Summer residents do not have time when they do not think about their beds. So in winter, the time for buying seeds begins. It is necessary to think over the place of planting, plan what to plant, how many seeds to buy, what varieties, in what quantities. Of course, cucumber is a favorite grown vegetable. Today, a variety of color bags are laid out on the shelves, but attention is drawn to bright with a not very common name - cucumber hybrids. True, it may not be clear to novice gardeners what a hybrid is and what is its difference from ordinary varieties. Let's try to figure it out together!
What is a hybrid?
This is the crossing of cells of genetically different forms. This crossing is most often used in botany. Seeds are obtained by mixing two different varieties. Both of them should bring the best qualities to the resulting hybrid variety and surpass their parents in all respects. This ability has been called hybrid power. There is another name - heterosis - a hybrid that has received all the best signs of the best of parents. Usually these properties appear only in the seeds of the first generation.
First generation seeds
All such seeds are much better in quality than ordinary, non-hybrid. They are much tastier, there is no bitterness in the fruits, much more resistant to temperature extremes, they are less sick. There are a lot of cucumbers of such varieties. You just need to look at the annotation and choose the ones you like. Now super-early seeds have appeared, the ripening period of which from seedlings to obtaining fruits is only 35-40 days.
What is a hybrid F1
This marking can often be seen on seed bags. The symbol F1 is an indicator that the variety was created by the method of crossing, and the seeds were obtained from the first generation. They are usually more expensive. Work on the cultivation of varieties of the first generation is carried out in strict accordance with all agricultural techniques and only manually. This is the guarantee of truly excellent seed quality.
What seeds to choose
First of all, you need to understand that there are two types of hybrid seeds: bee pollinated and parthenocarpic or growing without pollination. So, you can choose what to plant in the greenhouse, and what is better in the open ground, directly to the garden. It is worth noting the positive quality of cucumber hybrids, such as the inability to accumulate a large amount of nitrates.
Hybrid seeds are distinguished by excellent friendly germination, are less susceptible to various diseases, tolerate short-term cooling without serious consequences, are characterized by high productivity, even in years with adverse weather. After all, what is a hybrid? This is a combination of the best features!
Of course, experienced gardeners give preference to varieties that grow without pollination or parthenocarpic. These varieties are the most productive, rarely bitter, do not require careful care. They need only fertile, well-fertilized soil and frequent plentiful watering. Such cucumbers are good in summer in salads, as well as for winter preservation. Small cucumbers, mainly of the gherkin type, can be pickled even in small jars.
Sowing methods and dates, cultivation methods
The early start of fruiting makes it possible to sow cucumbers at different times, and get an excellent harvest all summer. Varieties of this type usually give a lot of ovaries, in the nodes up to a dozen are formed, and in some varieties and more, medium-sized cucumbers.
In early spring, you can plant the seeds in seedlings in a polycarbonate greenhouse and get the first cucumbers by early or mid-June. You can plant the seeds directly in the soil in the greenhouse and the next wave of fruits will arrive in time for the period when the conservation time begins.
It is possible to land directly on the garden without any shelter. You can have time to enjoy fresh cucumbers and collect a good harvest with this method of cultivation. But lovers of harvesting their seeds need to keep in mind that hybrids can not be taken for seeds, because the crop for the next year can not be obtained. The second generation may be either infertile or completely infertile.
Now you know what a hybrid is. So go for it! Be sure to carefully read the recommendations for growing on a bag of seeds. Then there is hope that the crop will be such that it will need to be taken out, if not by truck, then by a machine such as the Toyota Prius Hybrid. All in your hands!