How to grow cucumbers in an apartment on the windowsill and get a decent harvest. How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill at home Growing cucumbers at home on a windowsill

Not everyone is a happy owner of a summer cottage, but at the same time, many want to try themselves as a gardener. It is quite possible to do this if you start growing vegetables on the windowsill of a city apartment, especially if the windows face the sunny side.

The experience of thousands of vegetable growers has already proven this. To pick a juicy pimply cucumber at home, you need varieties suitable for cultivation in such conditions with certain characteristics. It is also necessary to carefully observe agricultural technology.

You can grow cucumbers in an apartment on the windows of the southern, eastern and southeastern orientation, where direct sunlight enters at certain hours.

Window sills of the northern and western windows are not suitable for this purpose. In this case, fruiting will not be possible even with the use of illumination.

There should be no drafts in the room, keep this in mind if you are used to regularly opening windows for ventilation. You can grow cucumbers on a glazed and insulated loggia.

Since the culture loves heat, the temperature should be maintained at 18 degrees and above during the day and at least 15 degrees at night.

On cloudy days, cucumbers need additional lighting. For this, a fluorescent lamp, LEDs or a phytolamp with a special radiation spectrum favorable for plants can be used.

On days when it is cold on the window (due to severe frost outside), preference should be given to halogen lamps, which heat the air near them and will serve as an additional source of heat.

Not all varieties of cucumbers are suitable for home growing. It is best to choose first-generation parthenocarpic hybrids. These plants do not need additional pollination and form only female flowers on the bushes.

The variety must meet the following requirements:

be early or mid-season;
have higher yields;
form short fruits (up to 25 cm);
differ in shade tolerance and resistance to temperature extremes.

Some try to plant bee-pollinated varieties, but in this case, additional efforts will be required to obtain a crop.

The following varieties of cucumbers are popular among lovers of home vegetable growing:

April F1. Parthenocarpic hybrid with early maturation. The variety is resistant to bad weather and diseases, pleases with friendly fruiting, easy to care for. The first cucumbers appear 1.5 months after the seeds sprout. Fruit size - 15-25 cm. The skin is tuberous, with slight pubescence.
Benefit F1. Mid-early hybrid, from germination to fruiting takes a little more than 1.5 months. Does not require pollination. The yield is high. The plant gives a lot of side shoots, it needs to be formed. The fruit size is 10-13 cm. The peel is small-tuberous, bright green. The pulp of greens is juicy, sweet, does not contain bitterness. Benefis is disease resistant. Requires a rare landing, as it loves space.
Zozulya F1. A hybrid characterized by early maturation. The bush does not need to be formed. Fruiting on 42-48 days from the moment of emergence of shoots. Characterized by a high yield. The length of the fruit is up to 24 cm. Pimples and spikes are located on the soft thin skin. The taste of greens is sweet, with a pleasant aroma. The pulp contains few seeds.
Goosebump F1. Hybrid with early fruiting. It will be possible to harvest after 35-40 days from the moment of germination. Fruit size - 11-13 cm. The plant is resistant to diseases, at home it can bear fruit all year round. Harvest friendly, plentiful. The thin skin of the fruit is covered with tubercles of medium size.
Sail F1. A hybrid plant producing high quality fruits. It has a female type of flowering. Zelentsy tuberculate, with sparse pubescence. Cucumbers of this variety come into fruition for 46-50 days from the moment all the seeds sprout. Differs in amicable return of a crop. Fruits have a universal purpose.
Regina. Mid-season high-yielding variety of parthenocarpic type. Disease resistant. The size of the greens is 10-12 cm. The fruits have a tuberculous surface. The pulp is tasty, without bitterness.
Crunch F1. High-yielding hybrid with a long fruiting period. Fruits are 8-10 cm in size. The pulp is unusually juicy, crispy, without a bitter aftertaste. The plant is characterized by high disease resistance.

On a note! Late-ripening cucumber hybrids for growing at home are not suitable.

In principle, cucumbers can be grown at home all year round. If you want to get a crop by a specific date, you need to take into account the growing season of the variety. This information can be found on the seed packaging.

To get fresh cucumbers for the New Year, they will need to be sown at the end of October.
Sowing done in January will produce a harvest in March.
It will be possible to grow cucumbers for the May holidays by planting in mid-February.

Of course, for timely harvesting, it will be necessary to ensure the correct light and temperature conditions, regular watering of plants.

Preparatory work before sowing

After the variety is selected and the seeds are purchased, it will be necessary to prepare everything necessary for sowing. Along with the seed material in the garden center, you can also buy land at the same time. If there are no suitable containers at home, they will also need to be purchased.

Soil selection

For planting cucumbers, a universal soil or substrate for growing pumpkin crops is quite suitable. The land purchased in the store undergoes all the necessary preparation at the factory and is completely ready for planting.

You can make the soil yourself according to the following recipes:

Mix an equal amount of peat and humus. Add a glass of wood ash to 1 bucket of soil.
Take 1 part garden soil, turf and compost. Add a little river sand, rotted sawdust, ash to the mixture.

