Cucumber

General information: the birthplace of cucumber - northwestern India and China. In our country, he appeared in the garden in the 15th century, and by the end of the 18th century he had spread widely throughout Russia. Cucumber - a perennial herbaceous plant, at a young age has long, fragile stems, creeping along the ground. From the main stem, lateral shoots of the first order depart, from them - the second, etc. The leaves differ in size and color. The first is formed 5-6 days after emergence. In the sinuses of the leaves, starting from the third, antennae, shoots, flowers and accessory roots are formed. Flowers are dioecious, cross-pollinated, masculine are collected in inflorescences of the type of brush or scutellum, and female - single. The fruit of a cucumber - a false berry( tykvina) with 3-5 seminal chambers. Seeds are white with a yellowish tinge.

Cucumber - light, heat and moisture-loving plant.

Requirements: cucumber seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of not less than 15 ° C.The optimum temperature for their germination is 25-30 ° C. The cucumber consumes the most water during the period of maximum leaf growth and mass fructification. Optimum soil moisture for growth and fructification of cucumber is 70-80

% with the lowest moisture capacity, and the same relative humidity of air. The root system positively responds to active gas exchange. Friable, well permeable to air, water and heat, soil promotes intensive growth and development of plants, increased yield. Cucumber needs a high content of carbon dioxide in the air, which is a source of carbon nutrition. Cultivate a cucumber better on high-fertility soils, well-illuminated throughout the day by the sun areas, protected from the prevailing, especially northern, winds. In the middle strip for it is better to take away the southern slopes. It is good to place a cucumber near water bodies that moisturize the air and smooth out any sudden fluctuations in temperature during the day. The best soils for this crop are loamy air and water permeable with a high content of humus;The most suitable are old cultivated cultivated non-acidic lands. To improve heavy clay soils, it is advisable to drop loose materials - compost, manure, sawdust, leaf land, peat in autumn. Dung( 4-6 kg / m2), superphosphate( 40 g), sulfuric acid potassium( 40 g) and ammonium nitrate( 18 g / m2) are used for the same purpose. Peat bogs are preliminarily limed. In addition, on all soils, it is desirable to introduce fresh manure annually( 5-7 kg / m2) every spring. Place for planting cucumber is desirable to change annually, as forerunners you can use cabbage, tomato, annual and perennial grasses, but in no case cucurbitaceae.

Combs and ridges with cucumbers should be located from west to east. The width of the ridges and rows, depending on the variety - from 70 to 90 cm. In short-leaved varieties with ordinary sowing, the distance between the rows is 45-60 cm. To make the soil well warm, the ridges are cut with a slopeto the south. For this, the ridges are leveled by rakes, making their northern side steep, and the southern side - shallow.

Ingredients: the nutritional value of cucumbers is not high. They are poor in carbohydrates and proteins;contain 97-98 % water, 0,3-0,6 - fiber, 0,1 - fat, 0,4 % of ash, in addition, pectin, amino acids, ascorbic acid, B vitamins, carotene. Of the mineral substances there are relatively many potassium salts in them.

Cultivation: in the open soil seeds are sown when the threat of frost passes and the soil warms up to 15-20 ° C in the daytime and at 8-10 ° C at night. Seedlings appear 5-7 days after sowing. Short-term cooling at this time is not dangerous, plants can be protected by temporary shelters, from the cold winds crops are protected by strips of tall crops - beans, tomatoes, climbing varieties of peas and corn. For sowing it is preferable to use.- 3-year-old seeds. Before sowing seeds for a day are put in clean warm water( 20-30 ° C).Then they are slightly dried, so that when sowing they do not stick together. Germinate seeds at a temperature of 20-30 ° C, best in wet sawdust, sand or moss. Finish sprouting, when a small root is formed - half the length of the seed. Seeds are sown in the holes or in rows, the distance between the plants in a row for the early varieties is 8-10, late - 12-15 cm. The depth of sowing is 1.5-2 in the northern regions and 2-4 cm in the southern. Dry soil surface is slightly watered with water from the watering can and poured into the grooves crushed sifted peat or humus and mulch rows. In addition to rowing, square-nest method of sowing is used. For this purpose, the section is marked in two directions, the inter-row area for the early varieties is 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm, late - 100 x 100 or 120 x 120 cm. At the intersection of the marker, make holes 10-15 cm deep,2-3 kg of manure or peat, mixed with a pinch of mineral fertilizers. All this is thoroughly mixed with the soil. Five to six seeds are sown in each well in order to subsequently leave in it the two most developed and strong plants.

