Cucumber Urea: Can You Water It For Feeding? How To Feed Properly In The Open Field And In The Greenhouse? How To Dilute Urea For Foliar Feeding?

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Cucumbers are very demanding on the quality of the soil, they need fertile soil and balanced fertilizing. Nitrogen is especially important for this crop: in conditions of its deficiency, the lashes stop in growth and development and begin to fade, in such a situation there is no need to wait for a good harvest. The best source of this mineral is urea.

Why do you need it?

Nitrogen is essential for the growth and development of any crop . On soils with a scanty content of this microelement, the cultivation of agricultural plants is impossible. That is why gardeners and gardeners everywhere use urea (carbamide), which 47% nitrogen.

In Russia, this fertilizer is produced in two types - "A" and "B". The first marking is used in industry, for agricultural needs the compositions of group "B" are suitable. It is produced in the form of small granules of light yellow color. Some manufacturers offer urea in tablet form - in this form, the drug is conveniently dosed, and the presence of a shell prevents premature evaporation of nitrogen.

The benefits of urea as a nutritious food for cucumber seedlings are obvious:

• contains nitrogen of increased concentration;
• improves the growth and build-up of the vegetative mass of any horticultural crops;
• within 40-48 hours after top dressing, the foliage acquires a rich green color;
• does not lead to burns of sheet plates;
• the bulk of urea quickly decomposes in the ground, therefore it does not lead to the accumulation of nitrates;
• gives a good effect on the control of garden pests and fungi.

In addition, such a drug is sold at an affordable price, and you can buy it in every specialized store.

Cucumbers are fertilized with urea in open areas and in greenhouses . Top dressing helps to increase immunity and normalize metabolic processes. The greatest effect can be achieved when used in combination with superphosphate.

However, urea also has its drawbacks:

• if the substrate is alkaline , then the introduction of nitrogen fertilization will not give a visible effect, since the carbonates present in the soil will neutralize the active components;
• with some drugs urea cannot be combined;
• when using urea the manufacturer's instructions must be followed exactly - if the permissible dosage is exceeded, instead of the promised increase in green mass, the seedlings stop their development;
• in light sandy soils nutrients sink very quickly from where the roots of plants cannot take them.

Soil bacteria have the ability to decompose urea with the release of gaseous ammonium carbonate. Therefore, the surface application of granules has absolutely no effect. The fertilizer must be buried in the substrate so that the carbonic acid salts do not erode.

Signs of nitrogen deficiency in plants

The lack of nitrogen nutrition can be very quickly and easily determined by the state of the leafy part of the cucumber bush:

• seedlings begin to wither, wither and stop in development;
• the growth of new lashes slows down;
• the cells turn yellow, the stems brighten, and at the stage of active vegetation, the fruits begin to fall off;
• weakened green mass leads to inhibition of the formation of ovaries, respectively, the number of fruits decreases and their growth is delayed;
• cucumbers are light green;
• the growth of lateral shoots completely stops.

The appearance of these symptoms indicates the need for nitrogenous fertilizing. If you do not fertilize the bushes in a timely manner, then the yield will be very low.

Fertilization timing

Nitrogen fertilizers are applied several times: during the seedling period, during flowering and fruiting; the need for processing also arises in case of wilting of the bush. When feeding a cucumber garden with urea, it will be useful to take into account the following recommendations.

• It is necessary to dig up the soil before planting crops 10-14 days before planting cucumber seeds … During this period, urea is added to the ground at the rate of 10 g of fertilizer for each square meter of the plot.
• If this has not been done, then you can add urea directly to the planting holes . At the same time, direct contact of seedlings with carbamide granules should not be allowed - this can cause a delay in the germination of seed material. In this case, 4 g of the preparation is placed in each hole, then sprinkled with garden soil a little, and only after that the seed is laid.

Urea plays an important role in the nutritional process of a young plant, therefore, caring for a crop requires a set of agrotechnical measures

• After the appearance of the first leaves on seedlings, it is better to switch to liquid fertilizing with nitrogen - for this, 30 g of urea is dissolved in a bucket of water.
• With the seedling method of growing For cucumber crops, feeding should be carried out 2 weeks after planting in open ground, when the seedlings adapt to new conditions and grow.
• Third time urea is introduced at the very beginning of flowering, so you can form a good reserve for the future harvest.
• When making the first fruits it is important to strengthen the stems so that they can hold the growing greens. To do this, prepare a top dressing composed of 40 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium nitrate and 15 g of urea.
• It is very important to maintain plants with abundant fruiting … At this time, 10 g of carbamide and 35 g of potassium nitrate are diluted in a bucket of water. The resulting solution is poured over a cucumber bed, it is best to carry out such a treatment in the early morning or evening.

How to prepare the solution?

Urea can be used dry or diluted . Granules dissolve well in a wide variety of liquids, including water. To prepare a liquid nutrient solution, urea is diluted with water - the proportions directly depend on the feeding technique.

Typically, the manufacturer indicates the dosage in grams. In the absence of a measuring spoon, it should be noted that 1 tbsp. l. includes 10 g of the drug, 1 glass - 130 g.

