Cucumber Nectarine and Manduria: reviews, cultivation and care

Contents

Cucumber Manduria
Ogurdynia Nectarine
Conclusion

Rare hybrids that combine the external signs of a cucumber and the taste of a melon are the Manduria cucumber and the Nectarine variety. These are the fruits of the selective work of Pavel Saraev. The scientist worked on the creation of a variety of frost-resistant cucumbers, and as a result he received a miracle vegetable – a cucumber. At the stage of technical maturity, hybrids taste like cucumbers, at the biological stage – like melons. The Nectarine variety is sweeter.

Cucumber Manduria

In use, this vegetable is versatile. At different stages of maturity, it can be consumed as a cucumber or melon. According to external signs, the hybrid retained the spherical shape of the melon, and the stems and leaves of the plant remained from cucumber crops.

Description of cucumber Manduria

This is a climbing plant, its height does not exceed 2 m. The leaves are large, cornerstone, like cucumber. The Manduria cucumber bush is lush and massive, the shoots are strong, fleshy, able to withstand the weight of large cucumbers and melons.

Fruits at the stage of technical maturity are light green, with vertical dark stripes, up to 12 cm long, weighing 100-200 g. At the stage of biological maturity, they become gray-green with small yellowish spots at the base. The skin is thin, covered with soft fluff. The shape is oval or round, weight ranges from 800 g to 1,2 kg. During this period, Ogurdynia Manduria acquires all the signs of a melon: taste, shape, aroma.

Cucumber Manduria from simple gourds is distinguished by a short growing season. 70 days after planting, the first fruits appear, after 90-100 days they can be enjoyed. The ripening period is in June.

Important! This crop is well grown in regions with a short summer period.

Planting cucumber Manduria

The culture is grown from seeds. They are planted for seedlings in early April. In this way, the first ripened cucumbers can be obtained already in early June. Cucumber seeds Manduria are planted in special peat cups filled with a mixture of soil and humus.

As soon as the air temperature in the street rises above + 20 ᵒС, the plants are transferred to the open ground. Planting holes should be deep, so the seedling will develop a strong, branched root system, will be resistant to temperature changes, lack of precipitation.

You can sow Manduria cucumber at the end of May immediately in open ground. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Then the seed is planted in the soil to a depth of 1,5 cm. A distance of 0,5 m is observed between seeds, and 1 m between rows. Manduria cucumber is a sprawling, tall plant that needs space.

Growing and caring for the Manduria cucumber

The culture grows well and bears fruit, like all melons, in open sunny areas. Cucumber Manduria needs regular and plentiful watering. It is also worth considering that the culture is not grown in a trellis way, only horizontally. During the ripening period, the total weight of the crop on one bush reaches 20 kg, the plant may break.

As soon as the length of the plant is 25 cm, pinch it to form side shoots. To do this, remove the central shoot after the 5th leaf. Lateral processes should be pinched after the appearance of 8 leaves. On each shoot, no more than 4 ovaries should be left so that the melons turn out to be larger.

Before the fruit ripens, the Manduria cucumber is watered every other day, moderately. As soon as the melons begin to grow, watering is reduced so that they are sweeter.

After planting and until the ovaries appear, the Manduria cucumber is fed with manure with saltpeter 2 times a month. For 1 bucket of water take 1 liter of cow manure and 1 tbsp. l. saltpeter. All components are dissolved to a liquid state.

Important! After the appearance of ovaries on the Manduria cucumber, fertilizer is stopped.

Reviews about cucumber Manduria

Ivan Alekseevich Stepanov, 42 years old, Volgograd

Carosello Manduria (cucumber) bought thanks to reviews on the Internet. I wanted to try something exotic. The first Zelentsy began to ripen closer to July, later than the term declared by the authors of the hybrid. I attributed this shortcoming to a cool summer. Zelentsy were thin, like pencils, they tasted like cucumber, only not as crispy. Later they began to thicken, took the form of a real cucumber. At this stage, I liked the taste of them more. In mid-July, the fruits became completely round, dark. It tasted like real melon, but less sweet and fragrant.

Vita Igorevna Menshova, 36 years old, Barnaul

I waited a long time for seedlings, by the end of June the Manduria Ogurdynia sprouted. Fruit appeared at the end of July. Thin, long, fresh. A week later, they began to taste like cucumbers, only softer, I liked them in a salad. The good news is that there are practically no seeds in them. In August, they finally waited for the transformation of cucumbers into melons. Of course, our climate is still the same, you can’t grow other gourds. In general, I liked Ogurdynia Manduria more as a melon. If you like a melon that is not cloying and not very fragrant, which can be grown in the cold, pay attention to the Manduria cucumber.

Ogurdynia Nectarine

This plant is rare, exotic for Our Country. Cucumber Nectarine is another hybrid obtained by crossing a cucumber and a melon.

