Best Fertilizer For Growing Cucumbers

Learning how to use fertilizer is indispensable, especially if you want to raise vine plants like cucumbers. That is why we put together this list of the best fertilizer for cucumbers.

Among all 7 options, the best is the Miracle-Gro Continuous Release Plant Food.

In short, this fertilizer is the best thanks to its high composition of potassium and phosphorus; both of which are crucial for the cucumber development. Besides, it has an incredible amount of calcium.

The Best Fertilizers For Cucumbers

Miracle-Gro Continuous Release Plant Food – Best All-Around

This cucumber plant fertilizer’s unique formula. Its many micronutrients like calcium, potassium, and phosphorus will help the cucumbers grow stronger and healthier.

Also, the high concentration of calcium is vital in preventing calcium deficiency from taking place.

As you may know, calcium deficiency is the nemesis of all edible crops, especially cucumbers. Having this fertilizer will, for sure, warrant you a bountiful cucumber harvest.

However, this best fertilizer for cucumber can be too potent due to having such a high concentration of major nutrients.

In other words, your cucumbers can die from overfeeding if you are not careful. Thus, always double check the instructions before feeding it to your crops.

What we like

• Special formula
• High nutrient concentration
• Easy to use

What can be improved?

• Too potent

Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food – Best Long-Lasting Effects

Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food is quite in demand because of its incredible root growth stimulation.

With a high percentage of phosphorus, this fertilizer provides lots of nutrients for the roots. For this reason, the whole plant can grow, not just some specific parts like most fertilizers currently on the market do.

This cucumber food’s most significant plus is its persistence due to having a granule coating.

If you mix it with the soil properly, it can last on the cucumber bed for up to 4 months. Each time you water, some nutrients will be released due to changes in soil temperature.

However, as you can guess, being too steady does have issues, mainly the slow result. From our experience, you may need to wait a while for this fertilizer to do its magic.

What we like

• Ideal for root growth
• High percentage of nitrogen
• Long-lasting

What can be improved?

• Slow to show results

Jobe’s Organics Vegetable Fertilizer Spikes – Best Overall Growth

The strongest point of the Jobe’s Organics Vegetable Fertilizer Spikes is that it will help your cucumbers grow in all aspects. It does not have the best boosting capability or anything fancy like that, but it will surely help the whole cucumber plant develop healthily.

This Jobe’s Organics fertilizer is also quite good as a long-term choice due to its manufacturer’s exclusive Bio-tone Microbes. It will feed the cucumbers slowly but reliably, ensuring that the vines will always have energy.

Unfortunately, such a slow feeding process raises the massive issue of efficiency. If you can stick with the excruciatingly long process, you will be rewarded.

What we like

• Excellent for overall growth
• Reliable feeding
• Highly nutritious

What can be improved?

• Low efficiency

Dr. Earth Organic 5 Vegetable Fertilizer Poly Bag – Best Value

The most significant advantage that the Dr. Earth Organic 5 Vegetable Fertilizer Poly Bag holds over other competitors is its value. There is no other option on this list offering a better value than this reasonably-priced four-pound bag.

This cucumber fertilizer has an optimum nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratio, meaning it can provide lots of nutrients. You can rest assured that any plants, not just cucumbers, fed with this fertilizer will offer a bountiful harvest.

However, keep in mind that while it has potent power, this fertilizer works gradually. You may need to use it for a long time to see good results.

What we like

• High value for the price
• Provides lots of nutrients
• Sustainable ingredient

What can be improved?

• Slow to work

Burpee Organic Vegetable Granular Plant Food – Best For Soil Conditioning

Being a granular fertilizer, the Burpee Organic Vegetable Granular Plant Food has the advantages of both spike and liquid fertilizers.

Once you have mixed it into the soil and sprinkled some water, a small proportion will react immediately. The remaining will slowly release its content over a period of 3 months.

Thanks to the numerous beneficial microbes, the Burpee fertilizers can soften and enrich the soil significantly.

Nevertheless, we are not that satisfied with some aspects of this fertilizer. Among them, the most pressing one is the lack of calcium in this formula.

What we like

• Quick to act
• Long-lasting
• Soil enrichment

What can be improved?

• Lack of calcium

Espoma Garden Food – Best Enhancement

After spending a long time researching, Espoma finally found a way to combine all the major nutrients to an exact ratio correctly. The result of this research is the Espoma Garden Food.

