When growing cucumbers in open ground or in a greenhouse, it is important to take care of the plant, creating it all the conditions for proper growth and development. One of these conditions is timely horizontal or vertical garter.
Garter of cucumbers should be done after the plant has grown stronger and stretches 30-35 cm above the ground, with the formation of 4-5 full leaves. By the way, a garter is necessary not only for this type of vegetables, but also for tomatoes, bell peppers and peas.
Why tie up?
In fact, the plant on which cucumbers grow is a kind of vine, which develops very intensively and is constantly reaching for light. If the plant is not tied up, it can seize a sufficiently large area of the garden, constantly get underfoot, crawl into areas where other vegetable crops grow.
In addition to saving space, cucumbers should be tied for the simple reason that this greatly simplifies harvesting. So, if the liana is stretched out on the ground, some of the fruits can simply not be noticed, and if the plant is horizontally or vertically tied, all, even the smallest cucumbers are visible in full view.
It is important to know that cucumber is one of those vegetables that are most susceptible to all kinds of fungal diseases. By tying up a plant, a person negates his contact with the soil, but in most cases, it is the soil that contains many foci of dangerous infections.
Cucumber garter methods
One of the most common ways to garter a cucumber vine is horizontal. To tie up a plant in accordance with this method, it is necessary to drive two wooden (possibly metal) pegs on a bed and pull twine between them.
Twine should be pulled at different heights - every 10-15 cm. The plant, gradually growing, as if climbing the stairs, clinging to the twine with its antennae. This method is good enough, but it also has its drawback, which is that sometimes it is too difficult for a cucumber antenna to reach the next level.
There is also a vertical cucumber garter method, which is more practical and effective both in the open ground and in the greenhouse. The essence of this method is simple. Two wooden supports in the form of the letter "T" are driven into the garden in the immediate vicinity of the plants. The height of the supports should be no more than two meters. A rigid wire is stretched between the upper parts of the supports, is well stretched, and is firmly fixed. Twine is tied to the wire in different places.
Actually, the cucumber vine will climb up this twine. Tie the plant to the twine should be very neat and not too tight. Garter should be done at the level of the second leaf from the ground.
Related article
Is it necessary to tie cucumbers in the open ground
