23 steps on how to grow cucumbers in Nigeria

On this post we are going to look at the 23 steps on how to grow cucumbers in Nigeria. Without been told cucumbers are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures. Cucumbers really grow best when given full sunlight in their growing process.

Cucumbers plants really need sunlight as a source of nutrition. If there is stable sunlight it will ensure consistent warm soil, this is what the cucumber seeds need in order to germinate. If you are selecting a site make sure you consider the temperature.

The following are the steps for cultivating Cucumber;

       1. Start by clearing the land and remove the entire weed before you plant the cucumbers. To get the best results you can pull the weeds up with your hand, make sure you pull up as much of the root as possible.

       2. Make sure you avoid the use of herbicides. The use of herbicides can make the soil inapt for plant growth.

       3. Make sure you fertilize the soil before you begin to plant the cucumbers.

       4. You have to loose the soil by mixing the fertilizers more thoroughly, this will also create an ideal conditions for the cucumbers for root penetration.

        5. Actually rich compose or decay manures are really the best fertilizers to use for cucumber plants.

       6.Make sure that the pH of the soil is balanced (if possible, the pH of the soil need to be fairly neutral-slightly alkaline, i.e., pH level close to 7.0)

       7. Make sure you avoid excessively sandy soil, since the cucumber plants will struggle to survive in it.

       8. Actually one of the best soils to grow cucumbers is loose, light, and sandy soil, because these soils get warmer quicker and they stay warm more easily.

       9. Try and choose the best variety for your garden.

      10. Cucumbers plants actually have a very fragile root systems, it is preferable to plant the cucumbers seeds in the garden directly than transplanting them.

       11. Make sure you moisten the soil if it is dry, before planting the cucumbers.

      12. The seeds of the cucumbers need to be push slightly into the soil about 1 inch into the top of the soil.

      13. Make sure the plantings are about 45.72 to 92.44 cm apart, whether you are planting the seeds or seedlings.

       14. Under normal conditions Cucumbers plants require support to grow, most especially vine varieties, you can use trellis/cage trellis, stake, fence, or any other vertical structure after planting the cucumbers seed to support their growth.

       15. Make sure you direct the vines on the cage trellis as they grow.

        16. You have to mulch as soon as the seedlings sprout up.

       17. Actually dark mulch is really very good at keeping the soil warm and moist.

       18. Don’t forget that Cucumbers plants require plenty of moisture, which means you need to water the plants deeply and regularly.

      19. You can apply placid liquid fertilizer (if possible, organic fertilizers) every 2 weeks.

      20.  Make sure you don’t over fertilize the plants.

      21. You can shield the cucumbers plants away from animals by using netting and fence, this is very vital during their early stages of growth but remove netting once the cucumbers plants get too tall.

      22. Try as much as possible to prevent pests (white flies, cucumber beetles, spider mites, aphids) and diseases (mosaic viruses, anthracnose, Bacterial wilt, downy and powdery mildew) from invading your garden by using organic insecticide or fungicide.

      23. You can harvest the cucumbers when it is ready.