Cucumbers are grown on many farms, and one of the best varieties with early ripening is the Othello variety. These plants can be grown in a greenhouse or open ground, and high crop yields and excellent commodity characteristics of the fruits are achieved even with standard care. This article presents the characteristics of Othello cucumbers, the pros and cons of culture, the peculiarities of its cultivation in a greenhouse and in an open area, as well as methods of combating possible diseases and pests.

Characterization and description of the variety

A variety of cucumbers Othello was obtained at the end of the last century in the Netherlands. This hybrid is the result of the work of breeders of the seed company Syngenta, who sought to get a variety with early ripening and high yields.

Did you know? The word "cucumber" comes from the ancient Greek word "aguros" and literally translates as "unripe".

Bush description

This annual herbaceous plant belongs to the pumpkin family and is a vegetable crop.The botanical description of the Othello cucumber bush is presented below:

1. The plant is quite large, and its curly shoots spread along the ground. The length of the main stem can reach 2 m.
2. The root system of the bush consists of the main root, going deep into the soil, and branched lateral roots, which absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
3. The leaves of the plant are heart-shaped, five-lobed, painted in a saturated green color.
4. The flowering period is in June. The type of inflorescence is female. This hybrid belongs to bee pollinated plants.
5. Othello cucumbers bloom in bright yellow flowers of medium size. Each flower has a pubescent sepal, and its corolla contains 5 petals.
6. In one leaf sinus, usually 5–6 oval ovaries of green fruits are formed.
7. The plant has a strong immunity to common diseases and does not require specific care.

Description of the fetus

The fruits of this variety are distinguished by their attractive presentation and versatility of use, which is why Othello cucumbers are often grown for sale.

Important! Othello canned cucumbers are characterized by higher palatability than fresh fruits.

The main qualities of the fruits of this variety are as follows:

1. Cucumbers have a cylindrical shape, and their length is 8–12 cm with a diameter of about 3 cm.
2. The peel of the fruit is even and dense, painted dark green and covered with blurry white stripes running along the cucumber to its middle.
3. On the surface of the peel of the vegetable are small tubercles and white spikes. Outside, the cucumber is covered with frequent pubescence.
4. The pulp of the fruit is juicy, crisp and tender, has a pleasant sweet taste without bitterness. It does not contain voids, and also retains a dense structure and good taste even after heat treatment.
5. The fruits are characterized by excellent keeping quality and do not lose their attractive presentation in the process of transportation.

Fruitfulness

The variety of cucumbers Othello conquered many gardeners not only with excellent characteristics of the fruit, but also with high productivity.

With standard care, the fruitfulness of the bushes is characterized by such qualities:

1. Productivity from 1 m² reaches 10 kg of ripe cucumbers. The mass of one fruit is 80-100 g.
2. Vegetables ripen every 2-3 days; they can be harvested at the gherkin stage (after reaching a length of 5-6 cm).
3. Fruiting friendly and stable, the yield of high-quality commercial product reaches about 96%.

Ripening time

The variety of cucumbers Othello belongs to early ripening - the first crop of fruits is harvested only 40–45 days after the appearance of green shoots. When using vegetables for the preparation of canned preparations, it is recommended to pick them slightly immature.

Cucumbers ripen in portions, so you need to harvest regularly. The ripened specimens, left for a long time on the bush, are larger, but retain a pleasant sweet taste.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Farmers often choose vegetables of this variety for cultivation in large and small farms, since they have many advantages.

• The main positive qualities of the Othello variety include:
• early ripening;
• high productivity;
• excellent presentation and taste of fruits;
• the possibility of growing crops in open ground and a greenhouse;
• good storage and transportability;
• universality of the use of cucumbers;
• immunity to diseases.

Compared with the list of positive qualities, the disadvantages of this variety are few.

• The cons of Othello cucumbers include:
• susceptibility of plants to adverse climate conditions;
• the need for artificial pollination of flowers when planting in a greenhouse.

Growing technology

Othello cucumber variety can be grown both in open ground and in the greenhouse. In warm climates, sowing of seeds can be carried out directly in open soil, but in regions with a temperate and cold climate, it is recommended to first grow seedlings.

Did you know? The skin of young cucumbers is covered with numerous short spikes - the plant needs them to remove excess moisture.

Regardless of the method of cultivation, the seeds of cucumbers must be prepared for planting:

1. Disinfect planting material in garlic solution (3 parts water to 1 part garlic pulp) for 1 hour.
2. Place the seeds in a growth stimulator for 10-12 hours for better germination.
3. Rinse planting material with clean water and spread it on cheesecloth in a warm place. Seeds should dry and swell a little.
4. Before planting, harden the seeds in the refrigerator, placing them on the lower shelf for 12 hours.

