WHEN, HOW AND FOR WHAT DO THE CUCUMBER STEPSON DO?

Grazing cucumbers is a procedure necessary to achieve better yields. Asparines call the side branches of the plant, absorbing the nutrients of the main stem, which, in turn, loses its strength and brings fewer fruits. The removal of the stepsons from cucumbers contributes to the production of essential substances by the main branch and the achievement of a rich harvest.

What is it for?

Pasony of cucumbers is called the removal of excess lateral branches that appear in the leaf axils of the main stem of the plant.

Growing strongly after planting, the plants spend most of the energy on the formation of dense leaves and long lashes, instead of sending it to the formation of inflorescences and ovaries. There is a kind of competition between the main stem and side shoots in the fight for sunlight. Home lash quickly grows in length, with the result that the number of leaves decreases, the fruits ripen very poorly and are weak and small. To avoid this, the procedure for pinching cucumbers in greenhouses and in the open field will help.

Important! Competent grazing allows you to increase the yield up to 2 kg from each bush.

In addition, the removal of a large number of foliage will help the light-loving vegetable to get rid of excessive shading.

How to pinch cucumbers

It is important to know how to properly pinch cucumbers in order to avoid injury to the shoots and buds that form on it. Damage can be avoided if cutting is carried out according to this scheme:

slightly pull the sheet with one hand;
with your second hand, gently pinch off the stepson in the stalk area.

This procedure must be performed somewhere to the middle of July, while treating the entire plant. Next, you need to leave in the lower part of the culture 1-2 stepson, from which grow full-fledged stems after the ovary ceases to form on the old stem.

This method will allow to collect a good harvest for a very long time.

Check out such varieties of cucumbers as "German", "Courage", "Zozulya", "Masha", "Nezhinsky", "Competitor".

You can begin to pinwrap when the length of the side branches reaches 3-5 cm, when they are clearly visible and easy to remove.

It is important not to delay with cleaning the plants from the stepsons so that the fruits receive proper nutrition as early as possible. If the shoots reach a length of more than 20 cm, this means that the vegetable has lost about 2 kg of crop.

Did you know? The desire of the ancient Roman emperor Tiberius to eat cucumbers every day led to the creation of the first ever greenhouses for all-season growing of vegetables.

Patching cucumbers is carried out both in greenhouses and in the open field according to certain patterns.

In the greenhouse

Caring for cucumbers indoors is slightly different from how to take care of vegetables on open ground.

In hothouse conditions, pinching is a mandatory procedure. Comfortable greenhouse conditions favorably affect the active growth of leaves and shoots. Shading which is detrimental to the fruits occurs, as well as a shortage of open space, which negatively affects the number and condition of cucumbers.

Learn how to pinch cucumbers.

Removal of stepsons that have reached a length of 4-6 cm is most easily tolerated by the plant.

The pattern of the procedure of pinching is as follows:

Start the procedure after the appearance on the main branch of the 4th sheet. Lateral ovaries and formed shoots below this level must be carefully removed, taking care not to damage the main stem. The removal process is carried out manually or with sharpened scissors, carefully moving the sheet and removing the stepsons.
After the appearance of the 8th true leaf, the next pinching is carried out. At this stage, you need to leave 1 ovary and 1 leaf on the side branches.
Pinching should be repeated after the formation of 10-11 sheets. At the same time on the side shoots need to leave 2 ovaries and 2 leaves.
After 11 leaves on the side stepsons, leave 3 fruit ovaries and 3 leaves. The main stem can be wrapped around its trellis.
When the central lash reaches a length of 50 cm, it is also necessary to pinch the top, giving the opportunity to develop lateral ovaries and timely pasicing on them.

Important! When you remove the stepsons, you should remember that you need to get rid of them, even if the fruits were formed on them. In any case, the lateral branches do not reach a high level of fruiting, in contrast to the main whip.

In the open ground

In the open field, the procedure of pinching also helps cucumbers to bring a good harvest.

To obtain the desired result, you can follow two schemes for removing stepsons:

Remove all branches, leaving the main whip, which gives the maximum yield. This type of pinching is used for tight planting of cucumbers, when branches are wrapped around the trellis vertically on the ground. This method of forming the beds makes it the most accurate and convenient for harvesting.
Remove stepchildren to 4-6 leaves and form a bush. At the same time, it is necessary to pinch the top of the whip in a timely manner, stimulating the development of the lateral branches that form many female flowers.

Important! For the formation of the bush, the good development of the lateral branches is of fundamental importance, at the same time they must also be stepson.

The cultivated varieties of crops, planted in open ground, are formed in the form of a pyramid, directed downwards. This form can be achieved by dividing the main branch into 4 parts along the entire length, starting from the bottom. In the lower part, you need to remove the stepchildren in the 4th leaf bosom, pinch the side branches in the central part, leaving single ovaries and the leaf, in the 3rd part leave 2 leaves and the ovary, and then, in the 4th part - 3 leaves and the ovary. The growth point must be pinched after a pair of fruits appear on the top of the main branch, leaving lateral branches.

Did you know? Small spikes covering young cucumbers help to remove excessive moisture from the fruit.

Do all cucumbers need to be stepchild?

There are varieties of cucumbers that do not need to be staved. Such species include single-stem cultures, which do not twist as they grow, but form a bulky shrub, and varieties that bloom mainly with female inflorescences. Pinching damages these types of vegetables.

Did you know? In the bushes, except for women, are also formed male inflorescences necessary for pollination and not bearing fruit. In the people such flowers are called barren flowers. The predominance of male flowers on the bush may contribute to the bitterness of the fruit, so 80% of this kind of buds must be removed.

Masking cucumbers is a very painstaking work, but its use is justified and gives excellent results in the cultivation of tasty and healthy vegetables.