Cucumber is one of the most popular vegetables. And grown on your garden - the most delicious. Appreciate it for taste. Cucumbers grow almost all gardeners on their personal plots. But it is not always possible to harvest a good crop. Now hybrids, in particular Dutch ones, are becoming increasingly popular. One of them is the ultra-early variety Artist F1.
Types of pollination cucumbers
Often on the packaging of seeds of cucumbers you can see the inscription: parthenocarpic hybrid. What does it mean? All cucumbers are divided into bee pollinators and those for which these insects are not required.
Such plants are called parthenocarpic hybrids, or simply parthenocarpic. Why did you need to create them? Conventional varieties of cucumbers do not set fruit without pollination by bees or other insects. But where to get them in greenhouses? So the breeders worked until they brought hybrids of cucumbers for greenhouses that do not require bee pollination. They can be grown in an apartment in a large pot, followed by relocation to a balcony or courtyard.
They are quite suitable for outdoor cultivation, but the taste of parthenocarpics is slightly worse. They do not require pollination, but sometimes it occurs. Customer reviews suggest that some hybrids after pollination with a nearby ordinary cucumber growing produce more delicious fruits. And others, on the contrary, are bitter and crooked.
Characteristics of cucumber varieties
According to their purpose, various varieties and hybrids of cucumbers are pickling, salad and universal, which can be used in any form. Salads are not suitable for salting. They will become soft and fall apart in your hands. Salting can be cut into a salad and consumed fresh. But they are not as tasty as salad.
The easiest way to sow universal varieties of cucumbers. For them, you do not need to look for different sections, as for the first two types. The risk of confusing salad dressings with pickles is reduced to zero. After all, they are all the same. This is a good solution for people who do not often visit their garden.
But for those who are seriously engaged in the cultivation of these vegetables, each variety is recognizable and loved. And to wait for the fruits of a new variety is a real holiday.
There are early, late and middle varieties of cucumbers.
Dutch cucumbers
Dutch cucumber varieties are considered one of the most popular. Their productivity is many times higher than our popular old varieties. And the taste is very high. Dutch hybrids are almost never bitter.
In addition, they are much more resistant to various diseases and viruses. Dutch cucumber varieties are not affected by peronospirosis, which usually affects these plants. They tolerate heat and cold well, bear fruit until frost.
Seeds in a bag are usually few. But for the Dutch varieties, there are many of them and are not needed. All plants have long stems on which cucumbers grow in bunches. Therefore, to get ungutted crops you need no more than four seeds per square meter.
Bee-pollinated Dutch hybrids: Ajax F1, Prince Mix F1, Othello F1, Octopus F1.
Parthenocarpics: Marinda F1, Gunar F1, Mirabella F1, Satina F1, Artist F1. Let's talk about the latter in more detail.
Unfortunately, hybrids do not retain their properties in future generations. Seeds from them do not need to be collected. He raised, ate and forgot.
Cucumber Artist F1: Description
Hybrid ultra-early ripening. The first fruits appear around the fortieth day.
It has a well-developed root system. It allows you to successfully tolerate drought and heat. It is quickly restored after the drying. It fits well on the grid. On one node forms 6-8 cucumbers. Suffers a lack of lighting. Therefore, it is suitable for growing in an apartment in winter and early spring.
Fruits stable all summer cucumber Artist F1. The description of the fruits suggests that they have a standard appearance: smooth, homogeneous, with large tubercles. The ratio of length and diameter is approximately 3: 1. The cucumber Artist F1 has a dark green color. Customer reviews say that the fruits do not turn yellow. Seed chambers are small. The fruits are not bitter. The variety is resistant to powdery mildew, olive spotting.
The cucumber variety Artist F1 is suitable for pickling.
From one square meter of the area you can collect at least twenty kilograms of gherkins, and from one bush - up to 10 kg. In the southern and middle latitudes for the season, you can get two harvests of this cucumber.
How to get the maximum yield that cucumber Artist F1 can give? The technology for growing this variety and other hybrids is not much different.
Soil preparation
A place for Artist F1 needs to be selected sunny, partial shade is possible. And drafts are undesirable. The soil is loose, fertile, retaining moisture. You can’t fertilize it in advance, because the root system of a cucumber is not very large. The main part of the territory is occupied by lashes with leaves and fruits or aisles. Fertilizers are applied before planting. To do this, dig holes up to 40 cm deep in the proposed sowing places and fill them with a mixture of organic fertilizers and soil. It is better not to use fresh manure so as not to overload the cucumbers with nitrates. Then a layer of earth is poured into which seeds of hybrids or seedlings will be placed. Under the influence of temperature, fertilizers will decompose and give off heat. This will allow cucumbers to ascend earlier, not to disappear when the temperature drops, to develop faster and better.
Neighbors
When preparing a bed for cucumbers, do not forget to make sure that they have good neighbors. Some may favorably influence plants, while others inhibit them. So, sweet corn obscures the leaves and roots from the scorching rays of the summer sun.
And the stems of the cucumber are woven along this hedge, choosing a better and more comfortable place for themselves. Beans play the same role in the life of a cucumber. Dill has a positive effect on cucumbers. Its volatile, negatively affecting most plants, like cucumbers.
Garlic, onions, salads, all legumes, cabbage, and beets can become good neutral neighbors.
On the relationship of cucumbers and tomatoes, the information is quite contradictory. It used to be that they should be grown away from each other. But this opinion has not received scientific confirmation. Unambiguously, the conditions for them need to be created different (watering, soil), but if you have one greenhouse, then you can’t get away from this neighborhood.
