Cultivation Guide for Cucumber Variety Series

The cucumber is an annual growth and fruiting vegetable crop, and it is fond of fetilizer, with week cold-resistance and fertilizer-accumulation. But over-fertilization will not only can not improve the yield, but also affect the quality of fruit and environment, form bitter fruits which will lower the cucumber quality, and cause water pollution. Cucumber is a shallow-rooted crops, and the demand of earth temperature and moisture is strict. The suitable growing temperature is between 20-28 degree celsius.

Part One, Spring Cultivation

For the cultivation in early Spring, the seeds are usually sown in Jan. and Feb., with 40-45 days of seedling stage. In most areas, it is usually required to choose the verieties which are resisitant to cold, low-light, and blight disease, and are endurant to transportation to cultivate, in green color with thin-papilloma, such as "Bill", "Chunbao", and so on.

1, Desposition of Nutrient Soil

Use plastic nutrient cups which are 8-10cm wide, to culture the seedling. Because the root system is week, the requirement of desposition of nutrient soil is strick. The following formula can be chosen.
 
1.1, 50% of ordinarily finished dairy manure or grass ashes soil, 20% of field soil, 20% of river sand and 10% seedcake manure. After sieving, mix them uniformly, and add 1kg of diammonium phosphate(DAP) per CBM.
 
1.2, 70% of garden soil and 30% of manure. If available, add15-25kg of finished chicken manure, 1-1.5kg of calcium superphosphate and 5-10kg of grass ashes per CBM, and then mix them uniformly.
 
1.3, Tidy up the loamy paddy soil finely, and then sieve the soil with steel sieve or bamboo sieve whose pore is about 1-1.5cm wide. Add finished pig manure to the sieved soil in the ratio of 1: 5, and add a little monopotassium phosphate(MKP).

2, Seed Soaking and Sprouting

The cucumber seeds sprout quickly, so the soaking, sprouting and disinfection can be done 1-2 days before sowing. The method is to put the seeds into clean water, to soak for about 2-4 hours, then take away the blighted grain. And then soak them into 500 times of 50% carbendazim squeous solution or warm water. Then soak into agricultural streptomycin(futostrep) squeous solution for 1 hour. The seeds must be swashed clean by water after the disinfection.
 
Wrap up the soaked seeds by gauze and then spinly dry the seeds. Put the seeds under the temperature of 25-30 degree for sprouting. Normally, the seeds will sprout in 24-36 hours, and then they can be sown. The bud should be controlled within 1.5-2mm long, in white color.

3, Sowing

In some areas, the heating wire is used as warming equipment. Spread the heating wires on the seedbed uniformly, by about 10cm in linewidth. And then lay on the nutrient cups which are full of nutrient soil, and the cups should be laied close.
 
Before sowing, use Monopotassium Phosphate and 50% Carbendazim to mix together, to water through the nutrient soil. When the soil becomes a little dry, put the sprouted seeds in the middle of nutrient cup, with buds downwards. Then cover the seeds with a fistful of fine soil. After sowing, lay mulching film on the seedbed, and then cover the small shed with films. Turn on the electricity.

4, Management of Seedling Stage

Usually, the buds will come up of ground after 3 days of heating wire culture of seedling. When there are 70% of seeds come up of soil, the electricity can be turned off and the mulching film can be removed. From then on, pay attention to the environmental temperature outside and inside the shed. If the weather is specially cold, the electricity should be turned on for several hours to warm the shed, but do not last for too long, so as to prevent excessive growth. If the weather is good with sun, uncover the shed when the shed temperature reach 30 degree,even to remove to both ends.
 
During this period, pay attention to prevent the seedling from damping-off disease. The method is to take care of the ventilation and humidity-reducing , or use 600 times of 70% manganese acetate to spray on seedlings.

5, Field Arrangement and Manuring

5.1, Field Arrangement

Eliminate weeds by sterilant herbicide, such as Roundup(glyphosate, or Momba). If the field is seriously damaged by diseases, disinfect the field soil by broadcasting 5g of etridiazole per sq.m. If the field contains too many soil insects, disinfest them by Phoxim granules.