Plants are pollinated by insects, so you need to attract bees to the beds. This can be done with the help of small containers with honey and sugar syrup, placed near the plants. When growing Othello cucumbers in a greenhouse, artificial pollination should be carried out using a paint brush.

A detailed technology for growing this variety in a greenhouse and outdoors is presented below.

In the open ground

In order to get a generous crop of vegetables, you need to choose a suitable plot for them.

It must meet the following requirements:

• well lit by the sun;
• be protected from drafts;
• have light and loose loamy sandy or loamy soil;
• soil acidity should be neutral or weak, and the nutrient level in it should be high.

Important! Good precursors for cucumbers are potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and legumes. It is not recommended to plant this culture in the area where zucchini, watermelons, cucumbers and pumpkin grew before.

When grown in the southern regions, sowing seeds in open ground is carried out in the second half of May or early June. The soil temperature at the time of planting should be at least + 14 ° C. In other regions, the cultivation of Othello cucumbers begins with sowing seeds for seedlings, which is carried out in late April.Step-by-step instructions for growing seedlings of this variety and transplanting it into open ground are presented below:

1. Prepare small individual containers and fill them with loose, nutritious soil.
2. Submerge the seeds in the soil to a depth of 1.5–2 cm, moisten the soil a little.
3. Cover the containers with a film and put them in a warm (+ 25 ° С), well-lit place for 7–10 days before emergence. As the soil dries, carry out moderate watering with warm water.
4. After germination of the planting material, the shelter must be removed and the sprouts kept at a temperature of + 17 ° C for 5 days. Then, the air temperature in the room with seedlings is increased to +25 ... + 28 ° С.
5. As the soil dries, water the seedlings with warm water and carry out regular ventilation. It is important to avoid cold drafts, as they can kill young plants.
6. A week before the seedlings are planted in an open area, they begin to harden. Sprouts are taken out on a balcony or a verandah and left for 15 minutes. Every day, the time spent by seedlings in the fresh air is gradually increasing.
7. When the seedlings reach the age of 25-30 days and 2-3 strong leaves appear on it, seedlings can be planted in open ground, placing 3 seedlings per 1 m².
8. Prepare small holes at the site. Seedlings carefully removed from individual containers with an earthen lump and placed in prepared recesses. Sprinkle the roots with soil.

Did you know? From a botanical point of view, the cucumber belongs to the false berries, but in cooking it is considered a vegetable.

Landing in the greenhouse

When growing Othello cucumbers in a greenhouse, the timing of sowing seeds falls in mid-May. At the time of planting, the greenhouse should maintain an air temperature of less than +16 ... + 18 ° С.The technology for planting crops in the greenhouse is as follows:

1. Prepare small holes in the soil with a depth of 2-3 cm, placing them in 3 pieces. on 1 m².
2. Dip the seeds of the cucumbers into the prepared cavities and sprinkle them with earth. Water the beds with a small amount of warm water.
3. The greenhouse maintains an air temperature of about + 25 ° C and high humidity. Shoots appear 1–1.5 weeks after sowing seeds.
4. After the mass germination of seeds, the greenhouse is aired, and the humidity level is reduced by 4–5 days. The air temperature during this period should be +16 ... + 18 ° С.
5. A few days after emergence, the daily air temperature is increased to +24 ... + 30 ° C, and at night - at least + 16 ° C. Humidity should be at the level of 60–70%.
6. With further cultivation of the culture in the greenhouse, regular airing is carried out using doors and windows. Seedlings are watered as the top soil layer dries.

Important! At an air temperature of about +10°With the development of cucumber bushes in the greenhouse is disturbed, and when the temperature drops to + 1 ° C, the plants die.

Care Features

Plants of this variety do not require specific care, but the beds need a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrients. After planting seedlings in open ground, you need to monitor the condition of the soil around them, as well as establish a stable support for garter curly stems with ripening fruits.

Watering and fertilizing

Othello cucumbers respond well to watering, but it is impossible to overmoisten the soil - plants can get sick. In addition to the implementation of proper watering, you need to regularly apply fertilizing so that a sufficient number of ovaries form on the bushes and the fruits ripen together.The main recommendations for watering and applying fertilizers for the Othello variety:

• for several days after planting, the plants are not watered;
• watering the plants is carried out as the topsoil is dried;
• for irrigation use water with a temperature of at least + 18 ° C;
• watering is carried out under the root, so that water does not fall on the leaves of the bush;
• to better absorb moisture, water the bushes in the evening;
• plant nutrition is carried out 4-6 times per season with an interval of at least 10 days;
• during the period of growth of green mass as fertilizers use an aqueous solution of mullein and bird droppings;
• at the stage of flowering and fruit formation, the bushes are fed with liquid mineral fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus.

