The owner of the garden always has a place for a small garden with cucumbers. The delicate taste of fresh or lightly salted home-grown crispy vegetables cannot be compared to the taste of store-bought vegetables. There are many ways to grow cucumbers. A cucumber trellis will help to increase the yield and simplify the care of the plant. This publication will introduce you to the options for using supports and methods of hand-made production.
Content
- 1 Trellis for cucumbers at their summer cottage: features of use
- 2 Benefits of growing cucumbers on a trellis in the open field and in a greenhouse
- 3 Trellis for cucumbers in the open field: methods of garters
- 3.1 Horizontal trellis for cucumbers in the open field: photo of the structure
- 3.2 Tying cucumbers to a support vertically: method description
- 3.3 Trellis net for cucumbers: features of a garter plant
- 3.4 Comfortable cucumber support net: material characteristics
- 3.5 How to install a grid for cucumbers: photo designs
- 4 Do-it-yourself cucumber trellis in the greenhouse: options for tying plants
- 5 Ways to create a trellis for cucumbers with your own hands: support options
Trellis for cucumbers at their summer cottage: features of use
Cucumbers are one of the most popular and popular vegetable crops. They are widely used both fresh and canned.
The cucumber belongs to the family of pumpkin crops and is able to grow up to 2 m in height, while clinging to everything that comes across with its antennae. Most gardeners do not pay attention to this feature, believing that it will be easier to care for the plant without a garter. In addition, it is believed that without support, the cucumber bush receives more moisture from the ground.
But cucumbers, which grow without a garter, try to find support for themselves, as a result of which they break and dry. In addition, they begin to cling to neighboring plants, affecting their growth and development. Since this vegetable crop is a liana, the use of a support is a prerequisite for the proper development of the plant. The garter of cucumbers allows you to give them the maximum amount of sunlight, which increases the number of ovaries and speeds up the ripening of the fruit. Therefore, the question of how to make a trellis for cucumbers becomes very relevant.
Useful advice! Using a tapestry for cucumbers with your own hands requires a minimum amount of space for beds in the open field or in a greenhouse. You can use these trellises for tomatoes, sweet peas and green peas, as well as for other climbing plants.
Benefits of growing cucumbers on a trellis in the open field and in a greenhouse
The use of a trellis structure provides plants with the maximum amount of light. Thanks to this, cucumbers will grow well and will certainly delight you with a bountiful harvest. In addition, under these conditions of development, vegetables have a uniform color.
Growing cucumbers using a trellis has other advantages:
- Using a trellis for cucumbers in a greenhouse or in an open space makes it possible to significantly save time, because the support will simplify the processes of planting, watering and feeding the plant. Water and fertilizer will immediately go straight to the roots, bypassing leaves and stems.
- Cucumber stalks will not break, as well as block from waterlogging. This will help prevent the appearance of fungal diseases that occur due to high humidity.
- The fruits will remain clean, because they will grow and ripen from above the soil.
- Harvesting cucumbers, which are grown in a trellis method, is as convenient as possible, since the bushes are clearly visible.
- When diseases or pests appear, it is much easier to process the plant from all sides.
- The trellis structure in combination with bright green plants will be able to decorate with its appearance any vegetable garden, suburban or personal plot.
You will have to spend a little time and materials to create a trellis for cucumbers in the open field or in a greenhouse, but in the future, such a support will simplify the care of plants.
The disadvantages of supporting structures can be considered financial and time costs. But the advantages of using a cucumber trellis cover these disadvantages.
Useful advice! In the spring, the soil under the garden with cucumbers must be treated with boiling water. Such actions allow to eliminate all bacteria that have not died from frost, and to activate the production of heat by manure and compost.
Trellis for cucumbers in the open field: methods of garters
Tying up cucumbers in open soil is especially important for the proper development of the plant, because:
- a bush tied to a trellis has longer branches on which more flowers are formed, which means more fruits are tied;
- a plant diseased with a fungus or infection sprouts healthy shoots upward, protecting them from disease;
- vertically tied bushes take up less space in the garden;
- it is more convenient to pick cucumbers: no need to bend over to the ground;
- the fruits do not curl, do not wrinkle, therefore, they have an excellent appearance and taste.
There are various ways to grow cucumbers on a trellis in the open field and in a greenhouse, but they all give excellent results.
Horizontal trellis for cucumbers in the open field: photo of the structure
This is the easiest option and is great for beginner gardeners. For such a garter, you will need two metal pipes or wooden columns. They should be placed along the edges of the garden bed. Between them you need to pull a strong twine, twine, wire or rope. The optimal distance between the taut rows should not exceed 25-30 cm.
