A worthy place among the huge variety of varieties of cucumbers is occupied by the cucumber Real Colonel. Its popularity is due not only to its long fruiting period and high yield, but also to its excellent taste.
Description
It is a parthenocarpic cucumber variety developed for cultivation both outdoors and in greenhouses. The plant is capable of bearing fruit until the very beginning of frost. The duration of the growing season ranges from 40 to 43 days. Refers to early maturing varieties.
The Colonel's cucumbers have a slightly curved cylindrical shape. Their surface is covered with small tubercles, which are not very close to each other. The skin is thin, with slightly pronounced whitish vertical stripes. The flesh is crispy and tasty. This makes it possible to use Colonel cucumbers not only for pickling and pickling, but also for salads, fresh consumption.
planting cucumbers
The mass of one fruit reaches 100 - 125 grams. The length of the cucumber is 10-15 cm, and its diameter is 3-5 cm.
On cucumber lashes, mainly female-type flowers are formed. The leaves are bright green in color and have an even edge, their surface is not wrinkled. Up to 4 fruits can form in one leaf sinus. When growing a plant in open ground, up to 4 seedlings can be planted per 1 m2. If the cucumber is grown in a greenhouse, the planting density is 2 plants per m2. From 1 m2 of area, you can get up to 13 kg of fruit.
Note! The period from the emergence of the first shoots to the development of fruits ranges from 40 to 42 days.
Long-term fruiting, high yield and excellent taste - these are the main characteristics of a cucumber. Real Colonel.
Advantages and disadvantages
The popularity of the variety is due to its inherent advantages. Among the most significant are the following:
- The female flowers of the plant are self-pollinated, which contributes to high yields.
- High resistance to diseases and pests increases the survival rate of young seedlings.
- The fruits develop amicably and do not outgrow.
- The fruiting period lasts until the onset of frost.
- the average branching of plants greatly facilitates their care.
One of the main disadvantages is the formation of voids in the cavity of the fruit. In addition, under unfavorable temperature conditions, the number of barren flowers may increase.
Compared to other varieties of cucumbers, this Colonel is considered versatile in both use and cultivation.
Landing
Cucumbers can be grown in two ways:
- sowing in the ground - seeds are sown in early May. It is recommended to pre-wash the seeds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and leave them in the solution overnight. The soil is watered with warm water and covered with a film. This will help warm it up and speed up the process of emergence of the first shoots;
- seedlings - you must first prepare the soil, containers and seeds. To separate seeds suitable for growing seedlings, you need to place them in salt water. Bad seeds will remain on the surface. After that, the seeds are laid out on a damp cloth and covered with it. In this position, they must be kept for 2 - 3 days, periodically moistening the fabric. After the seeds germinate, they can be sown in containers with soil to a depth of 1 cm. The containers are covered with transparent film or glass. This will help speed up the appearance of the first shoots.
Care features
Despite the fact that this variety of cucumbers is not capricious, there are certain requirements for the lighting regime, watering and the place of cultivation. The yield and the duration of the fruiting period fully depend on their observance. Among the most important requirements, you should pay attention to the following:
- Lighting. When choosing a place, you should pay attention to the fact that it is necessary to grow cucumbers in a well-lit area. If the lighting level is insufficient, the fruits will hide. The sun's rays should be diffused. To shade the plants, you can sow corn between the rows of cucumbers.
- Crop rotation. Experts recommend growing cucumbers after tomatoes, cabbage, peppers or potatoes.
harvest of cucumbers
- Priming. The soil should be loose and fertile, with a low level of acidity. The liming method can be used to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil. The plot on which it is planned to grow the Real Colonel must begin to be prepared in the fall, adding compost, ash and inorganic fertilizers to the soil. This will help increase soil fertility.
- Top dressing. It is necessary to apply fertilizers only if the air temperature is above 20 degrees. To accelerate the development of the green part of the plant, it is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers. During the formation of the ovary, phosphate fertilizers are introduced into the soil, and during the development of fruits, nitrogen or potassium fertilizers. You can also use infusions prepared independently (ash, mullein, yeast, onion husks, whey with iodine, and others) as a top dressing. If the soil was well fertilized in the autumn period, top dressing can be skipped. Otherwise, there is a risk of oversaturation of the soil with mineral fertilizers. This has a negative effect on fruit development.
- Watering. When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, it is enough to water them once every 7 days using a drip system. In the open field, watering must be calculated with the amount of precipitation (during drought, plants need daily watering). Water should not get on the leaf blades. This can provoke the development of fungal diseases.
Cucumber care is pretty simple. With proper agricultural technology, the seeds will give amicable and strong shoots, and then a good harvest.
