15 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GROWING CUCUMBERS THIS SEASON
15 mistakes to avoid when growing cucumbers this season
Cucumbers can be fun to grow and eat. But what happens if your cucumbers do not grow as well as you want? There are many things that can go wrong with your growth, but if you know what to look for, you can prevent many problems from happening. In this article we will discuss 15 common mistakes to avoid to improve your cucumber harvest this season.
Cucumber (Cucumus sativus) is a tropical fruit-bearing vine. Assuming that the only cucumbers you’ve ever tried are the slicing varieties found in most grocery stores, these interesting fruits will surprise you. Different characteristics include green, yellow or variegated, long, short or round, and smooth or rough texture.
As long as you have a sunny garden space, you don’t need to be an expert gardener to grow cucumbers successfully. They can do well in a bag!
Cucumbers can grow in a variety of environments, including containers.
Cucumber plants are easy to grow once you understand their basic needs. They need rich, moist, well-drained soil and lots of food because these plants need a lot of energy to grow. They also need ample space but can be grown in rows, hills or slopes, beds and trellises.
15 common mistakes in growing cucumbers
Save yourself a lot of time and struggle by learning from others’ mishaps and the problems of cucumber planting and startup mistakes.
Here’s how to avoid the biggest cucumber mistakes.
1. Improper seed storage
A close-up of the cucumber seeds reveals their unique shape, looking like small white ovals with small slopes. Each seed represents the essence of stability, movement and renewal. Cucumber seeds retain their viability for five years.
You can buy fresh cucumbers every year, and there are many interesting cucumber varieties to try. When storing seeds from year to year, note their age. Cucumber seeds will last up to five years if stored properly. Old seeds will not germinate as well as new seeds, and at some point the germination rate will drop to zero.
The age of the plants and how they are stored affects the rate of germination. Store your seeds in an airtight container to avoid moisture. Store them in a cool and dry place to keep them as fresh as possible. Check your seeds before you plant them. Cucumber fruit should be firm, soft and white in color. Throw away anything that is soft, moldy, or moldy.
2. Starting too early
Cucumber is a warm season crop and the plants are sensitive to cold. It is not necessary to grow cucumbers in the house, but it helps the gardeners to start the season by starting to grow. These seeds do well right in the garden. Cucumbers grow quickly and mature in 50 to 70 days, so you should have plenty of time to grow good vines. In general, late spring or early summer is a good time to grow cucumbers.
Time and patience are essential. Wait until the temperature is high enough. Ideally, you’ll want to start your seeds outside as soon as all danger of frost has passed. Wait until daytime temperatures reach the mid-70s and nighttime temperatures are above 50°F.
Cucumbers grow in the heat. Plants grown in too cool temperatures will grow slowly or not at all. Plants will be stressed and may not flower or bear fruit. If the temperature drops below freezing, it will kill your cucumber plant.
If you decide to grow cucumbers indoors, don’t be too quick to push your tender plants outside. Again, you should wait until the air and soil are warm and take several days to harden the seeds before transplanting them (forgetting to harden is another common cucumber mistake).
If the temperature outside drops into the 40s or lower, you should cover your growing plants with a floating cover to protect them from the wind. and cold.
3. The soil quality is not good.
Good soil quality can help grow large plants, while poor soil quality can damage your crops. Cucumbers thrive in warm, rich and fertile soil. In addition to high fertility, they will do well in soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8.
Good soil for cucumbers will have a lot of organic matter to provide nutrients and help retain moisture. The soil should be thoroughly cleaned so that your plants are not sitting in waterlogged areas.
When preparing cucumber bed, add organic matter. You can apply mature compost from your home compost bin or purchase compost, such as worm compost or well aged, and compost manure.
Do not plant your cucumbers directly in the compost – you need more compost for good growth, and compost that is not completely decomposed can heat up and damage the plants. Instead, mix the compost well with your existing garden soil to get the best mix and balance. Mix organic compost to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, where most plant.
