Crop Guide: Nutritional recommendations for Cucumber - Haifa-Group

4.2 Generic fertilizers recommendations
Table 4.2: A general fool-proof recommendation for N-P-K fertilization regime and timing
allocation before and during the growth season, based on soil tests.
Fertilizer timing
Nitrogen
kg/ha
Soil phosphorus level
(kg/ha P2O5)
Very
Low Med High
high
48
Soil potassium level
(kg/ha K2O)
Low Med High Very
high
Total recommended 120-140 170 120 60 30 230 170 120 60
Pre-plant: broadcast
& incorporate
60 120 60 0 0 170 120 60 0
Band-place* 30 60 60 60 30 60 60 60 60
Side-dress when vines
begin to run, or
fertigate
*15 cm to side of seed row and 10 cm deep
4.2.1 General fertilizing principles for cucumbers
Pre-plant treatments
30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Amending soil pH
Cucumbers prefer light textured soils that are well drained, high in organic matter and have a pH of
6 - 6.8. Adapted to a wide-range of soils, but will produce early in sandy soils. Cucumbers are fairly
tolerant to acid soils (down to pH 5.5).
Greenhouse cucumbers generally grow quite well in a wide range of soil pH (5.5-7.5), but a pH of
6.0-6.5 for mineral soils and a pH of 5.0-5.5 for organic soils are generally accepted as optimum.
When the pH is too low, add ground calcitic limestone, or an equal amount of dolomitic limestone
when the magnesium level in the soil is low, to raise it to a desirable level. Use the rates given in
Table 4.3 as a guide; the actual lime requirement is best assessed by an appropriate laboratory test.
Table 4.3: Lime requirements for correcting soil pH to 6.5
Soil pH
Sandy Loam Loam, silty loam
Lime mass (t/ha)
Clay loam, organic
6.0 3.0 4.5 6.0
5.5 6.0 9.0 12.0
5.0 9.0 12.0 18.0
4.5 12.0 15.0 24.0
4.0 15.0 18.0 30.0
Note: The rates of lime suggested are for the top 15 cm of soil. If acidity has to be corrected to a greater soil
depth, increase the rates accordingly.
Usually the pH in most greenhouse mineral soils is above the optimum pH range (6.0-6.5). A simple,
though temporary, solution to a high pH problem is to add peat, without neutralizing its acidity
with limestone. Peat also helps to maintain a good soil structure, but it must be added yearly to
make up for loss through decomposition.