Delicious and easy-to-grow cucumbers "Lukhovitskie"

In the Moscow region there is the city of Lukhovitsy, which residents proudly call the Russian capital of cucumbers. Here they are grown in every courtyard; many varieties are cultivated in the city. The local climatic conditions of the culture are very suitable.

The official hybrid Lukhovitsky F1 was entered in the State Register in 2006 as independently bred and recommended for breeding in the Northern, Northwest, Central, Volga regions of the country.

Description of cucumbers

Lukhovitsky hybrid - parthenocarpic. It is distinguished by early maturity and good yield.

Distinctive features

Features of culture:

• bushes quickly adapt to the cold;
• can grow in the absence of a bright sunny color;
• resistant to many cucumber diseases;
• have only female flowers (do not require pollination).

Cucumbers are suitable for commercial cultivation: they keep well and do not change their presentation during transportation.

Composition and properties

The vegetables are delicious and extremely healthy. The calorie content of cucumbers is 15 kcal per 100 g of product. Almost 95% of the composition is water, so the fruits remove toxins from the body well and wash the kidneys.

The product contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, beta-carotene, valuable minerals: copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, sodium, phosphorus, iodine.

Regular consumption of cucumbers prevents the development of atherosclerosis, cleanses blood vessels and dissolves small kidney stones.

Important! Cucumbers are not recommended for people with severe renal failure.

Specifications

A shade-tolerant culture does not slow down growth even with a deficiency of ultraviolet radiation. For greenhouse cultivation, additional installation of special lamps is not required. In the open field, even areas with temporary shading are chosen.

Direct sunlight is not terrible for the plant: no burns appear on the leaves, the fruits do not lose elasticity.

Bush

Bushes are tall, with a strong central stem. Leaves are medium in size, grow densely, the pile on them is sparse and smallish.

The root system is poorly developed... The depth of penetration is no more than 40 cm. Flowers grow by 3 in inflorescences, have a characteristic light orange color.

Fruit

Lukhovitsky cucumbers are different:

• cylindrical, elongated, up to 12 cm long, with an average weight of 90–95 g;
• dark green interspersed with elongated light stripes;
• glossy surface without waxy coating, soft thorns and small tubercles on thin skin that is not peeled when preparing salads;
• juicy dense pulp without voids;
• small seeds in small quantities;
• sweetish taste, lack of bitterness even without regular watering;
• characteristic delicate aroma;
• a high degree of crunch that remains after heat treatment or canning.

Yield

A distinctive feature of the hybrid is its high yield. The abundance of fruiting is practically not affected by weather conditions. Even in cloudy and humid weather, the plants bear fruit. The only thing a culture is poorly resistant to is wind.

In open beds, up to 8 kg of fruits are harvested from the bush, in greenhouses - up to 20 kg.

How to grow yourself

Cucumbers are cultivated both by seedlings and by direct sowing into the ground.

Planting with seeds and seedlings

Direct sowing on the beds is carried out at the end of May. The preparation of the soil for this begins in the fall.There is a very original method that significantly increases the yield and germination of seeds. This requires:

• make a trench about 50 cm deep and up to 1.5 m wide;
• put wooden shields on the sides;
• put a film on the bottom of the trench;
• pour sawdust and fresh manure on it;
• cover everything with straw and protective material from above.

In the spring, it remains to remove the shelter, dig up a bed about the depth of a shovel's bayonet, add urea, a layer of earthy soil and pour hot water. Seeds are planted in holes up to 5 cm deep at a distance of 35–40 cm from each other.

Important! The site is chosen in a place protected from the wind. Directional sunlight is optional.

Seeds are pre-disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. They increase their resistance to possible cold weather on the lower shelf of the refrigerator.

