Both experienced and novice gardeners should carry out mandatory garter cucumbers. It prevents the decay of unripe fruits. Garter makes cucumber care and subsequent harvesting easier. However, this procedure, especially for an inexperienced gardener, must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the main stem of the plant.
Why is tying necessary?
The process of tying bushes with cucumbers is a responsible, time-consuming and time-consuming task, but it helps the gardener to achieve positive results and not lose part of the crop during flowering and ripening of fruits. So, let's take a closer look at why tying cucumbers is necessary:
- Properly carried out garter makes it easier to care for the bush during the period of growth and harvesting without possible losses.
- Cucumbers tend to mate with antennae, and proper garter prevents this.
- Garter is useful for ripening lateral shoots on which fruit-bearing flowers appear.
- Open (due to tying) access to leaflets, antennae and stems greatly simplifies the care of the crop. Sick leaves are removed by the gardener without difficulty, the necessary shoots are pinched, and the antennae of the cucumbers can be directed in the right directions. In addition, with the help of a correctly made garter, you can adjust the number of male and female flowers on the plant.
- Tying cucumbers helps prevent rotting and spoilage of fruits, reduces the risk of parasitic insects planting.
Necessary materials
Before you start tying cucumbers, first prepare the necessary materials. Choose those that can firmly fix the main stem. To tie the bushes you will need:
- two-meter posts of metal or wood;
- string or wire;
- mesh made of plastic;
- hooks for securing the twine and fixing the mesh;
- fixing pegs;
- cotton fabric flaps, nails, hammer, pliers.
Thin wire and fishing line will not work, as they will dig into the bush, damaging it.
When do you need to start tying?
The process of tying cucumbers should begin 3-4 weeks after the start of their growth, when the height of the plant approaches 32-35 cm. It is better to carry out the tying on time, without delaying it, since it is much easier to work with young cucumbers due to the elasticity of the stem, and fully ripened plants are damaged when bent.
Gather all the necessary accessories for the construction of supports, which should be built before planting seedlings. In the process of caring for the bushes, you can choose any type of garter. The choice of the optimal method depends on the variety of the plant being grown, the area of the plot where the bush grows, and the availability of the necessary equipment for the upcoming garden operation.
Ways to garter cucumbers in a greenhouse
Currently, gardeners practice 3 main and 4 additional garter options:
- horizontal
- vertical
- mixed way;
- the use of twine;
- the use of hedges;
- garter on arcs;
- blindness.
Let's consider in more detail each method.
Horizontal tying
This is the most preferred method of bush garter. It is held horizontally in small-sized greenhouses. The procedure for this type of garter:
- Immerse metal or wooden supports in the soil on the sides of the beds.
- Stretch a twine or wire between them.
- Form the initial step, stepping back 25-30 cm from the ground (note that the distance between the next steps should increase by 5-10 cm).
The steps in this method of gartering cucumbers can replace the trellis of the net. It is convenient from an economic point of view, and the design will be characterized by high strength. If you are going to install a trellis, then the distance from the ground will be the same as when installing a stepped arcuate design.
After installation, when the plant has grown to the desired size, the garter of the main stem is produced. It is wound on a wire and fixed with ribbons. In the same way, you can fix the side shoots to adjacent steps.
When choosing a horizontal method of tying, do not forget that for the correct formation of the bush, you need to pinch the upper part of the tied stem.
The downside of the horizontal garter is that the bushes are low. When cucumbers grow, it is very difficult to care for them and then harvest.
Vertical tying
Vertical garter is used when growing plants in a greenhouse. At the same time, the design reaches 2 meters in height. Thanks to the vertical tying of the landing, they get a lot of sunlight.
The frame construction for tying is made of metal or wood. One plank should be under the ceiling, and the other remains below, connecting with the first with a strong rope.
The number of stretch marks that a similar design will have depends on the volume of planted plants. In addition, each bush should have its own rope, which he will wrap around.
To facilitate the installation of the structure, you can pull the rope along the frame of the greenhouse. Previously, hooks should be installed from the inside of the greenhouse. A wooden block, dug in the ground, will serve as the lower plank.
When using the vertical method of tying cucumbers, it is necessary to make apical pinching, when the plant begins to touch the upper part of the support during the growth period. Thus, the growth of the main stem of the plant will slow down, and the bush will not braid the walls of the greenhouse, thereby blocking the flow of sunlight for other plantings.
Some gardeners process cucumbers in the following way: a plank of wood or a twig of metal, the length of which is equal to the height of the greenhouse, is immersed in the soil, and then the stems of the cucumber are tied to the resulting pegs with ribbons.
Mixed Tying
The mixed method is found in circular seating of cucumbers. Instructions for mixed method of tying:
- Dig 10 metal rods into the soil and place them so that a cone forms.
