Common Mistakes for Beginners in Cucumber Cultivation

Cucumber is a plant that is closely related to watermelon, winter melon, and cantaloupe. This plant is highly dependent on water to produce sweet, crisp fruits with a firm texture throughout. Cucumber is considered a difficult plant to cultivate from seed sowing, vegetative, and generative periods until harvest.

Learning from others’ mistakes when growing cucumbers takes a lot of time. Here are ways to avoid the most common mistakes in planting cucumbers.

1. Improper Seed Storage
Cucumber seeds can last up to five years. Seed age and storage method affect germination rates. Store seeds in an airtight container to prevent moisture. Store in a cool, dry place to maintain freshness. Check the seeds before planting. Cucumber seeds should be hard, smooth, and pale white. If they appear soft or moldy, discard them.

2. Starting Too Early
Cucumbers are a warm-season crop and are very sensitive to cold temperatures. Cucumbers grow quickly and mature in 50-70 days. Generally, late spring or early summer is the right time to start planting cucumbers.

Cucumber plants can thrive in hot or tropical climates. If planted in cold temperatures, it will result in delayed growth or may not grow at all.

3. Poor Soil Quality
Good soil for growing cucumbers is warm and fertile. In addition to having high soil fertility, cucumbers will grow best with a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
The ideal soil for preparing cucumber planting should be rich in organic matter to provide nutrients and maintain soil moisture. When preparing cucumber beds, mix in some organic materials, one of which is compost from household waste or well-composted manure.

4. Insufficient Sunlight
Cucumber plants are synonymous with warm plants that require direct sunlight. One of the early mistakes in planting cucumbers is sowing them in too shady areas. In bright weather, these plants should get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.

5. Insufficient Watering
Cucumbers are a fruit mostly composed of water, so it is important to ensure they get enough water to grow well. The ideal water to meet the watering needs of cucumber plants is 1 to 2 inches of water each week, but cucumbers that experience a lack of water will taste bitter and unpleasant. In addition, the fruit also grows stunted with a poor texture inside, while fruits that get enough water will taste sweet and crisp and have a firm texture throughout the fruit.

6. Improper Watering
In the process of watering cucumber plants, there is a right way and a wrong way. The right way to water properly is to ensure that the water penetrates the soil surface to reach the roots, where the plant roots function to absorb nutrients in the form of water. Watering the leaves will increase the humidity around the plant and create a perfect habitat for diseases and fungi to grow.

7. Crowded Plants
Thriving cucumber plants will grow upwards and outwards. If you plant cucumbers too close together, they will cover most of the land. Indirectly, it will block the sunlight that enters and as a result, the cucumber plants will compete with each other for sunlight, water, and soil nutrients.

There are two common ways for beginners to plant cucumbers: on raised hills so that they can grow in the soil or with trellises. Plants planted on hills should be placed so that each mound contains one plant and the plants are spaced 1 to 2 feet apart. Those planted on trellises can be spaced about 1 foot apart and will grow vertically.