The characteristic of Korean cucumbers called “OI” (오이) is as you can see in the photo above, that the cucumber has a light green color as a whole and bumpy bumps on the surface of the cucumber are palpable. This cucumber has good storability and can be eaten for a long time. Since the cucumber itself is juicy, has less bitterness, and is crispy, it is good for dipping cucumber slices, cucumbers, water kimchi, and cucumber pickles.
🛒 You can purchase Korean cucumber seeds from my Etsy shop.
■ Scientific Name: Cucumis sativus
■ Classification: Cucurbitaceae
■ English Name: Cucumber
■ Korean Name: 오이 (OI)
■ Origin: India
■ Cultivation Condition :
ㅇ Growth is good at soil acidity pH 5.5-6.8, and dying at pH 4.3 or lower.
■ Physiological Characteristics:
ㅇ As a hermaphrodite crop, the composition is mainly influenced by temperature and sunlight
ㅇ Promote differentiation of female flowers under low temperature at night of 15℃ and single condition for 8~10 hours
ㅇ Fruit vegetables with high unit results
■ Sowing and Planting Seedlings:
ㅇ Germination Temperature: 59-68˚F / 15-20˚C
ㅇ Seed Depth: ¼ – ½ ”
ㅇ Seed Spacing: 1- 2 ”
ㅇ Plant Spacing: 10 – 12 ”
ㅇ Row Distance: 14 – 20 ”
ㅇ Maturity Days: 50 Days
■ How to Grow:
1. Types of Sowing Methods:
ㅇ Direct Sowing – Sowing cucumber seeds in your garden is very easy because you don’t need to care for the seedlings indoors or transplant them later.
ㅇ Start indoors – You can start sowing indoors before transplanting the seedlings into the garden. This method is preferred if the summer is very short or if the garden soil is not suitable for direct sowing.
2. Sowing Time:
ㅇ Direct sowing involves planting the seeds directly into the garden one to two weeks after the last frost when the soil warms up in the spring.
ㅇ If you want to start indoors, plan to start 4-6 weeks before your area’s average last frost date. A good seedling has white roots and 2-4 full leaves.
3. Transplanting Cucumber Seedlings:
– Before planting cucumber seedlings, dig a hole in the planting area and give it plenty of water. This allows the roots of cucumber seedlings to grow deep.
– Then plant the seedlings 10-12 inches apart and cover them with soil. At this time, it is recommended to press the soil only enough to fix the seedlings without pressing too hard.
4. Water and Fertilizer Cycle:
– When the temperature is low, you only need to water once every 3-4 days, and in the hot summer, water once a day. If the soil is dry, cucumbers will have a bitter taste.
– Cucumber leaves turn yellow after they are fully grown. It is recommended to remove these yellow leaves. This is because it can take away nutrients from the fruit and cause disease.
– Fertilize the seedlings about a month after planting. Dig about 4 inches from the stem and add a spoonful.
5. Erection:
Cucumbers are vine plants, so it is essential to have a pole on which they can grow. A straight rod is erected to allow plants to climb up, or an X-shaped or tunnel-shaped post is erected and a net is formed.
6. Picking Branches:
– It is better to cut the female flowers and side shoots that run below the 7 nodes of the main stem early. This will help your plants grow strong.
7. How to Prevent Cucumber Pests:
– When cucumbers are first grown, the old leaves can develop powdery mildew. The disease causes the leaf surface of cucumbers to become covered with white powder. This occurs a lot when the sunlight is insufficient and the temperature difference between days is large, or when the temperature is high and dry.
– Also, during the rainy season, when it rains a lot, you can get downy mildew. This causes a yellowish part to appear on the leaf, and this part gets bigger and the leaf dries and dies.
– To prevent downy mildew and powdery mildew in cucumbers, keep the soil moist and provide good ventilation. It is also recommended to remove diseased leaves immediately.
■ Cucumber Growing Tips:
❍ The soil temperature must be at least 59˚F / 15˚C or higher to thrive.
❍ Planting on a sunny, windless day
❍ Before planting, dig a hole for planting and water it abundantly.
❍ Plant about 10-12 inches between the seedlings.
■ Harvest:
❍ It is recommended to harvest early in the morning at sunset or when it is cool in the hot season.
❍ harvest a decent-sized cucumber once a day, if possible.
■ The Main Causes of Dysmenorrhea:
Lack of light, high or low temperature, excess or lack of moisture and fertilizer components, high and low soil acidity (pH), salt accumulation, densification, etc., are caused by a combination of these factors.
■ Nutritional Value :
■ Use:
Salad, Side-dishes, Jeon, To Wrap with Korean B.B.Q, Garnish, Soup, Etc.
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