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Cucumbers are the most important part of the summer-autumn harvest for any housewife. And the jars lined up in long rows with various types of cucumber twists are truly a symbol of Russian hospitality. Perhaps that is why it is so important, despite the abundance of currently offered varieties and hybrids of cucumbers, to choose for yourself the one that you want to plant again and again, and not to worry about problems with its cultivation, but only to collect all new and delicious recipes for preparations from cucumbers ... Cucumber Elegant in many of its characteristics is just such a problem-free variety.
Description and characteristics
The cucumber variety Graceful has long been grown by gardeners on their backyard plots and has not yet lost its significance, despite the abundance of new varieties and hybrids that appear every year. And that means something! It was bred back in the distant 60s at VNIISSOK by the breeder O.V. Yurina. In 1971, it was included in the Russian state register for use in almost all regions of Russia from the central regions to the Far East. Description of the variety of cucumbers Graceful includes the following characteristics:
- Variety Graceful refers to early ripening, which means that the first cucumbers can be harvested as early as 38-40 days after the shoots have appeared;
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The variety is universal in terms of growing conditions - it means that it will grow equally well both in open ground and in greenhouses. But a feature of this variety of cucumbers is increased cold resistance, so it can be used both for early sowing and for growing in open ground in the northern regions in a short summer;
- Cucumber variety Graceful is bee-pollinated and produces a large number of male flowers. The cultivar can serve as an excellent pollinator for other cultivars, for example the predominantly female flowering type;
- Plants of a cucumber variety Graceful, medium-growing, form from 5 to 7 lateral shoots;
- The variety is also distinguished by its increased resistance to diseases: bacteriosis, powdery mildew and olive spot.
Fruit characteristics
The cucumbers themselves of the Graceful variety have an elliptical elongated shape, juicy green in color. The length of the zelents is from 8 to 14 cm, the weight is from 120 to 150 grams. Cucumbers are usually even, with small tubercles and white pubescence. The peel is thin with white stripes and a light top. The flesh of the cucumbers is crispy, juicy, without bitterness. The taste is high. The purpose of the variety is universal - it is used both for salads and for pickling and canning. Marketable yield is not very high - about 5 -7 kg per square meter.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Graceful cucumber variety has the following advantages: unpretentiousness to growing conditions, early ripening of fruits, high taste, cold resistance, low cost of seeds, even when the fruits are overripe, their seeds remain tender, cucumbers do not turn yellow.
There are also disadvantages in the Graceful cucumber variety: a relatively low yield, especially compared to the newest hybrids, a large number of fruits with white barrels that may not look very nice in blanks, according to some reviews, the skin becomes rough when overripe, while other sources reject this drawback ...
Landing features
Cucumbers of the Graceful variety can be planted in two ways: sown directly into the ground or grown through seedlings.
For seedlings, cucumber seeds are sown in late April or early May.
Then the seeds are planted one seed at a time in each separate container, since cucumbers do not like very much to disturb their roots when transplanting. When about 4 leaves appear, the age of the seedlings by this time will be about 25 days, it is planted in the ground, trying not to destroy the earthen coma when planting. Seedlings of the Graceful cucumber are planted so that there are no more than three plants per square meter.
When sowing in the ground, you must wait until the soil warms up to + 15 ° C. The seeds are sown to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. The soil for sowing cucumbers is traditionally prepared in the fall, since it is necessary that it be loose and fertile, with a high humus content. To do this, a sufficiently powerful layer of organic matter is laid to a depth of 10-20 cm, which by the time of sowing already has time to decompose and release heat and nutrients. After sowing, the soil is kept constantly moist, watering, if necessary, daily. It is possible, before the emergence of cucumber shoots, to cover the garden bed with any additional covering material to preserve heat and moisture.
When shoots appear, it is advisable to put supports or trellises so that the cucumber plants can grow vertically. This saves space, and allows you to shape the cucumber bushes Graceful, and makes it easier to care for and harvest.
Cucumber care
Being a very unpretentious variety, the Graceful cucumber does not require any special techniques in growing, but nevertheless, the basic rules of care must be observed. Since cucumbers are 90% water, the most important thing for successful cucumber cultivation is regular and timely watering. In hot sunny weather, it will be necessary to water the cucumber bushes every day.
For good and abundant fruiting, cucumbers of the Graceful variety also need regular feeding every 10-12 days. It is best to alternate feeding with complex mineral fertilizers containing trace elements with organic fertilizers.
For plants of cucumber varieties Graceful, grown in a greenhouse, it is necessary to provide free access to bees and other insects for good pollination. Although the Graceful cucumber variety is partially self-pollinated, that is, it has flowers that have both a pistil and stamens at the same time. Thus, even without insects, the harvest will still be, but to increase it, it is advisable to attract bees and bumblebees, spraying the bushes with honey or sugar syrup.
If there are still few insects, for example, in the early stages of growing cucumbers in greenhouses, then in these cases they often resort to artificial pollination. There is nothing complicated about it. To do this, male flowers (with stamens) are freed from petals and anthers are manually carried several times over the pistil in female flowers, as in the photo below.
The main technique for the formation of the maximum possible yield, as well as for the prevention of various diseases, is the formation and pruning of Graceful cucumber bushes. Indeed, in cucumber plants, the root system is rather weak, and often cannot cope with the provision of nutrients and water to all the formed ovaries. Some of them can therefore dry out and wither. To prevent this process, it is necessary to remove excess parts from the bush in advance. Since the Yisychny variety is distinguished by its medium vigor, both pruning and shaping are required to be minimal, compared to other more vigorous varieties.
Starting from 4-6 leaves from below, the main stem is pinched, and the growing lateral shoots are directed to the supports, pinned to the ground and partially sprinkled with soil to obtain additional roots.A cucumber bush of the Yisychny variety usually forms 5-6 lashes, and this technique is enough to fully ensure the maximum yield of this cucumber variety.
Pick the cucumbers every day whenever possible to stimulate the formation of new ovaries. With good care, picking can take place throughout the summer.
Reviews of gardeners about the Graceful variety
Cucumber Graceful has really enjoyed popular love for many years, as evidenced by numerous positive reviews and photos of grown cucumbers.
As you can see, the reviews about the Graceful cucumbers are the most positive, it's not for nothing that the variety has existed for so many years and many continue to grow it with pleasure. Even if it does not have some super characteristics of the newest hybrids, you are guaranteed a cucumber harvest in any case.
I also really like this variety because of its delicate skin and delicate seeds. For several years I have been planting it together with other varieties. But I don’t refuse it. Never let down. Good in all forms.