Often excellent, strong cucumber seedlings magically stop growing after transplanting them into open ground. The sprouts just sit and do not think at all to release the next leaves or otherwise show signs of life. But, on the other hand, they are not going to die:
- cheerful green foliage;
- lack of yellowness and other discoloration;
- there are no parasites on the trunk.
Many summer residents have probably heard about such a problem. The question has been repeatedly raised on forums for gardeners, but "things are still there". Nothing changes: from year to year, amateur gardeners again face the same troubles.
Several years ago this trouble befell me. Of course, I went the same way: magazines, articles on the Internet, all kinds of forums. There was no result, although I tried many methods from folk to progressive modern ones using professional drugs that were supposed to give a boost to the growth of my cucumbers. At times it began to seem that the green bushes, stubbornly unwilling to grow in size, were doing it to my evil.
This lasted until one friend told me that cucumbers do not like the increased acidity of the soil. At home in the nursery, they sat in a different soil, so they grew very well and delighted their mistress. Then I transplanted them and did not take into account that the soil in the garden is much sour. And the cucumbers noticed it and flatly refused to grow.
A lot of fertilizers applied over the years of gardening have spoiled the soil. Many people use nitrogenous preparations to increase yields, but in the end it turned out that the plants did not want to reproduce and multiply in the acidic soil.
To help the soil, I had to add chalk to the beds. Of course, it is more convenient to do this in the fall, when there is nothing in the garden. But if the trouble is caught by surprise, do not worry. I started resuscitation in May. Chalk does not harm plantings, it is rather a matter of convenience for you. Sprinkle acidity neutralizer under each bush, and then gently water it - laborious.
It is much more convenient (and easier to calculate the dosage) to make a solution and water the bushes with the finished mixture. It is done like this:
Pour 200 grams of chalk (powder, otherwise you will not stir) into a 10 liter bucket of water and shake. It turns out muddy water, which will become the salvation of our cucumbers.
The solution should be allowed to stand for about half an hour or an hour. Then mix again and pour in a ladle under the root. One bush needs half a liter of liquid with top dressing. It should be borne in mind that it is not recommended to combine chalk with other fertilizers. The effect will be lost.
If there is a need to introduce other trace elements, then it is worth waiting up to five days and starting to feed the plants with other substances. This situation clearly shows that any situation can be corrected if you get to the bottom of the truth and find out the reason for what is happening. Removing it, we will get a crop to the envy of all neighbors.
If you have such a problem and cucumbers grow poorly, you need to remember that acidic soil is their enemy. It is advisable to prepare the bed in the fall, adding chalk to it. By the way, if for some reason there is no possibility or desire to use a chalk talker, then dolomite flour can be added to the soil.
On the question of purchasing chalk: you can easily buy it in shops for gardeners and gardeners. It is not recommended to use building chalk, as it may contain impurities of a different nature that are invisible at first glance, but have an adverse effect on plants.