Next, you should carefully pull out the sprouts of a young cucumber towards the bottom support and fix them on it. This support can be improved with vertical ropes, then the plant will grow more comfortably upward.
Useful advice! The horizontal garter of cucumbers has one single drawback: after reaching the top bar, the stems of the plant will go down and shade the bush itself. But this can be avoided by making the support high enough or by cutting off too long stems.
Tying cucumbers to a support vertically: method description
In this case, two supports must be placed on opposite edges of the bed, and at the very top between them you need to pull the rope. We tie fabric strips 2-3 cm wide along the entire length of the stretched cable and lower them down. Their number should be equal to the number of bushes that need support. We tie the bottom end of the fabric around the base of the cucumber.
As a result, the plant will independently cling to the support and stretch upward along it. This method makes it possible to arrange a large number of cucumber bushes in a small area. Instead of fabric strips, sticks are often used placed near each plant. You can also make a triangle of three supports, and between them pull the ropes and hang the support strips.
Trellis net for cucumbers: features of a garter plant
You can buy nets for such a cucumber trellis at any store. They quietly replace both vertical and horizontal garters. Climbing nets allow cucumbers to roam freely in the cells. In addition, mesh trellises can be arranged in any way: stretch between two posts, make the frame in the form of a triangle, rectangle, or arrange the beds on the site in another convenient way.
The trellis structure consists of support posts and mesh. The uprights can be made of metal pipes, timber bars, or concrete posts. Rope, hemp twine, or wire can be used to form the netting. Currently, a special plastic net for trellis is especially popular. This recognition is due to the ease of installation and the availability of material.
To install the structure, it is enough to buy a trellis for cucumbers in an online store and fix it with wire on the top of the posts. The lower edge of the support must be deepened into the ground and secured with special wire hooks.
Such a trellis is made and installed rather quickly and looks attractive. In addition, it is not difficult to make a trellis for tomatoes and cucumbers with your own hands.
Comfortable cucumber support net: material characteristics
Since cucumber is an unpretentious culture, even the cheapest plastic mesh is suitable for creating a trellis. The material looks like a fishing line made of durable polymer, which is difficult to break.
Polypropylene used for the production of nets for trellises is resistant to mechanical deformation and external influences. The material does not rot, and its service life under the influence of the sun is about seven years. The support grids are produced in standard green color.
The mesh of the mesh is quite large, 150-170 mm, and the edge is so thin that it is almost invisible visually. At the same time, the material is able to qualitatively support the cucumber stems with fruits. Such a net is suitable for growing not only cucumbers, but also other annual crops: tomatoes, zucchini, green and sweet peas, beans.
How to install a grid for cucumbers: photo designs
The technique of using a net for a cucumber trellis is simple:
- The material must be laid on the ground, folded in several layers. This must be done in such a way that the cells match.
- Seeds or seedlings are planted in the holes of the cells. Thanks to the grid, planting a bed evenly is not difficult.
- At the edges of the allotted area, columns are installed on which you need to fix the material as the seedlings grow.
- When the first shoots appear, the canvas is raised and fixed horizontally above the bed. There is no need to tie up the plants: the cucumber clings to the support with antennae.
- The canvas is lifted vertically and fixed at the desired level on the posts as the bushes grow. It is recommended to use special plastic cable ties for fixing.
When the cucumbers grow to fruiting, they will be securely fixed to the trellis. With sufficient watering, the bushes will give a bountiful harvest.
Do-it-yourself cucumber trellis in the greenhouse: options for tying plants
It is imperative to tie up cucumbers in the greenhouse, although many believe that the plants are reliably protected by the greenhouse material. Thanks to the garter, the cucumbers receive more sunlight, which is especially important in greenhouse conditions.
In addition, with the help of antennae, plants cling to each other and form glomeruli. Mold grows in these weaves, and the bushes begin to rot. You can avoid this by separating the plants. The garter allows the lateral branches to develop better, on which the female flowers are placed. This arrangement allows you to increase the yield of the bushes.
For garters in a greenhouse, the same methods are suitable as for plants outdoors: horizontal, vertical and with a net. The formation of plants in a combined way is no less effective.
The method of blinding cucumbers. Experienced gardeners believe that the plant should not grow uncontrollably in height and width. To do this, the main stem must be tied to a vertical support, and then all lateral shoots and tendrils must be removed that are above 50 cm from the soil. Thanks to this, the cucumber will direct all its forces to setting fruits on the main stem. The bush itself will hurt less and will not be able to block neighboring sprouts. You need to tie up the plant under the second leaf.
Related article:
Raspberry trellis: the optimal device for plant care
Features of growing a plant using a support. Design options, material selection. Step-by-step instructions for making with your own hands.