Self-prepared soil needs to be disinfected. For this purpose, you can use calcination in the oven, treatment with boiling water and a solution of potassium permanganate, freezing.

These procedures rid the soil of pathogenic microflora and pest larvae. Processing is carried out a few days before planting. It takes some time to allow beneficial soil bacteria to regenerate.

Initially, seedlings have to be grown, which are later swooped down in a container of a suitable size.

For seedlings, wooden boxes, plastic containers, large peat tablets or cups with a volume of 200-300 ml are used.Before using the container or box, they are washed with a brush and laundry soap, scalded with boiling water.

Peat tablets are placed in a common container and poured with warm water to swell. As soon as they increase in size several times, it will be possible to land.

Growing cucumbers in a bag on the window - video

Sowing seeds of cucumbers

When preparing for sowing, try to guess so that the planting date falls on favorable days according to the lunar calendar.

Pre-seeds are pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate, then washed and wrapped in a damp cloth to swell. These seeds will germinate faster.

Landing is carried out in rows with an interval of 2-3 cm to a depth of 1 cm. If sowing is carried out in individual containers, 2 seeds are immediately planted in the hole for safety net.The weaker seedling is later removed.

After sowing, the soil is moistened with a spray gun and covered with a film to create greenhouse conditions. Now the seedlings need to be put in the brightest place and kept at room temperature until shoots appear.

The optimal age of seedlings for picking is when it forms 2-3 true leaves and a compact, unstretched stem.

A feature of varieties for home cultivation is the presence of small leaves and a strong main shoot, so the plants will not fall down even at the stage of appearance of 6-8 leaves.

Such bushes can be transplanted to a permanent place without worrying that they will take root poorly.

For growing vegetables at home, any container is suitable.

It can be a clay or plastic pot, a bucket, a wooden tub. The main thing is that the volume of the container should be at least 5 liters, because cucumbers have a powerful root system.
Some have adapted to use for this purpose 5-liter plastic bottles with a cut neck. A drainage hole must be made in the bottom to drain excess water after watering.

As the bottom layer, drainage is certainly laid. The soil should be taken the same as for seedlings. The container is filled with earth not to the edge, but below this level by 4-5 cm.

In the future, when the roots begin to become exposed during growth, it will be possible to fill the soil without any problems. The substrate for planting seedlings must also be disinfected.

Features of caring for cucumbers on the windowsill

In order for your cucumbers to bear fruit, they need the right move, taking into account all the needs of the culture. You should pay attention to the following points.

Cucumbers are very fond of moisture, but at the same time they do not tolerate stagnant water in a pot, a sufficient amount of oxygen must be supplied to the roots. Water them regularly, making sure the soil doesn't dry out.

For large bushes in dry air conditions, daily watering is necessary, with high humidity, you can do this 2-3 times a week.

When the plants grow powerful roots, they will be able to drink water poured into the pan. Sometimes you can apply this method of watering. To increase the humidity of the air, install a humidifier in the room, or place containers with expanded clay on the windowsill, into which you will regularly add water.In the evenings, cucumber leaves can be sprayed from a spray bottle.

On a note! Water for irrigation should be settled and at room temperature.

So that the harvest is not meager, cucumbers must be regularly fed with fertilizers. Feeding during the fruiting period is especially important.

Adult plants are fed every 7-10 days with industrial mineral fertilizers.

A mixture of mullein infusion (at a concentration of 1:10), superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (15 g) is well suited.

Cucumbers also like top dressing with folk remedies: infusion of tea, wood ash, yeast, eggshells, iodine.

The first dressing is applied under plants at the age of 2 weeks. The composition is prepared from the following components:

10 liters of water;
15 g potassium;
5 g of ammonium nitrate;
5 g magnesium;
3 g superphosphate.

Fertilizers are carefully dissolved in water and watered under the root, trying not to fall on the leaves of the seedlings.

According to the type of growth, cucumbers are vines, their lashes at home can grow up to 2 m in length. In each container, it will be necessary to fix a vertical rigid support, along which the growing shoots will curl.

Most indoor hybrids do not grow very tall, but they do branch heavily.

Some pinch the main shoot when the height of the window no longer allows the vine to grow up. Lateral shoots are removed, leaving 1-2 leaves.

On a note! If the bush is not formed, it will build up an excessive amount of leaf mass to the detriment of fruiting and, moreover, will take up a lot of space.

Without tying, the bushes are poorly ventilated and shade each other. The whips are tied with a nylon cord or twine to a vertical support located in a pot.

You can build a trellis by screwing a metal ring to the slope of the window, to which the cord is tied, the second end of the twine is fixed on a wooden peg stuck in the pot. As the whips grow, they are tied up, or attached to the cord with special plastic clips.

On a note! Some vegetable growers fix a plastic mesh in the window opening. Varieties with a mustache will be able to cling to the cells themselves, beardless varieties will need to be tied up.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers do not need artificial pollination. If you planted a bee-pollinated variety, you will have to participate in the transfer of pollen from male flowers to female specimens. It is necessary to do the procedure during the entire flowering period. For this purpose, you can use a soft brush for drawing or a cotton swab.

