How to choose and install a cucumber grid?

Climbing plant species, without proper care and control, grow in different directions. In order to avoid such a nuisance, you can use a special net for cucumbers, it contributes to the simplicity and ease of forming a bush.

Ten years ago, gardeners practiced tying crops to sticks or hedges. Nowadays, this process has become much easier and more efficient thanks to the use of mesh fabric. With the help of the latter, the stems are attached with high reliability, thereby giving the plantings neatness and well-groomed.

The purpose of the function of a garden grid for vertical cultivation of garden and horticultural crops contains more than one function. Its use allows you to organize long and tangled cucumber stems, which entails not only harvesting a good harvest, but also significant space savings.

In addition to the above functions, the cucumber mesh is capable of performing the following tasks:

• simplify the loosening and mulching of the soil;
• reduce the incidence of fungal infections in crops;
• prevent mechanical damage to flowers and plant stems.

The netting is installed even on an uneven surface, which makes it possible to use areas of the garden that have not been previously used.

Among the advantages of the cucumber net are the following:

• lack of soil and dirt on the fruits;
• minimal possibility of damage;
• small expenditure of time and effort for harvesting;
• uniformity of illumination and moisture evaporation;
• protection against pests;
• a decrease in the incidence of diseases in culture;
• aesthetic appearance of the beds.

There are few disadvantages of this device:

• shading of the area where the mesh is mounted;
• an increase in the number of irrigations, since the vertical growth of crops contributes to significant moisture evaporation.

Today on the market you can find a wide selection of cucumber nets, so each of the gardeners can choose the most suitable option for themselves. This device for supporting, growing seedlings and fruiting crops is distinguished by material of manufacture, types of construction. In addition, on sale you can find a garden cloth with a large and small cell of different sizes. Whichever type of netting for cucumbers is chosen, plantings in a greenhouse or outdoors will look better and more well-groomed.

Before buying a mesh cloth, a gardener should pay attention to the following points:

• material of manufacture and its density;
• cell size;
• a color that affects the degree of transmission of sunlight.

Most often, tapestries are used for tying cucumbers. This product has a green color, and the size of the cells is usually 10 by 10 cm. The use of a tapestry cloth contributes to the fact that the bed can take on different shapes.

Currently, gardeners use these types of trellises.

1. Vertical. The structure stands on a frame made of pipes, wooden beams or metal profiles.This simple device has 2 supports with a mesh stretched between them.
2. Inclined. This type of trellis is more difficult to manufacture, unlike the previous one. The frame is installed in a vegetable garden or greenhouse at an acute angle to the earth's surface. Additional supports can be mounted to increase stability. The magnitude of the slope is usually indicated by the influence of the cucumber variety. 40 degrees is enough for low-growing bushes, and 80 degrees for varieties with a long stem.
3. "A" - shaped the design is often used by gardeners. The frame of the device resembles the letter "A". It consists of 2 pillars that are connected at the top. The structure is installed on both sides of the garden bed, and a mesh cloth is pulled between them.
4. Arched trellis used extremely rarely. The reason for this is considered to be some difficulty in its manufacture.

Plastic cucumber net is characterized by lightness, strength, wear resistance. It can be used both in greenhouses and in open areas for several years. Plastic cloths for garters of cucumbers are in great demand among gardeners.

Supports for cucumbers made of metal are considered the most durable and reliable among the above. Their use contributes to the cultivation of fruits with different weights. Such a device can last at least 5 years.

Installing a design with a cucumber net is quite simple. You can put the frame in a greenhouse or vegetable garden. Professionals advise to stretch the canvas in the east towards the west.

In order to fix this device on the garden bed, the master will need to prepare some elements.

1. Support posts. These structures are made of wood, metal, plastic. Alternatively, you can use PVC pipes. To fasten the mesh cloth, a pair of pillars will be enough, the height of which should be 200 cm. The pillars must be dug into the ground, after which the soil should be carefully tamped. If necessary, you can put additional support or hang the cucumber net on the arches. The master should remember that only a strong structure can withstand bad weather, so you should not neglect the distance between the posts either.
2. Cucumber grid. The choice of a product should be made based on your own opinion. The best option is a canvas (roll) with a mesh with a diameter of at least 0.1 meter.
3. Wooden slats. They must be fixed between the posts in order to make the structure more stable and reliable. A cucumber net is attached to the slats.
4. Hardware. The fixation of the cucumber mesh is carried out with self-tapping screws, screws. To simplify their work, many craftsmen use a screwdriver. To fix the trellis to the support, the master should use twine, rope, plastic clamps.

