Cucumber is one of the most favorite garden crops of our summer residents. However, not everyone and not always manages to get a really good harvest. And although growing cucumbers requires regular attention and care, there is a little secret that will allow you to increase their yield many times over. We are talking about pinching cucumbers. Why, how and when to pinch cucumbers, we will tell you in the article.
Why pinch cucumbers
Cucumbers are heat-loving plants, so for their full growth they need warmth, sunlight and air. Do not forget about watering and fertilizing. At the same time, an important moment of cucumber agricultural technology is their formation, or growth type.
There are two options for growing cucumbers:
- when the plant spreads along the ground;
- when a plant is tied up and grows vertically upward.
The second method is more effective, it allows you to get a bigger harvest, cucumbers of a beautiful shape, without crushed yellow sides in places of contact with the ground. Let’s talk about it.
It is best to choose cucumber varieties and hybrids with limited growth of lateral shoots for vertical cultivation. If you like a particular variety with lateral shoots, then you will have to work harder to form it.
The distance between cucumber seedlings depends on the branching of the bush.
Here are some good, proven cucumber hybrids for maximum yield when grown vertically: “German F1”, “Monisia F1”, “Impresso F1”, “Marinda F1”, “Furor F1”.
Benefits of Pinching Cucumbers
One of the main problems when growing cucumbers is their thickening due to lateral shoots. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with this, more shoots – more space for the ovary, more cucumbers. But everything is just the opposite.
Due to high density, the plant loses strength, is not ventilated, the fruits do not receive enough sunlight, which leads to low yields and diseases.
To avoid thickening of cucumbers, such an agricultural technique as pinching is used. In addition, this is an opportunity to shape the plant to obtain a larger harvest and improve the quality of the fruit.
The main advantages of pinching cucumbers:
- Early pinching promotes the development of the root system.
- By pinching off shoots and removing yellowed leaves at the bottom of the stem, the plant is subsequently well ventilated, which prevents the formation of root rot and diseases.
- Pinching helps the plant conserve energy for further growth and production of more fruit.
- The juice flows more actively upward, and the cucumbers ripen faster.
- When the bush thickens, cucumbers begin to turn yellow; pinching allows you to avoid this.
- With proper stem formation, the plant is well ventilated and receives enough light.
- Forming a bush will allow you to plant more plants in the same area, which makes it possible to harvest more cucumbers.
When to start pinching cucumbers
In the spring we sowed or planted our cucumbers – seeds or seedlings. Seedlings should not be kept in greenhouse conditions for too long, so the plant is less stressed when transplanting into the ground. The appearance of 1-2 true leaves is enough.
After planting the seedlings, mulch the soil to retain moisture and prevent weeds. At first, depending on the soil, cucumbers are watered daily. When the soil dries out, there is a lack of moisture, the cucumber leaves noticeably darken, the edges of the leaves become sharp.
At the beginning of summer, the plants have already grown and you can start tying and shaping them, and accordingly, pinching them.
How to pinch cucumbers
On the grown plants, fruits are formed, and shoots appear in the leaf axils.
We remove the emerging ovaries and side shoots at a height of 30-40 cm from the ground, leaving the leaves. You need to remove (pinch) immediately, do not wait until the shoots stretch out. It is a pity to remove the first cucumbers, you want to get the harvest as quickly as possible, but this will pay off later.
The fact is that at the beginning of growth, the cucumber root system is very superficial. If you leave the first shoots and ovaries, then instead of strengthening the root system, especially if the soil is dense, the plant spends energy on stretching the stems. At the same time, the undeveloped root system cannot sufficiently provide the cucumber with nutrition and water.
At the next stage of growth, we leave the ovaries in the axils of 3-5 leaves, and pinch the side shoots. This is approximately the next 30-40 cm. We leave the cucumbers on the main stem.
We also leave the ovaries above, and pinch the shoots after the first leaf has formed on them.
With subsequent growth of cucumbers on each tier of 3-5 leaves in height on the shoots we leave 2 leaves and ovaries, higher up – 3 leaves, further down – 4, and so on.
When the cucumber stops growing upward, the stem is secured at the top to the trellis and allowed to grow freely downwards. When the distance to the ground is approximately 1 meter, the top is pinched.
Removing excess tendrils reduces the plant’s moisture consumption.
If the upper shoots begin to shade the lower ones, you should pinch off several sinuses.
As the cucumber grows, we gradually bring the plant to one main stem, cutting off the side shoots.
We remove yellow, diseased and overly large leaves during the growth process.
After harvesting the lower part of the plant, you can deepen the root. We clear the hole and fill the lower part of the stem with compost and soil. This promotes the appearance of new lateral roots, which enhances the growth and fruiting of the cucumber.
Stepchildren are removed with sharp pruning shears in dry weather. Only small stumps of 5-7 mm remain.
After pruning, water the injured cucumbers well with warm, preferably settled water of 20-26 degrees. Avoid watering the cut areas of the plant directly, so as not to cause rotting. Half an hour after watering, loosen the soil, you can add fertilizer.
And don’t forget the most important rule for a large cucumber harvest: collect a bountiful harvest on time, not allowing cucumbers to overripe. This stimulates the emergence of new ovaries and the correct distribution of sap flow.
Have a good and tasty harvest!
