How to Grow Lebanese Cucumber?

It is used worldwide, either fresh, pickled or as an ingredient in many other dishes. Cucumber has a stunning place within the summer garden. Although they have a good amount of affection and tenderness they reward the grower with beautiful fruit. Homegrown cucumber is usually a small amount of knobbly and will not be as perfect because the shop bought, but they create up for that in their taste and texture. There are many cultivated varieties are available in the market, each has its own growing characteristics.

One of these varieties is Lebanese cucumber which had thin skins and sweet flavor which make the Lebanese cucumber a desirable variety for home gardeners and salad lovers. While open-pollinated species Beit Alpha grows effectively within the garden, the hybrid sultan is resistant to disease, vigorous in growth and productive in nature. These warm weather, tender annuals are easy to grow in an exceedingly fertile and moist garden.

Here in this article, I will tell you about how to cultivate Lebanese cucumber in your home garden?

Steps to grow Lebanese cucumber:

Here I will tell you step by step about the cultivation of cucumber.

Site selection:

They are often a touch fussy about the position. In cool zones, they love nothing quite a full sunspot. However, in areas with hot summers a touch tenderness and shade will encourage your cucumber growth. You will be able to grow cucumber actually in 30-50% lamp shade in places where the air is warm. A simple shade covering will temporarily or more permanently protect the plants from the scorching sunlight still as reducing the chance of scarring the fruit. It may need the additional benefit of protecting your plants from pests too.

Another thing to thought about the cucumber is that they are essentially vines and they have to climb. Select the right place that has enough sunlight and also aided them with support. Fences and trellis do fine as do wire supports. Alternatively, you will be able to use sweet corn as a living stake for cucumbers. It makes the foremost of the space in your patch and maybe a sustainable solution for staking. This will work best where there is good airflow and both of them are excellent companions.

Soil selection:

Good soil preparation is equally important, cucumber needs loose friable, well-drained soil which also filled with organic matter especially compost. Plant in a very mound about 40cm across with two cucumbers to every mound. This acts to boost up the drainage. Add a decent straw mulch to assist and keep the roots cool by preventing the soil drying out and stop the fruit inherit contact with the bottom by helping forestall fungal diseases.

Proper spacing:

Lebanese cucumbers sprawl across the garden, with vines that grow 6 feet or more long. To contain the vigorous vines, a trellis placed on the side of the garden, where it would not shade the opposite fruits and vegetables allows the cucumber vines to mature rather than out. A trellis also allows air circulation, which reduces diseases like mildew and scab.

Space mounds or raised rows 3-6 ft apart when planting seeds or transplanting seedlings. Plant 3-6 seeds in each mound, place one seed every 2 inches in rows. Use scissors to snip the surplus seedlings that the cucumber plants in rows are spaced between 8 and 15 inches apart and only 2-3 seedlings are left on each mound.

Enriched the soil:

A garden enriched with compost provides a loose, rich, fertile soil suitable for cucumbers. By digging in 3-4 inches of compost and raking the soil into mounds or raised rows before planting the seeds or transplants, the plants have the fertile, well-drained soils needed to thrive and produce fruits. Still feed the plants with compost tea, applying a cup to every plant period of time after germination and when flowers appear. Add a shovelful of additional compost around each plant when the primary fruits set.

Alternatively, thoroughly mix a 5-10-10 fertilizer into the soil to a depth of 3-6 inches, at a rate of ¼ cup of fertilizer for every plant or mound before planting seeds or transplanting seedlings. Every six weeks, lightly scratch 2 tablespoons of fertilizer into the soil around the base of every plant. By leaving 3 inches from the stems. Water it thoroughly after fertilizing the cucumber plants.

Apply Irrigation:

Lebanese cucumber presents a convincing argument for drip irrigation and rainwater tanks, they are thirsty. Installing drip irrigation in your produce patch must always be considered but it is almost a necessity with cucumbers. Drippers on top of the soil, under a pleasant 5cm-7cm layer of mulch and directed around the base of your plant should be ideal. It puts the water exactly where it is needed the roots.

Cucumbers do not respond well to other methods of watering as they are vulnerable to fungal diseases if their foliage is wet. Do not allow them to dry out either otherwise you may find yourself with bitter or dry fruit. If you need to hand watering the cucumber, ensure you are doing it very first thing within the morning ensuring that you are aiming mainly at the basis of the root zone of the plant by avoiding the foliage.

Maintaining optimum conditions:

Always planting the seed, wait until the soil temperature is above 60^o. Cucumber germinates quickly in warm, moist soil, appearing above the soil in exactly 3 days when soil temperatures are between 80-90^oF.

While cucumbers thrive in an exceedingly warm, sunny garden, when temperatures rise above 90^oF even mild-flavored Lebanese varieties may become bitter. Cucumbers contain a bitter-tasting chemical compound. When under stress from excessive heat, cold or lack of water, the fruits produce more cucurbitaceous.

If night temperatures drop below 65^oF, protect the cucumber plants with row covers. In hot climates, plant the cucumber vines where they receive dappled afternoon shade or protect them from the afternoon sun with shade cloth or white sheets suspended on bamboo poles.

Pests and rest:

They are prone to fungal infections. Prevention is always better than a sure so clean straw mulch, drip irrigation, good air movement, a trellis or support, and root level or early morning watering should deter fungal spores.

Pollination:

Another issue faces by the cucumber is the lack of bee activity to pollinate the flowers. Encourage bees into your patch by planting a various selection of flowering companion plants, edible and non-edible. This may hopefully reduce the utilization of unnecessary pesticides within the garden that usually wipe out the great guys moreover because of the bad. You will hand pollinate your cucumbers if you are concerned, simply pick a male flower and touch it lightly onto the center stem of the feminine flower.

Harvesting:

The variety of cucumber you chose will determine when it is able to pick and a number of varieties that have multiple uses. Prefer to pick the long, green cucumbers after they are about 5-10 cm long. Alternatively, these may be left on the plant and picked after they are 15- 20 cm for tasty salad cucumbers. The round apple-shaped cucumbers are best picked after they are about ball size. Cucumbers generally take about 8-10 weeks to ripen, stretching dead set 12-14 weeks for apple cucumber. Always prefer to monitor your vines regularly, it is better to reap when cucumbers are under-ripe instead of overripe.

When harvesting its best to not pull the fruit off the vine. Pulling them off can snap the vine in half and seriously jeopardize the remainder of your crop. Cut the cucumbers off with a pointy pair of unpolluted scissors or secateurs, ensuring you permit a small amount of stem attached to the fruit.

Hopefully, now you get a complete guide about growing Lebanese cucumber to grow your own fresh cucumber.

Like This Article? Pin it on Pinterest