Cucumber, as many other plants, can be planted using seeds. We often presume that cucumber seeds needs only to put in soil, so the question is, do cucumber seeds need light or sunlight to germinate?

Cucumber seeds do not need sunlight in order to germinate. As matter of fact, cucumber seeds will be destroyed if you expose it to sunlight as it is sensitive from it. This leads us to an important fact which is cucumber seeds actually needs dark to germinate, and you must sure about that for successful planting. read more.

As you know, cucumber germination does not rely on sunlight exposure, there are other factors that will be more helpful for your plant than threw it in soil. Better to know is always better than regret. So let’s discuss more about that.

You will find in this topic:

Table of Contents

1 why cucumber seeds don’t need sunlight for germination.

As we stated earlier, cucumber seeds are vulnerable when it comes to sunlight exposure. In fact, sunlight will prevent your plant from germination, so when you experience such a situation, and you don’t see any result, you need to re-asses what you have done whether you exposed your cucumber seeds to sunlight or not.

Cucumber seeds sensitivity from sunlight exposure is due to their physical nature.

Meanwhile, if you want to see good results, you should do what I usually do. Grow your cucumber seeds in small pot to ensure the good germination in a dark place without any fear from outside sunlight, this will allow you to experience such a good result.

2 do cucumber seeds need sunlight after germination?

Many people confuse between the period of germination and the time just after seedling, they are total different phases. So do cucumber seeds need sunlight after germination? Yes, it does, and a lot, actually.

In fact, after you see the first green small leaves of it, you should expose it to a shady sunlight in the first days, once the plant is holding itself, put it in face of direct sunlight without any worry.

The second phase after cucumber seeds germination is crucial, as it does need a lot of energy, this kind of energy can only be formed when your plant is having a complete exposure of sunlight, which will lead to a happy growing cucumber in the final.

also read: how to grow cucumber from scraps.

3 how long it will take for cucumber seeds to germinate?

In the ordinary condition, and under the necessary factors, you can expect your cucumber seeds to germinate and give new seedling in the range between 5–7 days at max. However, this period can be longer or faster due to soil temperature.

When you want to give your cucumber seeds a perfect soil condition, you should provide the warmth that needs. The best soil temperature range between 60 and 80 Fahrenheit (15 °C and 26 °C).

Furthermore, sewing cucumber seeds indoors before planting outside will give you the advantage of controlling those sensitive factors and will allow growing a healthy cucumber plant.

Given these points, there are other things you can do to make your plant germinate faster, which will discuss in the next paragraph…

4 how can you germinate cucumber seeds faster:

A lot of gardener wishes to see their plants grow as faster as it can be. This is achievable in our case of cucumber seeds germination, you can do that by soaking them in warmth water before sewing, provide warm to soil, and making sure a good moisture for your cucumber seeds.

With all that executed altogether, you will see the result in no time. Let’s explain in details:

Soaking cucumber seeds before sewing in warmth water for at least 12 to 24 hours in a dark place, this process will soften the fresh seeds and make is easier for the roots to get out from the outer skin of seeds.

Providing warmth soil will provoke the roots of cucumber seeds to spread faster in the soil, which will result in time faster germination, not to mention the importance of making damp planting site using watering, as it will help for this germination process to take its place faster.

Eventually, when you apply what is above, only great result is your share, faster or not, what matter most is healthy cucumber seeds germination and a good plant afterward.

5 do cucumber seeds need heat to germinate?

If you are wondering about the role of heat during germination process, let me state that is preferable at first. Cucumber seeds are warmth lover, which means providing heat to soil will help seeds to germinate. In contrary, cold weather is not welcome in this sensitive phase as it will delay it or even kill it.

Must be remembered, if you want to sew your cucumber seeds outside, you should first make sure that you plant it after the final frost of winter. The soil should be warmth, otherwise, your cucumber seeds will suffer from cold.

You can always help the seeds by covering it with black plastic to ensure warmth and humidity of planting site, with this done properly, the germination of cucumber seeds will be successful for sure. You can also use warmth devices indoors if you have crucial winter conditions in your area.

Another key point to take, when sewing and applying the germination process inside, you can be ahead of the outside conditions. You can schedule to sew cucumber seeds before 4 to 6 weeks of the final frost, this will give a head start of growing cucumber before its time. By the time you plant it outside, your plant will enjoy the warm weather of spring without any issue.

6 conclusion:

In brief, cucumber seeds do not need sunlight to germinate, in fact, it does need dark to grow their first seedling. However, when you see the first green leaves after germination, you should put it in morning sunlight in the first days to provoke the growing. Afterward, direct sunlight is what is necessary for cucumber plant, as it is a warmth loving plant.

Moreover, cucumber seeds germination will take five to a week to see the first result. Under the optimal conditions as the warm soil and dark place, also damp site planting will help cucumber to germinate faster. Soaking the seeds is also another good option to soften seeds before sewing.

Furthermore, cucumber plant is a great plant to start growing in your garden or indoors. More enjoyable process when you experience healthy fruits in the long run. Of course, having problems or issue in the process is inevitable, in fact, that’s what makes gardening so exciting and preferable for you and I included. So when you have a question about cucumber or any other plant, don’t hesitate to ask, happy gardening.