How To Grow Hydroponic Cucumber
Generally Grown In
Dutch bucket
Perlite bags
Growing Medium
Rockwool cubes on Rockwool slabs
Trough systems
Seed Germination
Seeds germinate in 2 to 3 days
28° is the best temp. for germination, for seedling 25° is best
Avoid water and nutrient stress during seedling growth
Temperature Required
Best temperature 26.6 – 29.4°C (50 to 55°F)
Make sure air movement is good
Cucumber can withstand vary in temp. but within 30°C (56°F)
The nutrient solution temperature should not exceed 22°C (71.6°F)
Spacing Recommended for Cucumber Foliage Growth
Space between rows should be 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) with plants spaced 12 to 18 in. (30 to 45 cm) in the row
Maintain proper plant density, as high plant density can lower yield, size and is prone to disease infestation
Pruning of Cucumber Foliage
The cucumber plant can be trained to a support wire in four different configurations – canopy, vertical cordon, inclined cordon (V-cordon, V-training), and guernsey
V-cordon system of training European cucumbers
Umbrella pruning of cucumber
Pruning of cucumber foliage
Remove all the suckers that form between the leaves and stem on the main stem until the last few near the supporting cable as mentioned earlier, just pull them off by hand
The first seven to eight fruit should also be removed so that the plant can become vigorous enabling it to yield heavily later
Pruning of Cucumber Foliage
Be careful not to bend the growing tip of the plant too sharply as they can easily break
Cucumber suckers (side shoots) must be removed for training
1-inch long need to be removed from the plant up to 7 leaf axils to promote initial vegetative growth
Cucumber tendrils must be removed daily the suckers on the laterals will not grow when the fruit is forming
Foliage Care
Dead, diseased, or insect-damaged foliage should be removed as soon as identified
If your fruit load is too heavy, plant vigor is reduced, and maturing fruit may be stunted
Unmarketable fruit should be identified early and removed
The curvature of the fruit, known as “crooking,” can occur early in the fruit development stage, and such fruit should be removed from the Foliage
Foliage Care
Cucumber tastes bitter when the cucumber plant is under stress, similar to that causing crooking
Increasing too much EC can result in slow plant growth and poor fruit set
Pollination
Cucumbers are all female without any male flowers. For that reason, they do not form seeds. We, in fact, do not want any pollination of the female flowers or seed would form
Fruit Yield
Fruit yields can vary from a low of 2 fruits per plant per week to a high of 8 depending on light conditions
Fruit Harvest
20 to 40 fruit can be harvested per plant
Mature fruit will be ready for harvest normally within 2 weeks after your fruit is set
Post Harvest
The fruit must be shrink-wrapped in order to maintain its turgidity due to its thin skin fruit can lose water and get shrink
The fruit is best stored at 10 – 13°C (50 – 55°F) at 90 to 95% relative humidity with a shelf life from 10 to 14 days
Also Read: Nutrient Required for Hydroponic Cucumber
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