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For optimal outcomes, fertilize your cucumber plants with a diluted liquid organic fertilizer every two weeks during the first eight weeks after establishment. It’s critical to allow the plants to become established in the soil before fertilizing. Establishment means allowing the plants to acclimate their roots to the soil for 7 to 10 days.
For seeds, this means allowing the seedlings to grow to a height of at least a few inches and develop 3 to 5 leaves. Liquid fertilizer is preferable to granular fertilizer. Liquid fertilizers operate in two ways. The plant absorbs the nutrients through its leaves and roots. This double action allows the plants to obtain more energy at a faster rate than with granular fertilizers.
Simply dilute the fertilizer to achieve a light dose. If using a commercial fertilizer mix, dilute it to half the recommended strength. If using compost tea or worm-casting tea, you can use them at full strength since their nutrients are more gentle and less potent. Check out our Compost Tea Recipe for more information.
Fertilizing As Plants Mature
Once your cucumber plants start producing, it is advisable to reduce the frequency of fertilizing. At this stage, a light dose of liquid organic fertilizer every three weeks will suffice. This approach will provide plants with enough energy to continue producing without causing them to stop producing new blooms. However, harvesting regularly is just as essential as fertilizing to ensure optimal production levels.
Cucumber plants, like many other vegetable plants, are susceptible to fruit overload, which occurs when there are too many ripe cucumbers on the vines. This overload signals the plants to stop producing new blooms, causing the harvest to slow down. So make sure to keep picking those cucumbers to keep the production going strong.