Cucumber Artist F1 - parthenocarpic hybrid. What does this mean for a gardener? It is better to sow it separately from the bee pollinated varieties so that the fruits do not become bitter. Do not forget that in one place cucumbers can be planted once every five years.
Ground water should not lie in the place of sowing. They will not allow the soil to warm up. If there is no other site, you can arrange a warm bed. To do this, dig a large amount of organic substances into the ground, which can rot due to moisture and high temperature. It can be straw, watered with chicken manure. Cover with a layer of earth 30 cm thick from above. Cucumbers will be sown there. Straw, decaying, will generate heat and warm plants. This neutralizes the effects of groundwater.
Sowing
It is quite difficult to determine the sowing date. It seems to be warm and even hot. And then suddenly freezing frost came. In order not to lose all the seeds, you can sow several varieties "for the first case", and leave the rest for a period of stable heat. Sowing is carried out in damp earth. Sow seeds in shallow furrows at a distance of six centimeters from each other. If the soil is dry, moisten it.
Cucumbers are sown at a distance of up to six centimeters, moistening, if necessary, the soil. Seeds are laid nose up at an angle of 45 °. The root will sprout from the nose and bend down. Then the sprout will be easier to get through the ground. If the nose is pointed down when landing, it will come out with the skin.
They cover with a layer of mulch no thinner than 3 cm from above. It will retain moisture, warm the seedlings and prevent the formation of a crust around them.
If there is no water nearby, seeds can be planted in dry land. But they should not be sprouted or wet. Someday it will rain and they will sprout.
Having bought the seeds of cucumber hybrids, carefully look at the packaging. It may be written on it: "Do not soak." Then sow them dry. If there is no inscription, the seeds can be pre-germinated in various ways:
- The most famous: in a cup, wrapping them with a damp cotton cloth.
- Sawdust scalded with boiling water can be used. Germinate at a temperature not lower than 25 ° C until the root length is two times less than a seed.
- There is still a landless method of germination. Two layers of toilet paper are placed on a plastic tape, seeds are evenly placed along one long edge. Then cover again with paper. They are rolled up and placed in a glass with water so that it does not reach the seeds for a couple of centimeters. Cover the top with a loose film and wait for it to grow.
Reviews gardeners say that he has excellent germination.
In southern areas, it is advised to sprinkle stems during planting to form lateral roots. This strengthens the root system of the cucumber. But this should not be done in the northern regions. After all, the plant will not develop until these roots grow. And the growing season in the northern regions is short. While you wait for the harvest, the summer will end.
Care
Seedlings thin out when they have a pair of real leaves. Every 15 cm there should be one cucumber Artist F1.
Reviews gardeners say that excess bushes are cut off at ground level. Then they watered, loosen the soil around the plant to strengthen the root system. Lightly spud. This will protect cucumbers from diseases that develop rapidly when moisture gets on the base of the stem.
If you pinch the main lash of the cucumber after the fifth or sixth leaf, then new shoots will grow on it, more female flowers will form on them.
In order for the plants to warm up better, get more sun and not get sick, you need to install a grid for them. To do this, install columns on the edges of the rows, connect them with wire or a strong rope, on which the mesh will be stretched. It must be borne in mind that the mass of the bush of cucumbers is considerable.
Extra whiskers and shoots over the fruits are removed. The stems are periodically guided so that they trail in the right direction. Do not allow traction with neighboring bushes. When the main stem exceeds the grid by a couple of decimeters, pinch it. With lateral stems, this is done at a height of 50 cm.
Watering
Cucumber is a hygrophilous plant. He especially needs moisture during the formation of the ovary and fruits. The cucumber reacts to its deficiency by abrupt cessation of fruiting, a change in the shape and taste of the fruit.
But to pour cucumbers from a hose with cold water is to plunge the plant into a state of shock. From such a departure, it will weaken and become sick with gray rot. The remaining fruits will be pulled by the “waist”. It is necessary to water the plants under the root without falling on the leaves. Water for irrigation must be used only warm, heated in the sun.
And what if there is no way to water the cucumber Artist F1? Reviews gardeners are advised to mulch the area more densely with grass or leaves. (See only that it does not turn out to be weeds with ripening seeds.) Then only one rain will be enough so that the soil under the plants does not dry out for a long time. Yes, and there will be no need to loosen it. Weeds barely break through a layer of mulch.
Top dressing
The first fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out not earlier than the formation of the first true leaves. To do this, take in equal proportions superphosphate, potassium salt and ammonium nitrate (10 grams each). This mixture is diluted in a bucket of water and poured under the plants, trying not to get on the leaves and stems.
If the plants are weak or the soil is very poor, then use a mullein solution. You can take chicken droppings instead . A kilogram of manure is insisted for ten days in a bucket of water in a warm place. Then, a liter of this liquid is diluted in a bucket of water, a handful of ash is added and the plants are watered.
If the cucumber is "hungry", it discards the ovaries, the leaves turn yellow.
If the fruit looks like a pear, then the plant lacks potassium. The appearance of the beak indicates a lack of nitrogen in the soil.
The arched shape indicates irregular watering or pollination with other varieties.
Harvesting
It must be carried out regularly.
If you miss the time, the fruits will outgrow and lose their presentation. It is better to take the fruits every day, in extreme cases - after a day. Overgrown fruits prevent new growth.
Reviews
Not all gardeners are familiar with the F1 cucumber Artist. The reviews of those who grew it indicate that he has not only a beautiful appearance, but also excellent taste. They consume cucumber in a salad and use it for processing. And the result pleases them.
Customer reviews indicate that the variety of cucumbers Artist F1 is very reliable and productive, and even early. They advise all gardeners to try it for growing on a personal plot.