Cucumber (lat. Cucumis sativus), also known as cucumber or cucumber, is an annual herbaceous plant that belongs to the squash family (Cucurbitaceae). From a botanical point of view, it belongs to a fruit just like a tomato, but in daily use it is trained as a vegetable.
There are controversies about the origin of the cucumber, so there is an opinion that it originated in tropical Africa, but there is also the opinion that the cucumber developed on the slopes of the Himalayas due to human interference. However, there is evidence that it has been cultivated in the western parts of Asia for about 3 thousand years because it is mentioned in the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, which shows that it was still consumed by the ancient Babylonians. It is considered that it was brought to Europe by the Romans, like many other plant species, and its cultivation is mentioned in writings from France in the 9th century and from England in the 14th century.
Nowadays, cucumber is grown in open fields, but also in jars, greenhouses and greenhouses, and it is consumed fresh as a salad cucumber. The cucumber fruit is green in color, cylindrical in shape, hard in consistency and up to 60 cm long, while its diameter is about 10 cm. As much as 97% of cucumber is water, so it is not surprising that it has extremely low caloric value, more precisely, it has only 12 kcal per 100 grams.
The largest producer of cucumbers in the world is China, which holds as much as 60% of world production, followed by Turkey, Russia, Iran and the USA.
Cucumber varieties
First of all, it is necessary to divide cucumbers into gherkins and salad cucumbers. While the first ones are smaller in shape and are suitable for winter storage, the others have a larger volume and are consumed fresh. According to this division, there are the following types of cucumbers:
Gherkins
Paris – the most popular variety of cucumbers in our climate. The fruits of this variety have a cylindrical shape with black spines, which are primarily dark green in color, while the tops have light green color and stripes.
Parifin F1 – this is a variety that arrives from the Netherlands, and whose fruits resemble Paris. However, this variety is more resistant to diseases and has a much higher yield.
Salad cucumbers
Delicacy – this variety has cylindrical fruits up to 18 centimeters long. The bark is smooth and has delicate white spines and a colorful spot at the very top. The flesh of the fruit is crunchy and has no bitterness, and an additional plus for growing this variety is that it bears fruit early and is very fruitful.
Sunny stream – this variety is suitable for both fields and greenhouses. The fruits are 16 to 18 centimeters in size, dark green in color with white spines and firm, crunchy flesh.
Marketer – this variety comes from the USA, but has spread all over the world. The fruits are dark green in color and quite large, as the length of the fruit reaches up to 22 centimeters.
Planting cucumbers
When preparing the soil for planting cucumbers, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers. It would be desirable to plow the manure into the furrows during the autumn and winter months. Also, instead of plates that will compact the soil too much, which will not suit the cucumbers, we advise you to use a tiller to break up the soil.
Ground
Cucumbers prefer soils that are light, permeable and airy. Also, the soil in which you plan to plant cucumbers should have a higher percentage of humus. As far as soil acidity is concerned, for successful growth, according to soil analysis, it is recommended that the pH be around 7. In case the soil has a lower pH, it is necessary to perform calcification of the pre-culture.
Let’s add that even though cucumbers love moisture, for successful growth the groundwater level should be below 70 centimeters. If possible, it should be up to 100 centimeters and be constant.
Climate
Cucumbers are an extremely grateful plant because they only need a few days to sprout if the air temperature is between 25 and 35°C. If the air temperature is lower (up to 12°C), cucumber sprouting can be extended to 15 to 20 days.
As a rule, cucumbers like warm weather, so the fastest growth of the plant can be expected at temperatures of 25 to 27°C, but if the temperature rises to 40°C, the growth of the plant will stop. Likewise, if the temperature drops to around zero and lasts for several days, the cucumbers will wilt.
Let’s add that cucumbers love moisture, so their growth requires soil moisture of 70 to 100%, as well as relative air humidity of 70 to 90%.
Matching cultures
Cucumbers are a plant sensitive to pre-cultures, and they also share certain diseases with some cultures, so it is important to avoid them. It is therefore necessary to avoid any plant from the cucurbit family as a pre-culture for cucumbers.
More precisely, you should avoid potatoes and tomatoes as a pre-culture because they are attacked by the same viruses as cucumbers, and you should avoid any type of cabbage and corn because herbicides that will destroy the cucumber may remain in the soil.
However, corn can grow at the same time as cucumber because if you plant it between the rows of cucumbers, it will act as a natural protection against the wind, which will favor the development of the cucumber.
Cultivation of cucumbers
Cucumbers can be planted directly with seeds or they can be planted from seedlings. However, it is important that in choosing the position in both cases, make sure that the location is not windy, as this will harm the cucumber. Another important thing is to plant the cucumber only when the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up to a temperature of around 18°C. About the planting itself, depending on whether you want to grow cucumber outdoors or in a greenhouse, you can read in the following lines.
Cultivation in the garden
Cucumbers are sown at the end of April if it will be the main crop in your vegetable garden, and if you are going to plant it as a side crop, then you can also plant it in June.
For planting, it is necessary to dig rows whose distance will be from 80 to 100 centimeters, and within the rows cucumbers are sown at a distance of 20 to 30 centimeters.