Read also:HOW TO GROW SPINACH – INDOORS OR OUTDOORS FOR HEALTHY LEAVES
4. Not enough sun.
One of the worst mistakes you can make when planting cucumbers is to plant them in an area with too much shade. Cucumbers love sunlight and need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
The morning sun is best because it is bright and not as hot as the afternoon sun, and it helps to dry up the morning dew, thus preventing the leaves from retaining unnecessary moisture. Choose a garden area where your plants get lots of sun and don’t spend too much time in the shade. Some light afternoon shade can be appreciated, especially in hot climates. Cucumber leaves can burn and turn brown in hot, dry weather if the sunlight is too strong for a long time.
5. Not watering enought
Lack of water causes problems with cucumbers, resulting in bitter fruits, which are not good. This may not be enough if you wait for the rain to water your plants. You don’t have to worry about weekly rainfall, but whenever there’s a drought, you’ll need to add more water.
Cucumbers like to have well-drained soil at all times: neither dry nor wet. Since cucumber seeds are mostly water, it is important to make sure they get enough water to grow well.
So, what is the best amount of water? 1 to 2 inches of water per week is reasonable. Cucumbers that suffer from a lack of water will have some problems. The fruit will be bitter.
Fruits can also grow and have a bad shape inside. Fruit grown in full water will be sweet, crunchy and even thick in the fruit.
6. Improper watering
There is a “right” way to water your plants and a “wrong way” to water your plants. It’s best to do it properly when you need to add a little water to help keep the soil moist.
Use a soaker hose or a long-handled water wand to get water to the roots where it’s needed most. Improper watering can cause many problems, such as stunting and sudden diseases.
Water for a long time to ensure that the water penetrates the soil long enough to reach the roots, where the plant can absorb water through its roots. Also, make the water sprinkle less, looking for the soil rather than the leaves of the plant.
sprinkling water on the leaves will in crease the moisture and humidity around your plant, creating an ideal habitat for fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Drip irrigation is ideal.
7. Crowded plants
There is no need to overfill your cucumbers. You’ll grow better plants and more fruit by giving each plant a chance. Cucumbers grow on vines, and these vines can be tall and spreading. If you plant them close together, they will cover more ground and compete with each other for sun, water and nutrients.
The two most common ways to grow cucumbers are to plant them in raised hills so they can spread over the ground or to plant them on a trellis so they can climb. Plants grown in hills should be spaced so that each mound has one plant and the plants are spaced 1 to 2 feet apart. Cucumbers grown on a trellis can be divided about a foot apart and allowed to grow vertically.
8. Too many weeds
No garden plant likes to compete with weed, and cucumbers are no different. Weeds compete with your cucumbers for sunlight, water and nutrients. Grasses also provide many hiding places for insects. A weed-free garden will allow the plants you love to grow and thrive with minimal interference.
If you only have a few cucumber plants, especially small ones, you can pull the weeds around them by hand. In larger areas, try using a small tiller or hand hoe to quickly remove weeds from around your garden plants. Do not spread weeds and grass around your garden plants with herbicides, as you can also harm your garden plants.
9. No mulch
Mulch provides great benefits to cucumbers. Use biodegradable organic mulch, such as straw, shredded leaves or even compost, to help enrich your soil. Mulch is also a good way to retain soil moisture and reduce weed numbers. Using organic mulching is a great investment for your garden.
Other ground covers include newspaper, cardboard, and special weed-resistant fabrics. These will help control weeds, and if they are water permeable, they can help retain moisture, but they won’t do anything to help improve soil quality. Weed control fabric can also be expensive and eventually break down and get into the weeds. The best mulching solution will be the one that offers the added benefit of enriching the soil.
10. Insufficient fertility
Should you fertilize cucumbers? Fertilizer will help improve the yield and make the plant healthy. Start your plants by planting them in well-drained soil with added compost. If necessary, fertilize a few weeks before transplanting new plants. It is possible to grow cucumbers without adding any more fertilizer, but you will get a better harvest if you give them a boost of nutrients in between.
