Greenhouse cucumbers often live in “resort” conditions and begin to “fat” due to excess nutrients. This manifests itself in thick, fleshy leaves and shoots, while there is almost no strength left for the fruits. To correct this situation, it is important to carry out the molding correctly – an expert from the Zen channel “Garden Cribs” spoke about typical mistakes.
Mistake #1: Leaving leaves below the first ovary
In an adult greenhouse bush, the lower leaves are an extra burden. They have already given away all available resources, do not receive light and oxygen, and consume a lot of nutrients and moisture.
In several passes, it is necessary to remove everything below the first ovary so that the plant does not experience sudden stress. Then, instead of supporting the lower leaves, the bush will actively plant ovaries higher.
Mistake #2: Letting side shoots run their course
Side shoots grow in the shortest possible time, creating real impenetrable thickets. In this case, in ordinary varieties with a couple of cucumbers from the axil, the side shoots need to be pinched above the first leaf, leaving one leaf that feeds the plant.
In bunch varieties with 5-7 ovaries in the axil, lateral shoots are launched above the second leaf, without hard pruning.
Mistake #3: Being lazy to harvest the crop right away
When cucumbers become overripe, this is a signal for the plant to stop growing. Established ovaries begin to crumble, new ones are practically not deposited. In a greenhouse, even one yellowed overgrowth begins to stop the entire bush. Therefore, you need to harvest every other day, and once the bush has actively bear fruit, every day.
