How to feed cucumbers with urea?
Summer is the time for a good harvest, fresh vegetables and fruits. In order for the harvest to be large, and most importantly, tasty, it is necessary to properly nourish the plant throughout its ripening. It is worth talking about such a vegetable as a cucumber and how best to feed it with urea.
Features and composition
Urea is a chemical product that was obtained by mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide at high temperature. This composition is highly soluble in liquids. This fertilizer is used not only by gardeners who own large areas and large farms, but also by ordinary gardeners with several acres of land and vegetable gardens. The popularity of urea is quite simple to explain - effective and inexpensive. Another name is carbamide, which has also found its application in chewing gum.
As a fertilizer, this drug is used when the plant begins to lack nitrogen, because the composition includes 46% nitrogen. In our country, two types of urea "A" and "B" are produced. The composition under the letter "A" is used in industry, respectively, "B" - in agriculture. In appearance, the top dressing is represented by yellow-white granules, such storage can be short-lived. However, recently the drug began to be produced in tablets. It is a coated formulation that significantly increases its shelf life as well as ease of use.
Many are interested in the question of why urea is in such demand. A clear advantage is the acceleration of growth, like a person, a plant strengthens its immunity and the protein content increases, especially in cereals. Urea is good because it dissolves without a trace, while it conducts good prevention against diseases and pests. However, there are also disadvantages. The drug will not be "friendly" with fertilizers such as wood ash, lime, chalk, dolomite flour. As with all drugs, there is an overdose, and in this case, it threatens the death of the plant.
The fertilizer is quite highly acidic, which is why when a number of foreign elements are added to the soil, as well as to the plant, a lot of salts are introduced, which simply neutralize urea.
When is it needed?
It is worth considering in what period it is necessary to carry out fertilizer with urea and how often. Throughout the growth and ripening of the crop, it is necessary and possible to feed cucumbers only 5 times, the main thing is to do it in a timely manner.
It is worth dwelling on the main stages of fertilization for effective growth and ripening of fruits.
- The first stage is the direct tillage. It can be carried out in autumn or spring, when the soil is dug up. The principle of such a procedure is as follows: for one square meter it is necessary to use 10 g of dry granules, which are buried about 8 cm into the soil. If desired, the procedure can be divided into two times: the first time in autumn, the second in spring. There is another option for the procedure - when sowing. When it is planned to plant cucumbers, along with the seedlings, you need to put urea granules in the hole, but at the same time make sure that they do not touch each other.One such hole will require only 4 g of fertilizer, after which they are covered with soil, and cucumber seeds are placed on top.
- The next phase to be fed is the 2 true leaf phase. In this case, it is better to fertilize under the root of the vegetable. To do this, dilute 30 g of granules in 10 liters of water and water with the resulting solution, after which the plant begins to bear fruit. They should be fertilized as soon as the process has begun to occur. During this period, when cucumbers begin to pour, they need nitrogen and phosphorus more than ever, so it is important not to miss this period. To do this, as in the previous case, you need to take 30 g of urea and 10 liters of water, and add 20 g of potassium nitrate and 40 g of superphosphate. It is worth watering under the root, for 1 bush - 1 liter of solution.
- The final phase is mass fruiting. During this period, one can observe an increase in the consumption of nutrients from the soil. With a lack of vitamins, it is possible to lose the crop. To do this, you need to take 10 liters of water, dilute 15 g of urea in it and take 30 g of saltpeter as an additive. This solution is necessary to water the plant in order to get a good and beautiful harvest. Having understood at what time it is necessary to carry out the procedure for feeding plants, you should boldly get to work and make sure that everything is done in a timely manner, while you should not overdo it with additives.
How to make a solution?
The next important issue to consider is the principle of preparing the solution. The procedure is quite simple, you should read the instructions or use the advice below, and most importantly, it does not require much effort. To do this, take 20–30 g of urea and dilute them in 10 liters of water.To make it easier to calculate grams, you should use the following advice: 10–15 g of the drug will fit in a tablespoon, and 13–15 g in a matchbox. From this it follows that you need to take 2 tbsp. spoons or 2 boxes and diluted in water. It should be thoroughly mixed, despite the fact that the drug dissolves well in the liquid. When using these proportions and norms, an effective solution will be obtained.
