Each gardener grows cucumbers on his plot. The number of varieties is so great that it is difficult to make a choice. The main requirements for this crop are yield, disease resistance and accurate fruit. All this combines the variety "Adam F1", a description of which will be given below.
Characterization and description of the variety
Variety of cucumbers "Adam" refers to indeterminate medium-sized plants with a female type of flowering. This species is an early ripe hybrid bred by Dutch breeders, only 40-50 days after sowing, the first fruits can be obtained.
Did you know? In the United Arab Emirates, breeders managed to develop a variety of cucumbers with square fruits.
The leaves of the plant are small, saturated green in color. Fruits are regular, cylindrical, elongated, about 10 cm long, with delicate skin covered with small spikes. The color of cucumbers is dark green, often with yellowish stripes. Sometimes on the fruits you can observe the formation of a gun.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Cucumbers "Adam" are very popular among gardeners, due to a number of their advantages:
- early ripening and high productivity (about 10 kg per 1 sq. m planting);
- bears fruit throughout the growing season;
- the shape of the fruit is ideal for preservation and makes cucumbers convenient for storage;
- excellent taste of pulp;
- high resistance to diseases and pests.
- The almost perfect hybrid, however, is not without some drawbacks:
- this variety is not intended for seed production; therefore, they must be purchased anew each year;
- the thin skin of the fruit is easily damaged.
Optimal landing times
"Adam" is grown in two ways: seedlings and seedlings.
Depending on the chosen option, the timing of planting crops differs:
- breeding seedlings begin 1.5 months before planting it in open ground, that is, in April. Saplings are transferred to beds usually from the second week of May;
- seeds are sown in open ground only after the end of frost, when the soil surface on the site warms up to + 15 ... + 16 ° C, usually at the end of May.
Important! If, after sowing the seeds, the air temperature suddenly drops, it is necessary to cover the beds with a film to preserve heat.
Planting and growing cucumbers
To get a good crop of cucumbers, you need to carefully observe agricultural technology, depending on the chosen method of planting the crop.
Seedling method
Most gardeners grow cucumbers by breeding seedlings.
Learn about other parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers:
This variety is characterized by good germination, the main thing is to properly organize the sowing:
- seeds produced in the Netherlands, already at the stage of packaging are treated with fungicides and growth stimulants, so they are sown in a dry form. Untreated planting material can be presoaked for 20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then wrapped in a damp cloth for a couple of days until the first roots appear;
- for seedlings, it is necessary to prepare an individual container, plastic or peat cups with a width of 5-7 cm are suitable;
- the soil should be light and fertile, a mixture of peat, humus and soil from the site in equal proportions is suitable;
- seeds are deepened into the soil mixture by 1-2 cm and watered with settled water;
- pots are installed in a well-lit place, protected from drafts;
- watering is performed as the top layer of the soil dries, additional top-dressing is not required;
- about 40 days after sowing the seeds, the seedlings are transferred to the open ground, planting the young in the holes according to the 30x70 pattern (30 cm between the bushes and 70 cm between the beds). It should be remembered that only bushes with at least 2 leaves are permissible to transplant;
- 2 days before transshipment of seedlings to the site, they need to be abundantly watered.
Important! Cucumbers do not like transplanting and changing the ground, so transplanting seedlings is necessary along with an earthen lump, without separating it from the roots.
Seed directly into the open ground
It is much easier to use the method of growing cucumbers by sowing seeds directly on the garden where they will grow.
The main thing in this matter is the correct choice of land and compliance with agricultural technology:
- the ideal place to plant cucumbers is the sunny side of the fence or the walls of any building. It is advisable not to plant the plant in the area where other representatives of the pumpkin were grown before;
- Dig the ground and loosen it, then fertilize it with top dressing for industrial cucumbers (for example, Rodnichok) according to the instructions;
- a trellis is installed on the selected site, along which the shoots of the plant will weave. To do this, between the vertically mounted columns stretch the wire horizontally or attach a large metal mesh;
- the seed planting pattern is the same as for seedlings between holes - 30 cm, row spacing - 70 cm, you need to deepen planting material into the ground by 2-3 cm.
Cucumber care after planting
To get a rich harvest of Adam cucumbers, you need to ensure proper care of the plant, following the basic rules.
