for hybrid and parthenocarpic cucumbers.

1. It makes sense to wait for the period when the main stem grows to the trellis, and when this happens, you need to pinch it.
2. In the first 5 nodes, flowers and stepsons are removed.
3. From 5 to 8 knots, 1 ovary and 1 sheet should remain on the stepsons.
4. In 9-11 nodes, 2 leaves and 2 ovaries remain.
5. In 12-14 nodes, 3 leaves and 2 ovaries remain.
6. And then it is necessary to process those nodes that are located close to the trellis. 4 ovaries and 4 leaves remain there.

Then the plants should be left alone, without doing anything with them. You just have to wait for the moment when the main lash becomes higher than the trellis, and then throw it over the wire. Pinching is done when the stalk leaves the ground by 70 centimeters.

In cucumbers of this type, the ovaries will grow more on the lateral shoots. Therefore, they should have all the attention. When the plant reaches the developmental phase of the fifth leaf, it's time to attach it to the trellis and pinch the growing point. Then you need to wait until 2 shoots are formed on the stem part. And when this happens, they need to be tied up and aimed in different directions. When the stems reach the upper reference point, stepchildren and ovaries up to the 4th leaf (including the 4th) will be removed from their surface. And from 5 to 9, only 1 ovary and 1 leaf are left.

Otherwise, bunch species are called bouquet, they will be high-yielding specimens with excellent taste.

Scheme of the formation of bundle plants step by step.

1. 10 days after the seedlings are already in the ground (in open ground or in a greenhouse), you can start forming.
2. Landmark moment - the culture should already have 8 or 9 healthy and strong leaves.
3. Each leaf sinus of these cucumbers produces 3 to 7 fruits.
4. If you keep the majority, it is possible that additional zelents will be received from the stepchildren. This means that the main stem gives a considerable amount of yield, that is, bunch hybrids are made out in one lash.
5. All sides are removed almost to the trellis.Next to the trellis, 2-3 shoots with ovaries remain, which are pinched over the second leaf.
6. All ovaries, as well as shoots in the axils of the first four leaves are removed from the ground, only leaves should remain. This is necessary in order to collect the maximum yield from the main stem, and then continue harvesting from the sides.

In greenhouses, for example, varietal cucumbers, which require pollination, are almost never grown. It is much more expedient to plant them in open ground, because it will be easier for insects to reach the flowers of plants there. On the main stem of bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers, almost only male flowers are formed. And female flowers are almost always formed on secondary (and other, subsequent) shoots.

How to form bee-pollinated varieties:

• the growth point must be found in the sample, usually it is in the phase of the eighth leaf, it must be pinched, so it will be possible to stimulate the extremely rapid growth of the sides;
• for the same lateral shoots that are still growing, pinch the tip so that 2 leaves and 2 ovaries remain;
• when shoots of the third order grow on the culture, they need to be pinched in the same way.

Then it remains only to watch the growth.

And in conclusion, a small explanation for those who want to thoroughly understand what is meant by certain actions.

• Blindness. To dazzle cucumbers, you must wait for at least 6 strong leaves to appear on the crop. All ovaries in the sinuses are removed (that is, from 1 to 5 sheets). This is done so that the plant can form a strong root system.
• Tying. It is carried out on posts that are installed at the ends of the ridges. The posts are usually within one and a half meters, but they can be higher. Reliable wire is pulled over them, ropes are tied. Cucumber stalks will crawl along these strings.
• Pinching the sides. They must first be allowed to germinate, and after the first leaf has appeared, processed. And to pinch the next tier, you need to wait for the formation of 3-5 leaves. On the next floor, a couple of strong leaves are waiting for the registration.
• Removing the sides. Lateral shoots are removed when 3-5 more leaves grow on the stems, while the removed ones are not considered earlier. It is better to remove shoots and leaves in the early morning, because the wounds on the plant will heal faster this way.

Also, during the entire growing period, the mustache is removed from the plant: cucumbers need them precisely as a fastener, but if the cucumbers are tied, there is no longer a need for a mustache. Some gardeners tie the lashes, but it is better not to do this - the rejection of the fruits can be the result of such an operation, and it is also possible to injure the lashes.

And yet, cucumbers do not always need shaping, and this also needs to be said. There are some modern varieties, hybrids that do not need to be formed at all. They do not grow very quickly, their sides are poorly developed, and therefore all efforts are simply useless. Such cucumbers, for example, include the varieties "Temp", "Izhorets", "Bouquet", "Sarovskiy", "Valdai". They really do not need shaping or a garter.