How to contribute?
According to the method of feeding the plant, there are also several options. It is worth considering the most popular and effective ones, and you should start by fertilizing under the root system. The procedure for carrying out such a feeding principle was discussed in the previous section. It should be recalled that the first top dressing is required during the preparation of the soil for planting cucumbers, when digging the site. After that, carbamide should be applied at the time of sowing, while so that the granules do not come into contact with the seeds. The next application procedure is when leaves appear on the plant. Then comes the period of the first fruit and the full fruiting of cucumbers, when, more than ever, they need useful components.
Important: it is recommended to carry out the procedure in the morning or evening, when the air temperature does not reach its peak and can more actively affect the plant.
Another way to nourish the fruit is foliar. It is used in cases where the plant has a disease. This type of fertilizer will help cucumbers bear fruit longer, because nutrients enter the plant immediately through the leaves. Thus, you can significantly save the drug, because the solution will not fall into the soil, where useful components can absorb the weed.One of the main advantages is top dressing, regardless of the time of day and time of plant development.
Watering
Fertilizer can be added by watering in open ground. To do this, you need to take 10 liters of water and 5 tbsp. tablespoons of urea. Gardeners do not advise increasing the dosage if the plant is still very young, as this can adversely affect its condition and lead to death. Watering during rain and at lunchtime is not recommended, since the sun is active at this time.
The best time will be morning or evening.
spraying
Spraying is also one of the popular ways to fertilize cucumbers. It is used when growing in a greenhouse. Initially, it is recommended to spray the flowering vegetable. With normal patency of the process, there is no need to repeat the procedure, only cultivate the ground and leaves, but if signs of nitrogen deficiency are noticed, then the procedure should be repeated. To do this, take 10 liters of water and already 50 g of the drug. Both foliar and root fertilization will be effective at the same time. This is explained by the fact that normal feeding will need to be carried out at least every 14 days, which will entail a greater consumption of material and will not be as effective as with simultaneous fertilization. For the purity of the experiment, you can process one bush with two at once, and the second - with only one top dressing and observe the result.
Helpful Tips
Cucumber is the vegetable that is so popular in the summer. After all, there is nothing better than picking a fresh vegetable from the garden and preparing your favorite salad. Cucumbers can be consumed in any form, because 95% of this vegetable consists of water and it definitely will not harm the body. Plant nutrition cannot be refused.Without getting a certain amount of nutrients, it is impossible to harvest. If cucumbers lack nitrogen, then this is immediately noticeable by slow growth, lethargy of the vegetable and yellowing leaves. If such signs occur, one should, without hesitation, acquire urea and begin to fertilize the future crop.
Useful information will be about what you should not mix the drug with, so as not to make the plant worse. These include fluff, you should not use superphosphates, chalk and saltpeter. It is also worth observing the rules for storing this drug. Since it quickly and easily dissolves in moisture, it is worth storing it only in a dry place. When carrying out top dressing, you should not just pour it between the beds, as there is a risk of simply using a drug that will not bring benefits. After all, when carbamide reacts with the soil, carbon dioxide is formed, and after its combination with oxygen, ammonia occurs, which quickly evaporates.
It must be remembered that it is necessary to bury the fertilizer to a depth of 7–8 cm, and stop feeding when cucumbers bloom.
Growing cucumbers is a very simple procedure, as it might seem at first glance. The main task is to feed the plant with vitality and nutrients in time, which are necessary for rapid growth and a good harvest. Do not think that spraying and fertilizing will harm the crop. You need to understand that without fertilizers, the vegetable will simply die. Top dressing will allow you to harvest more than one crop, while giving the cucumbers a good presentation.
You will learn more about how to feed cucumbers with urea in the following video.