Description of Cucumber Nectarine

The plant is branched, spreading, powerful. In terms of height, structure, leaf shape, this is a typical cucumber.

Important! In the central regions, the Nectarine cucumber is recommended to be grown in a greenhouse, in the southern regions – in the open field.

The first fruits are oval, thin, dark green in color, their size does not exceed 10 cm. The greenskin is thin, soft, covered with thick fluff. The seeds are almost imperceptible to taste. As the fruit ripens, the skin darkens and becomes smoother. Closer to August, Nectarine cucumber greens look like full-fledged melons: they turn yellow, become round, large seeds ripen in them. From one bush you can collect up to 12 fruits, the weight of each does not exceed 2 kg.

Planting Cucumber Nectarine

In the central and northern regions of Our Country, Nectarine cucumbers are grown through seedlings. Seeds are sown in small pots at the end of April. The container is filled with a mixture of garden soil with humus in equal parts. Seeds pre-soaked in a weak solution of manganese are laid in the soil to a depth of 1,5 cm. Filled pots, cups are placed in a warm, bright place for seedling germination, watered as the earth dries. The temperature before germination should not fall below + 25 ᵒС. As soon as the first sprouts of Nectarine cucumbers hatch, the temperature is lowered to + 20 ᵒС.

After the appearance of 5 true leaves, the seedlings are transferred to the greenhouse. Landing is carried out similarly to rooting in open ground.

In the southern regions, the Nectarine cucumber is planted immediately in the soil. The soil is dug up before planting, humus is introduced. Seeds are planted at a distance of 0,5 m and 1 m between rows.

Important! If the probability of night frosts remains, the seedlings are covered with a film in the evening.

Growing and caring for cucumber Nectarine

For planting, a well-lit area is chosen; in the shade and partial shade, Cucumber Nectarine does not bear fruit. The culture grows well on compost heaps; before planting, the soil can be generously flavored with humus. The soil must be carefully dug up, moistened. After planting, each plant is watered abundantly, the soil is mulched with hay. This will help keep the soil moisture at the same level, while Nectarine cucumbers will grow even without cracks.

For abundant fruiting, the Nectarine cucumber is pinched after the appearance of the 5th true leaf. This procedure stimulates the growth of side shoots. They, in turn, are also pinched after the appearance of the 4th leaf. The ovaries on the shoots leave no more than 3 or 4.

For irrigation, it is good to use a watering can with a spray or drip irrigation. Cucumber Nectarine does not need abundant watering, but they should be regular (at least 3 times a week). After the appearance of the first ovaries, the frequency of watering is reduced so that the fruits turn out to be more sugary.

It is better to grow a culture in spread. Ripe Nectarine cucumbers are quite large; in a suspended state, they will break off the stems. If there is a desire to grow a cucumber on a trellis, the fruits are tied up with nets. So they will not fall and break.

Important! During the formation of ovaries, the air temperature in the greenhouse should not exceed + 30 ᵒС. Otherwise, Ogurdynya Nectarine will begin to drop the ovaries.

Cow or chicken droppings are taken as fertilizer. It is diluted with water 1:10 and the bush is watered under the root. Enough 2 watering per month. As soon as the greens begin to ripen, they stop feeding.

Reviews about cucumber Nectarine

Dmitry Andreevich Steklov, 30 years old, Krasnodar Territory

I read a lot of good reviews about miracle hybrids – Nectarine and Manduria cucumbers, I decided to plant them in my garden. Chose the variety Nectarine. There were no problems with planting and growing these vegetables. Everything is like with cucumbers or gourds. The first fruits were a little like cucumbers: more round and long. I didn’t like the fluff on the skin, like a peach, but the taste of green cucumber is good: the flesh is tender, juicy, fresh, like a young cucumber. By the middle of summer, greens began to round and turn yellow, they were practically indistinguishable from ordinary melons.

Vera Pavlovna Kovaleva, 55 years old, Dmitrov

In central Our Country, melons and gourds are difficult to grow due to the short summer. I came across an article about the Nectarine cucumber, and I decided to try my luck. I grew seedlings in a glass, in May I transferred it to the garden plot. In July, the first fluffy round-shaped cucumbers appeared. I liked their taste, soft, fresh. By the end of July, melons were also expected. They, of course, are not as sweet and fragrant as Uzbek ones, but they are their own without pesticides. Their sweetness is moderate, but I like this taste even more. In a cool basement, Nectarine Cucumber can be stored for more than 2 months.

Conclusion

Cucumber Manduria, Nectarine are hybrids obtained by a breeder. The crops are intended for growing in the central and northern regions, where it is almost impossible to get a melon harvest. The main advantage of the hybrid is the ability to bear fruit abundantly even in adverse conditions.