Male flowers form at the base of the stem. Most often they form an inflorescence of 5-7 buds. It is their experts who call them empty flowers. Female flowers grow singly, at the place of their attachment to the pedicel, you can see a small tubercle, from which the fruit is subsequently formed.

When transferring pollen, you should make sure that it has settled on the brush. In this case, a yellow coating will be noticeable on the villi. It is better to transfer pollen from 2-3 male flowers to one female flower. This increases the chances of successful pollination.

On a note! It is best to pollinate the flower on the second day after it has opened.

After 35-40 days from the moment the shoots appeared, it will be possible to feast on the first, personally collected, cucumbers. While the bush is growing, you are harvesting the fruits that have formed in the axils of the main stem.

If the bush is not formed, after the crown rests against the slope of the window and pinch it, second-order shoots will begin to develop on the plant.

Now cucumbers can be harvested from these lashes. The main thing is to do it as soon as the next greens ripen. The faster you remove ripened fruits from the bush, the more willingly new ovaries will begin to develop and the yield will be higher.

Possible problems when growing cucumbers on the windowsill

For inexperienced vegetable growers, the process of growing cucumbers in an apartment does not always go smoothly. Then suddenly the leaves turn yellow, then the ovaries fall off, then for some reason there is no flowering. Yes, there are problems in the early stages.

Most often, the cause is not quite suitable conditions and errors in care:

When growing seedlings in winter, there is often not enough light, and the stems are stretched, and the foliage turns yellow. Light plants additionally from 8 am to 4 pm. Starting from March, the backlight can be turned on for only 4 hours a day. In low light, plants may also refuse to bear fruit.
If the ovaries form, but do not grow, it may be due to a lack of iodine. Prepare a top dressing of 1.5 liters of water and 5 drops of iodine tincture and water the plant along the edge of the pot. Feeding close to the stem can cause root burns. The second reason for the fall of the ovaries may be a lack of moisture.
Sometimes, when grown in an apartment, cucumbers are attacked by whiteflies and spider mites. At the first sign of pests, spray the plants with a solution of laundry soap. Repeat if necessary. Chemical preparations should not be used in the house - it is dangerous to health.
So that the bush does not grow ugly and crooked, it must be turned 180 degrees daily, then the plant will receive light evenly.
If the leaves turn yellow and partially die off, then the cucumbers lack nutrients. The reason may be in the insufficient volume of soil, its poor quality, irregular top dressing. Try to correct the situation by urgent application of mineral fertilizer.

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill in winter: video

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter has its own characteristics that must be reckoned with. In conditions of a limited planting area, dry air and insufficient lighting in the room, all stages of planting and care must be strictly observed, otherwise the plants will irrevocably lag behind in growth or even die. If you do everything right, all that remains is to enjoy the freshness of juicy crispy cucumbers that have grown thanks to your diligence and care.

In every garden or in the country you can find a cucumber bed. Everyone can grow such a vegetable, because special skills are not required here. The most basic thing is to know the requirements for growing and the characteristics of crop growth.

Conditions for growing cucumbers at home

How to grow cucumbers at home? For green gherkins, the main requirements for growing at home are considered to be a sufficient level of light and moisture in the soil layer. These moments are recommended to be observed in full so that all the work is not in vain.

Before growing cucumbers at home, you need to prepare a loggia or balcony, and also determine in which container the seedlings will be located.

The balcony should be well prepared before growing cucumbers, namely, it is necessary to take care of the cleanliness of windows, insulation of cracks, etc. Pots with seedlings of cucumbers are placed on windowsills with a sufficient amount of light.

Planting cucumbers

In order to safely plant cucumbers, you need to take care of the selection of seeds in advance, choose the desired planting date.

In this case, you should know how to care for cucumbers at home. This moment is very important, because with improper care, the plant may die. The main point is the preparation of soil rich in micronutrients. For planting, it is better to choose wooden pots, as they allow air to pass through better.

In apartments, cucumbers can be grown in the usual way by seedlings, or in a seedless way. One way or another, the growth of seedlings is carried out without picking. Young cucumbers are quite tender and may die during transplantation.

It should be noted that the soil before planting must be neutralized by any possible means. There are cases when various insects live in the soil prepared for planting, which are harmful to the plant. If this fact is not taken into account, there is a possibility of losing the first cucumber sprouts.

Planting dates for cucumbers

How long does it take to grow cucumbers? This question is very important, because every gardening enthusiast must take care of the subsequent actions during the growth and development of plants in advance.

After all the conditions in the apartment are provided for planting, you can proceed to the sowing itself. If there is not enough light in the room, it is recommended to reschedule the sowing to the end of February. During this period, there is a large duration of daylight hours.

When planting a vegetable crop at the end of January, it is likely to get the first fruits in early March.

Soil for planting cucumbers

The yield of homemade gherkins will depend largely on the soil in which they were grown.

The easiest way is to buy ready-made soil for cucumbers in the store. You can also use the land from the garden. In this case, it is necessary to prepare it in advance.

