Top dressing of cucumbers using folk methods
Cucumber is grown in almost every summer cottage. Cultivation of cucumbers does not take much time, but you should know the rules of cultivation: what are the popular ways of feeding cucumbers, how to properly water and care for cucumbers. Many folk remedies for fertilizing your cucumbers can be made at home using simple preparations and foods.
Top dressing of cucumbers using folk methods
Benefits of natural fertilizers
The use of chemicals can lead to bitterness, mottling and yellowness of the vegetable, in contrast to natural fertilizers. Folk dressings for all cucumbers are considered to be more gentle, guarantee the preservation of health when consumed and will cost the gardener much less.
Required items
Cucumber is a thermophilic vegetable crop and, therefore, is demanding on soil and air moisture. From an early age, you need to give the cucumbers more sunlight and get rid of weeds. Cucumber is sensitive to drafts and all kinds of loosening, transplants, acidic soil. The necessary substances for the best development are nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, copper, boron.
- Nitrogen [N] - strengthens leaves and stems, and is also responsible for a healthy green color.
- Magnesium [Mg] - supports the root system. With its deficiency, the whole plant does not absorb calcium from the soil.
- Phosphorus [P] - is responsible for the timely flowering and ripening of the vegetable, does not allow multi-colored spots to appear.
- Sulfur [S] - supports tissue vitality and integrity.
- Calcium [Ca] - gives elasticity to the leaves, does not allow them to bend and curl.
- Copper [Cu] - Supports shoots and flowers during development.
- Boron [B] - prevents tissue necrosis at the edges of the leaves.
- Iron [Fe] - removes discoloration of young leaves and cucumber tops.
Lack or excess of these substances destroy the plant. The leaves are covered with a pale yellow color, asymmetry, necrotic spots appear, and after that they stop growing and die off completely.
Folk remedies for feeding
You can use almost any folk dressing to fertilize cucumbers. The main requirement is the nutritional value of the feeding. The main means of folk dressing for cucumbers:
- Onion and garlic husks.
- Bread infusions.
- Organic ash.
- Yeast.
- Chicken or cow (horse) dung.
- Nettle.
- Eggshell.
Onion and garlic husks
Be careful
The composition of the infusion is determined by the name itself, but it should be noted that such components are quite concentrated, therefore, before the fertilization procedure, the infusion should be diluted with water. You can water and spray at the root or on the leaves of the plant themselves (the proportions of the infusion are 40 grams of husk to 10 liters of water). For the whole season, it is enough to feed 4 times.
Bread infusions
The simplest and most affordable product for fertilizing cucumbers. One solution is prepared for 3 applications. It is enough to put bread in a bucket (you can use crackers) more than half the volume of the container and fill it with water at room temperature, close the lid and put a heavy object on top. Top dressing is carried out during the period from planting growth to plant dying off every two weeks.
Organic ash
A universal fertilizer, but the full chemical composition is difficult to determine due to ignorance of the age of the processed plant and its development, but the value is calcium, which is the standard of elasticity and hardness. It is enough to use organic ash 6-7 times during the growing period: the first time 10 days after planting, the second time at the beginning of flowering, and then every 14 days.
Application methods
Ash feeding methods:
- Dry ash, which is preferable to use before watering.
- Ash diluted with water (20 tablespoons of ash per 10 liters of water and leave for 10 days).
Yeast
They are very effective for rapid growth, increase the endurance of the stem with a lack of heat and light, increase the immunity of plants to pathogenic bacteria, and increase the vegetative mass of the vegetable. It should be applied no more than 2 times: the first time 14 days after planting, the second time after phosphorus fertilization. To prepare the solution, pour a pack of yeast with 10 liters of water at room temperature for 3 days.
Chicken droppings or cow (horse) droppings
Nitrogen fertilizer, which is recommended to be used 3 times: at the beginning of the growing season of seedlings (growing season - the period of growth and development), flowering and active fruiting in dry or diluted form. Under one root, you should add about 0.5 liters of chicken manure infusion (in the ratio of the infusion 1:25).
Nettle
Nettle - thanks to trace elements, sugars, vitamins, organic acids, this scalding perennial can serve well in the cultivation of cucumbers. To do this, pour the chopped nettle with boiled water in an enamel bowl. The structure should be covered with a lid for 3-5 days. This is necessary to preserve all the beneficial properties of nettle. Throughout all days, it is recommended to squeeze the resulting mass as actively as possible so that the process takes place more intensively. After - the resulting infusion must be filtered and diluted with water (in a ratio of 1:20). You can improve the effect of the infusion by using it in conjunction with organic ash.
It is imperative to use non-flowering, still young nettles, and non-iron dishes for the broth (to avoid oxidation).
Eggshell
The mixture will help in the development of the root system
Increases soil fertility and lower acidity, improve oxygen supply to the root system of the vegetable. To use the eggshell, you need to grind the shell of 10 eggs, pour 1 liter of boiled water over it and put it in a dark place for 7 days. The resulting mixture should be diluted with water and the plants should be watered once a week.
Formulation of dressings
First feeding (1-7 days):
- Chicken droppings at a concentration of 1:20.
- Eggshell.
Second feeding (8-14 days):
- Organic ash.
- Yeast.
- Nettle.
Third feeding (15-21 days):
- Bread infusions.
- Onions and garlic hulls.
Fourth feeding (22-28 days):
- Organic ash.
- Onion and garlic husks.
- Chicken droppings.
This is a small example of the use of fertilizers, you can create a different schedule, taking into account the time constraints given above. There is no universal plan; one should proceed from the availability of certain fertilizers.
Useful tips for gardeners
If you do not adhere to the correct care of the plantings, then even with the optimally selected fertilizer, you may not get a bountiful harvest. Gardeners who grow cucumbers in their area are advised to follow the rules for caring for plantings:
- It is preferable to plant cucumbers in warm and lighted places. Planting depth depends on the frequency of watering, the less often, the deeper (up to 6 cm).
- The optimal distance between the beds is 40-50 centimeters.
- It is better to water it up to 5 times a week, avoiding drought and overflow of the plant.
- It is better to remove excess antennae immediately so that they do not take away nutrients for their growth.
- To strengthen the root system, it is better to remove the early shoots.
- Remember the main rule - before fruiting, a cucumber needs more nitrogen, boron, sulfur, and then potassium, nitrogen, and iron are needed.
- You should not overfeed the plant with chemicals; it is better to use folk remedies.
- It is necessary to regularly inspect the appearance of the plants, since a visual inspection can tell a lot about the condition of the vegetable.
- It is advisable to loosen it after each heavy rain or watering, and it is necessary to shift the lashes very carefully, without damaging their structure.
- If it is impossible to determine which element is missing, then it is better to use complex fertilizers.
- For better pollination of flowers, you can spray the plant with a boron solution with sugar, this will attract bees and other pollinators.
- Do not forget about the climatic conditions, the variety and place of cultivation of the cucumber.
If you follow the recommendations, you can grow a rich harvest for the joy of the whole family. Any actions performed with love and care will definitely bear fruit.