When plants begin to flower and set fruit, it is time to fertilize. I would recommend using organic fertilizers of some kind. If you choose a garden fertilizer for commercial purposes, carefully follow the product’s instructions for use.
If you want to avoid fertilizer, use a layer of organic compost buried several inches into the soil around each plant. Either way, adding fertilizer in the middle of the season will help keep your plants healthy and productive!
11. Not using a trellis
In a beautiful garden, four curved trees are decorated with beautiful cucumber vines reaching for the sun. Trellises create an attractive vertical landscape, providing support and structure for growing plants. Your cucumbers will do well on a trellis, enjoying lots of sun, pollinators, air circulation and space.
One of the best ways to grow cucumbers is using a trellis. Since these plants are vines, they like to climb. If you grow them without a trellis, they will happily spread on the ground, making them inaccessible to pollinators and more vulnerable to chewing pests. The plants will be overcrowded and your seeds will rot from sitting.
Growing on a trellis, your plant will have access to sunlight, pollinators, air circulation and space. Trellising keeps the fruit off the ground, making it clean and safe from slugs and snails. You can also easily see all your crops and have access to them when it’s time to bring in the ripe cucumbers.
A trellis doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, or bulky. If you plant your cucumbers next to a fence, they will climb the fence like a trellis. You can buy a straight trellis or a sophisticated, arched trellis. You can also use wood or strong fencing to make your trellis. Anything tall and sturdy enough for your plant to climb will make a good trellis.
12. Waiting for the problem to get worse
If you see a problem, first find out what it is. Look for signs and symptoms such as visible insects, shriveled leaves, yellowing leaves, discoloration or damaged fruit.
The sooner you find the cause of your plant’s problem, the sooner you can begin to fix the problem and continue producing healthy crops. If you completely ignore the problems, you can lose your whole plant and cucumber.
13. Not rotating crops
It is a mistake to grow cucumbers in the same place every year. Since they eat a lot, they will quickly remove nutrients from the soil.
Replace them with plants such as beans or cover crops that will help improve soil quality. If you can’t rotate your crops, you should pay attention to the nutrients in the soil and add nutrients every year to make the soil healthy.
Another reason to rotate your crops is to prevent the spread of plant diseases in one area. If you have cucumber pests that spread the disease, they will easily reinfect plants grown in the same place as last year. Rotate crops at least every year, and if you can wait 3 or 4 years before planting the same crop in the same place, even better.
If you grow plants in containers, it becomes a little easier and a sense. You can use the bag you planted tomatoes in one year for different crops the next year if they are similar in size. It is possible to move your plants around the garden to reduce disease pressure.
14. Improper harvest
Cucumbers are easy to harvest, but it is easy to damage the vines if harvested incorrectly. Ripe fruit hangs on the vine and is not easily released. Do not try to pull or twist the fruit as this can easily damage the vine or even cause the plant to fall off accidentally.
Harvest in the morning when the plant is still fresh. Use a sharp knife or a tool to snip through the stem just above the end of the fruit. After harvesting, if you don’t plan to eat them right away, store your cucumbers in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. Try to eat them within a week.
15. Late harvest
Don’t wait too long to harvest your cucumbers. If you buy seeds, check the waiting time until harvest. Most varieties will begin to grow within 50 to 70 days from seed. If you don’t harvest them quickly, you will end up with inedible fruit. They will harden and begin to turn yellow at the edges. Ripe cucumbers will also have a delicious texture.
Each type of cucumber will mature at a slightly different time and different types will have different ripening habits. Plan to harvest standard green cucumbers like Marketmore when they are between 5 and 8 inches tall.
Pickling cucumbers will need to be harvested shortly after they are ripe. The “lemon” cucumbers will be rounded, firm, and begin to change from green to purple. Elongating English cucumbers will usually take a little longer, and will be ready to harvest when they are tall, at least 12 inches long.
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