How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in an apartment in the winter: when and how to plant seedlings, fertilizing, transplanting and caring for grown plants

Eating fresh vegetables is very good for health. However, it is not always possible to go to the country and engage in the cultivation of cucumbers in the greenhouse.

The solution to this problem is - growing cucumbers on the windowsill in the winter in your own apartment! It is not at all as difficult as it seems at first glance.

Today we will tell you how to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in an apartment in winter?

Seed selection

Before you grow cucumbers at home on the windowsill, you need to choose the right seeds. They must meet the two most important criteria:

self-pollination;
short stature.

TO most suitable varieties for growing cucumbers at home on the windowsill include the following:

Natasha;
Masha;
Rodnichok;
Mazai;
Stella;
Thumb-boy;
Miracle on the window;
Ant.

Useful video with tips on choosing a variety and personal experience in growing some varieties on a windowsill:

Preparing for landing

Not bad to prepare the seeds before planting for the cultivation of cucumbers at home on the windowsill. To do this, they can dip potassium permanganate in a weak solution (pale pink), hold them there for 3 hours, then take them out.

You need to choose those seeds that have fallen to the bottom of the tank with potassium permanganate, and those that float on the surface are best thrown away, since their germination is very low.

The soil for seedlings can be purchased ready, and you can do it yourself. Shop the soil must meet the following requirements:

friability;
good air permeability;
pH (acidity) of at least 6.6;
good absorbability;
contain the necessary set of substances for comfortable growth.

For self-preparation of the soil you need to take two-fifths of the land from the nearest garden bed, one-fifth of humus, one part of peat, one part of river sand. All components are mixed and get a great soil for seedlings. You can also add fertilizer to it. For example, Agricola, Kemira, Azofoska.

Landing

Cucumbers can be planted both seasonally and at the beginning of the year in January.

For planting, except for the soil, you will need containers and plastic film, or plastic caps to cover the planted seeds.

How to plant cucumber seedlings on the windowsill:

We fill capacity with soil, given that the soil should not reach the edge of a glass or a centimeter pot by 2-3. At the bottom of the cups there must be a small hole.so that the water does not stagnate in order to avoid root rot.
Spread the seeds. You can put a few (2-4) in 1 container, but the distance between the seeds should be at least 2 cm.
We cover the seeds with soil.
Water the soil with seeds carefully.
In order to have a greenhouse effect, need to cover seedlings with polyethylene or plastic or glass caps.
Landing should clean in a warm place in the House.

How to grow cucumber seedlings at home on the window?

After the appearance of the first shoots, the material covering the seedlings must be removed, and to put seedlings on the lighted place in the apartment - window sillwhere there is most sunlight.

Watering is usually carried out every other day, using warm water. The main thing is not to pour cucumbers. Several times a week you should spray the seedlings with water from above using a spray bottle.

When to transplant cucumber seedlings on the windowsill? After the seedlings have two true leaves, you can begin to transplant them. The growing tank should have a large volume of at least five liters.. To save money, you can not buy pots, but simply cut off the bottom of a five-liter plastic bottle out of the water. Any containers must have holes in the bottom to drain excess water.

The dishes must be filled with the same soil that was used for planting seeds. Sprouts must be removed from the cups along with their soil and transplanted neatly into a new container.

Plant care after transplanting

Grown plants need tying and pinchingsince grow up in the form of liana. You can bind seedlings to a long stick stuck next to the ground, or you can do it in another way:

To pull a thin wire over the plants at a height of about one meter - one and a half meters. It depends on what maximum length the plant will reach. The maximum length is usually indicated on the bag of seeds.
Take thin twine and tie one end to the wire.
Pull the string down to the plant, carefully tie it up.
Raise the twine up again and tie the other end to the wire.

This binding provides greater safety to the plants and provides the best support for them.

That one main branch (liana) remained on the stem, its need to pinch. This is usually done when the main stem reaches full growth. In this case, the side shoots are removed, and the rest pinch over the ovary, leaving one or two leaves.

Grown plants should be watered once or twice a week.

The more cucumbers become, the more they need light, so with a lack of sunlight need to use lamps. The best fitolamp, but also suitable fluorescent. If the plants do not have enough light, then perhaps pulling seedlings of cucumbers on the windowsill.

Of great importance is also the humidity in the room. If the air is dry due to heating, you must use humidifiers, put a wet cloth on the battery. This will also benefit people themselves, since humid air is more beneficial to health.

Top dressing

For successful growth and development seedlings need fertilizer. Top dressing cucumber seedlings on the windowsill is usually carried out with urea. One tablespoon of urea per 5 liters of water is enough. Top dressing spend 10-14 days after sproutingthen a week later.

Once in two weeks, and after the appearance of fruits and more often, it is recommended to bring 1 tsp of Agrolife into the top layer of soil. You can use the fertilizer "Growth", dilute one cap in 2 liters of water. Every month it is useful to pour fresh biohumus into the pots.

IMPORTANT! An indicator of the need to increase the amount of fertilizer are yellowed leaves.

Cultivation to the final product

When the first fruits appear fertilize the soil at least once a week. It can be shredded eggshell, tea. Watering is necessary every few days.

Fruits need to collect every dayso that their transformations do not occur. With each plant with proper care and care, you can get from 10 to 20 cucumbers grown by your own hands.

For clarity, in the end we give a photo of the successful cultivation of cucumbers on the windowsill:

The taste of cucumbers, which you yourself have grown, becomes much brighter, and the appearance of a green fruiting liana on the windowsill improves your mood, especially in the cold early spring, when the snow does not even think to go.