5.2, Field Manuring

The base manure must be supplied heavily, consisting of 90% of the fertilizer in the whole growing period. The manure is consisted by 18000kg of organic manure and 300kg of vegetable compound fertilizer per acre. Broadcast all the manure to the field in one time, neaten evenly, and then build up the plot.

5.3, Building up of Plots

In shed, the plot is generally in 1.3m wide including ditch. The surface of the plot should be flat and tidy, without big clods. The ditch is about 20cm deep, and it should be deeper in low –lying field. Dig two rows of holes on each plot. The hole distance is about 30-35cm, with 20cm distance from hole center to the edge of the plot.

6, Transplanting

When the seedling grows out one rud with two leaves, it can be transplanted in sunny weather. Handle the seedling carefully, not to scatter the soil from the nutrient cup. Level the nutrient soil to the plot surface. Supply root-setting water adequately, cover the plot with ground film, draw the seedlings forth, and press the torn film tightly with a little soil.

7, Field Management

7.1, Temperature management

The seven days after setting is the recovering period of seedling, pay attention to keep warm and moist. The temperature inside the shed should maitain between 15-33 degree centigrade. After the recovering, reduce humidity by ventilation properly. Inside the shed, the temperature should maitain between 25-30 degree centigrade in the daytime, and 12-16 degree centigrade at night. If the daytime temperature exceeds 30 degree, open the shed to ventildate and exchange air, and shut off the shed when the temperature is below 25 degree.

7.2, Fertilizer and Water Management

The water demand of cucumber is abundant, so the soil should be kept moist constantly. If the soil is drought, irrigate it, and may also combine with adding urea and potash fertilizer. The irrigation method is to water on the surface of the plot, not flood irrigation. One hour after irrigation, drain away the accumulated water if there is. The best time for irrigation is in the sunny day morning. Pay attention to the himidity reducing by ventilation.

7.3, Setting up of shelf

25 days after transplanting, the shelf can be set up, in A-bracket shape. The bamboo sticker is about 2m long. Insert one A-bracket in every 2m, and connect them by crossbars. In the 70cm height of the shelf, use rope to tight up lines. Lead the seedlings after the shelf is set up. Tight the top of the seedlings by rope or rice straw, to lead the seedling on to the crossbar.

7.4, Protection of Flower and Fruit

The low temperature in the early period will leads to dropping of flower and fruit. Spraying leafsurface microelement, using hormone, or improving enviroment situation, will increase the rate of fruit setting.

8, Harvest

In Spring, the cucumber should be picked in time in the early setting period, so as to prevent the fruit from falling. In fruiting acme, let the fruits grow properly stronger, to increase yield. It is suitable to pick the fruits in the morning or at dusk everyday. After picking, weed out the cucumbers which are injured or infected by diseases or insects, and then clean the fruit surface by water. Pack the fruits in grade according to the size and shape.

http://www.suntodayseeds.com/products/gourd/cucumber/23.html

Part 2, Summer and Autumn Cultivation

1, Field Selection, Preparation and Base Manure

Supply the base manure adequately, and avoid the continuous cropping with other species in the same family. When cultivated in Summer and Autumn, it should be planted on the sandy loam which is fertile and water retentional, with convenient irrigation and drainage. Before sowing, supply 9000kg of farm manure which is mixed by pig, chicken and duck dejecta per acre. Plough the manure into soil, and add 300kg of 45% S-NPK compound fertilizer. After 3 days, the seeds can be sown, and they can not touch the compound fertilizer. The plot is about 1.4m wide including ditch. Plant two rows in one plot, with planting distance in about 30cm.

