How to pinch cucumbers correctly and why is it needed?
Growing cucumbers in their beds, most summer residents, especially beginners, believe that the size of the future harvest depends only on timely watering and dressing. People often do not suspect that pinching cucumbers (punching, pinching) is an important component of agricultural technology, which determines how many zelents will be harvested per season.
Why pinch cucumbers?
Most summer residents believe that you should not waste time pinching cucumber lashes. This position is only partly true and applies to hybrids bred relatively recently. All old, proven varieties require mandatory pinching: plants left to themselves form more male flowers that adorn the main shoot, and nothing more. The desired cucumbers tie female inflorescences, blooming on the side branches. If you pinch the cucumbers, observing certain terms and rules, more fruitful lashes will form on them, the cucumbers themselves will be without bitterness.
Of the hybrid varieties of the last generation, Valdai, Vyuga, Metelitsa, Severyanin and several others do without pinching. Their characteristic feature is the formation of a small number of lateral shoots.
How to pinch cucumbers correctly?
The need for pinching cucumber lashes is determined by the timing of ripening: for early maturing and mid-early ripening, the procedure is mandatory. Mid- and late-ripening varieties remove weak stepchildren, especially in cultivars with good branching, and restrict growth, focusing on weather conditions.
The rules for pinching greenhouse and soil plants differ significantly, since self-pollinating or parthenocarpic varieties and hybrids are grown on protected beds, and on open ones, in need of pollinating insects.
Rules for pinching greenhouse cucumbers
Self-pollinating cultivars are pinched after garter according to the following scheme:
- The first three cucumbers are removed. This will direct the forces of plants to overall development.
- Lateral shoots are shortened after the third or fourth ovary.
It is more difficult to correctly form parthenocarpic cucumbers. Before the procedure, they are also tied up, then the actions are performed, guided by step-by-step instructions:
- The lower side branches, ovaries, inflorescences are cut from the stem, which has grown to half a meter. The remaining bare stem is called the "blinding zone".
- The shoots formed above the "blind zone" are pinched over the first leaf. So the lash is formed up to a level of 50 cm, where shoots with several leaves and one ovary are already left.
- In the next 50-centimeter gap, 3-4 lateral lashes are formed, on which there will be 3-4 leaves with a pair of fruit set.
- Further, at each half-meter gap on the branching shoots, add a pair of ovaries.
- An actively growing liana is thrown over a trellis so that it descends to the ground.
- At the level of 20 cm from the soil, pinch the top, stopping the growth of the lash.
The number of remaining leaves is normalized according to the principle: each ovary - one full leaf.
How to pinch cucumbers outdoors?
Two weeks after planting the seedlings, supports for the lashes are built. The pinching begins when the plants reach a height of 30 cm. Since only male flowers form on the main shoot, it is pinched over the 6th leaf. At the same time, stepsons, flowers, antennae are removed from the axils of the lower leaves.
Each plant is left with 4 growth points.
The growing side shoots are directed along the trellis.They are pinched when the 4th fruit is tied.
As the vines grow, only damaged or diseased leaves are removed. Healthy, whole leaf plates are needed for the formation of high-quality tasty greens.
If the variety is characterized by a short main stem, the plants do not need to be crowded, they form powerful lateral shoots on their own.
Hybrid pinching rules
Actively branching hybrids are pinched according to one of two options - they completely remove the lateral shoots or act according to the following scheme:
- All stepchildren are removed up to the 4th to 5th true sheet;
- lateral shoots growing from the axils of the next 5–6 leaves are shortened to 20 cm;
- the length of the next 5-6 branches is adjusted at 40 cm;
- top the main stem.
Do I need to pinch cucumber seedlings?
Usually, seedlings are planted in the beds at the age of 25-30 days. By this time, healthy seedlings should have time to form three or four true leaves, a pair of antennae. Such seedlings do not need pinching.
If, due to weather conditions, it is not possible to plant cucumbers on the beds, they outgrow, while still in seedling pots, so it is advisable to pinch without waiting for disembarkation. However, this forced measure is not the most popular, it is better to delay sowing seeds - three-week seedlings take root in a permanent place no worse than older ones.
Although pickling cucumbers is considered an important agricultural technique responsible for crop yields, experienced summer residents are still critical of the procedure. From their own experience, they were convinced that the lashes formed in this way give a good friendly harvest, but fruiting ends quickly. To stretch out the collection of greenery in time, they recommend doing without pinching, removing only unpromising, weak branches, or using a combination of "free-growing" and processed lashes on their plots and in the greenhouse.
In general, the summer resident must independently decide how it is more convenient for him to harvest - regularly, little by little or at once, remove a large number of strong cucumbers and preserve them for the winter.
and will be published shortly.