Step by step instructions for growing cucumbers on the balcony

Growing crops that are common for the garden and suburban areas at home is becoming increasingly popular. On the window-sills and balconies, more and more you can see not only flowers, but also compact plants, herbs, and vegetables. This also applies to cucumbers, the cultivation of which will be discussed later.

Ripe and tasty cucumbers can long be obtained not only from the garden plot or the dacha, but also to grow them on a loggia or balcony, if their area allows. In fact, growing cucumbers at home is not an easy task. Many beginners at the very beginning make a number of mistakes, which subsequently lead to disastrous results, namely the absence of long-awaited fruits. It is necessary to approach the process of growing a culture in stages, observing a number of requirements and fulfilling all the necessary conditions.

Before growing cucumbers on the balcony, you need to get acquainted with this crop, its features.

It is worth paying attention to the choice of varieties, since the balcony and garden cucumbers are very different and have their own characteristics. So, home cucumbers are very whimsical, unlike their street counterparts: they require more attention from both the owner of the apartment and the weather conditions. When choosing the side of the house where you plan to grow them, you should choose a warm and sunny side. If there is no such possibility and even in the summer the apartment is cool enough, then it is worthwhile to take care of creating artificial lighting, providing the culture with a sufficient level of ventilation, and, if necessary, heating, creating an optimal light day. In order to achieve the desired effect, you must follow the following instructions:

• The temperature of the air, where the plant is located, cannot be less than 18 degrees in the daytime, and not less than 15 degrees in the night. This is one of the most basic conditions on which the final result largely depends.
• Drafts should be avoided, this is the only way to get fragrant ripe fruits. It is also worth taking care that when growing cucumbers on an open, unglazed balcony there is a chance that rain can damage seedlings and hinges, and this should be avoided.
• The lighting should be bright (you should give preference to the south side or the south-east one), but not so much that the leaves of the plant are scorched.
• Capacity for future cucumbers is to choose such that it was at least 15 centimeters wide, and the length of the container was up to 85 centimeters (this will save space in the balcony space). A drainage tank must be present in the tank, which will remove excess moisture and prevent the roots from stagnating in the soil and rotting.

Growing step by step begins with the selection of seeds that are most suitable for seedlings in the balcony conditions or in a small apartment.

Before you engage in the cultivation of cucumbers at home, it is necessary to determine in which container will be seedlings. This is a very important issue that affects future plants, their germination, growth and further strengthening in the soil. In the suburban areas using the standard beds, but at home to form the beds will not work, and therefore will have to create natural conditions artificially.

It should be noted that many gardeners and gardeners in the spring use the container for planting seeds and their germination, and then transplanted young shoots in the soil. With balcony cucumbers, the situation is similar.

For germination will require small containers. As a rule, disposable cups are used as it, you can also use peat cups, which can be purchased at any gardening shop.Such pots are capable of destroying after a certain period of time under the influence of moisture and soil, gradually “growing”, as it were, into the soil in which they were placed. But this option of planting seeds is suitable only for those plants, the period of occurrence of sprouts is slow. For early ripening varieties, when the root system forms faster than the peat cup stands dissolve, it is important to choose a container in which the root will not be damaged when the young plant is extracted.

The root system itself in such a crop as cucumber is very developed, and therefore, to obtain a good harvest and tasty fruits, you should choose a pot size that will not hinder growth, but will only contribute to the development of the plant. Cucumbers - lovers of free space, not only above the ground, but also under it. Therefore it is necessary to choose the container which volume will make more than five liters. In ideal conditions, its volume should be 10 liters. So you can ensure a good harvest.

In addition to traditionally used pots and containers made of plastic or wood, many prefer to grow the most ordinary plastic bottle with a volume of 5 liters when growing cucumbers. Such containers can not only be placed across the entire area of ​​the balcony, but also hung up, thereby creating unusual and beautiful compositions that will not only bear fruit, but also please the eye.