The hybrid is early ripe, so it is better to grow it in seedlings. Sowing in this case is carried out in April. At the same time, simple rules are observed:

• planted seed into peat pots without a subsequent dive, since the root system of all hybrids is weak, and they do not tolerate a dive;
• ordinary soil is mixed with leaf humus;
• before the emergence of shoots, the containers are covered with film material, after the film is removed, and the container is placed in a sunny place;
• the walls of the pots are cut before planting;
• landing in the ground is carried out at the end of May;
• wire frames are installed over the beds and a film is pulled over them (the structure is removed with the onset of persistent warm weather and as the bushes grow);
• the planting scheme is the same as for the seed method.

Step-by-step cultivation and care

Agricultural farming is standard, but there are some features:

• the soil should be moist, rich in organic matter;
• at the beginning of the growing season watering moderate, as fruits ripen - abundant;
• culture regularly feed infusion of mullein or bird droppings;
• the soil is systematically loosened, weeds are removed;
• 2 shoots are left on one stem;
• possible vertical cultivation of the hybrid using props (the stems of the Lukhovitsky cucumbers are strong);
• lower and yellowed leaves are removed.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The main weakness of the Lukhovitsky hybrid is the superficial root system. Therefore, the sprouts dive and watered carefully. For the same reason, they gently loosen the ground.

Important! If it is not possible to regularly water cucumbers, it is better to refuse to grow them.

Moisten the bushes only with warm, settled water. Make sure that it does not get on the leaves on sunny days and does not erode the root system.

Diseases and pests

The hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew and cladosporium, but can be affected by downy mildew.

For the prevention and control of the disease, use:

• Bordeaux liquid;
• "Sulfaride";
• Fitosporin;
• sulfuric agents in very low concentration, as they burn the leaves.

One of the worst pests of cucumbers is the melon aphid. To get rid of the insect, the bushes are sprayed with an ash and soap solution. To prevent spider mites from appearing in dry hot weather, humidity is increased in the growing area.

Harvesting and application of the crop

Daily picking of cucumbers increases fruiting. Vegetables do not turn yellow, do not overripe, but it is better to remove them at least every other day.

Thanks to their thin skin, cucumbers are suitable for salads, canning and pickling. Snacks made from slightly under-grown fruits are especially tasty. To do this, they are harvested daily.

To keep the harvest longer, the cucumbers are cut, leaving the stalk a little. Houses are kept in the refrigerator in plastic bags. So they stay fresh for up to a week without losing their presentation.

Advantages and disadvantages

Hybrid advantages:

• early ripening (38–40 days after planting);
• self-pollination;
• the possibility of cultivation in almost all regions of the country;
• resistance to major diseases;
• high productivity;
• the same fruit size;
• good transportability while maintaining marketability and taste;
• suitability for canning, salting, fresh consumption.

Disadvantages:

• like all hybrids, the Lukhovitskys do not retain their qualities in subsequent generations;
• cucumbers have a relatively weak root system;
• the culture is susceptible to cold winds.

Reviews

Farmers note the excellent taste of the fruit, presentation and versatility in cooking.

Igor, Voznesensk: “I like the unpretentiousness of the hybrid, its disease resistance. In fact, only watering and loosening are needed. I tried to grow vertically - it worked too. "

Anton, Vologda: “The hybrid's cucumbers are good pickled: crunchy, of the same small shape. Fresh, they have a sweetish taste, but I like sourness. However, this is not for everybody. For cultivation, the culture is unpretentious, only it should be watered more often. "

Irina, Penza: “I've heard a lot about Lukhovitsky cucumbers, I've seen them in the photo, but I've been growing the hybrid myself recently. I don't know how in Lukhovitsy, but cucumbers grow abundantly here. Their taste is excellent, downright standard for a cucumber, from my point of view. "

Conclusion

Lukhovitsky cucumbers are a registered brand of vegetables bred in the Lukhovitsky region. Hybrid Lukhovitsky f1 from Gavrish is available for cultivation by any farmer.

The crop is early maturing, high-yielding and resistant to major diseases. The sweet taste of the fruit, characteristic crunch and delicate aroma leave no one indifferent.