{"id":3913,"date":"2026-09-28T20:14:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T20:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3913"},"modified":"2026-10-07T19:21:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T19:21:40","slug":"should-you-prune-greenhouse-cucumbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/should-you-prune-greenhouse-cucumbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Prune Greenhouse Cucumbers or Let Them Grow Wild?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3913&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Should You Prune Greenhouse Cucumbers or Let Them Grow Wild?&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"DiscussionForumPosting\",\n  \"headline\": \"Do I need to prune and train my greenhouse cucumbers, or can I let them grow naturally?\",\n  \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/should-you-prune-greenhouse-cucumbers\/\",\n  \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-20T22:50:00+03:00\",\n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Meggi\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/profile\/64909-meggi\/\"\n  },\n  \"interactionStatistic\": {\n    \"@type\": \"InteractionCounter\",\n    \"interactionType\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/CommentAction\",\n    \"userInteractionCount\": 2\n  },\n  \"comment\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Comment\",\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\n        \"name\": \"Aleksan9ra\"\n      },\n      \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-21T09:00:00+03:00\",\n      \"text\": \"Tanya, you can do it either way. I let mine sprawl and now my greenhouse is an impassable jungle!\"\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Comment\",\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\n        \"name\": \"natko\"\n      },\n      \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-21T10:15:00+03:00\",\n      \"text\": \"I strongly believe in pruning greenhouse cucumbers! I use a strict single-stem method at the bottom...\"\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary: Pruning Greenhouse Cucumbers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>The &#8220;Jungle&#8221; Mistake:<\/strong> If you don&#8217;t prune indeterminate greenhouse cucumbers, they will quickly send out dozens of lateral vines, block airflow, and make harvesting a nightmare.<\/li>\n<li>\u2702\ufe0f <strong>The Solution (Lower and Lean):<\/strong> Forum experts highly recommend pruning to a manageable shape to maximize yield. This involves a strict <strong>single-stem rule<\/strong> at the bottom of the plant, and a specific &#8220;one leaf, one fruit&#8221; pinching method higher up.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\ude9c <strong>How to do it:<\/strong> <em>Check Natalia&#8217;s detailed post below for the exact chest-height pruning formula, and read the Editor&#8217;s Note to learn how commercial growers use the &#8220;Lower and Lean&#8221; technique to keep vines producing all summer.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>You&#8217;re reading a translated thread<\/strong> from our Russian-language forum. These growers garden in climates very similar to <strong>Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, and Ontario<\/strong> (short summers, late frosts, and cold soil).<\/p>\n<p>Do you prune your cucumbers strictly, or let them sprawl? <a style=\"color: #ff9800; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"#wpdcom\">Drop a comment below<\/a>! We&#8217;d love to compare notes.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"cucumber-pruning\">To Prune or Not to Prune?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Meggi (Tatiana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Beginner Grower (510 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region USDA 4\u00a0 | \ud83d\udcc5 June 20, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I have another question, this time about cucumbers. Do I absolutely need to prune, pinch, and train them inside the greenhouse? Or can I just leave them alone? \ud83e\udd52\u2702\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region USDA 4\u00a0 | \ud83d\udcc5 June 21, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Tanya, you can do it either way. It all depends on how many plants you have, how much space is between them, and your own desire and skill level.<\/p>\n<p>I only have 2 cucumber plants growing in my center bed. At first, I tied the main stem up to the trellis, but then I got lazy and the side shoots sprawled out in every direction. Now I literally have to step over them when I walk down the greenhouse paths! It is incredibly inconvenient. \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>When they are properly tied up and pruned to a single stem, it&#8217;s a thing of beauty! But on the other hand&#8230; as long as I&#8217;m getting cucumbers, I guess I&#8217;m happy. \ud83e\udd52<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"answer\" class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">N<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">natko (Natalia) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (5,921 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stupino District USDA 4\u00a0 | \ud83d\udcc5 June 21, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Meggi (Tatiana) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nDo I absolutely need to prune, pinch, and train them inside the greenhouse?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I strongly believe in pruning greenhouse cucumbers! I am doing it this year, and I am absolutely thrilled with the method. There is no jungle, and they are fruiting perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>Here is my method:<br \/>\nAt the beginning (the bottom half of the plant), I train them strictly to a single stem. Very strictly! I pinch off all side shoots. This makes it very easy to lower the vine down the string later when it reaches the roof.<\/p>\n<p>Then, once the vine reaches about chest height, I allow side shoots to grow out of the leaf axils. But I prune those too: I pinch off the growing tip of the side shoot, leaving exactly <strong>one cucumber and one leaf<\/strong> on it.<\/p>\n<p>I also constantly clear out the bottom of the plant. I snip off the old leaves one by one as the plant grows upward. \u2702\ufe0f\ud83c\udf43<\/p>\n<p>Once an old leaf has done its job (the cucumber next to it has been harvested), I remove it. As the bare stem gets longer, I lower the whole vine closer to the ground, coil the bare stem, and keep removing the old stuff!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 25px; font-size: 0.95em; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf3e Editor&#8217;s Agronomy Note: The &#8220;Lower and Lean&#8221; Method<\/strong><br \/>\nIn this thread, Natalia describes the exact professional method used in commercial cucumber greenhouses, often called <strong>&#8220;Lower and Lean.&#8221;<\/strong>Indeterminate greenhouse cucumbers grow incredibly fast and will quickly hit the roof of your greenhouse. If you let them grow as a bushy jungle (like Ludmila did), you will run out of vertical space in a few weeks, and the plant will choke itself out.By keeping a strict single stem at the bottom and removing the old leaves as you harvest upwards, you create a bare stalk at the base of the plant. When the cucumber vine hits the roof, you simply untie the top string, lower the plant a few feet, and coil the bare stem on the dirt. The top of the plant now has room to keep climbing all summer long!<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #fffaf0; border-left: 4px solid #ff9800; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Hey North American Growers!<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Have you ever tried the &#8220;Lower and Lean&#8221; method, or is your cucumber patch a complete jungle? Tell us below!<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary: Pruning Greenhouse Cucumbers \ud83c\udf3f The &#8220;Jungle&#8221; Mistake: If you don&#8217;t prune indeterminate greenhouse cucumbers, they will quickly send out dozens of lateral vines, block airflow, and make harvesting a nightmare. \u2702\ufe0f The Solution (Lower and Lean): Forum experts highly recommend pruning to a manageable shape to maximize yield. This involves a strict &#8230; <a title=\"Should You Prune Greenhouse Cucumbers or Let Them Grow Wild?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/should-you-prune-greenhouse-cucumbers\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Should You Prune Greenhouse Cucumbers or Let Them Grow Wild?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[784],"tags":[1013,1011,1010,1012],"class_list":["post-3913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cucumbers","tag-greenhouse-jungle","tag-lower-and-lean","tag-pruning-cucumbers","tag-single-stem-trellis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3913"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4712,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3913\/revisions\/4712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}