How to prune cucumbers in a greenhouse to ensure a good harvest, a formation scheme

The most important stage of cucumber growing is pruning and shaping the plants. To properly shape cucumber seedlings, it's important to familiarize yourself with the greenhouse cucumber pruning scheme and the key features of the procedure.

Purposes of pruning cucumbers

It's recommended to understand the main goals of cucumber bush pruning in advance. This procedure is performed for:

• formation of powerful bushes that will bear fruit longer;
• thinning the bushes so that long shoots do not shade the lower branches of the plants;
• simplification of watering, fertilizing and harvesting of ripened crops;
• protecting seedlings from dangerous fungal and viral diseases that require treatment.

Gardeners also recommend removing weakened branches that will not bear fruit. This is done to increasing the yield of planted cucumbers.

Benefits of shaping cucumber bushes

Before you begin pruning cucumber seedlings, you should familiarize yourself with the main advantages of this procedure. The key benefits of pruning include the following:

• Increased yield. Plants that regularly have excess shoots and leaves removed produce better yields.
• Accelerated fruit ripening. After pruning excess branches, the harvest ripens much faster.
• Disease resistance. Experienced gardeners recommend removing lower branches, which are most often infected with fungal diseases due to constant contact with damp soil.
• Improving light. By pruning some of the bushes' branches, the plant will receive more sunlight.

Basic principles of pruning

To prune correctly, you need to learn the main principles of the procedure.

In the greenhouse

When growing cucumber seedlings in greenhouses, a lot of vegetative mass accumulates. Therefore, branches must be regularly pruned to ensure better delivery of nutrients to the ovaries.

When pruning in a greenhouse, adhere to the following recommendations:

• the formation of bushes is carried out no earlier than one and a half weeks after planting the seedlings;
• pruning is performed with sterilized instruments;
• the procedure is carried out only if the temperature inside the greenhouse is above 20 degrees;
• It is better to form greenhouse seedlings into several stems.

In open ground

Cucumbers grown outdoors require less frequent pruning, as they grow more slowly than greenhouse plants. Experts recommend pruning 3-4 times per season. The first pruning is done 2-3 weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the garden. It is better to form cucumber seedlings planted in the garden into a single stem.

Timing of cucumber bush formation

It's important to determine the best time to prune cucumber seedlings in advance. Pruning can begin when the plants reach 7-9 centimeters. Pruning earlier is not recommended to avoid damaging the seedlings.

It is best to do this at the end of April or the beginning of May, when the air and soil have warmed up.

How to properly tie up plants before shaping

Before removing unnecessary stems, bushes are tied to special supports. There are three main tying methods, which should be studied in detail.

Vertical

If the vegetable crop is planted in open ground, it is supported vertically. In this case, vertical supports are installed along the rows, with rope stretched between them. Small fabric strips are tied vertically to these supports. These strips will hold the plants to the supports.

At first, the lower stems are tied to the fabric, but as the plant grows, the remaining branches are also tied to the supports.

Horizontal

The horizontal staking method is considered the simplest, and therefore is used by many beginners. For horizontal staking, metal or wooden supports are installed at the edges of the rows. A rope is stretched between them in several rows, to which the largest cucumber stems are carefully tied.

Net

When growing cucumbers, some people tie them to special nets sold at garden centers. The nets are stretched over vertical supports, and the branches are then attached to them with tight ropes.

Trimming diagram

Before planting a vegetable crop, you need to familiarize yourself with the pruning features of self-pollinating and bee-pollinated hybrids.

Parthenocarpic

Pinching of self-pollinating cucumber varieties is carried out in several stages:

• removal of the inferior ovaries of the flower and lateral axillary shoots;
• removal of the growth point of the shoot at a height of about 80-90 centimeters;
• pinching the top of the shoot to stop its further growth.

Bee-pollinated

When pruning insect-pollinated varieties, consider the following features:

• you need to pinch the growth points of the lateral stems in the axils of the first two leaves located at the bottom of the bush;
• in the middle part of the seedling, two lateral shoots with fruits are left;
• no more than three shoots are left at the top.

How to prune cucumbers correctly to ensure a good harvest

Many gardeners prune cucumbers to ensure a good, ripe harvest in the future. To increase yield, you'll need to train the seedlings into two strong stems with a small number of side shoots.

When the seedlings have developed 3-4 true leaves, all shoots are removed from their axils. The next stage of formation begins after the seventh leaf appears. In this case, one ovary is left, and all excess shoots are trimmed off.

Is it possible to pick off the first leaves of cucumbers?

Beginner gardeners who have decided to start growing cucumbers are interested in whether it is possible to remove the lower leaves from seedlings.

Some people think this shouldn't be done, but that's not true. Experienced vegetable growers recommend removing the lower leaves first. This will protect the seedlings from many diseases that occur when the leaves come into contact with wet soil.

Should cotyledon leaves be removed?

When pruning, be very careful not to accidentally remove cotyledon leaves. Careless removal of these leaves negatively impacts the development of seedlings and their yield. Sometimes, the loss of cotyledon leaves can lead to the death of bushes.

Trimming the lower leaves

There are several reasons why the bottom leaves are removed:

• Improving air circulation. Regularly removing lower leaves will improve oxygen flow to the upper shoots.
• Eliminate overwatering. When the lower shoots and leaves begin to grow, the soil beneath the seedlings becomes shaded and dries more slowly. This leads to increased soil moisture and promotes the development of fungal diseases.
• Eliminating overcrowding. Overcrowded bushes with numerous leaves and shoots prevent fruit from receiving adequate sunlight. This negatively impacts ripening speed and cucumber flavor.

Should I pick off the first flowers?

Experienced vegetable growers recommend removing some of the male flowers, which sap the plant's strength. It's sufficient to leave one or two male flowers on each plant. However, removing female flowers is contraindicated, especially on plants that require pollination.

When growing parthenocarpic seedlings, it is not necessary to trim flowers.

Should the first ovaries be removed?

The first buds, located at the bottom of the bushes, develop quite slowly. This is why many gardeners recommend plucking them and leaving the buds at a height of 80-90 centimeters. This will reduce the strain on the young seedlings and help them focus all their energy on further stem and root development.

Which shoots are recommended to be pruned?

First, remove the lower branches that touch the soil surface. Then, prune all side shoots on the cucumber bushes that aren't producing fruit. Also, prune any branches with yellowed foliage or deformed fruit.

Conclusion

Gardeners who have been growing cucumber seedlings for years recommend pruning them periodically. To avoid overcrowding, it's important to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of pruning, as well as common patterns and recommendations for removing shoots.