Cucumber seedling cultivation is a crucial step in cucumber planting; only by cultivating strong seedlings can a high yield be achieved. So, when should cucumber seedlings be started? Let's find out below.
When should cucumber seedlings be started?
There are two main periods for cucumber seedling cultivation. The first period is from January to March in early spring, and the second period is from June to August in summer and autumn.
What are the methods for raising cucumber seedlings ?
1. Sowing and seedling raising
Sowing and seedling cultivation should be carried out in a greenhouse. Sun-dry the seeds 1-3 days before sowing. After sun-drying, scald the seeds with 55℃ warm water for 10-15 minutes, stirring clockwise continuously until the water temperature drops to 30℃-35℃. Repeatedly rub and wash the seeds to remove the mucus, then soak them for 2-3 hours. Wrap the soaked seeds in clean gauze and place them at 28℃-31℃ to germinate for 1-2 days, rinsing them with warm water 1-2 times daily and turning them occasionally to prevent mold. Sow the seeds when 70% of them show signs of germination.
2. Substrate seedling raising
When using plug trays for seedling cultivation, 50-cell trays are generally selected. The substrate should be garden soil that has not been continuously planted in the same field, mixed with organic fertilizer and wood ash, to form the seedling soil. During seedling cultivation, a spot sowing method should be used for both the seedling pots and plug trays. This means that for every germinated seed sown, 1-2 ungerminated seeds should also be sown. This not only improves the germination rate but also ensures plump seeds.
3. Grafting seedling cultivation
Black-seeded pumpkin or Nanzhen No. 1 is used as rootstock to cultivate grafted seedlings. The grafting methods used are mostly terminal bud grafting and approach grafting. It should be noted that the rootstock for terminal bud grafting should be sown about 5 days earlier than the scion and the seed should be sown about 4 days later than the scion for approach grafting.
4. Cold-bed seedling raising and warm-bed seedling raising
Cold-bed seedling cultivation mainly utilizes solar energy to cultivate seedlings, and is used for spring cucumber cultivation in open fields during the winter and spring seasons. Hot-bed seedling cultivation, on the other hand, builds upon the cold-bed method by using heat-generating materials or electric heating wires to heat the seedlings.
