MEET DEMAND WITH BETTER CUCUMBERS

There are two common greenhouse structures: glasshouses or poly houses. Both are suitable for growing cucumbers. The questions you should ask are: what are the local environmental conditions? And, how much do you want / can you invest?

Glasshouse structures are suitable for nursery cultivation and commercial production of cucumbers in mild to cold climates and require high investments. Poly houses are more suitable for diverse climatic conditions.

Usually, there are 2-3 growing cycles per year. In warm climate conditions, it takes between 20-24 days from planting to first harvest, and the harvest period takes 7-8 weeks. In hi-tech greenhouses, the harvest cycles are very long and can take up to 16 weeks. In this case, there will only be 2 growing cycles per year.       

The harvest period can differ during different seasons. For example, a summer cycle will take approximately 10 weeks, while a winter cycle will take around 4 months.

• Hi-tech greenhouses:  200 kg/m²   per year, due to plant density and number of cycles per year
• Mid-tech poly houses: 40-80 kg/m² per year

Ensuring the right EC, pH, and nutrient levels in the root zone is critical for fast growing and high yielding crops. This is especially true when growing in soilless media, since the growing medium has low buffer capabilities and demands a fast and precise reaction. You need a system that can react quickly to any change, be it crop stage or climate. This can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Irrigation of soilless media needs short irrigation pulses (minutes). With CNL drippers, you increase fertigation uniformity by saving the refilling time of the system and preventing system drainage that can cause uneven water distribution if done frequently. This means that all the drippers start and stop to drip at the same time.