Method for polycarbonate greenhouses. A garter is applied to a vertical trellis with a height of about 2 m. The structure is attached to the side of the metal frame of the greenhouse. To make the support, you can use unnecessary fabric by cutting it into strips 2-4 cm wide. If the strips are not long enough, then this defect can be corrected by sewing individual parts or simply tying them. Such a tapestry is short-lived. Instead of fabric, you can take thin twigs. Cucumber bushes cling to them perfectly, but you will need to clear the support from knots, leaving only the main stem.
V-shaped garter. This option allows you to split the bush in two. From above, lower two twines and tie a cucumber at the base. After that, you need to direct the main and one large lateral shoot along the lowered twine and allow the plant to cling to them. This method prevents overgrowing of the base of the plant, which makes it less sick and receives the necessary amount of sunlight.
Ways to create a trellis for cucumbers with your own hands: support options
There are several options for making support structures with your own hands, used for growing cucumbers on a trellis in the ground or in a greenhouse.
Before proceeding directly to the process of installing the trellis with your own hands, you should decide on the appearance of the structure. Now you can create such trellises for cucumbers (the photos clearly demonstrate this), which will look like a tent, a curbstone, have a rectangular, square or mesh shape.
It is necessary to decide on the choice of materials from which the tapestry will be created in the future. The support can be made from natural wood, mesh or metal tubes.
Do-it-yourself metal trellis for cucumbers: photo of supports
To create a metal support, you will need certain tools and materials that must be prepared in advance:
- two metal pipes or poles, the length of which should be 2 m;
- one metal tube required for the crossbeam, a length equal to the length of the cucumber beds;
- metal stakes, their number depends on the size of the beds;
- roulette;
- twine or twine;
- knife;
- electric welding;
- electrodes;
- a hammer;
- shovel;
- steel wire.
The creation of a metal support for growing cucumbers consists of several basic steps.
First of all, it is necessary to dig two pillars into the ground at the edges of the cucumber bed. The burial depth of the support should be approximately 40 cm. This value makes it possible to guarantee the reliability and stability of the trellis. Gardeners recommend hitting the pole several times with a hammer to drive it securely into the soil. Next, you should fill the hole and carefully tamp the soil around it. After that, you need to fix the crossbar using electric welding.
Then you need to install a paired number of pegs at a distance of 15-20 cm on both sides of the bed. After that, we pull the twine or twine - they will be the reliable support along which the sprouts of the bushes will curl. We tie the end of the rope to the first peg. Next, we pull the twine vertically up to the crossbar, wrap it around and lower it vertically downward, tie it to the splitter on the other side of the bed.
We repeat the procedure until we have tied all the installed pegs. As a result, we get a trellis for cucumbers in the shape of the letter "L".
A self-made metal support has a significant drawback: it lends itself to rust. This can be corrected by covering the product in several layers with a high-quality primer or other anti-corrosion agent.
In addition, the disadvantages of this type of trellis include the inability to disassemble the structure at the end of the season. To move it to another part of the garden, you will have to dig out metal pipes, and after that you will need to re-dig the supports or columns into the ground.
Useful advice! Steel wire can be used instead of twine or twine. You need to fix it to the pegs and the crossbar. After the cucumber shoots are completely scattered around the trellis, it will look like a green tent or hut.
Trellis for growing cucumbers: wooden support
Creating a structure made of wood is considered the easiest way and is great even for novice gardeners who decide for the first time to grow cucumbers using a support.
To create such a trellis you will need:
- three bars about 2.7 m long;
- plank 5 m;
- steel wire;
- three wooden beams 0.8 m long;
- twine;
- hammer;
- nails;
- shovel.
To make a wooden trellis with your own hands, you must follow these steps:
- Prepare a place where wooden supports will be installed.
- Dig three holes 80 cm deep at a distance of about 2.5 m from each other.
- Wooden blocks must be inserted into the prepared holes and carefully bury them in the ground.
- After that, a crossbar must be nailed to the top of each bar so that the structure resembles the letter "T". There should be three such supports. They should be placed on the garden bed one after another.
- Further, all three structures must be connected in the middle. This will require nails and a long spacer bar.
- After that, with the help of nails, you need to pull the steel wire.
- Cut the twine into equal lengths (their length should be about 250 cm). We tie one end to the wire, and the other we tie the cucumber stalks.
The technique of growing fruit crops using trellises is very convenient and effective. Plants placed and fixed vertically take up significantly less space in the garden and rarely break.
Translated from French, the word "trellis" means "shoulder" or "support". At first, such supporting structures were used exclusively for decorative purposes for flowering crops. Over time, tapestries began to be used in agriculture. Photos of do-it-yourself trellis for peas, cucumbers, tomatoes and other crops can be found on the Internet with a detailed description of their creation.