Stages of assembling the structure:

• the garden bed is marked out, supports are dug in or driven into its outskirts;
• the mesh is laid out on the ground, after which it is strung with extreme care on the slats;
• the slats are screwed to the pillars with self-tapping screws in order to obtain a U-shape as a result;
• the mesh fabric is stretched from top to bottom and fixed with ropes to the supports;
• if necessary, the mesh is attached to the soil with metal hooks.

Tying cucumbers in the open field for weaving and a good harvest should be carried out in accordance with the rules and recommendations.

1. For tying, you can use only those cucumbers in which the vine has a length of 15 to 20 cm. You can attach them without pre-tensioning the canvas. When the plant produces new stems, they will also need to be tied to the net.
2. For high reliability of fastening the culture to the support, the tie points should be staggered. This method stimulates the growth of lateral vines, as well as slows down the elongation of the main stem.
3. To form a cucumber bush, you need to pinch the main stem at the height of the 5th leaf. If you want to carry out this event, it is worth remembering that hybrid varieties of cucumbers do not need pinching, since it can destroy the female inflorescence, from which the fruit is subsequently formed.
4. Cucumbers should be pinned. The use of this version of the garden procedure helps to reduce the growth of green mass and ensure optimal consumption of nutrients. The latter will be aimed at the formation of the fruit, and not at feeding the foliage.
5. Garden crops should be regularly and properly cared for. Only in this case can one hope for a bountiful harvest.
6. It is advisable to plant mint or marigolds near the support pillars. Such plants scare away harmful insects.

The first knot should be tied loosely near the base of the culture, the loop should not pull over the cucumber stem. The rope must be stretched from the culture to the mesh and wound around the lower cell row, fastened with a knot. Do not pull on the twine too much, as this can cause injury to the stem and root system.

In addition to ropes, gardeners can use special clamps for fastening cucumber lashes. They can easily grab the stem to the net in several places. After such fixation, the plant will be able to independently crawl to the top, clinging to the network cells with its antennae. After the main stem reaches the top of the mesh fabric, it should be pinched, thereby stopping growth, stimulating branching to the sides.

You can make a support for the cucumbers yourself, for this it is not necessary to use the drawings. The design can be made for one or several seasons. For street cucumbers, it can be tied with rope, and the supports can be made from pipes.

For the production of a net for tying cucumbers, a step-by-step work scheme is performed:

• pillars are dug in on the outskirts of the garden;
• several rows are fixed in parallel between the supports with a distance of 10 - 15 cm;
• horizontal rows are intertwined with a vertical rope arrangement with an arbitrary choice of the size of the cells.

There are other options for making supports for vertical weaving of cucumbers.

• From lumber. Bars are installed along the corner sections of the beds, the thickness of which does not exceed 5 cm. After that, they are buried in the soil by about 0.7 meters. Some gardeners reinforce the supports with wire anchors. Further, you need to retreat 100-200 cm from the racks and mount auxiliary supports, the thickness of which is less than the previous one, while maintaining a distance of 0.15 meters. The next step is to fix the crossbar at the border of the corner posts and make 15 cm cells. So that the wood structure does not suffer from the influence of atmospheric precipitation and pests, it should be treated with linseed oil and an antiseptic.

• Made of metal. Phased assembly of the structure:

1. preparation of 2-meter fittings;
2. fixing racks in the ground;
3. welding of a transverse beam, fixation of which is possible with a cable or wire;
4. the master should maintain a distance of 15 cm between additional supports;
5. build a wire mesh, the mesh size of which will be equal to 0.2 meters, having previously treated the metal elements with an anti-corrosion agent.

• From tire and wheel rim:

1. the basis of the design will be the rim from the bicycle wheel, which should be placed on the garden;
2. in the center of the bed, it is necessary to install a support on which the rim is mounted with a wire;
3. pass the rope through the holes in the rim, along which the vines will weave.

Watch the video on how to install a cucumber grid.