Hello, dear gardeners, vegetable growers and florists. Today we will talk about choosing cucumbers for growing in your beds, in greenhouses, in hotbeds, under shelters. And I would like to note that recently most gardeners still use hybrids, parthenocarpic hybrids, those that do not require pollination, although it is a pity that they forget about varieties, those that are pollinated by bees, as a rule.
The varieties are characterized by the fact that they are perhaps a little weaker in relation to diseases. Yes, they are more susceptible to diseases, but nevertheless, for barrel pickling, perhaps, there is no better cucumber than cucumbers. And now many of you have large cellars, wooden barrels. And, of course, the best cucumbers are, of course, bee-pollinated varieties, and, as a rule, most of them are black-spined cucumbers. The thick skin is very dense. Cucumbers are good for transportation, for storage, they can be collected for a long period – they do not dry out, do not wither – and then whole large barrels can be salted.
Of course, this weakness to diseases slightly pushes these cucumbers away from parthenocarpic, from hybrids. Those that do not require pollination, with them, of course, there is less care, but, nevertheless, they are more delicate and require, as a rule, shelters. This shelter can be on arcs, or these are hothouses, or these are greenhouses. I hope you all know the difference between hothouses and greenhouses. It is in these conditions that parthenocarpic cucumbers, which have practically no male flowers and do not require fingers for pollination, they grow well in closed conditions in hothouses, hothouses, and it is there that they give the yields that are written on the annotations on the packages: 32 kg per square meter.
Again, vegetable growers of the central part of Russia, the Non-Black Earth Region, should remember that the majority of tests of cucumbers and any vegetable crops are carried out where the seeds are produced. Where is it more convenient to produce seeds? Of course, in areas of low-risk farming, where it is warmer and the weather is more reliable. That is why the data that was obtained, for example, in the Krasnodar Region are written. If we have good weather, then we can get such a harvest. But, as a rule, in the central part of the Non-Black Earth Region the weather is worse, there is less light, less sun, so a harvest of 32-38 kg, as producers sometimes write on the packaging, is certainly very difficult to get.
Parthenocarpics are distinguished by the fact that when we look at a flower, we see any flower with an ovary, be it flowers of the usual arrangement or clustered. And you know that from the axil of one leaf not only 2, 4, 6 flowers can come out, and therefore ovaries, dozens can come out. The only thing is that such hybrids have not yet reached the people, but in general, such exist, when from one axil 40, and even 50 female flowers can come out.
Parthenocarpic plants do not require pollination, and yet I would advise you all to plant several specimens of bee-pollinated cucumbers under cover. Why? Because sometimes it happens that there is a very large bunch of flowers, the first flowers begin to develop, the second ones pick up this growth, and the third ones lack a little strength. And while the first ones grow, the second ones catch up, the third pair, so to speak, lacks strength, they change shape, for example, they may not be very pretty, they may not gain weight. And if these flowers were pollinated by bees, they would receive pollen, in this case the cucumbers would turn out more complete. So, do not forget, it is not difficult to do. Literally 2-4 plants to plant at the beginning and at the end of the greenhouse, and the harvest will be much larger, better and more reliable.
I would also like to note the following. Cucumbers are stored for a very long time, pumpkin seeds can be stored for a very long time, but in good conditions. Sometimes, and in most cases, varietal cucumbers, the seeds of which are poured out in large quantities, they are cheap, they are put in such a regular package, just in bulk. Good parthenocarpics – as a rule, expensive seeds, when five pieces can cost both 50 and 70 rubles – are put in such a second package. As a rule, it is metallized, which allows you to maintain constant humidity, not allowing any pests, no diseases. And it is best to buy any cucumbers, if possible, then in double packaging. It is desirable that they are inlaid, that is, treated with preparations that protect the seeds from diseases, and plus in such a double package, which allows you to extend the shelf life of the seeds in the package itself.
My dears, pay attention to this. And if suddenly on the seed pack it is written “until 2017” and you are afraid, then in vain. They will still serve you in 2018 and 2020, if they are packed in such metallized packaging.
Now I’ll quickly cut it open and show you what metallized packaging means, and what it means that the seeds have undergone preliminary processing.
Please see what encrusted seeds mean. They are colored and come in such packaging. So try to buy quality seeds, even if they are a little more expensive.
Nikolay Fursov. Candidate of Agricultural Sciences
