Requirements for Ecological conditions of pollution-free Cucumber Roots

Cucumber originated in subtropical rain forest (Himalayan region of northwest India), growing in warm climate, loose soil, abundant nutrients, wet water enough environment, forming a weak and premature, productive habits. Therefore, in order to achieve high yield, high quality and high efficiency, cucumber should be cultivated and managed according to its living habits.

Cucumber is a shallow-rooted vegetable, its roots like wet and fear waterlogging (good gas), poor drought tolerance, like temperature and fear cold, like fertilizer but not tolerant and weak fertilizer absorption ability.

(1) Moisture: Cucumber roots are wet and afraid of drought, and the appropriate soil moisture is required to be 60%~90%. Especially in the fruiting period, a large amount of water should be supplied (soil humidity 80%~90% is appropriate) to meet the needs of large growth and vigorous transpiration of fruits and branches; drought and water shortage not only affect the absorption of water and fertilizer by roots, but also affect transpiration and photosynthesis, so that plants prematurely age, obviously affect fruit expansion, easy to bear pointed melon, big belly melon, thin waist melon and other abnormal melon. Cucumber is a shallow root crop, showing the characteristics of good gas and fear of waterlogging. Organic fertilizer should be added to improve soil permeability. Planting should be shallow not deep, watering principle to master small water frequently irrigation, avoid flood irrigation, prevent retting roots. Seedbed soil too wet coupled with low ground temperature, easy to occur cold root or damping-off disease.

(2) Temperature: cucumber roots like temperature and fear cold, the appropriate ground temperature is 15~32℃, and the optimal ground temperature is 20~25℃. Root growth stops below 8℃ and root hairs do not occur below 12℃. Therefore, when planting cucumber in winter and spring, the ground temperature of 10 cm should be kept stable above 14℃. Summer and autumn high temperature season should be watered in the evening to reduce the surface temperature.

(3) Nutrients: Cucumber grows fast, branches and leaves are luxuriant, melon is early and many, needs a lot of nutrients, and shows the characteristics of fertility. However, its root system has weak ability to absorb fertilizer and poor ability to tolerate fertilizer. A large amount of quick-acting fertilizer will cause fertilizer damage, light one will induce trace element deficiency, and heavy one will cause "root burn". In order to meet the nutrient demand of cucumber, organic fertilizer should be applied more and more, and a small amount of quick-acting fertilizer should be applied many times, combined with foliar topdressing.

Cucumber root system cork early, regeneration ability is poor, after cutting roots is not easy to re-grow new roots. Therefore, in seedling, transplantation, planting, cultivation to avoid or reduce root injury. Nutritional pots (paper bags, plastic bags, plastic pots, etc.) should be used in production.