Cucumber is a fruit that grows on a climbing plant. It is long in shape, about 5-7 inches in length, and green on the outside, turning yellow when ripe. It is mostly eaten as a vegetable and in salads, and raw cucumber is a special treat.

Depending on the variety, February-March (mid-Magh to mid-Falgun) is the right time to grow cucumber. From each node of the stem, the plant produces a leaf, a side shoot, a tendril, a cluster of male flowers and one or more female flowers.

For a good yield, therefore, the side shoots growing from each node should be pruned. The plant should keep only the main stem, with no other branches. Side shoots growing from the main plant should be cut off.

The benefits of pruning are:

• the yield will be higher
• the plant will look attractive
• the plant will not turn yellow easily
• the fruit will be of uniform size
• the plant will have fewer diseases
• the plant will get enough light and air

Bottle gourd, pumpkin, watermelon and similar crops also give a good yield if pruned in the same way.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.