It is difficult to find an amateur gardener who would not be engaged in cucumbers. But even he knows that success in growing this garden crop depends on the right choice of plant variety. For sowing in the open ground is well suited grade "Courage".
Cucumber "Courage F1": varietal characteristics
Description of cucumbers "Courage" contains information that the plant is characterized by a female type of flowering. The ovaries have a bouquet type of arrangement; up to five fruits are knotted in one sinus.
On the main stem, they grow up to 13-16 cm in length, on the side shoots a couple of centimeters less. Their diameter reaches 4 cm. Zelentsy gain weight up to 140 g. Mature fruits have a dark green skin, white thorns, and a spongy structure.
They are able to maintain their taste for up to 10 days. Up to 10 kg of crop can be harvested from each bush, if you follow all agrotechnical techniques.
According to reviews cucumbers "Courage" differ excellent taste: rich aroma and subtle sweetness. Bright flesh crunches perfectly. The peel, small on thickness, practically does not taste bitter, keeping the color even at heat treatment and long storage at the lowered temperatures.
Did you know? According to one According to the variety was bred in India. Other sources claim that it was produced by the seed-breeding firm Gavish, whose work is aimed at creating self-pollinating hybrids.
Pros and cons of a hybrid
Cucumbers "Courage" perfectly feel both in the greenhouse and in the open field. They are highly valued by gardeners for this versatility.
The advantage of the variety is its powerful roots, which give the bush good nutrition and strong growth. Among the main advantages of a grade allocate:
- high yield;
- early maturity;
- the versatility of the use of fruits;
- early maturation;
- Good commodity indicators of Zelentsy.
Did you know? Gardeners and culinary specialists view cucumber as a vegetable, while botanists refer it to fruit, and in some cases to false berries (pumpkins).
Sowing cucumber seeds in open ground
Cucumber "Courage" in the open field are grown almost the same as other varieties, but have some features.
Seed preparation
The success of the future harvest depends on how well you prepare the seeds for planting. The procedure is to select and sort the appropriate seed.
Then it should be soaked in saline solution and heated in a warm place, for example, on a central heating battery. After that, the seeds are recommended to be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or pickled with NIUIF-2.
In order for them to germinate better, when soaking you can use drinking soda, zinc sulphate or boric acid, which are growth promoters. The next stage is hardening of the seed, at which it is placed for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Timing and location selection
Characteristics of cucumber variety "Courage" confirms their high yield. But for the harvest to really delight the gardener, it’s best to sow the seeds At the beginning of June. Landing can be carried out until the end of July.
But you need to remember, the later the sowing period, the lower the yield: about a kilogram for each overdue week. This trend is associated with a decrease in the intensity of illumination.
Accordingly, under the landing should choose a well-lit places, but protected from wind, drafts and cold. It is advisable that the place does not dry out in the sun, as the plant loves moisture. It prefers to grow on black soil, but you can also achieve a good harvest on loams.
The role of predecessors
Seeds of cucumbers of this variety are sown in previously prepared beds. But for yield it is also important what plants were previously grown in this area - respect for crop rotation.
Growing cucumbers "Courage" will be successful in those places where legumes, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables were previously grown. It is strongly not recommended to sow the "Courage" after watermelons, melons, pumpkins and other melons.
Preparation of beds
In order to prepare the beds for planting, it is important to fertilize them correctly. To this end, in the autumn, ash, manure and nitroammophoska are applied at the rate of 3 cups, 3 buckets and 70 g per square meter to the intended landing site.
In the spring, before sowing, it is necessary to dig up the soil, and then cover it with a film for a week so that it warms up well. Work is carried out so that around the end of May the land was ready for planting.
Sowing seeds: the pattern and depth
Planting cucumbers "Courage" depends on what technology will choose a gardener. There are two types of technology that are used for this variety: horizontal and vertical. In the first case, the wells are formed at a distance of 40 cm from each other.
In each of them, the seeds (3-4 pieces) are buried by 2-4 cm. Then they are powdered with loose soil. Then covered with a special material, often with a film. Two weeks later, you need to look under the film and thin the shoots.
This method does not require the formation of bushes, as the stems themselves spread along the ground. They only need to be sent where necessary.
Important! When there is insufficient light, the growth of the plant slows down, the fruits grow small and twisted, have flabby yellowish tips. This is due to impaired photosynthesis.