In order to plant young plants in such containers, it is necessary to use a construction knife, which should be carefully cut off the neck of the bottle or its side wall. Thus, a convenient and roomy tray is obtained, which can be used for seedlings of various plants, and not just cucumbers.

In any case, whatever container was used to grow cucumbers on the balcony, it is imperative to make a drainage, and ideally - holes in the tank. So excess liquid will not accumulate, and the roots of the plant will remain healthy.

To the selection of seeds and soil must be very responsible approach. These two factors are decisive for obtaining the necessary result. There are a large number of such cucumber varieties that are able to pollinate on their own, and it is recommended to use them as plants for home conditions. Such plants are represented by both female and male representatives. There is no need to use brushes for artificial pollination or to resort to the help of insects (wasps, bees). Information on this information is usually indicated on the seed packaging, and there are additional data that will allow to identify this particular seed for growing on the balcony and select those seedlings that can adapt to these conditions. These include:

• Fruit sizewhich does not exceed 8 centimeters. This will allow you to collect the fruits of the required size, not overgrown, as is often the case on an ordinary garden or a country garden bed.
• Shadow endurance. Few can boast the sunny side of their apartments, and therefore plants grown on balconies located in the shady side should be prepared for the amount of light to be slightly less than in usual environmental conditions where the sun rises early in the morning and sets in the evening.
• Maturation term. Early-growing plants are ideal for small spaces, since their care is much more complicated than plants that are planted in open ground. Early maturity allows you to get more than one crop for the entire summer period.
• Small sheet sizes. Since the space of a balcony or loggia is limited to a few square meters, it is extremely important to choose a plant that in the process of its growth and development will not interfere with those crops that are located in the neighborhood.Small leaves allow getting enough light to all plants located in a small balcony space.
• The multiplicity of the ovary, the presence of internodes. This provides a great harvest during the entire period of plant growth.
• Resistance to drought. In summer, temperatures can range from too high to moderate, and many also plan holidays, vacations, and departures from stuffy apartments for the summer period. In this case, it is extremely important to plant exactly such crops that can survive a short period of time without abundant watering and proper care.

The variety of seeds certainly affects the cultivation result. But a lot depends on which soil was chosen.

Typically, use such a ground for planting seeds of "home" cucumbers:

• Peat mixed with sawdust and ash, as well as sod land mixed in equal proportions to a homogeneous mass. Such soil can be bought in any store for the gardener.
• The previous composition can be mixed with 10 grams of urea and 15 grams of nitrophoska, and you get nutritious and effective soil for growing seeds.
• 5 kg of sod land mixed with compost, add ingredients such as 50 grams of lime and 5 grams of potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus. This soil is preferred and most popular in the cultivation of cucumbers.

Many people neglect the process of preparing seeds and soil, however, this stage largely influences the subsequent production of beautiful, tasty and large fruits.

In order to grow a good crop of home cucumbers, one should not only pay attention to the preparation and planting process, but also cultivate the crop. Since this type of plant is a liana, it must be tied up at a certain stage of growth. This will require a small wire or stick, the length of which will slightly exceed the length of the container in which the culture is planted. It must be placed at a height of one and a half meters above the ground, throw twine through it, fasten it, lower it to the plant, twist it gently so as not to damage the culture, and then return it to the wire or stick. This gives a good support for the plant.

Important when growing cucumbers on the balcony is pinching. Liana plants formed in one long stalk, and therefore must be regularly with the emergence of new antennae remove them. This is done by pinching in order not to cause undue harm to the forming plant. This procedure must be repeated until the vine reaches the height of the stretched wire or stick to which it is attached with a bundle. Upon reaching this level, the plant can be considered mature and adult.

Removing shoots that are formed on the sides of the plant, does not allow them to take vitamins and strength from the young sprout, which they still need in the process of fruit formation.

Planting can be carried out correctly, but for the emergence of the fruit still need proper care for the adult culture. The plant must be regularly watered, fed with fertilizers and minerals. Also, despite the fact that today it is possible to acquire self-pollinated crops, most of the represented seeds of plants need human assistance.