Such soil is rich in useful elements and substances, as it is mixed with humus. At home, you can also prepare the soil for planting by mixing peat and sand in a 1: 1 ratio. The resulting fertilizer is then mixed with the ground.

Growing cucumber at home by seed

Before placing the seeds in the ground, it must be shed with warm, settled water. When planting, the level of the soil layer should be observed. It should be 5 cm lower from the top edge of the container.

After placing the seeds in a pot, they must be sprinkled on top of the ground by about 2 cm. To create favorable conditions, it is recommended to cover the ground with a film. With the greenhouse effect, the seeds will hatch faster and the first sprouts will appear. It is important to ensure that the topsoil is not dry.

After the first sprouts appear, the film should be removed, and the pot should be placed in the brightest place.

In order for the plant to develop normally and give a good harvest in the future, you should take care of a sufficient amount of soil. It will require no less than a bucket.

Growing cucumbers through seedlings

For planting a vegetable crop in seedlings, large pots will be required. Sprouts need to be transplanted after about 25 days, when 2-3 leaves are formed on them.

Before separating the sprouts, it is necessary to shed the soil as carefully as possible. So, getting the sprouts out of the ground, make sure not to damage the root system. The powder is made up to the cotyledon leaves. Enough space must be left to the top of the container so that the soil can be poured in the future. This will help form new roots.

Care is the same as in a greenhouse or open field. Gherkins are water-loving, require a garter. It is recommended to feed the vegetable crop with various fertilizers in the process of its growth. This is especially true for the fruiting period. Proper care will help lead to a good harvest with a pleasant taste.

Photo-instruction for growing cucumbers

There is nothing impossible! And getting a crop of cucumbers on your own windowsill, loggia or, scary to think, in a barrel is a very real and exciting thing. The main thing is to figure out how to grow cucumbers at home.

It turns out that for this you need to have not so much:

Suitable seeds;
Container;
Nutritious soil.

Cucumbers on the window – 3 nuances of successful cultivation

One of the main conditions for the growth of culture is heat. There will be no problem with this at home.

The second important condition is the selection of the right seeds adapted to the growing conditions. The variety should be chosen from those that do not require pollination by insects (parthenocarpic).

Cucumbers on the window

The plant should not be very branchy, as space on the windowsill is limited.

On a note! It is the window sill that is suitable for placing containers with cucumbers due to the fact that the maximum amount of light is provided there.

The main advantage of a home harvest is the timing, since it is possible to calculate its ripening for the required date. It's nice to prepare a festive table for the New Year, using your own fruits or to please your beloved ladies in early spring.

Optimal varieties for the room:

Home;
Room;
Marfinsky;
Masha;
Bianca.

Growing cucumbers at home

When planning to harvest by a specific date, it must be remembered that planting is carried out in about two months with a little. More precisely, you can determine the period, starting from the beginning of seedlings. About 50 days will pass before the appearance of the first cucumber.

Seed preparation and sowing at home

Seed selection is carried out in the normal mode:

Pour out the seeds from the bag and choose the largest and most intact;
Put them in a bowl and fill with water;
Those that did not surface will be ready for landing;
Fill small containers (you can use peat pots) with light, loose and nutritious soil, spread the seeds on its surface and cover them with a damp cloth. It must not be allowed to dry out!
Place containers in a warm place;
Usually after 3-5 days each seed sprouts;
Very carefully lower such a seed into a hole made in the ground (no more than 1.5-2 cm) and lightly powder;
Place all pots with seeds on a pallet, cover with a film on top, which is removed immediately after germination.

An important condition for the formation of healthy seedlings in a room: the first week after sowing, it is necessary to maintain a not too high temperature - no higher than 20 degrees, otherwise the sprouts will quickly stretch upward, the seedlings will become tall and fragile. The healthiest seedlings have a compact, stocky appearance.

Seed preparation

Soil Requirements

With your own hands, you can prepare an excellent soil for future seedlings. To do this, it is enough to mix peat, ash and sand. In the absence of ash, it is replaced with dolomite flour or lime. Enrich a similar mixture with complex mineral fertilizer (mix with soil).

Land for seedlings is sold in specialized stores. It is optimal to choose soil (Live Earth, Microparnik, Humimax, Soil for cucumbers), which contains a sufficient supply of nutrients, and not peat soil, which is poor in composition.

Transfer

After the young plants have given two true leaves, it is time to transplant them to a permanent place. It can be a voluminous flower pot or a deep container, which also fits comfortably on the windowsill. Only one bush is planted in a pot, while several will fit in a container or box. The distance between plants should not be less than 30 cm. If there are wide window sills, seedlings can even be planted in buckets, but the law is the law - only one bush in each.

Attention! The root system of cucumbers is delicate and superficial, so transplanting should be extremely careful.

The procedure is carried out on a non-sunny day, otherwise it is better to shade the containers - they are lowered to the floor for a couple of days.

Care

How to grow delicious cucumbers in the apartment? After a few days of adaptation to a new place of residence, the seedlings begin active growth. And in the axils of the leaves, ovaries are formed. This indicates that it is time to feed the plant. It will be very grateful for watering with a solution of ash. The soil must be moist before fertilizing.