Varieties for open ground

Altai early 166 is one of the fastest growing and yielding salad varieties. Biryuchekutsk 193 - mid-ripening, universal purpose.

Voronezh is medium-ripening, salty. Vyaznikovsky 37 is an old Russian variety. Ripening, universal purpose, high salad and salty qualities. Far Eastern 27 - mid-ripening, universal purpose. Dolzhik - is mid-ripening, salty. Elegant - early maturing;pickling and pickling are suitable cucumbers with a length of no more than 10 cm. The competitor is early-ripening, salty. Muromsky 36 - the most early ripening variety, suitable for pickling.

Nezhin local ~ medium late, one of the best varieties for pickling.

Universal - is early maturing, salad and salty use. Generous 118 - is early-ripening, salty.

Hybrid of the first generation for open ground

Gorgeous - mid-day, salty. VIR501, VIR 507, VIR 517 - are early maturing, salad.

Call 238 - early maturing, universal use.

Sadko - early maturing, canning.

Signal 235 - early maturing, universal purpose, also gives fine cornichons suitable for pickling and pickling.

Growing in closed ground - greenhouses, greenhouses, tunnels and other structures - is seedling. Before sowing, the seeds are heated and then soaked for 12 hours in a fertilizer solution: 20 g of sulfuric acid manganese, 10 g of superphosphate and potassium nitrate are taken per liter of water. Then they are slightly dried and dusted with a trichodermine. Seeds are sown in peat bricks( 10 x 10 cm) at the rate of 2-3 plants per 1 m2.Seedlings are grown almost without irrigation, maintaining the soil moisture in the initial period of 80 %, then - 65-75 %, and relative humidity of air - 80-85 % 9632; Soil temperature should be 27-28 ° C, air - 24-25 ° C in the daytime and 18-20 ° C - at night. The duration of growing seedlings for a greenhouse is 30-35 days, for film shelters - 28-30 days. When planting on a permanent place, plants should have 5-6 true leaves, 2-3 tendrils, a thick stem and a healthy root system. Soil mixture in the greenhouse is prepared in advance( per week) so that it can settle. The main soil is well decomposed low-lying peat, mixed with sawdust or with chopped straw. Usually it is used for 6-8 years. When compacting the soil, loosening materials are used - peat, river sand, straw cutting, manure, which has undergone thermal treatment. The optimal thickness of the soil layer is not less than 40 cm. Before planting the seedlings, moisturizing watering is done. The cube with seedlings is buried in the soil mix to 3/4 of the height, so that the upper edge of the cube protrudes slightly above the surface of the ridge. Plants are mildly watered, and immediately the whips are allowed up the vertical trellis tied to a wire stretched along the row at a height of 1.6-1.8 m. The formation of the bush begins after the plants reach the 8-9 phase of the real leaves, with the lateral branches in the lower leaves3-4 nodes completely plucked( dazzled) at the very beginning of their formation. In the next 4-5 nodes, side shoots are pricked onto 1 leaf and 1 cucumber. Above 5 knots to trellis wire side shoots are plucked on 2-3 leaves. When the trellis wire is reached, the main whip is wound 2 times around it, tied up and pricked.

Varieties for the protected ground

Din-Zo-Sin - early, cold-resistant, without much damage, suffers sudden temperature fluctuations.

Marfinsky - is a medium-sized, salad-type, relatively shade-tolerant. Good for getting early cucumbers. The following varieties are used for growing in greenhouses: Altai Early 166, Vladivostok 155, Vyaznikovsky 37, Graceful, Murom 36, Nezhinsky, Nerosimy 40, Harvest 86.

Nursing: crops are thinned when the shoots get stronger and 2-3 real leaves appear,leaving between plants 7-8 cm. The second time they are thinned out when forming 4-5 sheets.

When loosening the soil and hilling, you need to be careful not to damage the root system. Simultaneously with the loosening, which is stopped after the whips are covered with row spacing, the entire area occupied by the cucumber should be thoroughly weeded, and subsequently the weeds are regularly destroyed. When growing a cucumber in a closed pound, the soil is not loosened, and periodically add a new portion of the mixture to the layer no more than 1-2 cm to ensure air access to the roots. To create optimal conditions for lighting plants and to exclude their mutual oppression, the whips are carefully spread out between rows and pinned to the soil with a mildew or willow twigs. You can also place the lashes on the carcasses built along the landings.

