How to water cucumbers outdoors?

Growing cucumbers is not as troublesome as it seems. Cucumber, as a representative of one of the most moisture-loving and thermophilic species, requires a lot of light, sufficient water and fertile black soil.

By introducing mineral and organic fertilizers into the soil, the gardener or summer resident will make sure that the cucumbers are supplied with water of the required temperature in a timely manner. It is not enough to pour a bucket - or more than one bucket - of water on one branch (or bush): it must be of an acceptable temperature. If the water temperature is below +16, then the cucumber will receive the so-called cold stress - sharp temperature fluctuations with cooling by 15 or more degrees for one or several minutes. Such experiments slow down all processes in the shoots - the growth and division of plant cells that make up the green branch can stop, as well as the formation of flowers, pollination and fertilization, the formation, growth and ripening of cucumbers.

All pumpkin seeds grow poorly at temperatures below +16: if significant temperature fluctuations are provided during the day (from +5 to +20 degrees, for example), this will negatively affect the growth of cucumbers. And even relatively warm water, which is watered with cucumber plantations, will cool down in unheated soil in a few minutes, and wet chernozem will keep the cold for a long time. When the earth warms up to +16, the effect is fixed by water, the temperature of which is not higher than +30. Water should not be warmer than a human hand (36 degrees) - this is the limit above which one cannot rise. The optimal temperature is considered to be 25-30 degrees Celsius, the maximum possible temperature is 16-36, it is advisable not to abuse the last interval.

You cannot water cucumbers with water overheated from the summer heat - if it feels hot to the touch, it is recommended to dilute it to the desired limit. Overheating of water up to 42 or more happens in plastic and metal containers. In such conditions, most plants would simply be scalded.

Cucumber is a biological species from the plant kingdom that will rise and grow in conditions of abundant watering and bright sunlight. In the shade, the plant may turn out to be "barren" or the grown cucumbers will turn out to be bitter and harsh in taste. Cucumbers are watered every day - in the morning, before sunrise, or in the evening, after sunset. The number of sessions is 1 or 2 times, depending on the weather.

In order to be able to water the cucumbers most often, pipelines are laid out on the site. To keep a clear schedule - for example, in the summer at 5 am and at 8 pm - an automatic system will help, which includes a timer or "alarm clock" supply of water available in the block that controls the tap through which water is supplied to the cucumber beds.

In hot weather, it is advisable to water it twice a day. To reduce water consumption, it is recommended to loosen the soil around the cucumber bushes once a week - the water gradually smooths out the unevenness of the soil, making it susceptible to rapid, in a few hours or half a day, drying out.

Watering when the sun is at its zenith, and outside, for example, 35 in the shade, is strictly excluded - even cool water will overheat in an hour or two, and the garden bed will turn into a steam bath due to the hot soil. And watering with overheated water in the tank (37-50 degrees or more) will surely kill the plants.

The weather becomes relatively cool in summer when the heat is replaced by thick and overcast clouds. Sunlight is then diffused and severely limited. Cloudy weather does not harm cucumbers - if there are no constant, continuous for several days in a row, downpours. Although rainwater is the best in quality and parameters (soft, acidified, enriched with nitrogen and oxygen, without harmful impurities, apart from minor amounts of industrial and automobile emissions), everything is fine in moderation.

The cucumber "drinks" a lot of water - however, when the garden bed is flooded for several days in a row, the earth became sour and became impassable mud, the plants suffer from a lack of oxygen, since the roots, like the entire plant as a whole, must breathe at least a little. Water displaces a significant amount of air, and the growth of new shoots is slowed down. The set fruits of the diseased plant fall off - regardless of whether the cucumber is ripe. With everyday, regular rain, cucumbers do not need to be watered. The rain should soak the soil layer at least to the depth of the shovel's bayonet. If the rains are shallow, drizzling and irregular, the soil does not have time to be saturated with water - watering is necessary once a day. Cloudy weather prevents the soil from overheating. The constant bad weather also affects the yield of cucumbers very negatively - seedlings appear reluctantly, and grow at the same rate, the bushes do not reach the desired level of development.

Cucumber root does not absorb water as quickly as, for example, pumpkin root - it will not accept more than required, and excess moisture can cause it to rot. The best option is that the excess water must evaporate. If the rainy season fell on flowering days, do not expect a harvest: bees and bumblebees do not fly in the rain. In May, when there are much fewer hot days, thunderstorms are possible, watering is done only once every few days.

