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| Trellised cukes yield more - Cucumbers; By : David Jansen-Young | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 12 2018, 02:10 PM (8 Views) | |
| Cerwin | Mar 12 2018, 02:10 PM Post #1 |
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Trellised cukes yield more - Cucumbers by David Jansen-Young ![]() If you want the most yield from your cucumbers, train them up vertically instead of letting them sprawl on the ground. This advice is based on extensive recent research in Louisiana, which showed that staking or trellising actually doubles the production. ![]() Tests were conducted at the LSU Cooperative Research Station on 13 varieties. Half were trained on six-foot stakes 12 inches apart; the others were left to vine on the ground. All received similar other care, with no pruning. Data collected were on fruit set, fruit rot, number of female flowers on the main stem, and marketable yield. Evaluation at the end of the first test crop in 1982 showed the yield on the staked plants was double the horizontally growing lines. Evaluation of the second crop (fall showed the vertical yield more than twice that of the horizontal growing plants. Most of the increase was in marketable yield. ![]() Increases in fruit length and quality were also noted. A repeat experiment in 1983 showed the same substantial increase. The better yield and quality stemmed from two main factors: higher fruit set and less fruit rot. The greater fruit set is the result of increased photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is energized by sunlight, and this vital energy is more readily available to more leaves when the plant is staked. Also, staking permits better air circulation, reducing humidity that contributes to rot. Don't overcrowd your plants. The research showed that even staked plants suffered from poorer fruit set and rotted fruits when plant spacing was reduced from 12 inches apart to six inches. ![]() Femaleness (unusually high proportion of female to make blooms) is a characteristic of many recent cucumber varieties. Each female bloom has the potential of developing into a fruit, but it was observed that on crowded plants many of them abort at the lower nodes. Reduced light and photosynthesis within the plant are responsible for this condition, as the photosynthesis level is insufficient to provide for development of all the potential fruits. Allowing plenty of space for trellised vines should enable plants to reach their full fruiting potential. ![]() For my own test based on the research, I used four-inch mesh wire to start the vining of Burpee's 'Early Pride' cucumbers. Then I staked them to continue the vertical vining to about five feet. Vines were tied to stakes every 12 inches with twine. The yield and quality of fruit were astounding -- above anything I had produced before in my garden.
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9:19 AM Jul 11