To accelerate fruiting, the top of the stem is pricked over the 4-5th leaf. When fertilizing in the first period( from the germination of the seeds to the formation of the 3rd present leaf, usually on the 15-26 day from the emergence), nitrogen fertilizers( ammonium nitrate, urea), as well as potassium( chloride, sulfuric acid potassium,potassium nitrate).

Well-soluble fertilizers are more suitable for use in liquid form( for 1 watering can of 15-20 grams of ammonium nitrate or urea, 10-15 g of potassium chloride).The day before feeding, the cucumber is poured with warm water( 22-25 ° C): 1 watering can( 10 liters) per 2 m2.During flowering, doses of nitrogen fertilizers are increased by 1.5, and potassium ones by 2 times. During the fruiting period( when the collection of fruits begins to fall off), the amount of nitrogen fertilizers should be doubled in comparison with the first fertilizing, and the potassium ones should be increased 2.5 times. Feed and water the plants in the morning.before the heat.

Organic manure, cow and horse manure, chicken manure, etc. are used from organic fertilizers. They are brought under the root without contaminating leaves and stems. Water for the solution is taken warm, at a temperature of 22-25 ° C.Appearing after top dressing, the crust must be loosened.

Cucumbers in the sheltered soil are watered 2 times a week, on hot, sunny days - every other day. For top dressing, use 1 liter of Mullein solution( 1: 8), 10 grams of urea and potassium sulfate for 10 liters of water, 30 g of superphosphate, while fertilizing the amount of urea and potassium sulfate doubles. These mineral fertilizers can be replaced with a garden mix or full mineral fertilizer: 60 g. Before fruiting, 80 g. During fruiting. Effective non-root fertilizing with mineral fertilizers in a mixture with microfertilizers - 1 time per month. For varieties that need pollination, at the beginning of the flowering period, artificial pollination is required before bees. It is useful to open windows and to attract bees, bumblebees spray plants with a weak solution of honey.

The lateral sprout formed behind the first ovary is cut off by

. Grafting: to obtain healthy plants, cucumbers can be eyed on a fig-like pumpkin that is not susceptible to the venerable fungus.

First they sow cucumbers in a pot, then, after a week, put the pumpkin crockery in the same pot. The germination temperature is not lower than 22 ° С.

/. In a pot installed in a lighted place, they sow a cucumber, a week later, when a sprout appears, a pumpkin seed is planted in the pot. The temperature is maintained at least 22 ° C

2. After 3 weeks on the stems of the pumpkin under the embryonic leaves and cucumber slanting is made( at the pumpkin from the top down at a distance of 1 cm to the middle of the stem, and the cucumber from the bottom upwards)

3. The sections are folded and the placeconnection wrapped with adhesive tape. It is recommended to cover the pot with a film. After 2-3 weeks, , when the plants grow together, remove the pumpkin head, after another 2 days - the root of the cucumber

There are varieties resistant to diseases such as cucumber scabies and powdery mildew. In addition, they do not contain bitter substances. Sometimes a white fly appears in the greenhouse. In this case, immediately hang the adhesive tapes. Young plants can be attacked by snails

Harvesting: harvest is harvested as it ripens, preventing the cucumber from growing. In order not to damage the whip, it is recommended that they not be lifted or turned over. Separate the fruit from the plant with the thumbnail, pressing it on the stem. Collect cucumbers better in the morning or in the evening. So that the fruits do not wilt, they are covered with matting, burlap or tarpaulin. It is best to store cucumbers on the lower shelves of refrigerators in plastic bags.

Usage: cucumber helps to remove fluid from the body, regulates the work of the heart and kidneys. It also has a laxative, diuretic and choleretic effect, reduces the acidity of gastric juice. With a curative purpose, fresh cucumber juice has long been consumed with colic, as an analgesic, alone or in a mixture with honey used for coughing. A water infusion of a cucumber peel or juice wipe the skin of the face to get rid of freckles and blackheads. Cucumber preparations, creams, lotions and other cosmetics are manufactured from cucumber preparations. Fresh cucumbers include in the diet of people prone to obesity.