Refining cucumbers - How it's done | Fruit & Vegetables 2024

Not only true garden professionals can graft cucumbers. With the right know-how and a little green thumb, you can do it too.

Fresh vegetables are simply delicious. Especially when we can harvest it in our own garden. In addition to tomatoes, carrots and potatoes, cucumbers are also very popular with hobby gardeners.

The snake cucumbers are probably one of the most popular of all cucumbers. Whether it's a fresh cucumber salad or a few slices on a slice of bread with a little quark - cucumbers always taste good. (Reading tip: Growing cucumbers - instructions for greenhouse & outdoor) For little gourmets, however, a simple cucumber plant is often not enough. The yield is often not particularly large because the roots are very delicate and weak.

If you want to harvest as many snake cucumbers as possible and as large as possible, you should refine your cucumbers. You can harvest up to 100 cucumbers per plant on a grafted plant.

Which plant is suitable for grafting?
Cucumbers have pretty weak roots. It is therefore appropriate to choose a plant that comes with strong roots.

Gourds are best suited for grafting cucumbers, as they are related to cucumbers and have pronounced, strong roots. The fig leaf gourd is very popular for the refinement. But you can also choose another type.

In addition, the stronger roots of the pumpkin protect against the wilt fungus. This is a fungal disease that can cause cucumber plant death within 1-2 days during cultivation.

Refining cucumbers - explained step by step

Step 1: Sow cucumbers

You need two plants of the same size for optimal grafting. That is why it is best if you sow the cucumber plant first. Cucumber and squash plants are very similar, so it's better if you plant the seeds in different colored pots at the same time.

» Reading tip: Plant cucumbers

Step 2: Plant the pumpkin

After about 72 hours, the cucumber seedling will stick its head out of the ground. Now is the right time to plant the pumpkin as well, as it grows much faster than the cucumber. After about three to four weeksboth plants are about 7 to 10 centimeters in size. Now the actual refinement can begin.

» Reading tip: Plant pumpkins

✽ Extra tip: Mark the top part of the pumpkin plant so that you still know that it is the right plant after grafting.

Step 3: Cut the stems

Cut both plants under the cotyledon about halfway down the stem. The incision should be about 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. A sharp razor blade or a sharp knife is best for cutting. The respective utensil should be absolutely free of dirt and germs, otherwise bacteria can get into the open cut.

Cut the pumpkin plant from the cotyledon towards the root. The cucumbers the other way around.

WARNING
Do not touch the interface. To prevent bacteria from entering.

Step 4: Put plants together

Now insert both plants directly into each other. The wound must then be bandaged. You can use lead foil or a simple clip. But here you have to be careful not to squeeze the finishing industry too much.

Step 5: Pot grafted plant

Now you need to plant the grafted plant in a pot. Be sure to water the plantlet regularly. Cucumbers need a lot of water to thrive. It is also advisable to put a small freezer bag or something similar over the plant to keep the humidity as high as possible.

Leave the 2-in-1 plant alone for about a week, except for the watering, of course. After this time, the connection will have grown and you can proceed to the next step.

You can tell whether grafting was successful by the fact that the stalks become thicker. In this case, the lead foil will come off by itself. You shouldn't tear them off.

Step 6: Remove Unnecessary

Now that the two plants have grown together, you need to remove the unnecessary from both plants. Cut the top off the pumpkin plant (note the marking!) and cut off the roots from the cucumber plant.

Don't mix up the two plants, otherwise instead of a lot of cucumbers there will be many many pumpkins.