About three years ago, I, picking seeds, preparing for the planting season, saw sachets of cucumber seeds - the length of the fruit in the picture was simply unreal. I asked if they would grow so long, if there was any kind of dirty trick here. The seller replied that they are Chinese cucumbers, but there are many varieties and, most likely, it is some kind of subspecies, because almost all of them have a long size - from 30 to 80 cm. I then bought two packets of seeds. Two varieties - Chinese heat-resistant F1 - with fruits of ordinary cucumber color and Bride F1 - white. The houses laughed at me, they say, someday these experiments will leave us without harvest.
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- Chinese cucumbers - varieties, reviews
- Chinese Heat Resistant F1
- Bride of F1
But they were wrong! The harvest was, and even what! Since then, I became a fan of Chinese cucumbers. Every year I plant them in their beds. For those who are interested in these vegetables, I want to tell you about my experience.
The first year I was afraid to plant them with seeds at once in the open ground - it was not known how they would behave in my garden. At the beginning of April, I slipped 4 seeds of Chinese drought-resistant F1, as many F1 Bride seeds into individual plastic cups with moist soil. She covered them with foil, and waited for the shoots. On the fourth day in the morning all eight stood with cotyledon leaves, like soldiers, even lifted the film. And after 4 weeks were ready to land in the open ground.
I planted something little known to me, I did not know how the Chinese cucumbers would behave in my garden. Therefore, the first week of seedlings covered with plastic 5-liter bottles with a cut bottom to they were not so cold - in April the nights are cool, but the lid was unscrewed so that they would not be there suffocated. And then she took off the shelter - they began to grow in me in the same conditions as other varieties.
Externally, Chinese cucumbers, or rather, their whips, absolutely do not differ from our usual, more familiar varieties.
.In recent years, almost all varieties or hybrids of cucumbers I plant on the trellis. So it is more convenient to take care of them, to harvest. Chinese cucumbers are no exception. The distance between seedlings of any cucumber is 30-40 cm.
Now, having a little experience, I can say that due to the fact that the fruits of Chinese cucumbers are very long, the ligature of the lashes should be given more attention at the initial stage. A few long fruit on one lash is a big load for the plant.
There were several such moments that the Chinese long cucumbers fell inside the cell of the plastic trellis, lay across it, because of this, they grew into a strange curved shape. It certainly did not affect the taste, but it was necessary to carry it home separately from the rest. That is, I advise you to closely monitor the young cucumbers on the trellis, in time to release them from such captivity.
I noticed such a feature. Cucumbers (fruits) generally grow very quickly, but the Chinese grow at such a speed that you can only marvel. Specially, leaving with the granddaughter from a summer residence, noted any small cucumber, the size of a little finger, and the next day it turned into a full-length cucumber nearly 30 cm long, sometimes even more.
Another feature. The soil must be moist all the time. If ordinary cucumbers can forgive you a watering pass, then the Chinese "will take offense." The next day you will see a long crooked arch crooked, but very thin with a lot of convex spikes, literally prickly, some twisted. That is, there was not enough moisture for him, the poor, he did not get drunk, did not fill up, did not absorb.
By the way, the same thing can happen if you do not rip them off in time. That is, the "old" cucumbers will be poured, and the growth of the young will be slightly slowed down.
By the way, the past year was not the best - peronosporoz (false powdery mildew) killed many cucumbers, and Chinese heat-resistant withstood this insidious disease, my 2-week absence, moreover, fruited almost to freezing.
I will share my observations about the varieties I have tested, or rather the hybrids of Chinese cucumbers.
↑ to the contents ↑.Chinese cucumbers - varieties, reviews
↑ back to content ↑Chinese Heat Resistant F1
It is a hybrid, characterized by high yields, resistance to drought. Continues to bear fruit even at an air temperature of + 35 ° С, when other varieties cease to grow, to tie fruits. Refers to medium-early varieties. The first cucumbers can be ripped off 48-55 days after emergence.
.The plant is powerful enough, branch well. Fruits are long - from 30 to 50 cm, dark green with large tubercles. The taste is sweet, well crunches, very fragrant, delicious. The skin of the fetus is thin. Good in salads, suitable for marinating or canning lobules. In order to roll them for the winter, it is enough just to cut the cucumber into large pieces. Yes, outwardly they seem so "eccentric but what I like, bushes bear fruit very abundantly, almost not affected by disease.
Hybrid is resistant to the most common diseases - powdery mildew, peronosporosa (false powdery mildew), fusarium wilt. Can be grown in a greenhouse or open ground. In the Kuban can be planted, not only in the spring, but closer to the autumn - in August. Harvest can be removed before freezing.
↑ back to content ↑Bride of F1
This interesting hybrid with a light skin was brought out by Chinese breeders. Fruits have a light light-white-green tint. Early ripening. From the moment of shoots to the beginning of harvesting, no more than 40 days pass. Cucumbers are delicious, the shape is also elongated, but not as long as the Chinese drought-resistant. I usually tore them off when reaching a length of no more than 20 cm.
Peel on the fruit is thin. Under no conditions of cultivation will be bitter. After harvesting, they are well preserved, without losing their taste for several days. We ate them only fresh, so I can not say anything that they taste marinated or canned.
The variety is resistant to fluctuations in temperature, both towards cooling and warming, that is, the grade is cold-drought-resistant.
By the way, before buying seeds of the Bride F1, I read a lot of opinions on different forums about white cucumbers of such a plan:
- I will never plant myself, because I think that cucumbers should be green;
- I will not plant, since the white papyrus surface looks frightening;
- scary approach to the garden on which these cucumbers grow.
As often happens, such sharply negative reviews only spurred me. Moreover, it was reviews of people who saw such cucumbers only in pictures, they themselves did not grow them. I wanted to make up my own opinion not only from the picture.
.Here is my review. Color original, unusual. Cucumbers are tender, crunchy. The aroma is very strong classic cucumber. Delicious, sweetish. There is a big plus - they did not get sick with peronosporosis, and Phoenix, which I plant every year, did not live until mid-July.
A white cucumber has one minus - you can not let them outgrow. Otherwise, the skin becomes rough, and the cucumber loses its taste, becomes "no."
But... My family did not appreciate the cucumber with white skin. The reason is color. They could not abandon the habitual opinion that cucumbers should be green. More I did not put them ...
Over the past three years, I tried Chinese heat-resistant, Chinese cold-resistant, Chinese disease-resistant. I liked everything. It is difficult to distinguish them in appearance from each other. But resistance to disease, yield, taste is excellent. By the way, I really liked the salted Chinese cucumbers - tender, fragrant, tasty.
In principle, Chinese cucumbers for growing and care are not fundamentally different from the ordinary varieties that we are familiar with. But I want to remind you that from hybrids you will not get productive, suitable for harvest seeds. Every year I buy new ones. Very satisfied with the Chinese quality! Try to grow some of the varieties I recommended, I think you like cucumbers!
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