Nevertheless, there still are things that Espoma can improve. Among them, the lack of a proper source of sulfur and magnesium is the most significant.

What we like

• Efficient
• Quick results
• Wide applicability

What can be improved?

• Lacking in sulfur and magnesium

EarthPods Premium Garden Vegetable Fertilizer Spikes – Best For Easy Application

There is no fertilizer easier to use than the EarthPods Premium Garden Vegetable Plant Food Spikes. With its design, you never have to worry about messing things up during the measurement and application process.

The single-step required is to insert these spikes below the surface, continuously supplying nutrients to active roots. This method is incredibly beneficial for the vine cucumbers, as its primary feeding method is through the roots.

The recommendation specifies that you must place them significantly deep underneath the surface. Hence, people who have shallower gardens cannot use these spikes to their full potential.

What we like

• Incredibly easy to use
• Steady source of nutrients
• Especially suitable for cucumbers and vine plants

What can be improved?

Requires deep garden beds

How To Pick The Best Fertilizer For Cucumbers

Nutrient Requirements Of Cucumbers

Cucumbers do not require that much nitrogen, as it is mostly responsible for leaf growth. On the other hand, they need a massive supply of both phosphorus and potassium.

This factor means the package should always have a lower first number, like 5-10-10. Of course, the overall numbers can also be small, such as 4-4-4.

Having too much nitrogen will make the cucumbers’ vines, shoots, and leaves grow exponentially. As a result, there is no energy directed to the vegetable’s development.

The numbers that we have been throwing around must be puzzling for some, but they are just the concentration level. To be precise, they signify how concentrated the macro-nutrients of N – nitrogen, P – phosphorus, and K – Potassium is.

You can use these numbers to calculate just how much of a particular fertilizer is needed for your garden. Let’s say you need one pound of potassium; a 10-10-10 fertilizer can provide you that exact amount with 10 pounds.

Cucumber Soil Type

It is essential to determine your soil type correctly as we need a specific soil pH for cucumbers. For this reason, the cucumbers’ needs alone cannot determine how much of each macronutrient you should provide.

Keep in mind that the ideal pH for cucumbers to grow is 6.8. After you have measured your soil pH, you should ensure that the fertilizer you use will also change the pH to this level.

Types Of Fertilizers

Spike Fertilizers

Typically in the shape of solid, water-insoluble sticks, spike fertilizers will slowly decompose in the soil and release their nutrients. In most cases, this process will take somewhere between 1 and 3 months, ensuring that there will be no overfeeding.

Also, these fertilizers are very easy to store and use.

Liquid Fertilizers

Due to the somewhat short production cycle of cucumbers, liquid fertilizers are the best in most cases.

However, this type of fertilizer is really messy to use, and you will undoubtedly need a throughout bath after using it. Besides, you have to reapply it regularly, unlike the other two.

Granular Fertilizers

You must carefully mix them with the soil of your garden, or else there is a high chance of burning. Afterward, you should water them properly, as they need water to break down.

Most importantly, once you complete the application, these fertilizers can last for quite a while. Hence, there is no need to reapply routinely.

How To Fertilize Cucumbers

If you use spike fertilizers, remember that planting them too close to the roots can lead to burning. Therefore, the best strategy to fertilize cucumbers with spikes is to ensure that they are at least three inches apart from the stems.

Moreover, don’t forget to plant them in damp, soft soil around the plant’s drip line. Spikes planted there will dissolve and release nutrients gradually.

There is one tool you must have to utilize liquid fertilizer correctly: a watering can. Mix your fertilizer with the correct amount of water, usually found on the packaging, then pour it into the can. Next, sprinkle the content all over the plant.

When To Fertilize Cucumbers

The best time to start fertilizing cucumbers is in the middle of the growing season.

In other words, right after the seeds start to sprout into four inches tall vines. You can begin fertilizing much earlier, but you will have to be very careful with how much you use.

For the most part, you can fertilize the cucumbers 2 times each month during the growing season. If you plan to fertilize before or after this season, the frequency should be once every 6 weeks.

Conclusion

If you are still unsure which of the recommendations is suitable for your specific situation, we suggest taking the Miracle-Gro. After all, you can never go wrong with giving the cucumbers less nitrogen and more potassium and phosphorus.

Gardening is the most relaxing and rewarding hobby that everyone can take up quickly. Yet, it does have its challenge, as getting the best fertilizer for cucumbers can pose a massive issue for beginners.

Last update on 2024-06-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API