This variety can be cultivated in another way - growing upright. To do this, seeds are sown in pre-prepared grooves, the distance between which is 1 m. Seeds are planted at a distance of 15 cm and buried 2.5-3 cm.
When shoots appear, they are thinned so that a distance of about 35 cm is maintained between shoots. Then, a support is installed next to each bush, along which the plant is then woven.
Features care and cultivation of cucumber cultivation "Courage"
Courage cucumbers are grown for about the same agricultural technology as other vegetable varieties. It is slightly different when cultivated in the greenhouse and in the open field. But since this variety is valued for early ripening in the open air, we will consider the features of its cultivation in garden beds.
Forming a bush
As already mentioned, the plant can be let loose freely on the ground, in this case you will not have to take care of its formation, or you can create a support for weaving. Most often, a trellis is used as a support.
Then the formation of cucumbers "Courage" is carried out in one stem. To do this, it is removed from the mustache in time, the ovary, pinching shoots, directing growth in the right direction.
Important! Sometimes when the bush grows wild, it does not bear fruit well. In such cases, it is advised to remove large leafy plates, leaving stalks in their place.
Watering, loosening and hilling bushes
The variety is watered just like any other: abundant, but so that the water does not stagnate. Lack of watering can lead to the bitterness of the fruit, and during the formation of the ovary - to reduce the yield. For irrigation use warm water, which is poured not at the root, but throughout the garden.
The volume of water is about 5 liters per adult bush. In case of strong precipitation or prolonged drought, this indicator should be adjusted.
Grow cucumbers will not be difficult on the balcony, windowsill, in a bucket, barrel, bag, and even a plastic bottle.
Fertilization
Experienced gardeners claim that the yield of the variety depends on timely feeding as well as on irrigation, 80%. During the season it is recommended to fertilize it with fresh organic matter diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Feed cucumbers after planting two weeks later.
As soon as the plant begins to bloom, use herbal extracts. When it comes to fruiting, they add ash to the infusions and spray the leaves with a solution of urea. To do this, add 10-15 g of product to a bucket of water.
Prevention and protection against pests and diseases
It is believed that the variety "Courage" is resistant to diseases that are characteristic of this vegetable: olive blotch, cucumber mosaic, powdery mildew.
But as a preventive measure, it is recommended to periodically spray it with fungicides if diseases appear in neighboring areas or the weather contributes to their development.
To protect against possible pests, it is recommended to dig up the beds before planting and process the soil with hot steam or boiling water. Only selected for planting healthy stuffusing disinfected tools.
During the growing season, the plant needs regular weeding. In the autumn, it is necessary to remove all tops and weeds from the beds, destroying them outside the site.
Harvesting and storage of cucumber harvest
The first results of the gardener's work can be seen a month after the cucumber is planted, usually in mid-July. The first fruits are desirable to collect before they grow to 10-11 cm.
Remember that the plant's ovaries are arranged in a bouquet, so the more often you pick a vegetable, the faster the rest of the fruit will ripen, increasing yield. The average collection rate is once every two days. With proper compliance with agricultural technology, the Courage cucumber gives yields up to 10 kg from a bush, that is, up to 20 kg can be collected from a square meter.
Collect the fruit is recommended immatureso that they do not get bitter. In addition, fully ripe fruit is only suitable for collecting seeds. By the way, they are not suitable for landing next year, if we talk specifically about this variety.
It is recommended to pick vegetables late in the evening or early in the morning so that the stem remains on the bush. To do this, use a sharp knife or pruner. In no case can not unscrew the cucumbers, pull or pull from the bush, otherwise the plant may die.
If the harvest is placed in a cool (7-10 ° C), protected from light place, with a humidity of about 80-90%, covered with an air-tight opaque material, it can be stored for up to 10 days without losing its taste. If the temperature is too high and the humidity is low, the shelf life will be reduced to two days. Fruits have a very thin skin, so they quickly lose moisture.
If we lower them into the cellar, where the temperature approaches 0 ° C, they can be stored there for about a month. Of course, provided that the crop had been sifted through and removed the spoiled cucumbers. Store them in boxes, cardboard boxes or pallets on a plastic mat. Also the grade can be used in various preparations.
Courage variety cucumbers love to grow both experienced gardeners and novices. Its agrotechnology is simple, especially attracts resistance to pests and various diseases. The variety is distinguished by precocity, early ripening and excellent taste.