As for the planting technique itself, there are several methods, but the safest, or the method that will provide you with the best yield, is planting on reinforcement. In this method, it is necessary to use poles 2 meters high, which are connected by a wire from which ropes hang. It is possible to place a net between the posts. The goal is for the cucumber plant to climb up the ropes or net as soon as ventilation, easy access to the fruits and minor problems with diseases are achieved.
If, due to technical reasons, you cannot use the method of planting on reinforcement, it is recommended to use planting on black polyethylene film. Because the soil is covered with foil, it heats up faster as soon as faster and better sprouting of cucumbers is achieved, and additionally the foil will prevent the growth of weeds. The occurrence of cucumber diseases is also reduced because the plant is not in direct contact with the soil. However, keep in mind that this method requires somewhat higher investments at the very beginning of growing cucumbers, and from the ecological side there is the problem of disposing of the foil itself after the fight.
Cultivation in a greenhouse
Planting indoors is no different from planting outdoors, except for the fact that planting in a greenhouse or greenhouse results in faster plant growth.
However, it should be noted that cucumbers must be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse at a temperature of 18°C, and during plant growth, the space must be ventilated if the air temperature exceeds 27°C.
Plantation maintenance
As we mentioned earlier, cucumbers like warm weather and lots of moisture. Thus, the optimal temperature for their development is between 15 and 27°C, while a relative humidity of even 85 to 90% favors it best.
Watering
Cucumbers are very moisture-loving plants, so there is no need for special control when watering. Additionally, cucumber plants have very large leaves that easily lose moisture on warm days.
If you decide to use drip irrigation, keep in mind that it is necessary to place the irrigation pipes on the surface of the soil.
Fertilization
Before planting cucumbers, it is necessary to feed the soil with nitrogen, in the ratio of 150 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare. Additionally, it is necessary to feed the soil with 160 kilograms of phosphorus per hectare, then 300 kilograms of potassium and 65 kilograms of calcium.
Some of the producers also opt for foliar feeding, but it is risky because it is possible to burn the leaf and flower of the cucumber during its application. If you decide to use foliar feeding, you must follow the following instructions:
- between transplanting and flowering, feeding is done with the formula NPK 11:44:11
- between flowering and fruit formation, feeding is done with the formula NPK 16:8:32
- between the formation of the fruits and the harvest itself, as well as during it, it is necessary to use the formula NPK 9:12:36
Pruning and shaping
If cucumbers are not pruned, this plant tends to spread excessively and produce too many fruits at the same time. This phenomenon leads to fruit drop, deformity and bad color. Therefore, the rule applies to cucumbers that the more they are cut, the better the fruit will be.
When pruning a cucumber, it is possible to choose one of two methods: pruning with an umbrella system and pruning with a braid system.
Pruning with the umbrella system
When applying this method, it is necessary to wrap the main cucumber vine around a rope or wire. When the main vine outgrows the rope or wire (and the length of which should not be longer than 50 centimeters), it is necessary to cut off its top and fasten the vine to the wire so that it does not fall to the ground under the weight of the fruits.
Then, the two side vines that are near the top of the plant need to be transferred over the wire to continue growing downwards. It is necessary to leave the first two vines on them. All other side vines must be cut off. When the fruits begin to ripen and you harvest one of the vines, you can also cut it off so that it does not stifle the development of the rest of the plant. At the end, it is necessary to leave only the main and side vines and only one leaf with one fruit on them.
Pruning with the braid system
In this method, we attach the cucumber plant to the wire through which we thread the vines. When the main vine outgrows the net, then its top needs to be cut off. The closest lateral vine needs to grow, while all the others are cut to 50 to 70 centimeters in height and only 2 leaves with fruit are left. You can let the main side vine grow over the net, but only with 2 leaves and 1 fruit.
Harvesting cucumbers
A cucumber plantation yields from 30 to 50 tons of fruit per hectare, but for this it is important that the harvest is done correctly. More precisely, it is important to pick all the fruits – both those that are ready for further distribution, but also those that have a deformity or are smaller, because otherwise they will stifle the plant’s development.
In order to be able to accurately assess when you should start harvesting cucumbers, you should pay attention to the size and shape of the fruits. Thus, the fruits that are ripe for harvesting are those that have a strong green color and a cylindrical shape without deformities. The most important thing is to pick the fruit while it is still very young, that is, while the seeds inside the fruit are still soft.
Keep in mind that cucumbers grow very quickly under favorable conditions, so it is necessary to harvest them once a week in the beginning, while in the later stages when they start bearing more abundant fruits, it is necessary to harvest them even twice a week. Let’s also note that if you plan to distribute your cucumbers to the processing industry, it is all the more important to harvest the fruits while they are still very young in order to achieve a higher price. Specifically for harvesting, this means that you will have to pick the fruits at least 3 times a week, while some do it daily.
As for the harvesting method itself, manual harvesting is used, as well as harvesting with the help of a knife or scissors. Mechanical picking with the help of a combine harvester is also possible, but keep in mind that it will destroy the plantations and this will be a one-time harvest.
