When the growing time comes, there is no happier moment than watching your plant including cucumbers thriving and producing such sweet and healthy fruits. Yet, this happy moment can’t be reached if the soil does not contain the necessary nutrients to witness such amazing results.

In addition, choosing the best fertilizer for cucumbers in containers may come with its challenges such as what kind is best for your plant? As a base fact to take, cucumber is a fruit that is grown as a vegetable, it does prefer the same type of fertilizer of tomatoes. As a wise grower you should choose the one that contains more phosphorus and calcium than nitrogen.

Another key point to take into consideration is, knowing the best time to apply such fertilizer to your cucumbers in a container is also important, along with how often you fertilize during the growing season.

Therefore, you will find everything you need to know about fertilizing cucumbers in containers with other useful information regarding the topic.

Without any further ado, let’s dive into the details.

You will find on this topic.

Table of Contents

1 Why is it important to fertilize cucumbers in containers?

There is a large quantity of people who think that fertilizing is just a waste of time and effort. To tell you the truth, I was one of them until I saw the results before and after applying the fertilizer.

Fertilizers are nutrients, such as factors that can play a huge role for how you will get fruits in form of quantity and quality. It will play a role in how you will get such a green in your space garden and many more. Providing the best fertilizer for cucumbers in containers in our case will be a game changer, as you will get more, bigger, sweeter, and healthier fruits.

Another thing you will benefit is to enrich the soil with nutrients for other plants, as you should know not only will your cucumber plants thrive, other companion plants will get respectful results also. From my humble perspective you will get nothing but good if you apply fertilizer to your cucumber plants.

In the end, this is why it is important to fertilize cucumbers in containers and you do it correctly. You ask: but how would I do that? Good question, first you learn when to apply it….

2 When should I fertilize my cucumbers in containers?

As the title refers, knowing when to apply fertilizer to your cucumber in containers is as important as the importance of the fertilizer itself. One point is, when you choose the liquid type, you must apply it when the weather is sunny. Because basically your efforts will go in vain if the rain falls off on your plant.

Moreover, when you notice your cucumbers in containers start flowering, that would be your sign to fertilize and provide nutrients. This will help in fruit growth for sure.

Transplanting your cucumber plant in the container is also preferable to fertilizing, this will be a wise decision because you are helping the plant to resist more of changing the planting site.

However, there are some indicators that require instant application for fertilizer on cucumbers in containers when you notice symptoms such as: yellow leaves and no fruits growing in your plant.

In addition to all of that, learning how often you should fertilize is equally important along with the caring process. Let’s find out about that….

3 How often to fertilize cucumbers in containers?

Regular fertilization is considered one of the good things you can do to ensure providing the right and needed amount of nutrients in the soil for your cucumbers in containers. First, you need to know that it depends on two things: 1) type of fertilizer (granular, liquid, or spikes). 2) Speed of melting and absorption (slow/fast release).

When you choose granular fertilizer with slow release, you are obliged to apply this fertilizer for your cucumbers in a container for just once or twice per year. This is due to the fact of the speed of fertilizing breaking and releasing.

The main job for this type is to release small doses of nutrients in balanced quantities during a long period of time. Applying it once or twice should be enough.

Meanwhile, when you choose liquid fertilizer with fast/quick release, you are obliged to apply this type frequently more than the slow type. Liquid fertilizer is particularized to be absorbed quickly in the soil because it is mixed up with water, also the quick release will allow your plant to benefit from the fertilizer in the fastest way possible.

Taking those two factors, liquid fertilizer with fast release should be applied once in a week along the growing season.

As you can see, there is no guide book for how often you should apply fertilizer on your cucumbers in containers. Equally important to this, choosing the right and best fertilizer for your plant will be condemned to certain facts.

Let’s talk more about that…

4 How to Pick the Best Fertilizer for Cucumbers in containers.

Before we dig into which kind of fertilizer is best for your cucumbers in a container, there are some cornerstone facts about fertilizers and your plant altogether.

Cucumber is treated and grown as a vegetable despite the fact that it is a fruit. That means your cucumber will need nutrients just like what tomatoes need. This is considered a great thing because there are a lot of good fertilizers to choose from.

Moreover, cucumber plants prefer the fertilizers that contain phosphorus and potassium quantities more than nitrogen.

For further explanation, let’s learn what NPK refers to in every fertilizer package.

N: refer to nitrogen percentage.

P: refer to phosphorus percentage.

K: refer to potassium percentage.

Nitrogen is a necessary nutrient to any kind of plant, but when it comes to cucumber case, it has to be the least percentage between the other two. Let’s take an example just for references. A 3-4-4 NPK fertilizer is good for cucumbers, but a 7-3-5 NPK is not a good choice because nitrogen is higher than both phosphorus and potassium.

