Dutch cucumber "Director" with long keeping quality and stable yield

Cucumbers are one of the most favorite crops for gardeners. Among the variety of these vegetables, Dutch hybrids occupy a special place. Their bright representative is the F1 Director. It was entered into the State Register of Plants of the Russian Federation in 2013; for several years of cultivation, it has become popular among gardeners. The fruits have excellent taste, the hybrid is unpretentious in care. However, only by observing the whole range of agrotechnical measures, you will get the maximum yield indicators.

Description of cucumbers

The F1 Director is the result of Dutch breeders' development firm "Nunems". Scientists have bred a hybrid from the parental lines "Hector" and "Merengue".

Reference! The hybrid is parthenocarpic, that is, a high yield will be obtained without the participation of pollinating insects. There are practically no barren flowers on the stems, most of the flowers are of the female type.

Distinctive features

Hybrid bears fruit as early as 40-45 days after the first shoots appear... Experienced farmers manage to grow crops twice per season.

F1 Director has an average stem lengththerefore it is well suited for growing in greenhouses. There is no need to fear that the ovaries will not form, and the plant will be overly thickened.

Hybrid resistant to diseases typical of culturetherefore, cultivating this vegetable does not require increased use of chemicals for pest control.

Composition, properties, benefits and calories

In the composition of cucumbers, 95% is structured water, which is useful for human health. The vegetable washes the kidneys well, removes toxins, heavy metal salts and toxins.

Among vitamins and minerals, cucumbers contain:

• vitamins A, groups B, C, PP;
• beta carotene;
• potassium;
• folic acid;
• chromium;
• magnesium;
• iodine;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• zinc;
• manganese;
• sodium;
• copper.

Fiber gently stimulates bowel function. The positive properties also include the ability to remove salts from the joints, prevent the appearance of cholesterol plaques, and improve the properties of blood.

Attention! Cucumbers are low in calories: 100 g contains only 15 calories. They are perfect for diet food.

Specifications

The plant is highly branched, medium-sized... The hybrid bush has well-developed lateral shoots. They form 2-3 ovaries in each node. All ovaries run along the main stem. The hybrid has a lot of leaves, they are dark green, medium in size.

Small fruits: up to 12 cm in length. Cucumbers weigh about 80 g, have a regular cylindrical shape, are covered with a dense, smooth dark green skin.

Important! The flesh of cucumbers is fragrant and juicy, without any bitterness. The seeds are small inside, almost not felt when eaten.

The fruits do not turn yellow or outgrow, the shape is almost perfect for all cucumbers. They perfectly tolerate transportation without losing taste. In a cool room, they can be stored for up to a week without losing their appearance.

Hybrid F1 Director excellent yield indicators: with proper agricultural technology, you can get from 20 to 25 kg of cucumbers from 1 bush.

Other Dutch for your site:

Hybrid cucumber "Dirigent"

Hybrid "Cedric", recommended for greenhouses

Young hybrid of cucumbers "Herman"

How to grow yourself

Planting and caring for the F1 Director hybrid is no different than caring for any other cucumber variety.

Before sowing, prepare the beds: in the fall, they remove all plant residues, dig up and fertilize the ground. In the spring, the soil is disinfected with a hot solution of potassium permanganate, then shallowly dug again.

There are two ways to grow an F1 Director: seed or seedling. Let's consider each of them in turn.

Planting by seed and seedling method

When choosing a seed growing method seeds are sown both dry and soaked, waiting for the pecking. The seeds are deepened into holes 2 cm deep. Put two seeds in one hole. From sprouted specimens in the phase of the first true leaflet, a less weak seedling is pinched off.

Important! Seeds are sown when the soil warms up to + 14 ° C heat.

To get the highest yield possible it is worth planting cucumbers at the rate of no more than 3 plants per 1 sq. m. Only then will the plants be able to develop fully, giving an excellent harvest.

Reference! The F1 director grows well after legumes (excluding beans), cabbage, potatoes and onions.

The seedling method allows you to get a crop a couple of weeks earlier than sowing directly into the ground... Purchased seeds do not need additional treatment with growth stimulants or disinfection.

You can buy soil for planting or make a mixture yourself. To do this, mix the turf and humus in equal proportions. About half a glass of ash, 5 g of potassium sulfate, 10 g of superphosphate are added to a bucket of soil. Then the soil is calcined for disinfection.

It is advisable to use special individual containers for planting - the culture does not like picks. Peat tablets, cups, or any other suitable small container will do.

Important! The container is disinfected and dried before use. Means "Extrasol-55" will do.

The prepared mixture is filled into containers, retreating from the side about 1 cm. The soil is slightly compacted and moistened. Seeds are placed in holes 2 cm deep. In order for the seeds to hatch faster, the seedlings are provided with a constant temperature regime in the range from + 22 ° С to + 26 ° С.

After the appearance of the first true leaf, the seedlings are fed, for example, with the fertilizer "Kemira-Lux" or "Radifarm". As soon as 4 leaves are formed on the plant, the bush can be transplanted into open ground.

Growing and care

A culture is planted, keeping 30 cm between the plants, and between the rows - about 1 m. The seedlings are placed in a checkerboard pattern.

