L. Liubertaitė on the rich harvest of cucumbers: check if you are watering correctly? | Life

Lina Liubertaitė, blogger and organizer of the “Geltonas karutis” landscaping course, shares these and other tips. If we don’t meet these two conditions, the performance is unlikely to be what we want.

“When it comes to soil, the task must be done in autumn or spring and you have to take care of its quality. The principles of crop rotation can be applied in the field, when we plant plants in different places, we change them, so that the land be enriched with the vegetables or other plants that we grow every year.

In a greenhouse we can disinfect the soil from pests, but by disinfecting we remove both good and bad things from the soil. It is best to target healthy soil with a variety of microorganisms, and this is beneficial for a variety of cultivated plants, as is the case in nature. Furthermore, supplementing the greenhouse soil with compost, fertilizing with manure or other organic fertilizers, we will improve and enrich it ”, advises Lina.

What do you need to know about irrigation?

Currently, cucumber beds are growing, which is why we harvest both in the greenhouse and outdoors, which is why proper watering is so important. “If we look at the composition, we see that more than 90 percent. Cucumbers are made up of water and this, by the way, is the reason why it is recommended to grow cucumbers and tomatoes in different greenhouses. Tomatoes do not need as much moisture like cucumbers, so how are they watered properly?

Not only will insufficient watering have a negative effect on performance, but also irrigation. If there is too much water for the cucumbers, water them briefly and vigorously, the roots of the cucumbers begin to rot, the stems weaken, and the leaves turn yellow. Naturally, you won’t get a harvest, “says Lina.

Watering In this case, he advises to stop, ventilate the greenhouse and slow down watering. Cucumbers grown outdoors without shelter can be adversely affected by rain and will also begin to show signs of watering.

„If we water insufficiently, We will see that when the small cucumbers begin to fall, the cucumbers themselves can be less crisp and even cooked. If you see that the cucumbers are hot, start watering them more. Different varieties of cucumbers react differently to water scarcity, so some tend to get hotter and others less, ”says Lina.

She explains that watering cucumbers is necessary regularly, and do it very early in the morning or out of trouble at night, but by no means in the middle of a hot day. In the latter case, the cucumber leaves can be burned by the sun. In the morning, plants can absorb moisture, retain better during a hot day, and when watered at night, moisture retention is possible, which is likely to cause fungal diseases, so it is better to water in the morning.

Cucumbers should be watered with warm water. Keep in mind that if you pour a bucket of ice water over the cucumbers, they won’t really appreciate it. ” I would recommend storing buckets, sprinklers in a greenhouse or outdoors filled with water, or buying a water tank where the water is always at the right temperature. By the way, a larger water capacity can also serve as an irrigation system in its own right, by directing the hose to a special drip irrigation system, ”says Lina.

When watering, it is better to focus on the roots rather than the leaves, Especially if we want to save water, because we are specifically watering the area that is needed and not watering areas where we do not grow anything, and the evaporation of water is much less.

“For soil health and less frequent watering, I recommend applying mulch – especially those cucumbers that grow outdoors. Mulching saves on hot days, because moisture does not evaporate so quickly, in addition, when we mulch, we create favorable media in the soil, where various processes necessary for various microorganisms to live ”, advises L. Liubertaitė.

Choose as often as possible

“To have a good harvest of cucumbers, it is necessary to collect them frequently. If cucumbers are forgotten and overgrown, this is how we slow down the growth of cucumbers and, when we pick them, we encourage the weave of new ones. Therefore, even when you go on vacation, you can ask relatives or neighbors to pick cucumbers. Well, if the cucumbers have grown, you can cut them into slices and use them for canning; you will find many recipes that will adapt to any variety ”, suggests Lina.

By the way, now is the best time to try different varieties and thus choose what you like the most, what is best to grow: some cucumbers are longer, smooth-skinned, without thorns, others – prickly, shorter or round. Some varieties will be suitable for tanning, others for pickling, and the third will be the most delicious to enjoy fresh.

Lina adds that cucumbers don’t develop quickly, they can only be soaked in cold water immediately after picking. Then take it out and put it in the refrigerator; this way, the cucumbers will stay crisp and delicious for longer. And another tip: you can remove the thorns from the cucumbers with a kitchen sponge – the rough part will rub the thorns quickly and easily.