If you want to harvest cucumbers, you have to water the plants regularly. Although watering sounds easy, watering errors are one of the most common causes of poor cucumber harvests. In order to enjoy ripe and he althy fruits, you should follow these cucumber watering tips.
How often and when should you water cucumbers?
For a successful cucumber harvest, cucumber seedlings should be sprayed with lukewarm rainwater twice a week. Once young plants are established in the garden or greenhouse, water them 2 to 4 times per week, ideally early in the morning or at night, to reduce water use and evaporation.
How does the amount of water depend?
It is always noticeable that there are vegetables that are more thirsty than others. Depending on how deeply the different vegetables are rooted in the soil, there are three groups:
- Shallow-rooted
- Medium deep roots
- Deeproots
Shallow roots dry out quickly in the upper soil layers and want more water. Like peppers, cucumbers are medium-deep rooters. They reach up to 40 centimeters into the ground. Depending on the growth phase and temperature, they can cope with average watering. Deep-rooted plants, on the other hand, can grow up to 70 centimeters deep and need a lot of water.
Water correctly depending on the growth phase
Spray cucumber seedlings on the windowsill with lukewarm rainwater twice a week. As soon as the first leaves follow the cotyledons, it is time to plant the young cucumbers in the greenhouse or garden. These young plants are more thirsty.
The average is between 2 and 4 watering times per week. In summer heat, water the soil sufficiently. But beware! The roots must not get too wet otherwise they will rot.
Watering cucumbers – this is how to do it more economically and effectively
- Watering early in the morning or at night noticeably reduces water consumption because less irrigation water evaporates.
- Loosening the soil once is better than watering twice.
- If you install an irrigation system (€74.00 on Amazon) in the greenhouse, you save half the water.
- Use the forecast, because every heavy downpour replaces watering.
- Watering too much promotes cucumber diseases and fungal infestation.
Tips & Tricks
Cucumbers are sensitive to s alt. Therefore use low-s alt, lime-free water. Don't water the plants, just the soil so that the leaves don't rot.
