Cucumber "Claudin F1": characteristics of the species and cultivation
Cucumber is one of the oldest vegetable crops eaten raw. Currently, it remains the most popular among summer residents. A variety of varieties opens up wide opportunities for gardeners of any climatic zone. Consider the Claudine F1 cucumber, which belongs to early ripe hybrids.
A bit of history
Cucumber is an annual plant of the gourd family. He comes from subtropical countries. It was first mentioned in Chinese chronicles more than five thousand years ago. It was originally used as a seasoning for dishes, as the wild species had a high degree of bitterness. In ancient Egypt, the cultivation of cucumbers began: they began to be used as food, used in cosmetology and medicinal purposes.
Tsarist Russia learned about the plant at the beginning of the sixteenth century, and at the beginning of the eighteenth, the culture was first grown in protected ground.
Variety Description
At present, the world selection represents many high-yielding, pest-resistant hybrid varieties of this crop. Cucumber Claudine F1 is represented by the Dutch company Royal Sluis.
The variety is self-pollinating, early ripening, with active tuft shoots that have only female flowers. A powerful bush is open for care and harvesting. For the proper development of fruits and long-term fruiting, it requires timely formation and care.
The hybrid belongs to the salad type, as it has a pleasant taste, without bitterness. The fruits have a thin skin, dense pulp.They are widely used in the preparation of salads and eaten fresh in the form of cuts. This variety is not recommended for use in conservation due to the delicate structure of the fruit.
The average weight of a cucumber is eighty grams, the fruits reach ten centimeters in length. Outwardly, they are dark green in color, even, with a tuberous surface and prickly light spikes, sometimes longitudinal stripes are visible in the color. The first fruits are ready to eat about forty days after planting. A timely unpicked vegetable retains its shape for some time.
Plants of this variety are characterized by long fruiting both in open ground and in closed ground. The yield per square meter reaches ten kilograms. The hybrid variety is immune to diseases such as powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic, downy mildew. It is also resistant to high temperatures.
Nuances of cultivation and care
Cucumber "Claudin F1" is unpretentious in care. Peat pots are used to grow seedlings. Pre-seeds should be treated with minerals or other beneficial substances. Hybrid plants do not tolerate transplanting from place to place, as injury to the root system can occur, after which the acclimatization period is delayed. That is why peat pots are used.
In open ground, the variety is sown in spring at a temperature not lower than 10 degrees. After that, it is desirable to carry out moderate watering (three liters per square meter).
The variety bears equally well in both vertical and horizontal cultivation. After germination, cucumbers are thinned out and freed from weeds, weak plants. The variety is very fond of top dressing with any nitrogen fertilizers, which is useful throughout the season.During the period of growth and fruiting, this procedure must be carried out at least four times. Also increase productivity and prolong the period of fruiting timely loosening, weeding, pinching shoots.
Pests and diseases haunt any plant. The cucumber hybrid has protection against some of them, but not all. When dealing with such troubles, you must strictly adhere to the dosage of drugs. Before flowering, the crop can be treated with chemicals, and closer to harvesting, it is better to use proven folk methods.
A small whitefly midge will be defeated by garlic soaked in water (200 grams of garlic is taken per 1 liter of water). Against aphids that destroy leaves, you can use a solution of 3 liters of water, 60 grams of wood ash and 30 grams of soap.
Spider mites are afraid of spraying with a simple soapy solution (30 grams of soap dissolves in 1 liter of water).
It is more difficult to fight diseases, but the drugs that exist today help prevent them. Cladosporiosis is a serious nuisance. The affected areas are removed mechanically, and the entire plant is sprayed with a chemical solution.
The Claudine F1 hybrid rightfully receives good reviews, especially they relate to the excellent taste of the fruit and the resistance of the crop to diseases. Consumers are also delighted by the excellent germination of seeds. Subject to the recommended agrotechnical care, the yield sometimes even exceeds that declared by the manufacturer. The choice of this variety by many gardeners from year to year confirms the high consumer qualities of cucumber.
You will learn more about the Claudine F1 cucumber variety from the following video.