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Cucumber Hummingbird is a Russian high-yielding variety of the gherkin type. Resistant to a number of diseases, unpretentious, so the crop can be grown in most regions. Fruits appear until the beginning of autumn, fruiting ends with the onset of the first frost.
Origin of the variety
Cucumber Hummingbird is a hybrid of the first generation (F1), bred on the basis of the selection and seed-growing company "Manul". A group of researchers took part in the development of the variety: Borisov A.V., Vostrikova O.R., Skachkov V.A., Orekhova E.A. other. Included in the register of breeding achievements in 2010.
The hummingbird cucumber is approved for cultivation in most Russian regions:
- middle band;
- Volga region;
- Northwest;
- Black earth;
- southern regions;
- Ural;
- Western and Eastern Siberia;
- Far East.
Recommended for growing in film shelters (without heating). In the south, the crop can be cultivated in the open field.
Description of the hummingbird cucumber variety
In the description of the hummingbird cucumber variety, the following characteristics are given:
- indeterminate (grows throughout the season);
- flowering type: mainly female;
- slightly branched (few shoots);
- undersized.
The stem of the plant reaches a height of 25-30 cm, spreads along the ground, winds. The bush is characterized by kidney weaving, gives a lot of tendrils, which allows it to be well attached to any support. The green mass grows rather quickly, the lateral sinuses of hummingbird cucumbers are small.
The leaves are deep green, heart-shaped, have five lobes. In the axil of each leaf, 4-5 ovaries appear, less often two or eight. The flowers are small, with a typical yellow color. Flowering is amicable, hummingbirds do not need pollinators. This makes it possible to grow them in closed greenhouses.
Fruits of a gherkin type, small in size (5-8 cm long, no more than 3.5 cm in diameter). The color is rich green, the average weight is 60-80 g. The pulp is juicy, crispy, good taste. Zelentsy are short, fusiform, tuberous, with white pubescence. Cucumbers are not prone to overgrowth, so the market yield is consistently high. The fruits are mainly used for harvesting, less often fresh.
Hummingbird cucumbers are suitable for pickling and pickling
Characteristics of hummingbird cucumbers
The variety is quite unpretentious. Hummingbird cucumbers grow well in a variety of soil types. Subject to the growing conditions, they give a consistently high yield. The crop is sensitive to frost, therefore, in most regions, cultivation is allowed only in greenhouses. Drought also has a bad effect on yields - additional watering is required in the heat.
Hummingbird cucumber yield
The marketable yield of hummingbird cucumbers, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, reaches 11-13 kg per square meter. In terms of ripening, the variety belongs to the category of early (early maturing). The first crop can be harvested 40 days after planting the seeds (technical ripeness), optimally after 48-50 days.
The fruiting period is long, up to the onset of frost. Therefore, the harvest can be taken even in late summer and early autumn (August, September). The fruits appear together, which makes them easier to pick.
Disease and pest resistance
Cucumbers Hummingbird F1 are resistant to a number of diseases: cladosporia, cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew.
To a lesser extent resistant to downy mildew (peronosporosis). May suffer from such fungal and bacterial infections:
- white and gray rot;
- anthracnose;
- bacteriosis.
Damage by aphids, nematodes, spider mites, slugs and other pests is not excluded. In order to prevent loss of yield, the planting of hummingbird cucumbers should be periodically inspected.
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety has a high yield and good fruit taste. These are classic gherkins of the correct shape, which can be grown in a greenhouse and even on a windowsill. A lot of fruits are formed, therefore they are used both for personal consumption and for sale.
Hummingbird cucumbers are approximately the same size (up to 8 cm long)
Pros:
- very high yield;
- good taste;
- early ripening (only 1.5 months);
- attractive presentation;
- long-term fruiting;
- can be grown in any Russian region;
- fruits do not outgrow;
- resistance to a number of diseases;
- keeping quality and transportability.
Minuses:
- seeds have to be constantly bought;
- after pickling, cucumbers may become soft;
- frost resistance is low;
- germination is weak;
- there is no immunity to certain diseases and pests.
Planting hummingbird cucumbers
The timing of sowing hummingbird cucumber seeds depends on the cultivation method and the climate in the region:
- when grown by seedlings, seeds are planted from early to mid-April;
- seedlings are transferred to open ground at the age of 25 days from mid to late May;
- if you plant seeds directly on the garden bed, you can do this no earlier than mid-May (in the south in the last days of April, in the Urals, in Siberia - closer to the end of May).
When planting seeds in a greenhouse, as well as when transferring seedlings under a film, the dates are shifted a week earlier. In this case, you need to take into account the weather forecast - the seeds can be planted a little later in order to wait out the period of return frosts.
Sowing in open ground
For growing outdoors, choose an open area, protected from strong winds. The place is cleaned in advance. The earth is dug up and fertilized with humus, compost (2 m bucket2). If there is a lot of clay in the soil, you need to add sawdust or sand (1 kg for the same area).
Seeds of cucumbers Hummingbirds on the eve of planting also need to be prepared:
- hold for half an hour in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate;
- hold for 2 hours in fungicide ("Fitosporin", "Baxis");
- the day before planting, soak for 7-8 hours in a growth stimulator (for example, "Agat", "Baikal", "Sodium humate").
The surface of the bed is leveled, grooves are marked with an interval of 40 cm. Holes with a depth of 1-2 cm are formed in parallel or in a checkerboard pattern. Cucumber seeds are planted at a distance of 5-7 cm, buried and watered. After the appearance of three leaves, the seedlings are thinned so that no more than four plants fall on each square meter.
Seedlings of cucumbers Hummingbirds are transplanted into the ground no earlier than mid-May
Growing seedlings
Planting material for hummingbird cucumbers is prepared in the same way as described above. The soil should be disinfected with boiling water or potassium permanganate solution. It can also be kept in the freezer for several days. For growing, a universal seedling soil is suitable. The mixture can be compiled in advance by yourself, for example, from garden soil, mixed with humus, black peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1.
Instructions for growing hummingbird cucumber seedlings are standard:
- Plant seeds in boxes or cassettes to a depth of 2 cm, keeping an interval of 5 cm.
- Pour from a spray bottle.
- Cover with foil and put in a warm place (23-26 degrees).
- After emergence, the film is removed.
- At the same moment, you can feed with a complex composition, for example, "Kemira", "Solution", "Ideal".
- Continue to maintain the temperature at the same level.
- Water it periodically. A month after planting, they are transplanted into a greenhouse or on an open bed.
Hummingbird Cucumber Care
Hummingbird cucumbers require some attention. They give a good harvest only if the rules of agricultural technology are followed:
- Watering is regular (twice a week), but without waterlogging. The topsoil should remain slightly damp.
- The first feeding of cucumbers is given two weeks after planting, then twice more every 2-3 weeks. The best option is to alternate the complex mineral composition with organic matter (mullein, droppings, humates).
- The hummingbird cucumber bushes curl well, give a lot of antennae, so a garter is required. To do this, a trellis is installed and the rope is pulled, and the height of the structure is small - up to 50 cm.
- Loosening and weeding is carried out regularly.
- Planting cucumbers Hummingbirds should preferably be mulched with straw, cut grass, sawdust or needles.
When growing hummingbird cucumbers, be sure to install garter supports
Conclusion
The hummingbird cucumber is best grown in greenhouses, on fertile, light soils. Then he will give consistently high yields of delicious gherkins. Caring for them is standard, so even novice gardeners can grow cucumbers.
Reviews of gardeners about hummingbird cucumbers
