It is difficult to imagine a summer salad without such an indispensable component as a fresh crisp. These unpretentious vegetables came to us from India, therefore they are most demanding only for light and heat. Today, a huge variety of varieties is grown on the territory of Russia, among which the "emerald stream" cucumber is very popular.
Grade description
Seeds of cucumber "emerald stream" are intended for planting in open ground and in a greenhouse, because they do not need pollination. This hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew and other diseases, undemanding to sunlight, frost-resistant. It has a thick stem with large leaves and flowers located on it. Thin fruits of elongated shape, reaching a length of up to 50 cm, have a sweetish taste and delicate thin skin.
Flowering continues throughout the summer, the period from emergence to the time of harvest is 45-48 days, and fruiting lasts until the end of October. Cucumber "emerald stream" is not intended for canning, it is suitable mainly for salads.
Sprouting seedlings
Seeds are soaked for 2 hours in a soda solution (1 tsp. Soda per liter of water), after which they are laid out on a rag or gauze layer to dry. As soon as the seeds hatch, you can sow them in specially prepared boxes with soil. The soil for them is purchased in a store or prepared independently from humus, turf land, sand and ash (in a ratio of 1: 3: 1: 1, respectively). Before planting, it is recommended that the soil is shed properly with hot water and, after it cools, plant seeds. Germination is carried out in order to select the most powerful and healthy plants.
Outdoor growing conditions for cucumbers
In order to grow a good crop, compliance with a number of rules is required regardless of the variety of cucumbers. Siberia and the non-chernozem zone are characterized by too short summers with night cooling, which shortens the growing season. Therefore, growing cucumbers right on the bed, they need to provide the most comfortable conditions. It is important to consider the following:
- The average daily temperature for the development of cucumber should be at least 15 ° C.
- The roots of the plant suffer from low temperatures more than its ground part.
- When you carry out mineral top dressing, it is necessary that the concentration of the solution does not exceed 1%.
- If the soils are heavy loamy, the roots absorb nutrients and water very slowly, which pushes back the ripening dates of cucumbers.
- It is not recommended to plant cucumbers in the garden after any pumpkin crops, including cucumbers. This can be done no earlier than after 3 years.
Planting cucumbers in the open ground
Sowing seeds can be done when the soil warms up well, and the air temperature becomes at least 15 ° C. Cucumber "emerald stream", planted in open ground, in the early days requires special care. As soon as cotyledonous leaves appear on the plant, it is necessary to thin out, remove weeds and loosen the soil. If this is not done on time, young plants may become weed-covered. It is better to thin out without pulling out the sprouts, but carefully cutting each so as not to disturb the root system of the remaining plants, maintaining a distance between them of 8-10 cm.
3 days after thinning the aisle, loosen it to destroy the remaining weeds and improve the air flow to the root system. In order to prevent the formation of a hard crust, after irrigation, again cultivate using a trident to a depth of 5 cm.
In the period when there is no rain, watering is carried out every other day. It is important to ensure that the soil layer is saturated with moisture to a depth of at least 10 cm. It is necessary to pour water in the aisle so as not to wash out the root system. Mulching with a film reduces the evaporation of moisture, which allows less frequent use of watering. The use of non-woven material as a shelter allows you to protect cucumbers from drying out and from temperature changes.
The best varieties for open ground
Cucumber "emerald stream f1" is great for growing by a similar method. It tolerates adverse weather conditions, is resistant to disease, its fruits are devoid of a bitter taste. High yields are able to give self-pollinated cucumber varieties "enthusiasm", "zozulya", "alliance". The Dutch variety of cucumbers "German F1" is famous for endurance and early ripening. Small cucumbers 9-10 cm in size are suitable for both salads and canning.
Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse
The cucumber "emerald stream" is also adapted quite well to greenhouse conditions. The special microclimate in the greenhouse often contributes to the appearance of various diseases in plants. Therefore, planting requires varieties that can withstand them. The pliable, powerful stalk allows you to tie up the plant, giving it a convenient shape, which saves space and allows more light to pass through. If the lower leaves are not allowed to touch the ground, then they can remain green for a very long time.
In the greenhouse, it is necessary to maintain the optimum temperature (20-25 ° C), carry out ventilation. Watering is carried out mainly in the morning hours up to 3 times a week. Plant nutrition is carried out twice a season - during flowering and fruiting. Organic fertilizers are best used for this.
The best varieties for greenhouses
Self-pollinated varieties of cucumbers are a real find for gardeners who use greenhouses to grow crops. Among the early varieties, it is worth paying attention to “Murom 36”, “elegant”. Late “athlete” is very good for salting. Hybrid varieties are in great demand, which attract not only their resistance to diseases and high productivity, but also excellent taste. Cucumbers "emerald flow" reviews are mainly characterized as very aromatic, delicate and sweet in taste.
Varieties of cucumbers for Siberia
The climate zone for which they are intended is very important when choosing suitable varieties of cucumbers. Their productivity largely depends on this. This is especially important for a region such as Siberia, where a short summer is often accompanied by night cooling and early frosts. Therefore, the inhabitants of this region have their favorite varieties that differ not only in early or late fruiting, but also in the intended use.
For example, the cucumber "emerald stream" is intended for the preparation of salads. Also for fresh consumption they grow "Altai early 166", "Vladivostok 155", "Adam", "graceful".
For salting, such varieties as Altai, Cascade, Competitor, Muromsky 36, Local Nezhinsky, fontanel, etc. are suitable.
The description of the varieties of cucumbers intended for pickling includes such characteristics as a small size, dense, peppered. They correspond to “regia F1”, “delicacy”, “leandro F1”.
Experienced gardeners in Siberia prefer mainly self-pollinating varieties of cucumbers, because they allow you to get an early harvest, which is possible only when using a greenhouse. Yes, and insects in early spring in this region are still missing. Cucumbers "emerald stream", reviews of which are so often found in the descriptions of this variety, Siberians have long been fond of for this reason too. Salads from them can please throughout the summer period.