2, Sowing Time and Variety Selection

2.1, Sowing time
Summer cucumber can be sown from May to early July, and Autumn cucumer from late July to early August. Autumn cucumber should not be sown too late, because the low temperature by then will impact fruiting. It costs about 900g of seeds per acre. As the temperature is high in Summer and Autumn, the seeds is usualy sown derectly into the soil. Before sowing, soak the seeds for 2-3 hours, and then use 1000 times of 75% chlorothalonil to soak the seeds for 15 minites for disinfection. After cleaning, the seeds can be sown derectly or after sprouting. Keep the seedling age within 13-15 days, with two cotyledon unfolded. Add 180-240kg of water into the seedling substance per acre, and then mix equally, until the substance do not drops water when hold in ball by hand, and spread out when dropped on ground.
 
For the sowing method, the seeds are sown derectly in dry situation, sprouting or transplanting after culture of seedling. The seedling is usually cultured in seedbed in open field, coverd with shading shed which is for rain protection and sun-shade, with well ventilation. Prepare the nutrient bed soil and nutrition pot in advance.
2.2, Variety Selection
Select the vareities which are resistant to heat and disease, with prosperous growing potential and productive, such as Suntoday cucumber 13001

 

3, Field management

3.1, Reasonable Fertilization
The fertilization of Summer and Autumn cucumber should base on the following principles. Adequate base manure, Light seedling fertilizer, Heavy fruit fertilizer, Less fertilizer with more times, and Using finished manure. Usually, the base manure consists of about 9000kg of human fecaluria, and 300kg of compound fertilizer or adding 150kg of ammonium acid carbonate per acre. After setting, supply human manure and urine in the ratio of 1:10, and top dressing after one week. When comes to the fruiting period, enhence the top dressing ratio. If possoble, top dressing each time when the fruits are picked. Spray 30-45kg of urea per acre in the rainning day. When comes to fruiting acme, supplt 0.3% monopotassium photsphate and 0.3% urea as top dressing.
3.2, Watering
The watering should be done in the early morning or at dusk. Ditch watering is the best, light watering with more times, and drainage accompanied by irrigation, leaving no accumulated water.
3.3, Covering of plot surface
As the temperature in Summer and Autumn is high, use rice straw, green grass or cymodocea rotundata to cover on the plot surface by 3-5cm thick. This will reduces the earth temperature by 3.5-6 degree centigrade, and reduce evaporation of water, so as to benefit the plant in growing development.
3.4, Vine Binding
When the seedling spreads vines, use bamboo sticker to build A-brackets in 1.5m high in time. When the vine grows to be 0.34m long, bind it to the bamboo sticker. After that, bind the vine at 3-4 nodes interval. After the six-leaves stage, weed out the side vines which are below the root fruit. For the upper side vines, reserve one fruit and one leaf, and then top removal. When the plant grows out 23-25 pieces of leaves, wipe off the central bud or unloosen the vains. In the middle and late fruiting period, pick off most of the yellow leaves and old leaves, to benefit the ventilation and illumination.
3.5, Additional fertilization and Irrigation
The Summer and Autumn cucumber grows fast and it is productive. It is required to supply fertilizer and water early and throughly. In the whole growing period, top dressing 3-4 times, each time using 5-10kg of rare S-NPK compound fertilizer, also can be combined with spraying of potassium dihydrogen phosphate on leaf surface at the same time.
3.6, Hormone Treatment
When the seedling grows out two leaves with one bud, or three leaves with one bud, spray 100 ppm of 40% ethephon on the foliage, so as to increase the female flowers, to set more fruits and increase the yield.

4, Pest Control

When culitivated in Autumn, the plant is easily infected by loimia and downy mildew diseases. Spray 600 times of 72% mancozeb metalaxyl or 600-800 times of Dubanke dew for preventation and control. In the continuous high temperature and drought weather, timely check and control the insect damage by bemisia tabaci, aphids and diaphania indica. Spray 5000 times of 70% imidacloprid to control aphids and Bemisia tabaci, and 1500 times of 10% depletion to control Diaphania indica. 7 days before entering market, stop the using of pesticide.

5, Harvest

For Summer cultivation, it takes about 45-60 days to harvest after sowing. When the fruit grows to a certain length, and the surface color turns deeper, harvest the fruit timely so as to benefite blossom and fruiting in the upper part.