Further care is regular watering, feeding and bush formation. Pour cucumbers under the very root with warm, settled water. In the open field, the watering schedule is daily, in the greenhouse - as the soil dries up.

For a hybrid, feeding is important... They are held every two weeks. Chicken droppings or dung are great. Urea, ammonium nitrate or superphosphate are also used. In addition to root dressing, the Director hybrid also needs mineral fertilization of the leaves.

For F1 Director it is important to form the bush correctly... The plant is pinched off the main lash after 8 or 9 sheets have formed on it. You need to carry out the procedure at least once a week.

Important! As the lashes form in the greenhouse, they should be attached to a trellis or other support.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

Among the features of the hybrid are:

1. The need for regular feeding, which has a positive effect on the growth and development of the vegetable.
2. The F1 Director requires mandatory and regular pinning. Otherwise, a good harvest may not be expected.
3. It is recommended to pinch the lashes: removing the top of the fruiting plant improves the nutrition of the cucumbers, accelerates the ripening of the fruit. The procedure is carried out over the eighth leaf, and the side shoots and whiskers are removed.
4. The hybrid has a strong immunity, so you can not use fungicides.
5. When growing in a greenhouse, it is important to regularly ventilate it, while avoiding drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Diseases and pests

The F1 director is resistant to many diseases... Among them:

• mosaic;
• powdery mildew;
• brown spot.

However the hybrid is damaged by such a common disease as white mold (sclerotinia). First, the plant appears "phlegm", which gradually turns into a white bloom. Then the cucumbers are covered with tuberous outgrowths, and the stem itself gradually softens. As a result, the plant dries up and the fruits become flabby.

To deal with white mold, all damaged parts are removed. The remaining lashes of the plant are treated with a medicinal solution: 1 g of copper sulfate and 5 g of urea are used for 5 liters of water. Apply the medicine at the rate of 0.5 liters per 5 sq. m landings.

Attention! Sclerotinia is easier to prevent than to cure. Among the preventive measures, the most effective is the introduction of coal and ash into the soil. In the process of growing a hybrid, you can sprinkle them on the soil.

For the prevention of diseases, spraying is carried out cucumbers with preparations "Previkur", "Abiga-peak", copper oxychloride. These funds are able not only to cope with the disease, but also to make the fruits more hardy and strong.

Harvesting and application of the crop

To get constant and long-term fruiting, cucumbers are removed daily or every other day. Harvesting is best in the early morning or late evening, as the fruits are considered to be the most resilient during these periods. Freshly picked cucumbers are placed in a cool place.

Reference! Cucumbers are best cut with a garden tool rather than picking by hand. This is necessary so as not to damage the lash of the plant.

The yield of the hybrid is excellent, so there will be a lot of fruits... In addition to fresh consumption, Director cucumbers are suitable for a variety of winter preparations.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of the hybrid are the following:

1. A powerful and medium-sized shrub that does not require difficult maintenance.
2. Great taste of cucumbers.
3. Excellent transportability, fruits do not lose their appearance or taste.
4. Long-term, in comparison with other cucumbers, fruiting.
5. The ability to grow a hybrid twice a season.
6. Hardiness to grow in the shade, which gives the gardener more room for gardening.
7. Equally good yield on different soil types.
8. Excellent regenerative ability: the plant can easily recover from damage.

The disadvantages of the F1 Director include:

1. The need for regular removal of a large number of stepchildren. This procedure takes time, but it promotes plant development and affects the yield.
2. Inability to collect hybrid seeds for the next season.
3. Relatively high, in comparison with varietal cucumbers, the price of seeds.

Read also:

Early ripe cucumber hybrid "Bettina"

Meet the hybrid "Alex f1" and grow it

Reviews

Summer residents with experience choose a hybrid for early maturity, endurance and high yield... We bring to your attention the feedback of those who have already cultivated the Dutch Director.

Tatiana, Novorossiysk: “I planted the F1 director after reading positive reviews about him and seeing a photo of the harvest. I have long wanted to grow cucumbers without bitterness. I am happy with the result, though, probably due to the fact that I did not regularly pinch, the harvest was less than expected. Nevertheless, this did not affect the taste in any way ".

Maria, Krasnodar: “I tried to plant a hybrid F1 Director at my dacha. Bribed by the description of the variety - very early. Sowed on July 1, and by August 1, cucumbers had already appeared. In a week there were already a lot of them. The fruits taste good, the yield is high ".

Anton, Svetlograd: “A great option for those who grow cucumbers for sale. Of the many options I have tested, the F1 Director, subject to all agrotechnical measures, gives up to 30 kg per bush. The fruits are excellent, they are stored just fine. During transportation, they almost do not lose their presentation, which is important for farmers. I recommend it to everyone for commercial cultivation ".

Conclusion

The F1 Director is an excellent hybrid that gives a bountiful harvest with little effort. But do not forget to pinch the bush and apply top dressing in a timely manner.

Since a hybrid, with proper agricultural technology, allows you to grow two crops per season, and it is not difficult to take care of it, it is quite possible to have fresh green vegetables on your table from early spring to late autumn.