Preparation of an ash solution: 100 g of powder is soaked in one liter of hot water and insisted for a day.

Need to feed the plant

Since the plants are in confined containers and not in the open field, the supply of nutrients is quickly depleted. This means that plants have nowhere to take strength and growth and maturation depend on diligent care for them.

Such cucumbers require complex fertilizer every 10 days.

Signs that cucumbers are not getting enough nutrition:

Yellowing and drying of the leaves;
Crooked shape of the fruit.

Pinching is mandatory, since one plant should not have more than two lashes - this will facilitate care and increase productivity.

Garter is an important procedure in the growth process. At home, there are several options for how to tie up a plant:

Tie the twine to a small peg, insert it into the pot, and fasten its opposite end to the window frame;
The same option, but without using a peg - one end of the string is tied to the bottom of the whip, the opposite - to the top of the window;
A nylon mesh with large cells is stretched over the window, and the plant itself will figure out how to stretch it up, you need to help the whip only at the very beginning - direct it towards such a support.

Watering

Watering cucumbers at home occurs only with warm water (up to 30 degrees C) and not too often, after the topsoil has slightly dried. This is due to the fact that the plants are in the soil in a confined space, transfusion can provoke rotting of the roots and the death of the entire bush. However, the soil should not be allowed to dry out either - this will affect the taste of the fruit. It will become tasteless, it will be bitter.

Watering

Harvesting

Remove the finished cucumbers gradually, not allowing them to overripe. Each fruit should not exceed 8-10 cm. With such a regular collection, new fruits will quickly come up.

Indoor cucumbers taste no different from those grown in open ground.

Growing on the loggia

Somewhat different from growing in a room. Firstly, the temperature regime, and secondly, a loggia or balcony allows you to plant seedlings in more spacious containers, that is, there will be more soil and nutrients, respectively.

In warm, settled weather, seeds can be sown directly into the ground, with earlier forcing - seedlings. The soil temperature at the germination stage should not fall below 17-18 degrees.

Tying up on a loggia or balcony is also necessary and it is more convenient to build it than indoors. It can be single support ropes, coarse mesh, trellis.

The formation of the bush is also important.

On a note! Formation in 2 lashes will allow you to harvest a bountiful harvest, and facilitate care.

Some lovers grow cucumbers on the loggia in a flowerpot. For this method, the Balcony variety is ideal - branched, curly. Ampelous cucumber does not require pinching. The ovaries are formed regularly, the cucumbers will hang effectively.

In all other respects, agricultural technology is no different from indoor care.

Cucumber in a barrel

One of the extraordinary ways of cultivation.

When choosing a variety, it is not necessary to dwell on parthenocarpic. The barrel is on the site, and the plants can be pollinated by insects. With such cultivation, there are a lot of pluses and one minus.

The pluses include:

Saving space on the plot;
Ease of care;
Protection from temperature changes;
Minimal attacks from insects;
Early boarding.

The downside is the possible drying out of the soil, but it can be easily overcome with careful care!

Barrel preparation

They begin to cook it as soon as the winter is over and the snow has melted. Fill with garden debris - branches, roots, up to food waste. There is no need to be afraid of this; during overheating, additional heat is released, which is especially valued by cucumbers. And rotted organic matter is an excellent fertilizer. Thus the barrel is filled by one third. After filling the barrel must be covered and you can forget about it for twenty days.

Then fertile soil is poured, which is useful to disinfect, in order to avoid the growth of the fungus. It is enough to pour a layer of earth 20-30 cm.

Fact! One barrel with a capacity of 200 liters can become a home for 10 plants (sometimes a greenhouse can hold as many!).

Such cucumbers should be watered regularly, at the rate of no more than a liter per day per plant. The amount of water is increased in dry summers.

It is necessary to feed plantings in a barrel four times per season. The first is to be carried out 15 days after planting the seedlings in a barrel or after the growth of the fourth true leaf.

Over time, the soil in the barrel will settle, this must be monitored. For normal growth, the soil level should be 15-20 cm below the edges of the barrel.

After harvesting, the contents of the barrel will gradually turn into valuable fertilizer.

Secrets of good cucumber growth

What are the nuances for growing cucumbers at home to bring excellent results?

A powerful root system with additional adventitious roots (for this, it is enough to press the stem a little to the ground and “salt” it with earth);
Carry out artificial pollination (barrel cucumber), step-by-step instruction: tear off the male flower, free it from the petals, thereby exposing the stamens, shake them onto the pistil of the female flower with the ovary, which turns into a cucumber;
Increase photosynthesis - put a container with mullein among the plants;
Watering with diluted milk twice a month will ensure rapid fruit growth;
In hot weather, water the plants often and plentifully, in cloudy weather - do not water;
Carry out competent pasynkovanie;
Do not forget about mulching;
Loosen the soil after watering or rain;
Fertilize with ashes and organic matter;
Avoid proximity to tomatoes;
Harvest on time, do not grow fruits on lashes to a large size.

This instruction will help you to collect a rich cucumber crop.

