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- General
One of the common vegetables. There are countries where it is considered to be one of the primary vegetables, and yet there are other countries such as the Unites States where the cucumber does not play a central role at all.
The cucumber may be grown in any conditions, outdoors or in the greenhouse. There are regular varieties with seeds, and there are parthenocarpic types.
The plant is an annual and excels in rapid growth. The first fruit appears after 5 weeks and the fruit production continues between 4 - 7 weeks according to the variety and the requirements. The growing season is 3 -4 months.
The germination takes place at a minimum temperature of 10 degrees, and is rapid.The optimum growing temperature is 20° - 25°, but grows also under hot conditions. High temperatures induce quicker growth. The cucumber is sensitive to low temperatures, and also to changing day lengths. During short days, there are more female blossoms, and more fuit.
The plant is sensitive to leaf diseases, mainly to mildew which develops in humid conditions.
- Data
- Soil
The cucumber is not sensitive to soil type and can grow in any kind of soil. In the winter, well-drained soil is naturally preferable, but this is mainly for technical reasons. The cucumber is sensitive to soil diseases, and therefore disinfecting the soil prior to cultivation is recommended.
- Water
The water consumption per season is 400 - 700 mm. The root system is shallow, and therefore, frequent irrigation is recommended, every 3 - 5 days. The evaporation factor in spring is 0,9 and in autumn 0,8.
In greenhouses, it is customary to irrigate regularly during sowing, and afterwards, 3 mm daily until harvesting, and 5 mm daily for the duration of the harvest.
Example of irrigation calculation
| Season |
Irrigation variable |
Irrigation cycles in Light soil |
Irrigation cycles in Heavy soil |
| October |
0.5 |
1 - 2 |
1 - 4 |
| November |
0.7 |
3 - 5 |
5 - 7 |
December -
January |
0.7 |
4 - 5 |
7 - 8 |
| February |
0.7 |
3 - 4 |
5 - 7 |
| March |
- |
2 - 3 |
4 - 5 |
| April - May |
0.9 |
1 - 2 |
2 - 3 |
| June - August |
0.8 |
1 - 2 |
2 - 3 |
- Fertilization
The amount of fertilizer depends on the type of crop and the expected yield.
|
N |
P |
K |
|
Fertilizer per yield of 50 tons per hectare |
150 Kg |
250 Kg |
250 Kg |
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Fertilizer per yield of 200 tons per ectare |
600 Kg |
1000 Kg |
1000 Kg |
The recommended method is according to daily consumption.
Age of the plant Daily fertilizer consumption in high yields.
| Age |
N |
P |
K |
| 0-14 |
- |
- |
- |
| 14-35 |
1-1.5 Kg/day |
0-1.5 Kg/day |
2.5-3.5
Kg/day |
| 35-end |
2-2.5 Kg/day |
- |
3.5 - 4.0 Kg/day |
The phosphorous fertilizer can be applied prior to sowing with the amount of 1,000 Kg per hectare.
- Spacing
The distance between rows should be 180 cm. In greenhouse plants it should be 0.5 m. In spring, the rows can be closer together, 1.4 - 1.6 m. In the open field, there should be 15 cm between plants.
- Density
In greenhouses, 12,000 - 18,000 plants per hectare.
In the open field, 40,000 plants per dunam.
- Growing Seasons
Early autumn for processing purposes for a single or few harvests.
Late autumn - spring - in greenhouses for multiple harvests and high yields.
Spring - summer - in the open field.
- Sowing and Planting
Generally, cucumbers are sown in the field.
In greenhouses, in hybrid strains where the cost of seeds is high, two seeds are sown every 0.3 - 0.5 m. In a regular field, the plants are thinned out to a distance of 0.15 cm between plants. It is not customary to plant.
- Netafim's Recommendations
One lateral per row with 0.3 - 0.6 m between the drippers. In medium and heavy soil, it is viable to have 0.6 m between dripper. It is possible to use any acceptable equipment using 2l/h drippers.
The irrigation cycles are according to the seasons.
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