Do not lie them down on their sides as we do for tomatoes and peppers. At 4 to 5 days space the cubes in the trays to double spacing by breaking the cubes apart (photo 3).

Thereafter, use a half-strength nutrient solution. Use raw water for the first 2 to 3 days until the cotyledons (seed leaves) fully expand. Be sure to presoak the cubes well before sowing. They should be sterilized a day before to be sure that all volatile chlorine is dissipated. Be sure to sterilize any flats with a 10% bleach solution prior to placing the rockwool cubes in them. Be sure that the seed is placed deep into the hole of the cube so that it will not dry and at the same time that will help the seed coat to come off as it germinates. Similar to tomatoes, cucumbers are started in rockwool cubes 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” sowing one seed per cube. Carbon dioxide enrichment from 800 to 1000 ppm will help the plants compensate for the lower than natural sunlight conditions when using artificial lights. Light levels of 5500 lux (510 foot candles) for 14 to 16 hours per day are adequate. Relative humidity should be maintained about 75%. Their minimum night temperatures should be about 68 F and during the day maximum temperatures of 75 to 78 F are ideal.

Growing Conditions:Ĭucumbers like somewhat higher temperatures than tomatoes. In your home you should be able to control humidity and temperatures close to optimum levels then these diseases will not be as prevalent. If you are growing under conditions of high relative humidity (RH) be sure to use Powdery Mildew tolerant or resistant varieties. For BA cucumbers I have found the following to be good for our conditions: “GVS 600,” “GVS 601,” (Golden Valley Seeds), “Nimmer,” (Nirit Seeds), “Darius,” and “Sarig,” (Hazera Seeds). Your choice will depend upon the results of various trials you can carry out under your conditions. Some of these varieties include: “Dominica,” “Logica,” and “Marillo.” For indoor conditions it is possible to use other varieties such as, “Millagon,” “Discover,” “Corona,” “Accolade,” and “Crusade.” There are many more varieties that are probably suitable. I have found for hot, humid conditions of Florida and Anguilla that it is imperative to select varieties that are highly tolerant or resistant to powdery mildew fungus. The choice of variety depends on your environmental conditions and the presence of diseases. Varieties:Īll cucumbers grown in greenhouses hydroponically are of varieties that can be trained vertically, unlike the regular field varieties that grow along the surface. They cannot be easily pruned to get their correct form back as what can be done with tomatoes so correct training is necessary throughout their life cycle. If left unattended they will quickly entangle in themselves and production will fall greatly. They must be constantly trained to a special form (renewal umbrella) to obtain maximum yields. Unlike tomato plants that are hardy, these cucumber plants are more delicate. European cucumbers are the second most important crop hydroponically in terms of acreage. Due to their thin skins, they lose moisture rapidly so must be shrink wrapped to prevent weight loss. These cucumbers are all seedless and “burpless” in nature with thin skins that do not require their peeling before serving in salads. They are similar to the European cucumbers, but smaller in size, usually 4- to 6-inches in length compared to the European ones that average from 12- to 14-inches. Other cucumbers becoming increasingly in demand are the Beit Alpha (BA), Japanese or Persian pickle cucumbers (photo 2). The most popular cucumbers grown hydroponically in greenhouses are the “European” or “Long English” cucumbers (photo 1).

3 gallon bato buckets