The best varieties of Chinese cucumbers: description and photo
There are many varieties of Chinese cucumbers. They are similar to ordinary cucumbers and belong to the pumpkin genus, but they still differ in taste and size of the fruit.
Chinese cucumbers have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as some care features. So that the summer cottage season is not in vain and the harvest of cucumbers is plentiful, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of varieties and hybrids and how they are grown.
The content of the article
Description, characteristics and features of Chinese cucumbers
Chinese cucumber - an annual plant... The stalk is whip-like, rough. There are tendrils on it, with the help of which the plant clings to the trellises. The flowers are mostly female, yellow, arranged in bunches. Due to this, the plant gives a good yield.
The main difference Chinese cucumbers - long fruits... Their sizes reach 35-80 cm, and the maximum diameter is 7 cm. Fruits are green, smooth, with sparse tubercles.
The vegetable has a sweetish taste and juicy, crispy flesh... There is practically no bitterness in Chinese cucumbers.
Most varieties of this species - early maturing.
Benefits
The popularity of Chinese cucumbers is due to the taste, ripening time and characteristics of the fruit.:
- high productivity;
- pleasant taste without bitterness with hints of melons (watermelon, melon);
- long periods of fruiting;
- early ripeness - the fruits ripen 30-35 days after planting;
- disease resistance;
- compactness - a bountiful harvest ripens in each garden bed.
disadvantages
Significant disadvantages of Chinese varieties in shelf life and growing method:
- low seed germination - it is better to purchase seeds with a margin;
- short keeping quality - the removed fruits begin to wither within a day;
- mandatory vertical garter - Chinese cucumbers are grown on trellises;
- some varieties are consumed only fresh.
Growing features
The secret of the productivity of Chinese cucumbers is in the small distance between the seedling bushes... A large number of lashes grow on one bed, and on each lash there are several bunches of cucumbers.
Where is it better to grow
Chinese varieties and hybrids of cucumbers are not demanding on growing conditions... They can withstand sudden changes in weather and mature in shaded areas. The vegetable also tolerates hot weather with an air temperature of up to + 40 ° C, but it needs timely watering.
The culture is planted in greenhouses and in open ground... The main feature of the care is vertical tying on strong trellises.
Reference. Varieties adapted for open ground are less demanding to care for, but their yield is lower than greenhouse ones.
How to prepare seeds
The first step is to calibrate the seeds... To do this, they are placed in water and those seeds that float are removed.
For disinfection purposes seeds are placed in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.
After that, they are kept for 12 hours in solution of growth stimulant "Epin" or "Zircon". Then the seeds are laid out on damp gauze for germination.
Them planted in containers with soil to a depth of 4 cm, then covered with a film. It is opened daily for 2-3 hours.After the shoots appear, the film is removed.
Cucumbers can be planted with seeds... In this case, the average daily air temperature should be at least + 13 ° С. In the southern regions, after planting, the seeds do not need shelter.
Reference. It is recommended to germinate seeds at a temperature of + 30 ° С.
Timing of landing in the ground
Seedlings grow in containers for about 25 days... When the height of the stem reaches 15-20 cm and side shoots appear on it, it is planted in greenhouses or in the beds. Depending on the region, the disembarkation time varies from late April to mid-May.
If seeds are planted in open ground, they are covered with a film, which is removed after the first leaves appear.
Requirements for soil and care
Preparing the soil for Chinese cucumbers begins in the fall... The soil is dug up, compost, humus and sawdust are added. In the ground, substances decompose within 4-5 months, so in the spring they will be well absorbed by plants.
Ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, ash are added in the spring. The latter is used to increase the weight of the fruit.
Important! Ammonium nitrate with excessive moisture can burn plant roots.
Chinese varieties hardly form stepchildren, thanks to which the plants can be planted close to each other - at a distance of at least 5 cm.
A prerequisite for growing "Chinese" - vertical tying on a trellis, stretched ropes or nets.
Watering Chinese cucumbers should always be abundant.... Water the plants 2 times a week until the fruits ripen. After the first harvest, watering is not stopped so that the new hearths are well filled.
Cucumbers are fed with mineral fertilizers: the first time at the beginning of flowering, the second - during the fruiting period.
Important! If the soil is well saturated with fertilizers in the fall, then they will not be needed during the cultivation of cucumbers.
Loosening and mulching
Loosening of the soil is carried out to saturate the roots with oxygen... They loosen no deeper than 4-5 cm, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the root system. The procedure is repeated 2-3 times a week.
To prevent rapid evaporation of water from the ground, it is mulched with sawdust, herbal mixture or peat. In dry weather, the mulched soil is moistened.
Chinese cucumbers: the best varieties and photos
Almost all Chinese cucumber varieties have long fruits.... We have selected the most popular and favorite varieties of gardeners.
Chinese cold hardy F1
It can be grown in winter greenhouses, hotbeds and open ground.... Hardy high yielding hybrid... Ripens in 50 days. Up to 25 kg of cucumbers are harvested from one bush.
The length of the fruit is from 30 to 50 cm. The fruit has a thin skin, pronounced taste and aroma.
Chinese disease resistant F1
The main difference is taste... The taste of the fruit contains notes of watermelon or melon, they are not bitter. The sweetest part of the fruit is the skin.
