Do I need to cut off the mustache of cucumbers?

All climbers, which nature has not endowed with strong stems, are forced to perform their “gestures” with the help of a special support - antennae. Such a convenient device is cucumbers.However, many newcomers to the land business, and even experienced gardeners do not cease to pester the perennial question: is it necessary to cut off the mustache of cucumbers.

For the sake of a big crop of vegetables on a small plot of land, many summer residents are ready to believe in any myth, to do anything, so that their cherished dream will come true. This is especially true for those who grow greens on a tiny window sill or balcony (loggia).

There is an opinion that if you tear off all the mustaches that are on the cucumber bush, you can significantly increase the yield of the crop, since it is these processes that pull all the nutrients from the depths, and the young fruits do not leave anything significant and valuable. However, this is a completely unfounded statement, because the yield does not depend on the presence / absence of antennae.

In the ranks of landowners goes the myth that if you cut off all the mustache, the time of the reproductive capacity of plants will increase significantly. This is also the self-deception of inexperienced gardeners. Just by the mustache and is determined by the reliable age of the winding culture.

The tendrils are most often cut off by greenhouse cucumbers, as they grow vertically on props. In the open space, such activities are produced much less frequently, because the cucumber vine lies on the ground and does not need additional support.

To understand the question: remove auxiliary shoots of climbers or not, one should carefully examine the available information and weigh the pros and cons. Every experienced gardener with deep knowledge of the matter will say that mustache is needed for pumpkin crops to develop a strong stalk. However, these same processes help the plant not only to clutch and fix on any support, they often confuse their own leaves and only the fruits that appear.

As a result, the leaves begin to grow with deformation, they crumple, twist, lose their strength, that is, they become vulnerable to the attack of various kinds of bacteria. Many gardeners decide that cutting off their whiskers or at least shortening them can prevent the onset of an unpleasant situation.

It is also believed in narrow circles that the lateral outgrowths pull all the forces out of the plant, and it stops growing, cannot bear fruit. But it is also necessary to understand that dirt, microorganisms and infection can get to the remote parts of the stem, which will affect the development of culture even worse and sometimes even lead to its death.

The truth is that by the presence of live whiskers is determined by the life cycle of the vegetable culture of the type of nightshade. As long as the mustache grows on the stems, the cucumber bush can continue to bear fruit.

In the greenhouses, mustache pruning is carried out regularly, as the plants grow on the trellis, at a minimum distance from each other. With antennae they grab onto their own shoots and leaves, as well as the neighboring bushes, preventing them from developing properly. Therefore, pruning allows you to get more viable plants.

In addition, the removal of whiskers in enclosed spaces contributes to better ventilation of the air and comfortable passage of workers between the bushes during harvest. That is, it becomes easier to care for the solanaceous culture. That is why removing side shoots in greenhouses is an important necessity.

If cucumbers grow in open space so that the bushes develop normally, you can stretch the nets or install trellis.Thus, cucumbers will be able to easily attach something, and the culture will not be tormented again.

Any action can have not only positive, but also negative consequences. Therefore, before cutting off the mustache from cucumbers, it is necessary to find out under what circumstances this manipulation still needs to be performed.

The reason for trimming a mustache on a cucumber vine is the following factors:

• a mustache wrapped its own stem, leaf, or young fetus, which threatens the feeding processes of any part of the crop;
• the mustache clung to the neighboring plant, making it difficult to pass between the bushes;
• the mustache twisted the cucumber leaf into a tube, thereby creating optimal conditions for reproduction and the life of pests;
• The mustache directs the cucumber branch to the side undesirable for the gardener.

There are certain rules aimed at reducing the negative impact on vegetables, thanks to which the plant after pruning will experience minimal stress.

• It is better to perform the procedure for removing antennae from cucumber shoots on a sunny day. Thus, the formed wounds after a cliff will heal faster and easier.
• It is necessary to remove not all supports, but only those that hinder the development of the plant itself and the bushes growing near it.
• Manipulation is carried out or clean and well-pointed shears or nip. When the plant is fully processed, the cut sections need to be disinfected. For these purposes, suitable charcoal or a non-concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. Apply disinfectant can be a cotton swab for hygiene. Disinfection will help the plant not only to resume faster after a loss, but also to avoid microorganisms entering the cliff site, which provoke the development of various diseases and the appearance of parasitic insects.
• Wash your hands well before the procedure.

The supports cling to the support, the leaves and the neighboring bushes with their tips, which means that only this active part of them can be cut off. The options for disinfection in this case remain the same as in the above circumstances.

The barb cable that wound the stem or another important part of the bush should be removed very carefully so as not to catch the plant. Pull, sharply tear or pull such a process is unacceptable. Initially, it must be carefully cut off at the base, and then carefully unwind.

You can find out more about whether to pick cucumber cuffs in the next video.