How to pollinate cucumbers at home?

An important point in the growing season of any plant is pollination. In this simple and short-term process lies the whole point of growing a crop - the harvest.Preparing seeds and soil for sowing, caring for a plant, it all comes down to one thing - getting a good ovary. But if the seedlings are not grown in open areas, you need to know in advance how to pollinate cucumbers at home.

All representatives of the plant world, who are distinguished by the presence of female and male inflorescences on their "body", are subjected to the stage of sexual reproduction of seed plants. To such vegetable crops belongs also a cucumber from the family of the Solanaceae. Due to pollination, pollen in the form of powdered spores more often of a yellow color from the stamens of male flowers falls on the female pistil, thus, the bush is fertilized, the final result of which is the formation of the fruit. In nature, insects, birds, wind and water are responsible for this important stage in the life of the plant.

But sometimes there are situations when the culture needs to be helped, then artificial pollination is used. For example, Solanaceae are grown in a closed area (on a windowsill or loggia, in a greenhouse or greenhouse), where there is no entrance for birds and insects, where pollination should somehow occur without bees, water, and other invertebrates. Another reason is the desire of the gardener to get clean seeds for the further production of varietal cucumbers, if several types of culture are cultivated on a small plot of land, then it is necessary to take the pollination process under control.

In order for artificial pollination to end with a positive result, you need to know the rules for conducting this process. It is worth considering the most important of them.

• Time. It is possible to fertilize cucumbers manually at any time of the year, because pollination is carried out depending on the period during which the seeds were planted in the ground. In this case, all experienced farmers know that the faster the fertilization of flowers, the sooner the fruits will appear. The only thing that should not be forgotten in the planning of the pollination business is that the event is best performed not on a day when the first inflorescences only opened up on the solanaceous bushes. It is better to fertilize flowers on the second day after their full disclosure. The ideal time for manipulation is morning or deep evening, when the sun is still or already slightly shining.

• Temperature. The optimum temperature for the pollination process is from +24 to + 27ºС. Exceeding the maximum permissible temperature may adversely affect pollen, which will lose its fertilizing capacity and as a result, the entire crop will be endangered. A decrease in temperature below the norm, although it will not stop pollination, nevertheless, the characteristics of future fruits will significantly decrease, in particular, cucumbers will grow short.
• Top dressing. Feeding vegetable crops with nutrients can increase the effectiveness of the development of the ovary. For the mineral nutrition of cucumbers suitable ready-made fertilizers, which include potassium, phosphorus and urea. The latter component is indispensable for the normal development of the fruit. At the same time, it is possible to fertilize plants after harvesting, by stimulating the crop for new flowering. To do this, reduce the temperature from +7 to +10 degrees and make nutrients.

There are in nature and varieties that do not require pollination, they are called parthenocarpic. True, they have no seeds, so it is impossible to re-grow such a culture at home. In self-pollinating cucumber bushes, the pistil and stamens are located in the same flower, so they do not need pollination. These varieties include cucumber "Manul", "April" and others. Such plants are considered to be the most productive, since fruits can be expected from all flowers.

Such hybrids differ from common varieties by a large number of female flowers, of which a cucumber later develops.In cucumbers, requiring pollination, there are more male flowers than female ones. They are called "Balcony", "F1 Calendar", "F1 Machaon" and others. Without bees, water and wind they cannot bear fruit. Such plants are considered more useful and they need help for normal development.

There are options for artificial pollination, such as:

• the attraction of insects;
• manual fertilization.

The basis of the method of attracting insects is to lure invertebrates into a place where cucumbers grow. For these purposes, the plants are abundantly sprayed with a sweet aqueous solution. For its preparation it is necessary to take 1 liter of warm water, 1 tbsp. l honey (sugar or jam) and 0.1 g of boric acid. It is important not only to attract a pleasant aroma, but also to help the insect to reach the culture. To do this, you need to open the windows and doors, while monitoring the temperature of the room and the percentage of humidity.

If possible, you can breed a whole bee family. It is necessary to put a hive near the site with cucumbers, insects should be well oriented on the ground. For this, they are released into a prepared greenhouse when there is not a single plant there yet. Over time, the bee swarm will acclimatize, and will continue to actively fulfill its purpose. If the vegetable culture of the Solanaceae family is grown from the first days of spring, then the hive with bees is installed directly in the greenhouse.

If the yard is already quite warm, then the house with insects can be safely put on the street, closely pressing it against the greenhouse wall, thereby providing an accessible entrance to natural pollinators.

Manual pollination of cucumbers is a complex, but fruitful method. Before you start it, you need to find on the stems of plants, female and male flowers. At the base of the female flower, you can see a small process, resembling a tiny cucumber, in the male flower there is no such similarity. Then it is necessary to tear a whisk from a male flower and check whether pollen is poured from it.

Attention should be paid to the following important rules for self-pollination:

• the presence of a large amount of pollen;
• pollinate the flower of one plant to pollen of another bush.

Pollination hands can perform several options:

• Pollination with an art brush. Pollen must be carefully removed from the male specimen with a clean tool and transferred to the pistil of the opposite sex. After the fertilized flower needs to be closed. Use for this purpose a cotton swab or other similar materials, for example, a small piece of foam rubber. The bristles of the brush should be from natural pile, ideally soft, so as not to cause damage to delicate cucumber flowers.
• The second method concerns mostly male colors. They can be applied directly as an independent pollinator. For this, the flower is carefully torn off, avoiding the shedding of pollen, all the petals are cut off. Then all that remains is laid in the female flower. In this form, the inflorescences can be “forgotten” until the growth of the ovary occurs.

It is better to pollinate cucumber bushes manually several times over the course of one week, which will make sure that a positive result is certain. When the ovary grows, flowers are pollinated.

Not everyone can master artificial pollination of seedlings, not everyone succeeds in this occupation, especially for beginners in gardening. But having mastered the art of home pollination, you can get varietal copies of vegetables. Seeds of such fruits can be reused, and pickles, which are usually only sold. Independent pollination allows to obtain high-quality fruits.According to taste characteristics, they will not differ from cucumbers grown in open ground.

Moreover, such plants are more durable, they practically do not react to temperature drops, they are not afraid of lack of lighting and short drying, they are not so susceptible to pests and the development of infectious diseases.

The technology of pollination of cucumbers at home, see the following video.