Furthermore, fertilizer price is another factor that enters the equation along with the kind of fertilizer ingredients whether it is organic or not, safe or dangerous for kids…

Quick recap:

To choose the best fertilizer for cucumber in container you must consider:

NPK references (must suit cucumber plant)
Slow/fast release.
Organic/ not organic (safe or dangerous).
Price of fertilizer.

Here are the 4 best choices of fertilizer for cucumber in pots:

Now that you know the specifications of fertilizer that your cucumber needs, I have prepared for you a list of four best suitable fertilizers to feed your cucumber in containers. Taking into consideration all what we’ve mentioned previously.

Let’s see what they are:

1-the Jobe’s 09026NA fertilizer for Vegetables and Tomato type

This fertilizer is considered one of the best choices you can bring to your cucumber plant. As it suits tomato, it is also more suitable for cucumber as well as it will provide all the nutrients during the season.

Here are the specifications:

NPK : 2-5-3
Organic (safe for kids and your pets)
Type: slow release
Natural nutrients
Lasts for a month and a half.
Price is good
It may produce smell where applied.

2-the fertilizer Jobe’s 06028 with Spikes for Vegetable:

Another type of fertilizer from the same company, which is also a good choice. This type contains spikes rather than the first one. You can expect 50 spikes in one package. Good for cucumbers and contains a lot of nutrients.

Here are the specifications:

NPK: 2-7-4
Organic (safe)
Type: slow Time-release spikes
Easy to apply
Lasts for 1,5 months
great for container use
Price is good.

3- Greenway Biotech Cucumber Fertilizer:

This fertilizer is specifically made for cucumbers. A lot of times you find fertilizer that suits multiple vegetables or fruits, but this one right here is designed for cucumber planting. Has everything your plant needs and is easy to apply.

Here are the specifications:

NPK: 8-16-36
Made for cucumber planting.
Safe around kids.
Lot of beneficial nutrients
Easy to use
works for quite a lengthy time.
Water solution fertilizer (mixed with water)
Little bit expensive

4-Espoma Organic Garden-Tone 3-4-4

Another good choice from a good company. This fertilizer is great for cucumbers in containers, with a lot of nutrients, and you can use it for other vegetables also.

Here are the specifications:

NPK: 3-4-4
Organic
Easy to use
Contain plenty of nutrients
Last for up to a month.
Can be used for other vegetables and herbs.
Some smell when applied
Price is good

5 How to Add Fertilizer to Cucumbers in container:

Many times, I get frustrated with all these types of fertilizers and I ask myself: “how in the hell I’m going to l add this fertilizer to my cucumber plant!!” I sit in my place and I think, “This plant is like a baby, it is so annoying.”

Then, a spike of energy came to my head when I took a deep breath. I remembered my mother when she was planting when I was so young, she was always saying, “hey boy, any plant needs feeding just like you. You must feed it even before it see the first light, and you must feed it when it open her colored eyes”

When I remembered this, I also remembered the taste of the fruits she grew back then, wonderfully tasty and sweet.

In fact, any given plant including cucumber need to add them fertilizer in couple of crucial times which they are:

Before planting or just after planting.
When your plant starts blooming.

But how actually do you add fertilizer in cucumber plants? Well, it depends on the fertilizer type:

o If it is granular fertilizer: add the recommended amount in the package (usually 1 tablespoon) and mix it with the soil before or after just planting, then water it. Fertilize again when your cucumber produces flowers by the same amount.

o If it is water solution fertilizer: mix the recommended amount with water and add it to your cucumber plant, you must be aware that this kind is vulnerable against rain, so it is best to apply it during sunny days only. Apply it frequently once in a week because this type will be absorbed from the plant quickly, if you have chosen a slow time release, then a couple applications should be enough.

Conclusion:

In brief, the cucumber fertilization process is an important process your plant needs in many growth stages. This is due to the fact that cucumbers need nutrients before planting, during the growing, and before producing fruits. The importance of this process can give you either great fruits when applied vs. unpleasant and small fruits when not applied.

In addition, the time of applying fertilizer to your cucumber must be done when you notice: small fruits, yellow leaves, and after transplanting.

Equally important, you should apply the fertilizer to your cucumber twice a year if it is slow release. And weekly applications if you are using fast release, this type must be applied on sunny days only.

Moreover, the best fertilizers for cucumbers in containers should hold these specifications: less nitrogen, organic, safe for kids, plenty of nutrients, and of course don’t consume a lot of money.

Furthermore, it will be great if you tell me how you are treating your cucumber plant and other issues you may be facing. You can always browse freely here because we got your back in what you need, happy gardening.