During the growing season, cucumbers grow rapidly, occupying a significant area on the site. Lianas are intertwined, which negatively affects the formation of fruits and complicates the care of a vegetable crop. In this case, a cucumber net will come to the aid of the gardener. It is possible to grow cucumbers with the vertical method with it, providing a lot of advantages. It is only important to choose the right grid and install it.
Advantages and disadvantages of artificial mesh
The use of mesh in the cultivation of cucumbers has its advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits of mesh include:
- Space saving. This is true in small areas and in greenhouses, when in a limited area you need to get a crop from several varieties of vegetable crops.
- Support for growth. Cucumbers in the development process are able to cling tendrils to the grid, which ensures their normal growth.
- Prevention of cucumber diseases. Fungal diseases often develop in a humid environment, when the roots and the aerial part of the cucumbers are inaccessible for blowing with air. The grid ensures the location of the cucumbers in such a way that aeration is at a high level.
- Convenience with agricultural activities. Ordered beds are available from either side. This makes it easier and more effective when feeding, loosening, watering and other work. The fruits are in plain sight, which guarantees their high-quality collection, prevents over-ripening.
- Optimal development conditions. Plants do not touch each other, and vines do not intertwine. Sunlight is sufficient for each leaf and fruit. There is no competition that causes stress in a vegetable crop and leads to the appearance of bitterness in cucumbers, and reduces the overall yield.
- Lack of mechanical damage to fruits and plants. Vertical cultivation ensures the ripening of whole fruits, protecting them from spoilage by animals, insects or accidental damage during harvesting. In addition, cucumbers are protected from pollution, as they do not have contact with the ground.
- Aesthetics of beds. Beautiful manicured beds are pleasing to the eye and envy the neighbors.
The obvious disadvantages, the use of cucumber mesh does not have. Rather, these are small nuances:
- Obliges to conduct more frequent watering of the site.
- The vertical placement of cucumbers obscures the surrounding area. Such a problem can be solved by planting shade-loving garden crops at the base of the bed.
It is recommended to roll the cucumber net after the end of the season and harvesting the cucumbers and put it away for storage until spring. This will limit the impact of the external environment on the product material and maintain its operational properties.
Varieties
The gardener has the opportunity to choose a grid for cucumbers. They differ not only in the size of the cell, but also in the material of manufacture:
- Plastic. The support net for plastic cucumbers is lightweight, durable and wear-resistant. It can be used for its intended purpose in greenhouses or in open areas for more than one season. Thanks to this, she deserved attention among gardeners and fell in love with them.
- Metal. The metal frame of such a grid for cucumbers is the most durable of all varieties. Vertical cultivation with its help is possible fruits of any mass. The service life of the mesh is at least five years.
The disadvantages of a metal grid for cucumbers:- The support is very heavy, so installing it alone is problematic.
- The appearance of rust from contact with water when watering.
- Relatively high cost.
- Tapestry. The most common type of net when cultivating cucumbers. It has a green color, and the cell size is at least 100 × 100 mm. Using a trellis net, you can give the garden bed any shape:
- vertical
- inclined;
- A-shaped.
This is achieved using the support structure. In addition, additional supports are required when the length of the beds is more than 10 m.
Plastic mesh
Metal grid for cucumbers
Trellis net for cucumbers
Step-by-step instructions for installing and assembling the mesh
Installation of trellis construction does not require special knowledge. Even a novice can cope with such work.
So that the cucumbers receive a sufficient amount of sunlight and develop evenly, install an agrarian grid from the east to the west.
To collect the grid you will need:
- Supporting pillars.They can be wooden, metal, plastic, PVC pipes are suitable. Two columns about 2 m long, dig into the ground to a depth of 35-45 cm along the edges of the beds. Press the soil around the supports with great care.
If necessary, do not neglect the installation of additional posts. Keep in mind that they will bear the entire burden of the severity of cucumbers and natural phenomena. Only a strong structure can withstand squalls of wind. Keep the distance between the supports the same. - Cucumber net. Choose it as you wish. It is advisable to purchase one where cells with a side of at least 10 cm.
- Wooden rail.It is installed along the supports, between them to increase the reliability and stability of the structure. The grid is fixed to the rails when stretched.
- Fasteners. The metal mesh is attached to the rail on pre-welded corners with holes, fixed with screws or screws. To simplify the work, use a screwdriver.
And to tie the trellis net to the supports, you will need twine, rope or plastic clamps used for the cable.
To collect the structure, follow the algorithm of actions:
- Mark the garden bed and dig or support 2 supports along its edges.
- Lay out the grid on the surface of the earth. Carefully string it onto the rail with movements resembling the collection of a curtain on the curtain with ring fastening.
- Screw the rail with screws to the support posts on both sides. The result is a design in the form of the letter "P".
- Stretch the grid from top to bottom, fixing it to the support posts with a rope. It should be tight enough enough for the convenience and appropriateness of use.
- If necessary, fix the mesh to the ground using metal hooks, deepening them into the ground.
Upon completion, the design is fully ready for use.
Watch the video where an experienced gardener demonstrates how to easily and easily pull a grid for cucumbers on your own:
How to make a grid with your own hands?
Tapestry structures can be made of any shape (marquee, arch, grate, etc.) using improvised materials from:
- a tree;
- netting and other similar materials;
- plastic.
If the supporting devices for cucumbers will have a constant location, then there is a need for annual replacement of the soil under them so that the plants have enough nutrition for growth and vegetation.
A simple design option for vertical cultivation is pulling between the supporting posts of thin wire with a diameter of up to 2 mm in several horizontal rows.
You can improve the design by placing a beam between the supports and lowering the necessary number of vertical cords from it. Each of them must be placed in a stretched form. To do this, tie a metal hook to the ends and deepen it into the ground. It is allowed to fix the cord on a rail located along the bed parallel to the upper support.
Easy to use bicycle rim design. Fasten one rim to the support post through the middle hole above the ground, and the second rim to the end of the support. Pass the twine through the holes for the needles and pull it.
If you show your imagination, you can come up with many more devices that provide high-quality vertical and horizontal cultivation of cucumbers in various areas, including when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse.
How to weave a network yourself, is shown in the video below:
Cucumber Garter Rules
Tie the cucumbers using the following rules and recommendations:
- Only those cucumbers are suitable for tying, the length of the creepers of which has reached 15-20 cm. They are attached to the net without excessive tension. When additional stems appear, the tying procedure is repeated.
- To ensure that the plants are firmly secured to the support, place the tie points in a checkerboard pattern.
The chess method of attaching cucumbers stimulates the growth of lateral vines, inhibiting the lengthening of the main stem.
- To form a bush of cucumbers, pinch the main stem at a height of 5 leaves. Be careful during the procedure, because some hybrids do not need pinching, and after the procedure you destroy the female inflorescences on which the fruits are formed.
- Pinch cucumbers to reduce green mass, and ensure the optimal flow of nutrients from the soil, directing it to the formation of fruits, and not to long vines with empty flowers.
- Provide proper care to cucumbers to get a rich harvest.
- Plant peppermint, marigolds, or other plants that repel pests around the pillars.
Watch the video with the gardener's story on how to form a cucumber bush, how to pinch and how to tie it to the grid:
The use of designs using cucumber mesh does not require large expenditures of money and effort, but will make cucumber care more convenient. Such vertical cultivation will positively affect the qualitative and quantitative indicator of productivity, which will pleasantly surprise the gardener.