Round cucumbers and other exotic varieties

Cucumber is a traditional crop grown by many summer residents. Breeders have bred a large number of varieties that differ in size, color and shape from the usual green vegetable.

What kind of variety it is - round cucumbers, their features, photos, what other unusual varieties exist - you will find out further.

What are round cucumbers and what are their features

Round cucumbers are a type of common cucumber, the fruits of which are small in size, round in shape and white, greenish or yellowish peel.

The cultivation of round cucumbers is no different from the agricultural technology of the usual green vegetables:

• suitable for growing in the open field and greenhouse;
• need support.

Care consists in timely watering, weeding and regular application of mineral dressings.

Varieties and hybrids of round cucumbers

Several dozen hybrids have been bred by breeders, which amaze with the shape of the fruit and the unusual taste.

Chupa-chups / Chupa-chups F1

Culture bred by Russian specialists and is successfully grown in the Central, North-West and North regions. The cucumber gives a good harvest in the greenhouse and under a film cover.

The fruits are small in size, weighing 40-80 g, covered with a dark green skin with light stripes. The taste is delicate, pleasant, without bitterness. Cladosporium resistant.

Melotria rough

This plant is called "round cucumber" or "mini cucumber". It is an annual vine native to South Africa.

Milotria fruits are similar to miniature watermelons, but have the familiar cucumber flavor.

In the gardens, the vegetable is grown by seedlings. The first harvest is taken 18-20 days after planting young plants in the garden.

Many gardeners grow Milotria rough as an ornamental plant, as its beautiful dark green leaves retain their rich color until late autumn.

Citron / cucumber-lemon

This variety was bred by English breeders... Lemon cucumber is popular in Western Europe and the USA. Its fruits in the ripening phase have a light-green color. When fully ripe, they turn yellow, and their shape resembles citrus. The skin is thin, covered with small cannons.

The pulp contains a large amount of moisture, the taste is familiar to cucumbers, without acid. Lemon cucumber bears fruit before the fall frost. During the growing season, the plant requires a lot of light and moisture.

In the open field, the variety is grown through seedlings. Since the length of a vine can reach 5-7 m, it is attached to trellises or a net.

The distance between shoots when planting should not be less than 1 m. With thickened plantings, the yield decreases.

For food, fruits are used in fresh and canned form.

Important! Lemon cucumber can be grown in the apartment. To get a harvest at home, the plant is pollinated with a brush.

Other unusual types of cucumbers

In the gardens, experimenters grow many types of exotic cucumbers that have an unusual shape. Most of them are adapted for planting in various climatic conditions and are not demanding on the conditions of detention.

Armenian

The plant was brought from Central Asia. The most popular varieties are Bogatyr White and Melon Silver. The culture is grown in beds, greenhouses and greenhouses.

The fruit of the Armenian cucumber is long, up to 50 cm, has a slight silver pubescence.The pulp is tender, slightly sweetish, reminiscent of a pumpkin or melon.

The length of the stems can reach 4-5 m, so the plant needs support. When placed on trellises or nets, the yield of the Armenian cucumber is significantly increased. The fruits receive more light, acquire the correct shape, ripen faster and are not affected by rot.

With proper cultivation, up to 25 kg of cucumbers can be harvested from one bush during the season. The variety has a long fruiting period, is resistant to diseases and pests, tolerates high and low temperatures and lack of moisture well.

Momordica

The plant is very popular in India... Have momordiki there are other names: "Indian cucumber", "Indian pomegranate", "balsamic pear", "mad melon", "crocodile cucumber". About 12 varieties of this culture are known.

It is believed that eating momordica has a beneficial effect on the body and prolongs life.

The plant is a liana with shoots up to 2 m long. Momordica leaves are carved, dark green in color. The flowers have a delicate scent reminiscent of jasmine.

Fruits are elongated or slightly elongated, on the outside they are covered with a dense, lumpy, dark green skin with a bitter taste... As it ripens, the shape and color of the fruit change. The skin takes on a bright orange or lemon hue.

The fruits gradually open and become like the jaws of a crocodile, inside of which you can see dense jelly-like pulp with the taste of ripe persimmon or pumpkin and raspberry seeds. During the season, one Momordica bush produces up to 10 kg of fruit.