Another important reminder to amateur gardeners: cucumbers at home, just like in a greenhouse, love fresh air, ventilation, but do not tolerate drafts!

What plants should be grown on the windowsill so that the flowers are beautiful, and the leaves freshen the air with oxygen, and the fruits can be used to make salads? And, all this to have all year round? This miracle plant is called cucumber. In order to have the expected effect, you need theoretical knowledge, a little practical experience in growing any indoor plants and a great desire. The proposed article is intended for those readers who, after receiving new information, do not forget it, but try to use the theory in practice. What you need to know to have cucumbers on the windowsill all winter?

Let's start with pure theory. To obtain fruits, the vast majority of flowers must be pollinated by insects, this natural process has many features and differences. In the rooms, as you might guess, flies, bees, butterflies and other insects do not fly in swarms. Especially in winter.

Conclusion. For growing on the windowsill, you need to take only special hybrid varieties of cucumbers that do not require natural pollination. Such plants are scientifically called parthenocarpic, they do not need pollination. This is a very important factor, do not even try to plant ordinary cucumbers intended for growing in beds on the windowsill. Whatever yield you are promised on a bag of seeds, it will be zero in your apartment.

In stores you can find quite a few varieties of cucumbers intended for indoor cultivation, it is not worth listing them. Pay attention to this feature when buying.

When to sow seeds

This issue should be considered in more detail. The fact is that you want to have cucumbers all winter, and not just a few days. And for this, theoretical knowledge is again useful.

Approximately 45-50 days pass from germination to the beginning of fruiting, the period of fruiting of one plant is about a month and a half. This means that one-time sowing of cucumbers is not enough. If you want to have fresh fruits for 4–5 months, then you will have to deal with seedlings of plants at least four times. The gap between crops is a month and a half. As soon as the first wave ceases to bear fruit, the fruiting of the “second stage” begins, and so on.

Over time and the multiplicity of sowing sorted out, excellent. But now you need to take into account the "number of window sills" for placing cucumbers. If you have enough for each "queue" for one bush, then there should be no problems. You can always place 5-6 cucumber bushes in an apartment. And if you want to collect a relatively large number of cucumbers, then one bush for each “queue” is not enough. Here you will have to choose between the number of short-term picking of cucumbers and the duration.

Practical advice. No more than 6 cucumber bushes can be placed in one standard box for indoor plants 70 centimeters long. Keep this in mind when calculating total bushes and planting periods.

Seeds can be sown from September. In this case, at the end of October, beginning of December, there will be first fruits. Then, after a month and a half, plant new plants again. At the same time, you need to know that daylight hours for cucumbers should last at least 14–15 hours; in winter, you can’t do without artificial lighting.

Temperature and watering during cultivation

The temperature in the room during the day should be within + 21–24 ° С, at night + 18–19 ° С. In most apartments, this is the temperature maintained in the winter. If not, you need to heat the plants a little with any devices, including incandescent lamps. They will both illuminate and warm at the same time. As for energy losses, there are no problems here. It will always take less energy to heat a window sill with cucumbers than for the entire room. Of course, it is desirable to place plants on the south side.

Soil moisture has a significant impact not only on yield, but also on plant health. Not enough moisture - there are few cucumbers and their appearance leaves much to be desired. A lot of moisture, and even at insufficient temperatures, will certainly lead to decay of the horse system and the death of cucumbers. Water the plant should be timely, but without excessive fanaticism. It should also be borne in mind that on the windowsills the earth quickly loses moisture, this is unacceptable for cucumbers. Experienced growers strongly recommend spraying the leaves daily with clean, warm water. And so that the roots do not rot, all containers must have an effective drainage system.

Land Requirements

The best option is to purchase a ready-made universal mixture in specialized stores. This is a clean land, in terms of fertility it is excellent for cucumbers.

You can also prepare the mixture yourself.

Self-prepared land must be disinfected. This can be done by heating in the oven to + 120 ° C for 30-40 minutes or using liquid solutions. A weak solution of potassium permanganate or any purchased chemicals will do. Some gardeners recommend spilling the ground with boiling water, but the effectiveness of this method is insufficient, and cucumbers are very afraid of pests and diseases in the ground.

Preparation and sowing of seeds

If you bought expensive seeds, then they have special shells of nutrients, have been treated and stimulated to grow. They can be sown immediately, no additional preparation is required. If the seeds are ordinary, then they should be prepared for germination. Preparation consists of several stages.

Disinfection. You can use a solution of pink potassium permanganate. In it, the seeds are soaked for 2-3 hours. No potassium permanganate - use hydrogen peroxide or boric acid. Of these, a solution of 3-4% concentration is made, the soaking time is up to thirty minutes. Decontaminants are sold in stores, you can use them. The field of the procedure, the seeds are washed with clean running water.
Stimulation of growth. You can buy a special composition in the store, or you can make it yourself from aloe juice. To do this, dilute 20 ml of juice in 100 ml of water. Seeds should be in the solution for approximately 4-5 hours.
Soak. Experienced growers recommend not to skip this operation. It will take a little time, and the result will be very positive. Thanks to soaking, it is possible to select the strongest sprouts, to completely eliminate the sowing of unviable seeds. In addition, soaking avoids diving, which plants are negative about. Dive significantly slows down growth, small roots are necessarily damaged.

