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Cucumber is a unique crop that is successfully grown not only in open beds, greenhouses, tunnels, but also on window sills and balconies. This non-traditional method of cultivation allows you to harvest fresh cucumbers in apartment conditions, regardless of the time of year. Breeders have bred a number of special indoor varieties, the root system of which is compact, undemanding to a large amount of soil. Such unique varieties include cucumber “Balcony Miracle F1”. It is distinguished not only by its adaptability to growing on the window, but also by its high yield, excellent fruit taste.
Features of the variety
“Balcony Miracle F1” is a first generation hybrid obtained by crossing two varietal cucumbers. Such hybridity endowed the cucumbers of this variety with an excellent, sweetish taste, without bitterness.
Cucumber is parthenocarpic and in the process of formation of ovaries does not need the help of pollinating insects. The flowering type of cucumbers is predominantly female. The combination of these factors gives the variety an excellent yield, which can reach up to 9 kg/m2.
Cucumber is perfectly adapted to partial shade conditions and does not need intense lighting. The plant is weakly climbing, medium-sized. The compact root system allows you to grow a crop in a pot or planter, which is especially convenient for a room, balcony, loggia. In addition to apartment conditions, cucumber is excellent for cultivation in open and protected beds.
The variety of cucumbers is easy to care for, unpretentious, resistant to drought and some diseases. This allows you to refuse to treat the plant with special chemicals and grow an environmentally friendly crop without much hassle.
Description
Cucumber variety “Balcony Miracle F1” is represented by a lash up to 1,5 meters long. In the process of growth, the plant abundantly forms side shoots that need to be pinched. Cucumber leaves are bright green, small. A large number of nodes are observed along the trunk and shoots, in each of which 2-3 ovaries are formed.
The variety of cucumbers is characterized by an average ripening period. Mass fruiting of cucumbers occurs 50 days after sowing the seed. However, the first cucumber harvest can be tasted approximately 10 days ahead of schedule.
Cucumbers “Balcony Miracle F1” are gherkins. The average length of a cucumber is 7-8 cm, its weight is approximately 60 g. The shape of the cucumber is cylindrical, small tubercles are observed on the surface of the vegetable. Zelentsy have a pronounced aroma, pleasant taste. Their pulp is medium density, sweetish. Cucumber has a characteristic crunch and freshness. The vegetable is consumed both fresh and canned.
Agrotechnics
For all its “exoticism”, growing cucumbers “Balcony Miracle F1” is not difficult even for a novice gardener. However, the cultivation of cucumbers of this variety in an apartment requires certain rules to be observed. Also, do not forget that the variety can be grown in the traditional way in the beds.
The best time for sowing seeds
“F1 balcony miracle” is considered a heat-loving plant that does not tolerate temperatures below +15 0C. Therefore, it is best to plant cucumbers of this variety in open ground at the end of May. The optimal time for planting cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse is the beginning of May. Choosing a method of growing cucumbers of this variety, you should decide on the time of sowing seeds for seedlings. To do this, 20-25 days should be subtracted from the estimated date of planting the plant in the ground.
Sowing seeds of cucumbers for cultivation at home can be carried out all year round. However, if you need to get a crop of fresh cucumbers by a certain date, for example, by the New Year, then the day of sowing the seed should be calculated. So, sowing seeds in the period from November 5 to November 7, you can count on fresh cucumbers for the New Year’s table.
Seed processing and germination
Pre-treatment of cucumber seeds significantly affects the viability and yield of the plant. With the help of certain procedures, harmful microorganisms are removed from the surface of the cucumber seed and the growth process is accelerated. Pre-treatment of cucumber seeds consists of the following steps:
- seed heating. To do this, cucumber seeds can be dried in an oven heated to 500C or tie a bag of seeds to a hot battery for several days;
- for disinfection, the seeds are soaked for several hours in a weak manganese solution;
- germination of seeds in wet tissue with a temperature regime of +270C, will accelerate the growth process of cucumber.
Seed germination is not only a plant growth accelerator, but also a sorting step. So, healthy, filled cucumber seeds in a humid, warm environment should hatch in 2-3 days. Seeds that did not germinate during this period should be discarded. Germinated seeds can be sown in the ground.
Growing seedlings
Growing cucumber seedlings is used not only for subsequent cultivation in the beds, but also for indoor conditions. This is due to the fact that small containers are easier to place in a lit, warm place, the cucumber needs less watering, the concentration of nutrients in a small amount of soil is optimal. For sowing cucumber seeds for seedlings, small containers and soil should be prepared:
- as a container, use small containers with a diameter of about 8 cm, or peat cups. Drainage holes must be provided in plastic containers;
- soil for sowing cucumbers can be purchased ready-made or you can make it yourself by mixing peat, sand, humus and fertile soil in equal proportions.
Germinated seeds of cucumbers are planted in the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm.0C. After the germination of cucumbers, seedlings need a lot of light and a temperature of +220C.
Cucumber seedlings need daily watering and top dressing. It is necessary to feed cucumbers with a solution prepared in the ratio of 1 teaspoon of urea per 3 liters of warm water.
Planting cucumber seedlings
Perhaps every gardener is familiar with planting cucumber seedlings in the garden. However, cultivation in pots is new and can be problematic. So, while planting cucumber seedlings in a pot, you should adhere to the following rules:
- capacity, a pot for a cucumber in volume should be at least 5-8 liters. Cut plastic bottles, ceramic pots, bags can serve as such containers;
- drainage holes should be made in the container for growing cucumbers, broken brick or expanded clay should be placed on the bottom of the container;
- to fill containers, it is recommended to use soil similar in composition to that used for sowing cucumber seedlings;
- at the time of transplanting the cucumber, it is removed from the previous container as carefully as possible, keeping a clod of earth on the roots. Cucumber seedlings do not need to be removed from peat pots, such material disintegrates in the soil.
Plant care, harvest
The rules for caring for cucumbers of the Balcony Miracle F1 variety are the same for room conditions and open ground. So for the successful cultivation of this variety of cucumbers, it is necessary:
- Provide a tie. The cucumber has long lashes, so the trellis or twine should allow the plant to curl to a height of up to 1,7 m. To do this, you can fix the twine on the ceiling on the balcony. It is also convenient to use a cache-pot, in which the cucumber lashes are twisted and do not require a garter at all.
- Pinch the cucumber. This will allow the formation of lashes, prevent excessive growth of the cucumber, and accelerate the process of formation and ripening of fruits.
- Feed the cucumber. Top dressing is recommended to be carried out 1 time in 2 weeks. To do this, you can use organic matter, wood ash, infusion of tea, eggshells or special fertilizers.
- Provide watering plants in the mode of 1 time in 2 days. When watering cucumbers, use warm boiled or melted water.
You need to harvest cucumbers of the “balcony miracle F1” variety every day. This will allow the plant to quickly form new ovaries and fully nourish small cucumbers.
You can learn more about the rules for growing the Balcony Miracle F1 variety in an apartment, as well as hear the opinion of an experienced farmer on the video:
Conclusion
The variety of cucumbers “Balcony Miracle F1” is a godsend for experimenters and connoisseurs of an environmentally friendly, fresh product grown with their own hands. With it, you can not only get a good harvest of cucumbers in the offseason, but also decorate, make your balcony, loggia, window sill original. Such natural beauty, carrying vitamins and fresh taste, is available to everyone, even to an inexperienced farmer.