Cucumber Plant Care: Everything You Need To Know

One of the easiest-to-grow indoor edible plants is the Cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus). You can easily grow the cucumber plant as a potted plant or in the ground. Cucumber is used as a pickle, in salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and many other culinary items. Moreover, these plants have a lot of health benefits as they are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and they help lower blood sugar.

Cucumber plant care is easy, and these plants love the warm weather. You can choose from the vining or bush-type varieties of cucumber for your garden. While climbing plants produce more fruits, the bushy varieties are more suitable for small gardens or containers.

In this guide, we have mentioned everything you need to know about cucumber plant care and different types of cucumber plants that you can grow these fruiting plants easily at home.

Types Of Cucumber

Cucumber plants are available in 2 main types –

• Slicing: These plants are long, thin, and aren’t firm enough. Some common varieties include Burpless and Armenian cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers grow up to 6 to 12 inches in length and are usually consumed raw.
• Pickling: Pickling cucumbers are comparatively short and firm. These cucumbers are best at about 4 inches in length and are more crisp and firm than slicing cucumbers.

Cucumber Plant Care

Planting

Choose a sunny location for your cucumber plant as they need 6-8 hours of daily sunlight. Cucumber is a sun-loving plant that thrives in warm conditions. Therefore, make sure they get enough sunlight to thrive and produce fruits.

Moreover, for the cucumber plant, choose a fertile soil that is mixed with organic compounds. The soil should be kept consistently moist and should have a pH from 6.0 to 7.5.

When to Plant Cucumbers?

The best time to plant cucumbers is late spring or early summer. However, it can vary based on your local climate. These plants are susceptible to frost damage, therefore, you need to wait at least 2 weeks from the last frost to start planting cucumber seeds in the ground.

However, you can start growing these plants at home in a container by providing bottom heat of not more than 70℉ (21℃). You can do so by placing the container on a heating pad or on top of a refrigerator.

Watering

For better cucumber plant care, water them regularly and keep the soil consistently moist. However, make sure not to overwater the plant. Since cucumbers are known to improve hydration and are made up of 95% water, they need regular watering throughout the growing season.

Water the base of the cucumber plant and avoid watering the leaves, as it can give rise to many fungal diseases, such as mildew. Watering in the morning can help it retain moisture for a longer time.

Soil

Use fertile and well-draining soil amended with compost. Make sure the soil has a layer of mulch and is consistently moist but not overwatered, as cucumbers hate sitting in water. Cucumber plants thrive in alkaline soil with a pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.5.

Sunlight

6 to 8 hours of daily direct sunlight is ideal for cucumber plants. For indoor plants, choose a sunny and warm location, or you can also use artificial light for your home-grown cucumber plants.

Fertilizing

Cucumbers growing in the garden do not require feeding as long as the soil quality is good. Container plants should be fertilized every 10-14 days using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. For better cucumber plant care, switch to a high-potassium fertilizer when the plant starts flowering, to encourage more fruiting.

Harvesting  

Cucumbers can be harvested within 55 to 60 days after germination. The fruits should be harvested when ready, if the fruits get bigger, they will start getting bitter. The right time to harvest the cucumber fruits is when they are green, firm, and crisp. Don’t try to pull the fruits as it can damage the vine; instead, use gardening shears or a pair of scissors to snip the stem from the top of the fruits.

The vines produce more fruit when harvested regularly. You can store the harvested fruits in a refrigerator for a week.

Common Problems With The Cucumber Plant

Cucumber plant care is easy, however, these plants are still susceptible to many plant problems, such as –

• Plant Diseases: Cucumbers can be affected by a variety of plant diseases, such as powdery mildew, mosaic virus, anthracnose, blossom end rot, and more. Even though disease-resistant varieties are available, better cucumber plant care can help you prevent such problems.
• Pests: Many common pests, such as aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, and beetles, can affect the cucumber plant. Therefore, for better cucumber plant care, regularly check your plants for any pest infestation and use organic neem spray to get rid of pests.
• Lack of Fruits: This isn’t caused by any disease, however, lack of pollination can result in poor fruit production. Incorporate more pollinator-friendly plants in your garden for that.

Benefits Of Cucumber Plants

Cucumber fruits offer several health benefits, such as –

• Nutrition & Hydration: Cucumbers are low in calories and high in water content, and they provide necessary nutrients like Vitamins A, K, and C. Moreover, cucumber plants are also rich in magnesium and potassium.
• Detox: Cucumbers also help in detoxification by aiding kidney functions and eliminating toxins and excess sodium from the body.
• Blood Sugar Control: These plants also help in managing blood sugar as they are low in calories and carbohydrates and high in fiber.
• Antioxidants: The antioxidant agents, such as beta-carotene and flavonoids, present in cucumber to protect cells from oxidative stress.
• Culinary Use: Due to their versatility, cucumbers are used in a variety of food items and can be eaten raw in salads, smoothies, pickles, and more.

Conclusion

Cucumber plants can be grown easily and have many uses and benefits. Therefore, one should definitely grow these plants at home. Even though cucumbers are associated with some common plant problems, with cucumber plant care, you can easily prevent those problems. So, make sure to add these plants to your list and improve your gardening skills. Download the Plantora App to learn more about such plants and their care routine.