Sowing seeds

You can sow both germinated after soaking, and ordinary seeds. First, consider the technology of sowing germinated seeds.

After small roots have appeared on the seeds, they can be transplanted into the ground. Make small holes in the ground about two centimeters deep, lower the seeds with the root down and gently sprinkle them. It goes without saying that the soil must be moist, and after sowing, it must be watered with a sprinkler. Cover the container with a film or thick cloth and place in a warm place for germination.

Without soaking, the seeds are sown in this way, only at least two pieces need to be sweetened into one hole. No one knows how many seeds will eventually germinate, it's not worth risking time and re-sowing in case of problems.

After two true leaves have appeared, the earth in pots is filled up by two to three centimeters. This operation improves the conditions for the development of the root system.

Growing cucumbers

At the stage of 5-6 leaves, you need to consider supports for the stems. To do this, you can use the semblance of wooden stairs, tie ropes or use any material at hand.

How they are made:

Very important. In no case do not tighten the knot on the stem, the distance between the rope and the plant should ensure its unhindered growth.

Cucumbers are sprayed twice a day with clean settled water. When the plants bloom, it is recommended to shake the bushes a little to improve pollination.

One more nuance. Cucumber can have a stem up to two meters long. Such a plant cannot be placed on the window, and this negatively affects the yield. To give the bush density and regulate the length of the shoots, cucumbers need to be pinched, this should be done after the appearance of the first five leaves. Due to pinching, it will be possible to approximately halve the length of the shoots and double the number of fruit-bearing shoots, the bush becomes lush. Instead of one long lash, two much shorter ones grow. During pinching, the ovary is removed up to the pinching point, everything above is left.

Features of watering and top dressing

During the growing season, plants require moisture to varying degrees and respond to violations of irrigation regimes. The first months of growth, cucumbers need a constant amount of moisture, but react extremely negatively to its excess. If seedlings are transfused, various diseases may appear, the most dangerous of them is the black leg. This disease always stops the development of cucumbers, and in many cases causes their death.

When the vegetation speed slows down a little, the watering intensity should be reduced. During this period, you need to use the rule: it is better to underfill than overfill. Of course, underfilling should not cause the death of the plant. With the advent of flowers, watering increases slightly, and the appearance of the ovary becomes a signal for a sharp increase in the amount of moisture. Fruits significantly increase water consumption, its lack has a negative impact on their development, appearance and quantity. In extreme cases, the ovary can crumble; experienced gardeners never bring cucumbers to such a sad state.

To increase the fruiting time, cucumbers need to be fed. It is better to buy top dressing in specialized stores, at a price it is affordable for absolutely all consumers, and in terms of quality and balance of nutrients it is fully suitable for cucumbers. The methods and frequency of feeding are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging, you don’t have to invent anything, you need to follow the instructions exactly. If you try to feed the plants yourself with various organic and mineral fertilizers, it is very difficult to calculate the dose. Excess of the amount of mineral fertilizers worsens the quality of the fruit.

Video - Cucumbers on the windowsill

Greetings to all readers!

I will be happy to tell you about growing cucumbers on the windowsill. Recently I planted several tomatoes on the window, which I talked about in the article "". I also wanted to please myself with cucumbers in the winter. I'm telling you

How to grow cucumbers at home in winter

Cucumbers have been grown at home and on balconies for a long time and with success. And if you have a heated loggia or a glazed balcony, then cucumbers and much more will grow well. Many varieties are specially adapted for home fruiting. Basically, these are hybrids that do not need pollination by bees. Parthenocarpic hybrid - this terrible word, which can break the tongue, is called female-type flowering cucumbers that set fruits without pollination.

Varieties

Hybrid Shchedryk- early ripening (45 days before fruit). Cucumbers grow in a bunch of 5-8 pieces. Dark green greens up to 12 cm long. On the windowsill, you can collect up to 20 cucumbers from it.
Khutorok- super fast (first cucumbers in 30 days!) Bee-pollinated hybrid with mostly female flowers. Green small cucumbers 10 cm with black spikes. At home, it can be pollinated by hand. We tear off the male flower (barren flower) and gently touch the stamens on the female flowers (with ovaries) with the pistil. You can transfer pollen with a soft brush.
crunchy- just fast (fruits 50 days after germination). Self pollinating hybrid. Cucumbers grow in a bouquet of up to 7 pieces. A very productive variety. With good care at home, you can collect up to 40 fruits from a plant. Vigorous, it can be let in a vine along the window!

All these varieties can then be sown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. There are many more suitable varieties of cucumbers. It is better for the window sill to choose parthenocarpic self-pollinated F1 hybrids.

As for energy losses, there are no problems here. It will always take less energy to heat a window sill with cucumbers than for the entire room. Of course, it is desirable to place plants on the south side.

