WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO PRUNE CUCUMBER PLANTS?

When you hear the word Prune, what generally comes to mind? To remove right? Well, you are correct. To prune means to remove excess (that are unwanted). One of the major goals of pruning is primarily fruit production and so that the farm can be in a well-dressed and orderly manner. This process also allows for close monitoring of the crops and keen attention on the vines. The idea of removal may not be pleasurable initially especially because we are removing growth points which may suggest that yields would naturally reduce, but in agriculture as much as it’s important to have a larger yield, the quality of the crop is most important. Pruning is not labor intensive except in large scale farms.

There has been contention among some farmers as to whether pruning is really necessary and whether it supports more yield. Pruning actually promotes right channeling of nutrients from the soil and allows the vine have a good amount of energy for quality fruit production. The whole idea behind pruning generally is to cut off the sucker (growth point), you may want to ask why and the reason Is this ‘the lesser the shoots, the better the quality and the more the yield”. Although suckers generate their own energy, they are still connected to the vine and will weigh down the whole vine and the roots if not managed properly. If the suckers are allowed to grow, they often grow as long as a vine and they have their own flowers which enables them to generate their own energy and this is often a case of indirect energy draining on the roots. If the cucumber plant is channeling most of its energy into development of stems and shoots, the fruits would suffer and may be short of nutrients. In essence, pruning plays a major role in ensuring a healthy cucumber plant and better yield.

Here are some benefits of pruning cucumbers;

1. It keeps the farm looking healthy, neat and attractive; for an unpruned cucumber farm, the excess branches tend to produce so many leaves and more branches making the farm look crowded with spreading shoots making the farm unattractive and the leaves looking unhealthy.  

2. The fewer the nodes, the easier It is for nutrients in the soil to be utilized by the flower for better quality of fruit; for a pruned plant, the main vine is enriched with adequate amounts of nutrients required which is channeled to the flowers to produce more and better quality fruits. 

3. It keeps the farm in order and reduce the risk of pests and diseases infestation; a congested farm is a harboring place for Pests (e.g. white flies, thrips, aphids, cucumber beetles) and Diseases (fungal and bacterial) which will easily spread once they infest the farm.

4. It enables air flow on the farm; with proper and adequate airflow around the leaves and fruits, the plants are also less susceptible to fungal diseases and rot.

5. It minimizes shading and allows maximum sunlight penetration giving room for the process of photosynthesis; for plants to develop, grow, and blossom, they need energy, without photosynthesis, plants wouldn’t have enough energy to produce other organic materials, notably carbohydrates, or to grow.

6.     Harvesting is made easy; with enough room for passage in the farm, it’s easy to go about harvesting and easy to locate cucumber fruits that are due for harvest.

Pruning can also mean to remove shoots or fruits that are diseased to stop the spread. Pruning is hard work especially on large scale farms. Once the plant approaches senescence, it’s advisable to stop pruning.

In conclusion, it’s important to note that pruning is not compulsory, however, the benefits of pruning have been aforementioned and we strongly advocate that you prune your cucumber plants.

Good luck!