Interesting. Momordica is often used to decorate personal plots, planting along hedges or near gazebos, on balconies and loggias.

The plant is unpretentious to care for, its cultivation does not cause any particular difficulties. The seeds have a hard shell, so they are rubbed with sandpaper before planting, then disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Seeds are germinated at a temperature of + 25 ° C, wrapped in a damp cloth. After the shell of the seed cracks, it is planted in moistened soil.

At the end of May, the seedlings are moved to open ground. After transplanting, young shoots are regularly watered and fed with mineral fertilizers or yeast solution.

When growing momordica at home, plants are pollinated: they transfer pollen from one flower to another with a brush. Plants need vertical support to ensure normal shoot growth and access to air and sunlight for the fruit.

Surprise

Cucumber Surprise F1 is a hybrid intended for cultivation in greenhouses and greenhouses. The culture is planted in the Northern, Northwest and Central regions.

An adult plant has stems up to 2.5 m long. The leaves are dissected, lobed, dark green in color. Zelentsi are triangular, elongated, with black or brown pubescence. The peel is lumpy, slightly wrinkled, thin, the flesh is tender. The taste of the fruit combines the pleasant freshness and sweetness of melon.

White cucumbers

White cucumbers They have an unusual appearance: the fruits have a white peel. Some varieties have a greenish tint near the stalk.

Differences between white and green varieties:

• the peel is thin and tender;
• bitterness is absent;
• the taste is rich and bright;
• fruits are tied along the entire length of the stem;
• the fruits are clearly visible in the dense, bright green foliage.

Cucumbers are planted in beds located in the shade. The varieties are distinguished by high productivity, good keeping quality and transportability.

The culture grows well in any climatic conditions, is resistant to diseases and pests, easily tolerates temperature extremes, lack or excess of moisture. Even a novice gardener can cope with its cultivation.

White angel

High-yielding early maturing grade with fruits of medium size, white color and small thorns. The fruits have a fresh taste without bitterness.The mass of one cucumber does not exceed 70-80 g. The yield is up to 4 kg per bush. It is used for fresh consumption and preparations for the winter.

Bride

An early ripening hybrid, the crop ripens 40 days after planting. It is a tall plant with long shoots. The fruits are small, have a delicate pulp with a sweetish taste. The crop requires regular feeding and frequent watering, so it can be difficult to grow a high yield.

White crunch

The hybrid is grown indoors. The first crop is harvested 45 days after planting. Fruits up to 15-17 cm long, covered with a smooth skin, without thorns, white. Amicable ripening, cucumber weight 170-200 g.

Trihozant

This representative of the Pumpkin family is otherwise called "serpentine cucumber"... It is grown in Southeast Asia, India and Australia as a vegetable. In Russia, he is known among lovers of exotic plants. Trichozant differs not only in its unusual appearance, but also in ease of care. The plant is grown in greenhouses with seedlings.

The flowers of the trichozant are large, up to 4 cm in diameter, resembling symmetrical snowflakes. Fruits of cylindrical shape reach a length of 1 m. In the process of growth, they bend and resemble wriggling snakes. The color of the fruit changes over time from light green to deep red-orange.

They taste like regular cucumbers. A tonic drink is prepared from the fruits of the trichozant. They are used in folk medicine to treat heart and vascular diseases, arthritis and osteochondrosis.

Doubtful tladiant

In natural conditions, it grows in Southeast Asia, in meadows and among shrubs.

Tladianu grown as an ornamental, medicinal, food crop.

It is a perennial creeping vine up to 5 m long with highly branched shoots covered with short villi. The leaves are large, soft, oval. Flowers are dioecious, small, collected in inflorescences of 10 pcs., Painted yellow. Fruits are medium in size, similar in shape to ordinary cucumbers.

The peel is red in color with a sweetish taste of pineapple or kiwi. They are eaten fresh or canned. Tubers have choleretic, diuretic and lactogonic properties.

From the roots, preparations are made for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, joint pain, and hypertension.

Conclusion

Most of the exotic cucumbers come from the tropics. They quickly adapted to the new climatic conditions in Russia and give a good harvest. Some species are bred by breeders.

These plants differ from their green counterparts in their unusual shape and taste. They are unpretentious in care, they are used for cooking various dishes and treating diseases.