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In recent years, Chinese cucumber has begun to be popular with domestic gardeners. This rather original plant has not yet received a truly wide popularity, although it deserves it. Excellent qualities have led to the fact that Chinese cucumbers for open ground are increasingly penetrating domestic garden realities.
Description
It is difficult to imagine a person in Our Country who would not know what a cucumber is. Its Chinese variety, and the Chinese cucumber also belongs to the pumpkin genus, both in name and in most external signs strongly resemble the usual one. In addition, care and many other agrotechnical measures are generally similar to those used for ordinary cucumbers. However, the differences are also quite noticeable.
Features
The main difference between the Chinese cucumber is, of course, the length of the fruit. It ranges from 30 to 80, and often more than centimeters. The taste that Chinese cucumbers possess is characterized by a slightly more pronounced sweetness with a slight aroma of watermelon or even melon.
The Chinese cucumber does not and never has bitterness, and the sweetest part is the skin of the fruit. There are practically no voids in his body, and the pulp is quite dense, somewhat reminiscent of wax in consistency.
Chinese cucumbers have a narrow chamber passing through the center of the fruit, in which small seeds are collected. The predominant flowers are female, they are usually collected in bunches of several pieces.
One of the attractive points, which is quite natural and understandable for realities, is the high yield of Chinese cucumber – with proper and competent care, it can reach 30 kg from each plant bush.
When breeding varieties that are currently common, in most cases the task was to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse. The highest yield can be achieved precisely in the closed conditions of a greenhouse or greenhouse. But, as practice has shown, the Chinese cucumber takes root well on the open ground, demonstrating good fertility and the ability to produce a stable crop not only in the southern regions of the country, but also much to the north.
Another feature of the Chinese cucumber is its precocity. Only about 30-35 days pass between germination and the collection of the first fruits, and sometimes even 25 days are enough. Given the size of the fruit and the yield, for a full-fledged and regular salad in the season, 3-4 plants are enough for an ordinary family. And a planted garden bed can feed a fairly serious number of people.
Some features of the topic under consideration are displayed in the following video:
Advantages
As a summary of the above, the following Chinese cucumber benefits can be summarized briefly:
- consistently high yield, which is characteristic of the plant for a long part of the season and lasts almost until the very frost. It seriously exceeds the performance achieved by ordinary cucumbers;
- high resistance to the vast majority of diseases, which cucumbers suffer in domestic conditions. This quality, combined with unpretentiousness and undemanding, greatly simplifies the cultivation of the crop in question;
- self-pollination, as a result of which there is no need for additional measures to attract bees;
- ability to function normally in conditions of insufficient sunlightin other words, shade tolerance. Some varieties thrive even better in the most shady parts of the garden, where sunlight is the least likely to reach;
- attractive appearance.
Disadvantages
Of course, with such undoubted advantages, the disadvantages of the plant are also present. The main ones are the following:
- poor storage capacity. The fruits of the Chinese cucumber are outwardly beautiful and attractive, but already a day after they are harvested, they become soft and pliable under pressure. Therefore, it is advisable to consume or process the fruits of Chinese cucumber directly on the day of collection. Only a small part of varieties and hybrids is intended for canning and pickling;
- some restrictions on the way of consumption. Some varieties of Chinese cucumber can only be used for salads. This disadvantage largely echoes the previous one;
- relatively low seed germination rate. This minus is fully compensated by the high yield of those that nevertheless ascended;
- the necessity and obligation of a vertical bandage, that is, additional rather labor-intensive care. If this event is not carried out and the whip is not tied up, the fruits in most cases will grow in an extremely unattractive hook-shaped shape. The unconditional presence of specific and time-consuming work is partially offset by the fact that otherwise the plants are extremely unpretentious and undemanding.
Cultivation
As noted above, the agricultural technique for growing Chinese cucumber generally coincides with the usual sowing. But there are several features.
Chinese cucumber, as a rule, forms one, but rather high – up to 3 meters, stem, practically without forming side shoots. And even if they appear, they are of very short length. Therefore, you can plant Chinese cucumber more often than usual.
Another feature of the plant is the exactingness of watering. As a rule, an ordinary cucumber tolerates a single pass of this important event without any problems. But Chinese cucumbers grow very, very quickly, so it is not recommended to skip watering, since almost immediately the plant will respond with the formation of a long and very thin fruit with many thorns, which, moreover, will most likely bend intricately.
It is also necessary to pick fruits in a timely manner (that is, almost daily). Otherwise, the “old” ones will increase more and more, acquiring, in general, monstrous sizes, and this will happen to the detriment of young ovaries.