After planting, the seeds of cucumbers (or cucumber seedlings) are watered with a small amount of water - just enough so that the small lump of soil in which the seed (or the root of one seedling specimen) remains always moist. As they grow and take root, the young shoots are watered with more and more water - starting with a few tablespoons, they are brought to a glass, a liter bottle, and so on. During flowering and fruiting, cucumbers are watered only with settled water.

The optimum temperature is 25-30 degrees. Up to 5 liters are consumed per square meter of soil - this is the norm for cucumbers before flowering and during the period of active pollination of flowers. During the growth period, water consumption increases by about 2.5-3 times - some excess water is needed for the cucumbers to grow juicy and tasty, without bitterness at the ends. Since mid-August, when a significant part of the cucumbers have gained their main weight and volume, their ripening will require a water consumption of 3-4 l / m2, and the frequency of watering will be 1 time per week or 10 days.

It is more expedient to pour water under the root - its consumption is reduced. It is necessary to make gripping circles that hold the puddle of water in one place and prevent it from spreading over the entire ground. First of all, the soil is moistened in the area of ​​the root outlet. Gradually, the water should seep in all directions and layers, reaching even the smallest roots distant from the root rosette.

Correct watering at the root is carried out using a watering can or a hose outlet connected to the bush. Water should not erode the soil - let it flow in a thin stream, directing it slightly away from the root outlet of the bush.

From above, over the foliage, watering is carried out both naturally (in the rain) and with the help of a watering can attached to a hose (portable shower). The pressure should not be strong - it is impossible for the jets of water to hit the same places for a long time, this will weaken the leaves.

The automatic systems are equipped with a 360-degree rotating shower unit that optimally sprays water over the entire area of ​​a square or round garden. Soil moistening is uniform everywhere. Large drops of water collect on the leaves, which flow into the ground. The disadvantage of artificial sprinkling is high water consumption.

The drip system consists of pipelines, divorced across the site and connected to the main pipe of a water supply system or an artificial sedimentation tank (containers, drainage basin, etc.). Near each bush, a microscopic hole is made in the pipe, from which water flows out drop by drop. It flows down to the point of the root outlet, where the soil is slowly impregnated with it. Wherein the soil is not de-aerated - it remains moist enough for the cucumber to grow quickly and efficiently.

A garden bed watered in this way requires much more rare weeding from weeds - priority when watering is given to cultivated, and not wild-growing plant species. You can open the water supply and leave it on indefinitely.

Let the water stand before each watering for at least a day. Hydrogen sulfide (when using a well on the site) and chlorine (from the water supply) must be completely eroded. Both are toxic to plants. Chlorine, although it repels pests, inhibits plant growth. Chlorine-based compounds (including organochlorine) contained in fruits enter the human body and domestic animals - when eating fruits grown on chlorine water.

Hydrogen sulfide and iron, combining with minerals and soil organic matter, form a salt deposit on the surface after several waterings. Iron, dissolved in borehole water in the form of nitrous oxide, is oxidized to rust and precipitates during natural carbonation. Corroded water is of little use - it must be cleaned. Over time, brown-green algae and duckweed can form on the rusty plaque - their entry into the beds is undesirable, since moss and mold will start in such an environment, and the plants will get sick.

After planting, if you neglect watering, you can ruin the future harvest. Do not wait for the first rain, plant according to the weather - when the ground has turned from wet to damp and loosens easily. If in your area the rains in the off-season and spring are a protracted phenomenon, it is recommended to build a greenhouse for cucumbers, tomatoes and other crops that require careful care.

It is useful to arrange for the production of "live" (activated, alkaline, or as it is also called, catholyte) water - from ordinary tap water that has undergone settling. For this purpose, an activator is purchased or is home-made, which works on the principle of electrolysis. The scheme of such a device is simple - everyone can repeat it. Activated water is used as a possible replacement for chemical stimulants of seedling and root growth. Advantage - savings on chemicals used by most gardeners.

"Dead" water (anolyte, acidic, or acidified) is used not for irrigation, but for spraying against mold, fungi, harmful spores. If the previous method is not your strong point, do not forget to spray cucumber seedlings from pests.

For information on how often to water cucumbers in the open field, see the next video.