Zucchini is a thermophilic vegetable crop. But otherwise they are quite unpretentious - they grow rapidly, rapidly increasing the vegetative mass, and all varieties are distinguished by high yields. However, many novice gardeners in the process of leaving the question arises - how to water this vegetable crop so that it does not dry out or rot if there is too much moisture in the soil.

How often do you need to water zucchini growing in the open field. How much water do plants need in July and August. Why proper watering of zucchini is so important - this will be discussed below.

Zucchini - all about vegetable culture

These vegetables are very popular among summer residents who will always find a place for this crop in their garden. After all, zucchini is unpretentious to such an extent that even a beginner can grow it. The yield of zucchini is high, and the harvested fruits can be stored for a long time even in room conditions. We must not forget that it is considered a low-calorie and hypoallergenic vegetable, so dishes from it can be given to babies, as well as included in the menu for people seeking to lose weight.

Most often there are two types of zucchini:

  • bush (zucchini);
  • climbing.

Zucchini and zucchini.

Domestic summer residents often plant bush varieties of this vegetable crop, because they take up less space in the beds and are most often quite early ripening. The ripening time plays a significant role for most regions of the country. Indeed, in many regions, August and September often bring weather surprises.

Powerful, well-developed zucchini roots consist of:

  • central taproot;
  • a large number of branched lateral roots.

Due to such a strong root system, a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrients, which are especially necessary during the period of active ripening of fruits, enter the aerial part of the zucchini.

The foliage of the shoots of the vegetable is large, carved, five-lobed, growing on thick stems. The leaves have a hard prickly pubescence. But in some varieties of zucchini, foliage can be below average in size.

The flowers of this plant grow male and female, they are large, bell-shaped, the color can be rich yellow or bright orange. They are distinguished by the length of the pedicel - it is shorter in female flowers than in male ones.

Ripe fruit peel is smooth, bumpy, ribbed. In young zucchini, the skin is thin, almost not felt when eating, while in ripe fruits it is dense.

Zucchini cutaway.

The color of zucchini fruits, depending on the variety, can be light green, bright yellow, dark green with spots.

Note! During the summer period, young fruits are usually eaten, which have a more tender and tasty pulp. When the zucchini ripens, the pulp becomes denser, and in overripe fruits the pulp becomes as hard as the bark.

The seeds are located in the center of the fruit along their entire length, the seed size is medium to small, and the shape is slightly oblong.

The usual period for fruit ripening is 1-2 months after the first shoots appear. In this case, of course, the weather, fertilizing and proper irrigation play an important role.

10-day-old fruits are suitable for food, the size of which is no more than 28 cm, and the diameter is up to 8-9 cm.After 3-3.5 months, the fruits reach their biological ripeness, however, due to the tough, tasteless pulp, they are not suitable for human consumption. Vegetable growers usually collect seeds from such zucchini for subsequent planting, and the fruits themselves are fed to livestock.

This vegetable crop is grown in a seedling or non-seedling way. With the first method, it is important to transplant the seedlings into open ground on time, until they are overgrown - more mature seedlings take longer to take root in a new place. And when transplanting seedlings into open ground, you need to arrange a greenhouse in the beds so that the seedlings do not freeze on cool nights. On a hot sunny day, the greenhouse should be opened for ventilation.

Attention! With preliminary cultivation of seedlings, the crop of zucchini can be harvested almost a month earlier.

Do not forget about feeding zucchini. First of all, you need to fertilize the soil in the beds in which these vegetable plants will grow. Correct dressing should not contain chlorine, as this vegetable does not tolerate such fertilizers well. You can feed zucchini with both organic and mineral fertilizers. How much they need to be applied for each plant, you should look at the packages with fertilizers.

Fertilizing zucchini in the open field

How to properly water zucchini after planting them in open ground

Many summer residents do not even think about how to water zucchini in the open field and what might happen if watering them is wrong. Meanwhile, mistakes during watering can negatively affect the development of plants, as well as their fruiting. Therefore, you need to know well how to water this heat-loving culture.

Cold irrigation water is not for this vegetable crop. Its temperature should be at least 20.5 ° C. Before watering, such a liquid should be defended in the sun. And in cloudy times, it is better to add water heated over a fire to it. It is watering zucchini with cold liquid that leads to the development of the following diseases in plants:

  • powdery mildew;
  • fusarium;
  • root, white, root rot;
  • anthracnose;
  • brown spot.

Watering zucchini in the open field

Although zucchini and cucumbers are similar in basic care items, these vegetable crops are watered differently. So, the soil in the beds where zucchini grows should dry out completely between waterings. The time between waterings can be different, it all depends on the weather conditions.

After sowing zucchini seeds, the first shoots appear in 7-10 days. Watering these young plants should be special - such seedlings are contraindicated in a sharp change in dryness and moisture in the soil. Therefore, the topsoil must be constantly moist, and the plants must be watered at least twice a week.

During the flowering period, irrigation should be carried out every 3-4 days in order to prevent the soil from drying out in the beds. But during the period of fruit ripening, watering should be carried out no more than once a week. At the same time, in hot weather, you can increase the number of waterings.

Important! This vegetable plant cannot be watered during the day - the heat of the sun's rays will be detrimental to the foliage, which can get moisture drops during watering. The sun, falling on the leaves through the water, burns them. Therefore, it is better to carry out this procedure either in the morning or in the evening.

Water, getting on the leaves or ripening fruits, can cause their rotting, so watering is carried out carefully and strictly at the root. Some growers use a plastic bottle for this. This not only makes the whole procedure easier, but also prevents the roots from exposing. The last argument is quite important, because the root system of zucchini is very delicate and any interference in its development will be negative.

Mulching zucchini

Helps to keep soil moisture longer and makes mulching easier for vegetable plants. Immediately after watering, the soil is loosened, and a layer of sawdust (or shavings) or finely chopped straw is added on top. The thickness of such a layer should be at least 5-7 cm. Mulching of the trunk circles is carried out while the zucchini bushes are still small.

What happens if you break the watering regime

This culture is more painful than other vegetables due to the lack of water during the growth of vegetative mass and the appearance of ovaries. During this period, active formation of ovaries occurs, the root system grows. And even a slight change in the irrigation schedule can interfere with such processes.

Attention! The peak of watering zucchini is in July and August, when the fruits begin to ripen abundantly. The main help a gardener can provide to increase yields is to constantly moisten the soil. Care must be taken to keep the soil around the plants moist at all times (but not excessively).

If this vegetable crop does not have enough water, then mainly male-type flowers appear on the stems, so the number of ovaries will be much smaller. In addition, with a lack of moisture, the fruits will be small, not so juicy. But excess moisture has no effect on the appearance of flowers.

With an excess of moisture, the root system begins to rot, the immune system of the vegetable plant is weakened, which leads to the occurrence of fungal diseases.

An insufficient amount of watering leads to a slowdown in the growth of the vegetative mass, and an excess of moisture during the ripening period of zucchini leads to a decrease in the amount of sugars in them.