Storage
The shelf life of cucumber in storage is short considering that it is used as a fresh product. In order to extend its shelf life, it is necessary to lower the temperature at which the fruits are stored after picking, so the optimal temperature for storing cucumbers is between 10 and 12°C.
It is also important to maintain high air humidity so that the cucumber fruits do not lose the water they contain. In this way, it is possible to store cucumbers for a period of 14 days.
Diseases and pests
Diseases that attack cucumbers are, as a rule, of fungal origin, and the two most significant are fire blight (lat. Pseudoperonospora cubensis) and powdery mildew (lat. Erysiphe cichoracearum). Below we present the ways in which it is possible to prevent the occurrence of these diseases.
Flamenco
It is a fungal disease that appears when the air is saturated with moisture and temperatures range between 16 and 22°C, more precisely when the difference between these temperatures occurs between night and day. Although incubation lasts from four to even 12 days, symptoms of the disease that you should pay attention to are bright green spots on the leaves that will make the leaf look like a mosaic.
As the disease progresses, these spots will take on a yellow color and will become angular, and then they will take on a brown color that leads to leaf necrosis. As the leaf eventually dries up completely, this disease affects the growth and development of the fruits themselves, which do not reach their full size and appear deformed.
We must emphasize that it is not possible to completely protect your plantations from the occurrence of this disease, but it is possible to reduce the possibility of the occurrence of the disease. Thus, for prevention, it is recommended:
- do not sow cucumbers on the ground where the pre-culture was cucumbers or any other plant belonging to the gourd family (gourds, pumpkins, pumpkins)
- use net cultivation for better ventilation
- use drip irrigation system
- use fungicides based on copper and mancozeb
If Plamanjača does appear on your cucumber plantations, it is necessary to use systematic fungicides whose active substances are metalaxyl, phosphetyl, dimethomorph and propamocarb. Please note that when applying these fungicides, you must keep in mind the period it takes for the chemical property to be lost from the fruit. At the same time, consider that cucumbers are harvested no later than every other day, while fosetyl is the active substance that takes the least time to break down, which is as much as four days.
Powdery mildew
This is a fungal disease that develops at air temperatures up to 30°C, while humidity does not play a big role because the disease occurs most often at a relative humidity of 65 to 85%, but sometimes occurs at a level of only 20% relative humidity.
Powdery mildew can be recognized by the ashy coating that initially appears on the face of the leaf and later appears on the trunk. At the same time, the cucumber leaves turn yellow and become necrotic.
In order to prevent this disease, we recommend planting resistant hybrids or using products containing sulfur (we urge you to be careful with this preventive action, because handling sulfur in closed spaces can cause burns). At the time of disease occurrence, it is possible to apply fungicides whose active substances are fanarimol, myclobutanil, dinocap and tridimenol.
In addition to the mentioned diseases, a big threat to cucumbers is also a weed for which there is not a single herbicide registered in the Republic of Croatia. However, it is possible to use active substances such as quizalofop-p-ethyl, fluzifop-p-butyl, etc. When applying the mentioned substances, the weeds are sanitized before planting as well as after sowing, but before fruit sprouting.
However, the best protection against weeds is the application of black polyethylene film, which prevents the sprouting of weeds, as well as the cultivation of cucumbers with supports. If you do decide to use herbicides, as with diseases, it is important to keep in mind the time it takes for the active chemical compound to break down from the plant itself.
If we talk about pests, when growing cucumbers, the green peach aphid, California thrips, shield moth and leaf miners are the most important to take care of. These are insects that, in addition to cucumbers, initially attack tomatoes and peppers. However, since it is possible for these insects and small butterflies to attack cucumbers, the only remedy is spraying.
The use of cucumbers
As a rule, cucumber is primarily used for food purposes, but it is also used in medicine and cosmetics.
Cucumbers do not have a high vitamin value, but they contain vitamins C, B and the Beta-carotene complex. Nevertheless, it is rich in minerals, of which potassium accounts for the most, followed by phosphorus, calcium, sodium and iron. Zinc, manganese, copper and selenium can also be found in traces.
The caloric index of cucumber is extremely low, because even 97% of the fruit contains water, so 100 grams of cucumber has only 12 kcal.
Let’s note that cucumbers contain cucurbitacin, a compound that causes difficulties and spasms in the digestive system in some people.
Preparations
Medicine
Cucumber fruits, due to the high level of potassium they contain, help lower blood pressure and thereby reduce the possibility of a heart attack.
In addition, fresh cucumber extracts help calm inflammatory processes and relieve pain (especially used in the treatment of headaches).
The most famous use of cucumber in medicine and cosmetics is that they are used to hydrate the skin due to the high level of water they contain. For this reason, they are often used to reduce wrinkles and reduce the signs of aging.
Cookery
As a rule, cucumbers are used as a fresh product. Thermal processing is not necessary, but after washing and cleaning the peel, they can be consumed fresh. Some people season cucumbers with salt, but this is not advised as the cucumber will not wilt. The most important thing is to keep the cucumber in the refrigerator in order to keep them fresh until consumption.
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