For watering

Root feeding is carried out with a liquid solution of urea by introducing it under the stem of the plant.

To fertilize growing cucumber seedlings, you need to make a solution in the following dosage:

• urea - 15 g;
• superphosphate - 60 g;
• water - 10 liters.

This composition is poured under the root of the plant, always after high-quality irrigation. It is advisable to perform all manipulations in cloudy weather.

For processing greenhouse crops, a different composition is used:

• urea - 15g;
• superphosphate - 20 g;
• potassium chloride - 15 g;
• water - 10 liters.

It is known that urea has the ability to protect garden crops from aphids, weevils, as well as copperhead and some other pests. To prepare a protective composition, 500-700 g of granules are dissolved in a bucket of water and the diseased bushes are sprayed with the resulting liquid. The same drug has a high effect in the fight against late blight, root rot and scab.

For foliar dressing

Foliar dressing is highly effective, especially if the leaves and ovaries have begun to fall off . Plants use this method of support in cold or dry weather - under these conditions, the ability of the root system to absorb nutrients from the substrate is weakened. To save the situation, recharge through the stems and leaf plates by spraying them allows.

The use of foliar dressings for cucumber culture is very important:

• prolongs the fruiting period of cucumbers;
• leaves absorb nitrogen instantly, so food comes to them much faster than when watering;
• spot application of the composition does not allow feeding weeds growing nearby.

This method is especially effective during the fruiting of vegetable crops, as well as when cucumber seedlings are affected by fungal infections and insects. Spraying with urea sharply increases the immunity of a vegetable crop and its resistance to adverse external influences.

Experienced gardeners use several recipes for foliar feed when caring for cucumbers

• Dissolve 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. urea - this composition stimulates the rejuvenation of the green mass, the growth of new lashes, and also prolongs the fruiting time.
• Dissolve 1 tbsp in a bucket of water. l. urea and 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate … Such feeding enhances flowering and ovary formation.
• A good effect is given by feeding with urea at the rate of 2 tbsp. l . on a bucket of water mixed with a glass of ash. This provides the culture with all the microelements necessary for the formation of fruits. The same composition can be sprayed on the plant at the first sign of fungal infections.

When using foliar dressing, it is important to adhere to the following rules

• Do not exceed the fertilization dose . Some gardeners want to achieve maximum results in one spraying. However, exceeding the dose of urea can simply burn the leaves and stems.
• When processing young bushes the concentration of the active substance is halved.
• Spraying should be carried out in the evenings, early in the morning or in cloudy weather, when there is no active sun.
• It is not recommended to spray before rain , as its drops will wash away all the nutrients.
• For optimum effect, spraying with urea alternate with the introduction of organic fertilizers (manure, humus) .

If possible, try to isolate one control plant in the garden. On it, you can test all fertilizing compositions and observe its reaction.

Application rules

In the greenhouse

The use of urea in greenhouses requires utmost care and strict compliance with the manufacturer's specified application rates . The fact is that an oversupply of fertilizers is always bad for a plant. But in the open field during irrigation and rains, part of the mineral fertilizers goes deep into the ground, and the concentration of the active drug decreases. In greenhouses, the excess of trace elements will not go anywhere, therefore, exceeding the recommended dosages of urea, instead of the expected growth of the green mass, often leads to its wilting.

For the first time, greenhouse cucumbers are fed with diluted urea shortly before the blossoming of the inflorescences. The second time fertilization is applied only when the plants show signs of wilting. Subject to all irrigation norms and maintaining a favorable microclimate in the greenhouse, the cucumber foliage should look green from fresh during the entire growing season. If it brightens and curls, the plant is deficient in nitrogen. Only in this case can the greenhouse culture be fed with urea.

In the open field

In an open garden, it is advisable to use urea in the form of liquid solutions and dry granules. In the first case, the drug is dissolved in water, in the second, it is placed in the soil so as not to cause contact with plant tissues. To do this, they are embedded in a substrate 2-4 cm from the roots of a cucumber plant, after which the garden is plentifully watered with warm water.

On the street, an alternation of root and foliar dressings works best on cucumbers, between them a frequency of 10-14 days must be observed.

Precautionary measures

Urea is not toxic to humans, but in some situations it can cause allergies or individual rejection … Therefore, for any manipulations with this drug, personal protective equipment is used: a mask or respirator, as well as gloves. In case of contact with the eyes, rinse them immediately with running water.

Keep urea granules away from pets, children and disabled adults. Do not place them next to food.

All unused granules should be kept tightly packed, avoiding contact with moisture

After processing the bushes, access to them for pets, children and any bystanders should be limited.

It is not recommended to eat the fruit immediately after spraying.

Urea is an effective yet inexpensive fertilizer for cucumbers . However, you need to use it wisely. You cannot get carried away with carbamide, otherwise, instead of a rich harvest of zelents, you will simply ruin the plant. Only a correctly selected type of fertilization and a precisely calculated dose of application will saturate the soil with all the nutrients necessary for the growth and development of the plant and protect it from fungal infections and the actions of pests.

In this video, you can learn more about the process of feeding cucumbers with urea.