High productivity with long-term fruiting. Up to 20 kg of fruits are harvested from each bush.
For canning such cucumbers are not suitable.
Chinese miracle
High-yielding variety. Chinese miracle grown in open ground and in greenhouses under a film. The harvest ripens in 60 days, fruiting lasts until the first frost. Up to 10 kg are obtained from one bush.
Fruits are thin, prickly, long - up to 50 cm, sometimes up to 70 cm. Cucumbers are sweetish, juicy, thin-skinned.
Real guy F1
Productivity from 1 m² - 9 kg... The ripening period of the crop is 50-54 days, the duration of fruiting is 3 months.
Large fruits, lumpy, 30-40 cm long. They have a sweet, juicy flesh with few seeds.
Alligator F1
Early ripe hybrid high yield... Up to 15 kg of cucumbers are harvested from 1 m² of the garden.
Begins to bear fruit in 40-50 days after planting. The length of the fruits is up to 40 cm. They have a thin, shiny skin and large tubercles on the surface.
Chinese farm F1
This hybrid of Chinese cucumbers is intended for outdoor cultivation., as pollinated by bees.
Cucumber length 40-45 cm, cylindrical shape, juicy pulp, tasty. Harvested 45-50 days after planting. With proper care, 20-30 kg of cucumbers are removed from one bush.
Heat resistant F1
Early ripening hybrid the first crop is harvested 45 days after planting.
Fruits are elongated, cone-shaped, with a thickening at the end. Cucumbers can curl into a snake. The maximum fruit length is 50-60 cm.
Shanghai fellow F1
This hybrid is grown in greenhouses and greenhouses.... In the southern regions, landing in open ground is allowed. The hybrid gives a high yield in greenhouses, in the open field the indicator is lower. Ripening occurs at 44-46 days.
Productivity in greenhouses from 1 m² - 25 kg, in the open field - 20 kg.
The difference between this hybrid is in the rapid growth of fruits. On the fourth day after the ovary, the cucumbers reach a length of 40 cm. The taste of the fruit is reminiscent of watermelon, the pulp is juicy and fresh.
Chinese climbing
Late-ripening variety, ripening occurs 65 days after planting - closer to the end of summer and early autumn.
The fruits are not large in size, their length is up to 10-12 cm. The peel is thin, slightly hilly, the taste is fresh.
Beijing delicious F1
Early maturing bee-pollinated hybrid... Peking delicious ripens in 46-54 days and bears fruit for a long time.
Fruit length 30-40 cm, cylindrical shape. Cucumbers are covered with sparse large tubercles. The flesh of the fruit is dense and juicy, no bitterness.
Productivity up to 18 kg from 1 m².
Soaring to the sky F1
Early ripening, ripens 45-55 days... Productivity up to 20 kg from 1 m².
Fruits are lumpy, dense, juicy, up to 12 cm long. Suitable for salting.
Favorite of Confucius F1
Self-pollinated early maturing hybrid for greenhouses and open areas.
The crop ripens in 40-45 days. Fruiting continues until October.
The hybrid bears tasty, juicy, large tuberous fruits with white thorns. Cucumbers are 20-30 cm long. They are eaten fresh, pickled and salted.
Up to 18 kg of cucumbers are obtained from 1 m².
Emerald Stream
The yield of the variety is 6-10 kg per 1 m²... Fruits ripen in 44-48 days from planting.
Fruit length is 20-25 cm. Cucumbers slightly ribbed, dark green, lumpy peel, with prickly thorns. The pulp is crispy and juicy.
The use of fruits is salad. You can marinate them, but immediately after removal.
Chinese snake
Designed for greenhouses. Early ripening hybrid, picking cucumbers on the thirtieth day.
Fruits are narrow in shape, long, up to 80 cm, covered with tubercles and thorns. The pulp is juicy, the taste is rich.
Productivity - up to 8-10 kg per 1 m². These cucumbers are eaten fresh and canned.
Gin
In one season, the bush brings up to 20 kg of harvest... Cucumbers ripen on 46-55 days.
Long (30-40 cm) fruits have a sweetish fresh taste. The peel is bright green, covered with small, sparse tubercles.
The variety is planted in greenhouses and open ground. The fruits are more suitable for salads, since their keeping quality is short.
Chinese Emperor F1
Early ripe hybrid, it is planted in open areas and in greenhouses.
Fruits up to 40 cm long ripen in 45 days. Cucumbers are dark green with large tubercles and fragrant juicy pulp. The fruits are used in salads and canned in pieces.
Productivity - 15-16 kg of fruits per 1 m² in greenhouses.
Chinese funny moths
Plants are planted in greenhouses and open ground... The fruiting period is long. Productivity from one bush is 9-15 kg.
The ripening period of the variety is 40-45 days. Fruits are juicy, sweetish, with a thin light green skin. Their length is 10-12 cm. Cucumbers are the same suitable for salting and for salads.
Conclusion
The advantages of Chinese varieties and hybrids are in their taste, yield and simplicity. Even beginners are good at growing these vegetables.Cucumbers are planted in greenhouses or in the open field: it is important to choose a variety suitable for the region, to ensure vertical growth and timely watering. Then the harvest will delight with beautiful and tasty fruits for a long time - from the beginning of summer to the first cold weather.