by This is what novice gardeners usually encounter: seedlings have cotyledon leaves or they have grown a little, but the real ones are just “hatching”, while the stems are already disproportionately tall and thin. In the worst case, the sprouts lie on the ground.
Growing cucumbers from seedlings is a common, but not the most popular way to cultivate this type of plant. The reason is that its root system does not tolerate transshipment very well, and picking is completely contraindicated for it. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to sow cucumbers directly into the ground. But in order to speed up the harvest or get it at home, the seedling method of growing cucumbers is also used. If you sow the seeds too early or do not meet some other conditions, the shoots risk stretching out or even “falling”. So, what factors influence the fact that seedlings grow long, crooked, thin and leaning?
Lack of lighting
Most often, the stretching and falling of seedlings is associated with this. Everything depends on the intensity of natural light. If there is not enough of it, the shoots begin to reach for the light, as a result of which they bend and stretch. Most often, the bending occurs in the direction of the light source. Premature sowing of seeds aggravates the situation. To solve the problem, illuminate the shoots with a phytolamp for 2-3 hours in the morning and evening.
Being in a draft
When airing the room, it is better to remove seedlings from windowsills and designated areas on the balcony. Fragile seedlings may not be able to withstand the flow of cold air and will simply fall over without even having time to stretch out.
If you suddenly notice that the seedlings are withering after being near an open window, try watering them with one of the growth stimulants – Zircon, KorneStim, Kornevin or Epin according to the instructions for soaking seeds.
Heat
If your seedlings are in a too warm room, this stimulates the growth of their above-ground part. And since the root system in this case develops much more slowly and feeds the sprout worse, the shoots do not have time to grow leaves as quickly. While the stem continues to stretch. The same thing happens if the temperature conditions during the day and night do not differ.
To stop the sprouts from stretching, provide them with a night temperature 4-5°C lower than the daytime temperature. This can be done, for example, by moving the containers to a glazed balcony in the evening and returning them to their place in the morning. If the temperature on the balcony is not yet high enough to keep cucumber seedlings there, the sprouts can be carefully covered with film.
Two weeks before planting in the ground, seedlings need to be hardened off by taking them out into the open air and leaving them there for several hours.
Excess watering
Excessive watering, especially in combination with the already mentioned high temperature, creates excellent conditions for cucumber seedlings and other crops, stimulating their disproportionately rapid growth. In this situation, watering should be temporarily stopped, if possible, adding soil to the containers. Or, as a last resort, transplant the seedlings into separate larger pots using the transshipment method. It is also necessary to ensure a difference in day and night temperatures, as mentioned above.
In the future, regulated watering will help to avoid such a turn of events. Immediately after sowing in moist soil, the container should be covered with a film and not removed until shoots appear. But once a day, the container should be opened for half an hour to air the future seedlings. In this case, the moisture from the container does not disappear anywhere, periodically settling on the walls and film in the form of water drops and returning to the soil again.
After removing the film, it is best to moisten the shoots with water at room temperature from a spray bottle as the soil dries. And to prevent a crust from forming on its surface, lightly loosen the soil with the tip of a toothpick.
Improper feeding
The growth of the above-ground part of the plant is also greatly influenced by the application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers. Therefore, experts recommend soaking seeds before sowing in a solution of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (for example, liquid vermicompost or potassium humate), as well as those fertilizers that contain no more nitrogen than potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers can be used only after two true leaves have appeared.
If the seedlings have stretched out after nitrogen fertilization, you need to bring their growing conditions closer to natural ones by adjusting watering and temperature, and do not add nitrogen until the seedlings are transplanted into the soil.
Growing in a confined space
If seedlings grow in a common container, then over time they become short of space, and they begin to “compete” for it, trying to outgrow each other in growth. Seedlings can also stretch out when grown in too tight a container. In this case, they will have to be transplanted into separate larger containers, using, as we have already said, the transshipment method.
Sometimes the seedlings begin to stretch after several true leaves have appeared. In this case, you need to carefully tear off one of them – the lower one. This will cause stress to the seedling and slow down its growth.
In most cases, elongated cucumber seedlings can be saved, while lodged ones can’t always be saved. But it’s best to strictly follow the growing rules so that you don’t have to correct anything later.