Top dressing and watering
Cucumbers need a lot of moisture, so you need regular watering: every 2 days at the rate of 10 liters per 1 sq. m of soil. In extreme heat, the foliage of the bushes must be moistened by irrigating from a watering can. It is better to do this not in direct sunlight, but before dark, so that the moisture has time to evaporate.
Did you know? Spikes on the fruits of the plant are designed to remove excess moisture.
Culture is carried out regularly throughout the entire period of active growth, following an approximate plan:
- seedlings are fertilized 7-10 days after transplanting, seedlings sown in open ground seeds - with the appearance of flowers. Cow dung is used: 1 cup of mullein is bred in 1 bucket of water, there you can add 1 teaspoon of superphosphate;
- when cucumbers begin to bear fruit, they need mineral fertilizers. You can use traditionally potassium nitrate (25 g of saltpeter per 15 liters of water).
Fertilizer must be applied under the root, combining with the next watering.
Bush garter and shaping
Like any other indeterminate weaving plant, this bush requires the formation of:
- it is necessary to remove new shoots and ovaries in the lower part of the bush, in the sinuses of the first 5 leaves, since the development of this part of the plant can weaken the development of the main branch. This part of the stem is called the blinding zone;
- the lateral processes need to be pinched according to the following scheme: from the blinding zone to 1 m, the lateral shoots pinch over the first leaf and leave 1 ovary; pinch the shoots over the 3-4th leaf, leaving 3 ovaries;
- when the lash grows to the top of the trellis, you can pinch it, thereby stopping further growth, or throw it over the edge of the support so that the growth of the lash continues down.
For tying, ordinary twine is used: one end is tied around the base of the whip over 3 leaves, the second is tied to the top of the trellis. The stem of the bush is carefully wrapped around the rope every 2-3 leaves.
Soil care
The duration of fruiting of Adam cucumbers depends not only on watering and fertilizer, but also on the condition of the soil and the redistribution of mineral substances in it.
The beds on which the cucumbers grow need to be weeded regularly from weeds as they appear, about once every 7 days. Weed growth must not be allowed, as it greatly depletes the soil.
1-2 days after watering, the beds must be carefully loosened to ensure good air exchange and redistribute moisture in the soil layers.
Mulching the land around the bushes is not necessary for this variety, however, it will save moisture and slow down the growth of weeds. It is best to cover the soil with hay.
Pest and Disease Control
Variety "Adam", like its other fellow hybrids, is very resistant to most diseases and pests characteristic of cucumbers.
This species rarely affects powdery mildew, cladosporiosis, viral mosaic, but there are also such diseases and parasites that can cause trouble for gardeners:
- downy mildew (peronosporosis) - a fungal disease in which the foliage of the plant becomes covered with brown spots and begins to dry. This ailment arises due to increased humidity and poor ventilation of the bush, which allows fungal spores to penetrate into the thickness of the leaves. To combat the disease, fungicidal solutions of industrial production based on copper are used (for example, Bordeaux mixture, Oksikhom), according to the instructions;
- aphid - an insect that feeds on young shoots and foliage can not only destroy the crown with lightning speed, but also infect the plant with various viruses. For the destruction of the pest, ready-made chemicals (for example, "Actofit") are used, used according to the instructions and not mixed with other means;
- bear or earthen cricket - a pest living underground and eating plant roots. It can get to the site from neighboring lands or together with imported organic fertilizers. The fight with the bear is often carried out mechanically: they destroy the passages dug by insects by deep plowing of the soil and loosening the soil to a depth of at least 15 cm. Sometimes you have to resort to chemicals (for example, Thunder granules, they are mixed with sand and introduced into the soil, on contact with the chemical, the insect dies).
Harvesting
The first Adam cucumbers can be obtained in June. Remove them from the whip with extreme caution, being careful not to damage the shoots. The collected fruits are placed in wooden or plastic boxes with ventilation. Shelf life of this variety is good, taken cucumbers, when stored properly in a cool room, remain fresh and elastic for 2 weeks.
So, this species is hybrid, due to which it has a high yield and stable immunity to most diseases. Compliance with the simple rules of agricultural technology and the proper organization of plant care contribute to long-term fruiting, which will allow gardeners to get a rich harvest.