Daylight hours for cucumbers should last at least 14–15 hours; in winter, artificial lighting is indispensable.

We choose a bright place for cucumbers. The southern window sill is the most suitable. You can increase the lighting of the plant by installing mirrors, foil, reflective materials on the windowsill.

Cucumbers love loose fertile soil. For domestic plants, you need at least 5 liters of soil per plant, no less. So that they develop well, and the roots have enough nutrition. The composition of the soil can be made independently by mixing in equal parts:

Ogorodnaya
Or forest land
Humus
Sand
Rotten sawdust (black)

The mixture must be heated in the oven for disinfection. Because young shoots love different midges-flies that are present in the ground. And houses always thaw, even if the ground is brought in from frost.

If it’s easier for you to buy ready-made soil in the store, then take a universal one or for pumpkin plants. Cucumbers can be grown in boxes or individual pots. In the box, you can plant plants a little more often and then put them on the southern windowsill. In a month or two you will have an openwork green curtain on the window.

In a seedling box 60-70 cm long, 5-6 bushes can be planted. The dishes must have holes and drainage. To allow excess moisture to drain freely. We pour the earth in a container in advance, let it settle and water it abundantly a day before sowing the seeds.

Seed preparation

One way to organize a vertical garter

Dry seeds of cucumbers germinate in 2-3 days, but since in winter at home we will not be able to plant a lot of surpluses, we can germinate the seeds and sow them in the ground already in a row. For disinfection, you can hold a little in pink potassium permanganate.

You can use small cups or sow directly into the box. Germinated or dry seeds are placed in a 1.5 cm depression in moist soil and covered with moist soil. Before germination, we close the containers with film or glass and put them in a warm place + 25ºС, at least. Here the shoots appeared, then we remove the film and rearrange it on a bright window sill cooler, about 20 ° C.

If you sowed the seeds in small containers, then transplant them carefully, the leaves of cucumbers are fragile. Pour the container well before transplanting, crush from all sides and the young cucumber will calmly fall out with the ground and intact roots. He will endure such a transshipment calmly. Next, you need to form plants to get a crop on the windowsill.

The formation of "home" cucumbers

Pinching the top of a cucumber

After the fourth or fifth leaf, we pinch the growth point of our seedlings. Let the side lashes grow on which there are always more greens. Leave 2-3 lashes, which are pinched over the 10th sheet. They will begin to grow their lashes from the axils of the leaves. Form the plant further without overloading. After all, we don't have enough land.

You need to organize a garter for cucumber lashes so that they get more sunlight. With all these operations, do not damage the leaves, they must be protected. The leaves are essential for the plant to eat properly. Excess tendrils can be carefully trimmed.

Watering

It should also be borne in mind that on the windowsills the earth quickly loses moisture, this is unacceptable for cucumbers. Experienced growers strongly recommend spraying the leaves daily with clean, warm water. And so that the roots do not rot, all containers must have an effective drainage system.

With the advent of flowers, watering increases slightly, and the appearance of the ovary becomes a signal for a sharp increase in the amount of moisture. Fruits significantly increase water consumption, its lack has a negative impact on their development, appearance and quantity.

In extreme cases, the ovary can crumble; experienced gardeners never bring cucumbers to such a sad state.

Under the box, it is advisable to put foam or a plank so that the roots do not freeze. Remember that cucumbers are very thermophilic plants. Also, in all possible ways, you need to increase the humidity of the air near the cucumbers. Place a container of water next to it, spray or even cover with a film to create high humidity!

It is clear that without them a home harvest in the winter will not work. Use organic fertilizer. In winter, you can water the fermented infusion of banana peels. It is diluted ten times with water. You need to water often with warm water, but you can not fill it.

2 weeks after seed germination, the cucumber must be fertilized. To do this, you can use a mixture of ammonium nitrate, sodium sulfate and double superphosphate. You can also use ready-made mixtures for feeding cucumbers or organic matter. 2 weeks after the first top dressing and at the entire stage of fruiting cucumbers, top dressing should be repeated.

Harvesting

And a little about the most pleasant moment - harvesting. You need to do this every day, let the plant grow new cucumbers and not waste energy on ripe ones. A lot of positive emotions await everyone who decides to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter!

Diseases and pests. Growing problems

Growing cucumbers at home is not a guarantee that the plant will not be attacked by various pests, and not following the rules of keeping can lead to disease.

With the stagnation of moisture in the soil, rotting of the root system can occur and, as a result, the death of the entire plant.

Falling under sudden changes in temperature or in a draft, the plant may begin to wither and drop leaves, the formation and development of ovaries will be slowed down, and over time the vine may die.

Leaves can be attacked by aphids, whiteflies or spider mites. At home, the use of insecticides is dangerous for the health of households. It is better to use folk remedies for the destruction of pests.

Aphids and whiteflies die when plants are treated with a strong infusion of tobacco.
To combat spider mites, use a tincture of garlic with the addition of antibacterial soap.

Why do cucumber leaves turn yellow on the windowsill?

Why do indoor cucumbers turn yellow, leaves dry?

In most cases, this is the occurrence of diseases or improper care.

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