Cucumbers are a popular fruit in many Vietnamese meals. Not only delicious and easy to eat, cucumbers also contain many vitamins and minerals that are good for health. Growing cucumbers is also not too difficult, just master the technique and you can harvest fresh and delicious cucumbers right in your home garden. Let’s explore how to grow high-yield cucumbers with “Nongnghiepvietnam.org” through the article below.
1. Choosing the Right Time to Plant Cucumbers
For optimal cucumber growth and development, you should plant during the Spring-Summer season, specifically from February 20th to March 15th.
According to the experience of many farmers, planting cucumbers during this time will help the plants grow quickly and yield high outputs due to the favorable climate.
2. Cucumber Variety Selection and Planting Density
2.1. Popular Cucumber Varieties
Currently, there are many different cucumber varieties on the market. However, the most popular are:
- Gherkin
- White cucumber
- Armenian cucumber
- F1 hybrid cucumber…
Each cucumber variety will have its own advantages in terms of yield, pest and disease resistance, and flavor. Depending on your needs and farming conditions, you can choose the appropriate cucumber variety.
Popular cucumber varieties
2.2. Cucumber Planting Density
For optimal cucumber growth, you should plant with the following density:
- Plant spacing: 30cm
- Row spacing: 60cm
Ensuring proper planting density will give cucumber plants enough space to grow and absorb nutrients better, resulting in higher yields and quality.
3. Soil Preparation Techniques for Cucumber Cultivation
3.1. Soil Selection
Cucumber plants thrive in light loam, sandy loam, nutrient-rich soil with good irrigation and drainage. You should also choose areas that have been rotated with other crops of different families to limit pests and diseases.
Mr. Nguyen Van A, an agricultural expert with over 15 years of experience, shares: “Choose well-drained, elevated land to avoid waterlogging, which can cause root rot. At the same time, the soil also needs to be rich in nutrients for good plant growth. It is best to rotate with crops of different families to limit pests and diseases.”
3.2. Raised Bed Preparation
The soil should be well-prepared, loose, and free of weeds. Then, proceed to create raised beds with the following dimensions:
- Width: 1.1 – 1.2m
- Height: 25 – 30cm
Beds should be oriented parallel to the wind direction and along the slope of the field to ensure good drainage, promote healthy growth, and limit pests and diseases.
3.3. Soil Fertilization
You can incorporate microbial organic fertilizers during soil preparation to help loosen the soil, encourage rapid root development, and promote vigorous growth.
4. Cucumber Seed Soaking and Germination Guide
4.1. Seed Soaking
After purchasing cucumber seeds, soak them in warm clean water for about 2-3 hours. Then, remove the seeds, gently rinse them in a bowl of water to remove any stickiness, and let them dry. Finally, wrap the seeds in a damp, soft cloth for incubation.
4.2. Seed Inspection
After 24-26 hours of incubation, check the seeds. If they have germinated, sow them into seedling trays. When sowing, place the radicle facing downwards and cover with 1-1.5cm of soil.
4.3. Seedling Tray Preparation
The soil for seedling trays can be a mixture of loose topsoil and garden soil without too much sand, mixed with well-rotted manure or microbial organic fertilizer in a 1:1 ratio.
Seedling containers can be made from rolled banana leaves or plastic bags with a diameter of 5-6cm and a height of 5-6cm. If using plastic bags, cut the corners and make holes near the bottom for drainage.
Preparing cucumber seedling trays
4.4. Seedling Care
After sowing the seeds in the trays, water them, cover with a thin layer of soil, and place them in a well-ventilated area with light sunlight.
5. Basal Fertilization for Cucumbers
Before planting cucumbers, basal fertilization is necessary to provide essential nutrients. You can use:
- Well-rotted manure: 6-8 tons/ha
- Organic fertilizer, microbial organic fertilizer: 1.5-2 tons/ha
- NPK fertilizer (5:10:3): 500-550kg/ha
Spread the fertilizer evenly around the planting area.
6. Cucumber Planting Techniques
6.1. Planting Time
Cucumber plants grow quite quickly, so when the seedlings in the trays are about 5-7 days old, prepare the raised beds for planting.
6.2. Planting Method
- Transplant seedlings when they have 1-2 true leaves.
- Before planting, you can spray or water the seedlings with Validacin 2-3% to prevent root rot and damping-off.
- Plant the seedlings so that the top of the root ball is level with the surface of the raised bed.
- Handle the seedlings gently to avoid damaging the root ball.
- Water immediately after planting to help the plants establish roots and recover.
7. Topdressing and Cucumber Care
7.1. Topdressing
- 3-5 days after planting: Apply a light urea solution, watering away from the base of the plant and avoiding getting water on the leaves.
- 10-15 days after planting: When the plants have 3-4 true leaves, apply the first topdressing with 3-3.5kg of urea/sào, applying it away from the base of the plant.
- When the plants have 5-6 true leaves and start to develop tendrils: Apply the second topdressing: 4.5kg urea + 3kg potassium/sào, applying it between the plants, combined with hilling up the beds and clearing the furrows.
- After the second topdressing (27-30 days after planting): Apply the third topdressing: 4.5kg urea + 3.5kg potassium + 5kg phosphorus/sào, 2-3 days before pinching the tips.
7.2. Trellising
- After the second topdressing (27-30 days after planting), install trellises for the cucumbers.
- Use A-frame trellises with a top bar and crossbars.
- Use soft nylon strings to tie the cucumber stems to the trellis posts in a figure-8 pattern to prevent damage from wind.
Proper cucumber trellising technique
7.3. Pruning and Pinching
- When the cucumber plants reach the top of the trellis, pinch the tips to encourage branching (around 24-25 leaves).
- Allow each branch to grow 3 leaves before pinching the tip again to promote secondary branching.
- Remove any branches without flowers.
7.4. Watering
During the fruiting stage, cucumber plants require consistent watering, preferably through furrow irrigation.
7.5. Harvesting
- Harvest cucumbers daily in the late afternoon and early morning.
- Harvest all fruits with a diameter of about 2.5-2.8cm.
- Frequent harvesting promotes plant health and increases yield.
On average, a cucumber plant can yield 25-30 fruits, or even 40-50 fruits.
8. Pest and Disease Control for Cucumber Plants
To control pests and diseases in cucumber plants:
- Regularly inspect the field for early detection of pests and diseases for timely intervention.
- Remove old leaves at the base and diseased leaves to limit pest and disease spread.
- Remove deformed, crooked, and bee-stung fruits as quickly as possible.
- Prioritize cultural practices or the use of natural enemies to control pests and diseases.
- Depending on the severity of the infestation, use biopesticides or approved plant protection products within the permitted pre-harvest interval.
Some common pests and diseases affecting cucumber plants are: downy mildew, root rot, bacterial wilt, spider mites, aphids, and cucumber beetles.
Common cucumber pests and diseases
Above are the techniques for planting and caring for high-yield cucumbers. Hopefully, through this article, “Nongnghiepvietnam.org” has provided you with useful information to successfully grow your own bountiful cucumber patches. Good luck!