- Pull the mesh over the resulting structure.
- Launch the antennae of the cucumbers into the holes of the mesh, so that subsequently the cucumber itself will braid the designed pyramid.
- The conical design is recommended to be placed in front of seeding planting material. If you install it next to young plantings, you can damage the stem and leaves.
- It is advisable to use this method if the bush is not lower than 25 cm, and there are already five sheets on it.
You can also use other improvised tools to create the so-called "hut", to which cucumbers will later be tied. Watch the video on how this type of tying is done:
Use of twine
Very often gardeners use twines, which are installed vertically. In this case, the loops are not very tightly tied around the second or third leaf. Also for fixing the twines use low stakes, which are placed next to the planted bushes.
Hedge application
The use of hedges is a method of garter, less popular among gardeners than other methods, but it is very convenient and simple. For the manufacture of hedges, a strong mesh is used, placed on several high stakes and stretched along a cucumber row.
To create a fastener, the bushes are tied with a rope to the hedge. The advantage of this method is that in the future, the bush is easily tied at different levels.
Arc Snapping and Blinding
Sometimes a large batch of cucumbers is placed under the arcs to which they are tied. To create arched structures, bent rods are used, which are instilled next to each cucumber row.
When blinding, the main stem of the plant joins the trellis. Then, extra shoots located in the apical part are cut off from the bush.
What is the garter of cucumbers in the greenhouse and greenhouse?
The two-meter trellis used to tie the plants is installed on the profile, which is located in the upper side of the greenhouse. Trellis is usually made of materials such as:
- bast;
- thin branches;
- tissue flaps;
- jute twine.
Pieces of cotton fabric, the width of which is 2-4 cm, is used to create the trellis of the required length. For this purpose, shreds of old textile are used, which are sewn together. Unfortunately, such a trellis is fragile and will last a short time, so it is best to use branches of bushes or trees.
They are cleaned of shoots and peeled off the bark, and then a thin branch is connected by wire to the upper profile. The bottom of the branch is immersed in the ground to fix the trellis. Cucumber stalks will be strong enough to cover such a support structure.
The tapestry is best made from natural materials, as the tapestry made of nylon will harm young shoots. Twine is attached to the upper profile, and then lowered down to the ground, securing it half a meter from the main stem. If there is a cucumber net, then you do not need to tie the whips, as the plant, using the antennae, will hook onto the net and rise independently without using supporting structures.
The mesh frame is constructed immediately before planting the cucumbers. To make it, you need 8 pegs with a diameter of 8 cm and a length of 2.5 m. It is also necessary to build 4 slats of 0.8 cm long and 4 slats with a cross section of 4 × 4 cm, 2.5 m long.
Next, 4 pegs with a height of 1.8 each should be driven in, the distance between them should be 1.25 m. The tops of the pegs are wrapped with slats, a mesh is installed on the frame.
Shrub formation, pinching
When the bush is formed, the main stem joins the trellis so that the lashes on the side develop before the first ovaries appear. After this, the shoots located on the side need to be pulled to the main stem. The antennae, which moves away from the main shoot, needs to be entwined several times with a lateral manual method.
In the future, it is necessary to periodically repeat such garters. Unnecessary shoots should be removed on time.
Pinch the side shoots before they increase in length by 20 cm. The apical part must be carefully cut so as not to touch the plant. This method is also used for antennae and sinus stepsons. The order of pinching the lashes of a cucumber:
- the first 40-50 cm of the bush "blind" completely;
- through the next 40-50 cm make pinching over the first sheet;
- after another 40-50 cm, pinch over the second, and then over the third.
If the above measures for plant care are not carried out, this will adversely affect the condition of the bushes and the quality of the future crop.
Gardeners tips
When planting and tying cucumbers, gardeners advise to adhere to the following rules:
- The bushes are tied up only when there are at least 8-9 leaves on the stem, the distance between the bushes is 1.5 m.
- If tomatoes and cucumbers grow in the same greenhouse, then the room is divided into two parts, fenced with a film curtain.
- Cucumbers are an unpretentious crop, but they need a moist environment and frequent watering. Water the bushes only with warm water to reduce the risk of plant disease.
- All damaged and dried fruits should be removed before the plants fully ripen.
- Between the stem and shoots there should be an angle equal to 60º, in order to avoid injury to the plant.
- When establishing supports, it is better to have wooden pegs on hand, as those made of iron are oxidized during operation and injure the plant. Reliable supports are also made of plastic. But for better reliability, plastic pipes will have to be immersed very deep into the soil.
- The ends of the pegs before immersion in the soil are treated with saline or using gasoline.
Garter of cucumbers, despite its complexity, is the main and necessary measure in gardening. This procedure helps to improve the quality of the future crop, prevent the death of fruits, and also facilitates the care of the plant during its ripening.