Do not forget that fertilizing is important during the flowering and fruiting of the plant. In order not to get lost in the schedule of watering, feeding and caring for cucumbers, experienced gardeners recommend keeping a kind of diary that will help not only to take care of the plant in time and competently, but also show what mistakes were made in the past.

Fertilize the plants should be regularly, this will get rid of the pests that are susceptible to this crop, and as a result you can get a good and tasty harvest. The main pests of cucumbers grown at home are aphid, spider mite, whitefly. With proper care for cucumbers, their appearance can be avoided altogether, for this you only need to carry out constant prevention and inspection of the plant.

Top dressing cucumbers grown on the balcony, at first glance, seems to be difficult, but with a thorough study of this issue, you can develop a fertilizer scheme for the plant, following which will increase the chances of obtaining a good crop. Especially it is necessary to feed the plant during the period when the first ovaries and fruits begin to appear. Experienced gardeners and gardeners recommend to fertilize cucumbers at least once every 10 days.

Among the main elements that are needed at this stage of cultural development, minerals can be distinguished. You can use as ready-made mixtures and fertilizers, which are sold in any store for the garden and garden, and natural products. So, cucumbers are very fond of tea infusions, wood ash. One of the most popular ways to fertilize this plant is an egg shell extract, which must be abundantly watered.

Urea can also be used. Her 2 teaspoons must be carefully diluted in three liters of water, allowed to stand and water at the rate of half a glass of the solution obtained per 1 plant. If you have certain experience in growing and feeding plants, you can use a professional mixture used by many gardeners and summer residents: the following substances should be dissolved in 8 liters of water: potassium nitrate (12 grams), phosphate (25 grams), ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulphate (4 grams).

Such a fertilizer should be used already at that period of time when the plant is sufficiently strong and has reached the stage of stable growth.

Since cucumbers growing on the balcony cannot be pollinated naturally (and in nature insects, birds, wind act as pollinators), it is necessary to do it artificially - only this way you can achieve a long-awaited harvest. As a rule, the process itself is carried out in the morning, after separating the male and female ovaries (the male should be much more, approximately twice). The day before the buds open, they are isolated from the rest of the plant (you can cover it with a small gauze or paper cap).

By their nature, male inflorescences open only for one day, after which an irreversible process of wilting takes place, while female inflorescences can last in flowering state for up to two days. After the shelter has been removed from the inflorescences, barren flowers are thrown off the plant and they need to be careful (not to damage the plant) to touch the pistils of the female inflorescences. Spreading is also common with the most ordinary paint brush. It is worth noting that it should be thin and clean.

Using a brush, pollen from male inflorescences is collected and gently transferred to the pistil. It must be borne in mind that a female flower will require pollen from two or even three male inflorescences. After that, the flowers again put on a protective paper or gauze cap.

To make the fruit bigger The following tips should be followed when growing cucumbers on the balcony:

• It is better to pollinate a flower on the second day after its full disclosure.
• The humidity in the room where cucumbers grow should not be less than 70%. If the humidity is excessive, the pollen will soften, it will become heavy and it will be impossible to pollinate the inflorescences, and if the humidity is not enough, then there is a risk that the pollen simply dries out.
• The air temperature in the first days of the appearance of flowers should be 20-25 degrees. A lower temperature will only increase the period of emergence and emergence of fruits, and too high will reduce the growth activity.
• When pollinating inflorescences, it is recommended to transfer pollen from one plant to another, this way you can achieve beautiful and juicy fruits.

Growing cucumbers at home, you should pay close attention to the fact that such fruits are somewhat different from those that grow in open ground. The term of their ripening is from 4 months to six months, and the fruits themselves are a little less than the usual garden ones. It is necessary to collect them as soon as they gain a small length (6-12 centimeters). This will increase the yield and re-formation of fruits. Grown cucumbers on the window reviews have the most positive, their taste is not inferior to those fruits that are collected on the garden and suburban areas.

For more information about growing cucumbers on the balcony, see the following video.