Garter and bush formation

In good conditions, the yield of this variety is very high and a large number of fruits are formed on the shoots. To make them ripen better, the weaving branches of the bush are tied to vertical supports.

This not only helps the plant to properly form its structure, but also saves space on the site or in the greenhouse, since the curly shoots of cucumbers take up a lot of space on the ground.

For the friendly ripening of vegetables on one bush should not be simultaneously more than 18 fruits. To do this, it is recommended to pinch the side lashes after the specified number of ovaries appears on them. Pinching is carried out over the extreme ovary, while 2-3 sheets should be left above it.

Soil care

The branched root system of plants needs nutritious and loose soil.

To improve the breathability of the soil and ensure its uniform saturation with moisture, it is recommended to carry out such actions:

• timely remove weeds around the bushes - they draw water and nutrients from the ground, and also obscure cucumbers from sunlight;
• carry out surface loosening of the soil around the plants during weeding and after each watering - this will help eliminate the dense crust on the upper soil layer and improve air and moisture access to the roots;
• in order to stimulate the growth of the root system and to better retain moisture in the soil, it is recommended to grow bushes 2-3 times per season;
• To reduce the frequency of weeding and to better maintain the loose soil structure around the bushes, it is recommended to mulch the beds with dry straw or sawdust.

Did you know? The longest cucumber was grown in Israel in the Izak Yazapana garden - the length of the vegetable was 118 cm.

Pest and Disease Control

Subject to the above microclimate conditions in the greenhouse and recommendations for growing crops in the open ground, Othello cucumbers exhibit a strong immunity to diseases and pests. But at low air temperature, high humidity or non-compliance with the irrigation regime, bushes can be attacked by insects or harmful bacteria.

The most common problems when growing Othello cucumbers are listed below:

1. Root rot. Signs of infection are leaf wilt, brown color of the root neck, rotting structure and reddish color of the roots. This disease affects mainly greenhouse plants, but can also occur in open ground. Plants with a large number of affected roots are removed from the beds, and partially infected bushes are highly spudded and moderately watered with water at a temperature of at least + 22 ° C. Of the specialized drugs, Trichodermin or Previkur can be used.

2. The whitefly is greenhouse. Insects are small and white. They reproduce well in conditions of elevated air temperature and high humidity. The leaves of cucumbers are covered with a powdery white coating, the plant lags in growth and withers. When insects appear on beds with cucumbers, the leaves of the plants are wiped with a damp cotton swab to wash off the pests. Whitefly is well discouraged by the smell of tobacco planted next to cucumbers. But with significant infection, chemical agents are used - Karbofos or Spark.

3. Aphid. Insects settle on the leaves of the bush and suck out the juice from them. A sign of the appearance of aphids on a plant is the drying and twisting of leaves, a sticky coating on the stems, as well as the falling of inflorescences and ovaries.

   A small number of pests can be controlled by spraying plants with infusion of garlic or wormwood. If the area of ​​infection is large, apply “Fitoverm” or “Intavir”.


4. Spider mite. This insect envelops the lower surface of the leaves of plants with a thin white web and feeds on the juice of the bush. Small dots appear on the surface of infected leaves, which later lead to yellowing and decay of the entire green mass. At the initial stage of the lesion, a spider mite can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in a solution of laundry soap. For mass infection of bushes, Fitoferm is used.

To avoid the appearance of these problems, it is enough to carry out such preventive actions:

• Maintain suitable microclimate conditions in the greenhouse
• follow recommendations for proper watering of plants;
• avoid thickening of landings;
• observe crop rotation;
• weed the beds and remove all plant debris.

Harvesting and storage

The harvesting process begins 1.5 months after seed germination and lasts throughout the fruiting period.

Important! During storage, cucumbers need to be periodically turned over and inspected to remove fruits that have begun to deteriorate.

Basic rules for the collection and storage of Othello cucumbers:

• pick cucumbers from the bush every 2-3 days to stimulate the ripening of the remaining fruits;
• it is recommended to tear off not fully matured specimens having a length of 6-8 cm;
• remove fruits from the bush with a knife so as not to injure the stem of the plant with a careless movement;
• harvesting is carried out in the morning or evening hours, when the fruits are most elastic;
• fresh cucumbers should be stored in a dark place at an air temperature of +6 ... + 8 ° C and a humidity of 85–95%;
• damaged and overgrown instances deteriorate very quickly, therefore, are not suitable for storage;
• fruits are placed in boxes or enameled containers, providing them with air access so that they do not lose their taste;
• subject to all of the above conditions, fresh cucumbers can be successfully stored for 10-14 days.

Othello cucumber variety allows you to get a large number of delicious and crispy cucumbers, even with minimal care. Using the recommendations for planting and growing plants listed in this article, even a beginner gardener can grow this variety of vegetables.