DIY cucumber supports

3.09.2016 Cucumbers

If you want to grow strong bushes of cucumbers with a large crop, you need to take good care of these plants. Weaving varieties of cucumbers just need support: if such bushes wander along the ground, they will not please you with a large number of fruits. And those that are tied up will not always be able to fully develop: lying on the ground, they can rot or get sick with fungal diseases. DIY cucumber supports can be made in different ways. We will consider some options with a photo.

Garden net for cucumbers

Such a plastic net is a universal way to help climb plants. With it, you can grow not only cucumbers, but also beans, peas, wink and other legumes.
To install such a support you will need:
- Garden net (length - depending on the length of the row with cucumbers);
- High stakes with one pointed end (2 or 4 pegs);
- Ropes or wires in order to fix the net on the stakes.
The grid can be installed in one line, along planted cucumbers, or with the letter "P", as in the photo. In the first case, you will need two pegs, and in the second - four, so that the grid forms not only straight lines, but also “circles” one of the spans between the sides.

So, with sharp edges, drive stakes into the ground. It will be difficult to do it with your hands, so please stock up with a hammer: if your soil is hard, you will need to tap on the stakes in order to fix them well. After making sure that the stakes stand firmly and do not fall, tie the net to it, gradually unwinding it (so that the net does not get tangled in the process). It is most convenient to fix the garden grid in three places along the height of the peg: above, below and in the middle. When the bushes of cucumbers stretch their “necks”, do not forget to help them and gently hook the antennae onto the net. Then the cucumbers will already cope on their own: they will go up the grid, bloom and give you juicy fruits.

Rope trellis

Tapestry is one of the most economical options for supports for cucumbers: it can be installed even if you do not want to spend money on a garden net. But it should be remembered that the trellis for cucumbers must be rope: if you make it from wire, plants will not be able to cling to this smooth and slippery material. So the ideal option is unpretentious rough ropes.
For rope trellis you will need:
- Wooden or metal stakes (again, 2 or 4 pieces);
- Ropes (their length should allow them to stretch from peg to peg).

With sharp edges, set the stakes in the ground so that they stand at the beginning and at the end of a row of cucumbers. Then alternately pull the rope levels on the stakes - from 3 to 5. At the same time, the lowest level should be located no higher than 15 cm from the ground so that the cucumbers can reach it. Then you can help the overgrown antennae catch on the lower level of the trellis and wait for the bushes to grow and begin to bear fruit.

Support for cucumbers in a barrel

Some summer residents do not like to direct cucumbers in a barrel up: they say that let their lashes hang down from a barrel: this is both beautiful and not at all troublesome. But in this case, the side of the metal barrel must be made not so sharp so that it does not cut the bush that has landed on it. To do this, for example, a cut rubber hose is mounted on the rim, which cannot transmit the lashes of the plant. But if you want to get cucumbers in a barrel, weaving up, you can’t do without support in any way.
For cucumber support in a barrel you will need:
- 1 high peg;
- 2 long ropes;
- 4 strong branches in the form of a slingshot or the number "1".

Set the peg in the center of the barrel and check if it is loose. Make four inclined supports of two ropes: divide each rope in half and fix it on a peg at a bend (at a height of about 1 m). Pull the “tails” of the ropes down to the bushes of cucumbers and fix them in the ground, pressing them with “slingshots” from the branches. That's all! Cucumber bushes grab the tendrils by the ropes, begin to weave up the ropes, and then move on to the central peg.

Vertical support for cucumbers in the garden

If you have 2-3 bushes of cucumbers growing in the garden, you can not bother with the net and trellis. The ideal solution in this case is one vertical wooden support with “personal” ropes for each bush.
For vertical cucumber support you will need:
- 1 tall wooden peg with a sharp edge;
- 1 long rope;
- 2 (or by the number of bushes) slingshot branches.

Between the bushes of cucumbers, drive a stake into the ground (of course, with a sharp edge down), check if it is staggering. Then fold the rope in half and tie it around the peg at a height of 1 m at the bend point. Pull the ends of the rope to the ground and secure them near the bushes using hooked branches. Wrap the remaining edges of the rope around the hook branches: this will be more accurate and more reliable (the rope cannot be pulled out of the ground).

You can make supports for cucumbers with your own hands in any of these ways: it is simple and quick. And yet, such “helpers” have a very good effect on the harvest of cucumbers!