Popular and common varieties
Chinese cucumber heat resistant F1
Based on the name, one can easily make a logical conclusion that the main feature of this particular hybrid is its ability to withstand drought and high temperatures. He continues to successfully produce a crop even when the temperature rises to plus 35 degrees. Most other varieties and hybrids simply stop growing under such conditions, and even more so the formation of fruits. At the same time, high yield – the main plus of Chinese cucumber – is fully inherent in this hybrid. Belongs to the group of medium early. The first fruits can be harvested around the 45th day or a little later after germination.
The heat-resistant F1 Chinese cucumber has fruits 30-50 centimeters long, which is not something particularly outstanding in terms of size. It has a thin skin, great for salads, and, which is important, for canning and pickling. With all the size of the fruits, for their seaming, it is enough just to cut the cucumber into pieces.
Like most other representatives of the species, it is highly resistant to the most common diseases in domestic conditions. Allows cultivation both in greenhouses and hotbeds, and on an open ground. In some southern regions (for example, Kuban) it can land even in August. At the same time, the plants will bear fruit until frost.
Chinese cucumber cold-resistant F1
It is the opposite of the previous variety in terms of hybrid features. It tolerates the action of cold temperatures perfectly and continues to bear fruit. Otherwise, it has the properties traditional for Chinese cucumbers: high yield and quality of fruits, the same success when grown in a greenhouse and open ground, intensive growth and fairly large fruits 30-50 cm long.
The hybrid belongs to mid-early plants, it begins to bear fruit 50-55 days after the first shoots. The color of cucumbers is a classic dark green, the skin is thin, covered with small but noticeable tubercles. It has high resistance to diseases: powdery and downy mildew, Fusarium wilt and others. Perfectly tolerate the location in the most shady and poorly lit areas of the garden.
Chinese Cucumber Bride F1
A hybrid bred by Chinese breeders with an original appearance. Its fruits have a peculiar white-green tint of light tones. The hybrid belongs to early ripening, the first cucumbers that appear can be harvested as early as 40 days after germination. One of the “shortest” varieties of Chinese cucumber. The fruits acquire the necessary taste qualities upon reaching 20 cm in length. Otherwise, they fully correspond to the typical qualities inherent in Chinese cucumbers: the skin is thin, bitterness is completely absent. The hybrid is universal and equally successfully resists the temperature difference in both the cold and warm side. Like most other hybrids and varieties of Chinese cucumber, it perfectly resists diseases that are typical and common in conditions. Given the listed qualities, it is excellent for open ground, where in most cases it is grown.
Chinese miracle
A versatile variety that does not have any outstanding properties, however, it develops and grows harmoniously and comprehensively, which allows you to achieve good results in everything. Refers to mid-season plants, in which the collection of cucumbers begins 55-60 days after the first shoots. Equally successfully endure both cold and hot temperatures. It is extremely unpretentious to the conditions created for it during growth and fruiting, while having a fairly high yield.
The harvested fruits have a very recognizable traditional dark green color and a slightly curved shape. The skin is quite thin or smooth, or covered with small tubercles. The size of the fruit, like everything in this variety, is average for a Chinese cucumber – 40-45 centimeters.
Chinese farm cucumber
Mid-early hybrid with ideal qualities for outdoor cultivation. The first fruits appear in 48-55 days. It has a powerful weaving plant structure. One of the few Chinese cucumber hybrids that tends to form a sufficient number of side branches.
It has, as a rule, a smooth thin skin, the correct cylindrical shape and sizes from 35 to 45 cm. The hybrid is universal, unpretentious and highly resistant to both common diseases and adverse and difficult weather conditions.
Chinese snakes
It is easy to guess what caused such an original name. Very long, rather thin and elongated cucumbers have a length of 50-60 cm, and sometimes more. The plant belongs to the super early and begins to bear fruit already on the 35th day after germination. Most often grown in greenhouses and greenhouses, but planting in open ground is also allowed. Preferably used in salads.
Chinese cucumber disease-resistant F1
As the name of the hybrid implies, in addition to the qualities traditional for Chinese cucumbers, namely: high yield, unpretentiousness to growing conditions and others listed above, this variety has increased resistance and the ability to resist almost any disease that is possible in domestic conditions.
Refers to mid-early plants, begins to bear fruit in 48-55 days. Cucumbers have a classic and regular cylindrical shape, traditional dark green color, have a length of 30-35 centimeters.
Conclusion
Chinese cucumbers, no doubt, deserve to be more widely used in conditions. They are perfect for a significant number of regions and will allow you to both increase yields and improve the culture of gardening.