Crop Guide: Nutritional recommendations for Cucumber - Haifa-Group

hilled and favorable moisture conditions exist, adventitious roots arise easily from the hypocotyl as
well as from the nodes along the vines.
The large, simple leaves (10-20 cm in the regular cucumber, 20-40 cm in the seedless cucumber)
are each borne on long (7-20 cm) petioles. They have five angular lobes of which the central is the
largest, and many trichomes cover the surface. At each node above the first 3-5, a simple
unbranched tendril grows from the base of the petiole. The sensitive tendrils enable the stems,
which cannot twist themselves, to climb over other plants or objects. A tendril tip, upon touching a
support, coils around it; then the rest of the length of the tendril coils spirally, pulling the whole
plant towards the support.
A cross section of the stem reveals 10 vascular bundles arranged in two rings. The smaller vascular
bundles of the outer ring (first five) are located at the angles of the stem; the larger bundles
(remaining five) form the inner ring.
Shoot. The main stem of the cucumber plant begins growing erect but soon after assumes a
prostrate trailing habit and grows like a vine over the ground. The branching is of the sympodial
type (i.e., a lateral bud at each node grows and displaces the main growing point, the latter
assuming a position on the opposite side of the leaf). From the nodes of the main axis originate
primary laterals, each of which can have their (secondary) laterals, and so on. All stems are roughly
hairy, have an angular cross section, may turn hollow when mature, and bear leaves singly at the
nodes.
1.5 Growth stages
1.5.1 Vegetative growth
Vegetative growth consists of 2 Stages:
Stage I – Upright growth is the initial stage that starts when first true leaves emerge and it ends
after 5-6 nodes.
Stage II – Vining - starts after 6 nodes. Then, side shoots begin to emerge from leaf axils, while
main leader continues to grow. Side shoots are also growing, causing the plant to flop over. Leaves
are simple and develop at each node. Each flower/fruit is borne on its own stem attached to the
main stem at a node.
Depending on variety and environmental conditions, flowers may begin developing at the first few
nodes.
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