Many vegetable growers grow good yields of cucumbers in their own gardens. Such growing vegetables does not require special skills, and even beginner gardeners can get a high yield. Among them, cucumber hybrids are very popular, the seeds of which were obtained by breeders under special conditions, and their yield is artificially increased several times in comparison with conventional varieties. Such fruitful hybrids include the early Claudine F1 cucumbers.

Characterization and description of the variety

Claudine F1 cucumbers are a hybrid with a very early fruit ripening period. This hybrid is derived from the earlier hybrid cucumber variety Claudius F1. Selection work was carried out by the Dutch agricultural company Royal Sluis. Claudine F1 is designed for vegetation in greenhouses and in the open. Partenocarpic hybrid, its flowers are only female in nature, therefore, for the formation of the ovary do not need pollinators (bees, flies, ants).

The high yield of this hybrid is due to such an important characteristic as beam fruiting. The hybrid calmly reacts to high temperatures in closed structures, without dropping flowers or ovary. This hybrid is suitable for cultivation in the south, as well as in temperate climates. In the northern regions, it can be grown only under film shelters, optimally if the greenhouses are equipped with a heating system.

The overhead bush of the plant is powerful, the lashes are long, not too thick, but in sufficient quantity covered with leaves. The leaves are wide, rounded, divided into five segments. Painted in bright green. The lower and upper part of the sheet plate have a rough structure. Leaves are located on the main and side lashes often. In the sinus of each leaf, the plant forms a bunch of ovary, consisting of 5-6 green leaves.

Did you know? The fruits of cucumber are 90% water, so a vegetable eaten in the morning after an alcoholic party can help a person suffering from a severe hangover.

The plant blooms in large yellow flowers, with a diameter of up to 3 cm. Claudine F1 is relatively resistant to diseases such as powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic. The bush is slightly affected by cladiosporiosis. Without the compliance of the vegetable grower with disease prevention and proper cultivation farming techniques, the plant can still get sick.

Botanical description of the bush and fruits

Cucumber is a tropical perennial herb, the Latin name is Cucumis sativus. This plant belongs to the pumpkin family. Wild cucumber varieties have a stem with an unlimited growth point and a well-developed root system. The plant does not tolerate subzero temperatures, therefore, in the conditions of our country, the culture is grown as an annual.

Find out what the benefits and harms of cucumbers are.

In the cultural agriculture of many countries, crop varieties and hybrids of cucumber obtained by selection are grown. People eat only the young fruits of this culture. They are eaten fresh, salted, pickled, stewed and even fried.

Fruitfulness

Claudine F1 quickly grows small gherkins, the weight of a well-formed cucumber does not exceed 85 g. The peel on the fruits is dense, but elastic and thin, green in color, covered with small tubercles without thorns. The diameter of the ripened fruit does not exceed 3.5 cm. The pulp of cucumbers is crisp, juicy, and has no bitterness.

The fruits of this hybrid have a density, do not form voids in the pulp. Cucumbers differ in marketability, ugly or poorly formed fruits are no more than 5% of the total mass of the crop. Observing all agricultural conditions, the vegetable grower can collect up to 10 kg of fruit from each 1 m² of greenhouse. In open ground, the yield indicators are slightly lower and reach 9–9.5 kg per 1 m².

Ripening and flowering

This hybrid begins to bloom 30 days after the appearance of cucumber sprouts on the soil surface. Subject to the temperature regime, the gardener can receive the first fruits after 38–40 days of the crop vegetation.

Read also about how to feed cucumbers during flowering and fruiting.

Despite the fact that Claudine F1 is resistant to temperature increase, which is important in greenhouses, a sharp decrease in daily temperature can cause falling flowers and decay of the ovaries. Danger for cucumber ovaries and flowers already occurs at a temperature of + 10 ° C.

Plus qualities and disadvantages of the variety

Hybrid cucumber Claudine F1 is very popular among farmers and private vegetable growers who grow early products. The hybrid has many positive qualities.

• Grade advantages:
• high yield, facilitated by bundle ovary;
• small form of fruit;
• ability to store for 10-14 days;
• lack of tendency to overgrow fruit;
• resistance to the most common diseases of cucumbers.

• Cons of the variety:
• the need for annual seed purchase;
• high cost of seed.

Sowing and cultivation farming

This hybrid is ideal for growing in greenhouses and open field. But it is necessary to take into account the fact that cucumbers in the greenhouse ripen much earlier, their productivity increases significantly, since the fruiting time for the season increases. This is due to the fact that cucumber seedlings in the greenhouse can be planted in early spring. Cucumbers can be sown in open ground at the end of April; their vegetation will continue until mid-July.

Experienced vegetable growers recommend planting 2-3 cucumber plants per 1 m², such a density is necessary to maximize the use of land and achieve high fruiting from each bush. This culture does not tolerate low temperatures, already at air temperatures below + 10 ° C the plants stop growing and soon begin to hurt. Prior to fruiting in the greenhouse, it is important to maintain a certain regime of soil temperature: at least +10 ... + 12 ° C.

Important! Vegetable hybrids on the part of parents acquire almost all the positive characteristics, which explains their high yield. But the vegetable grower needs to remember that it is impossible to collect seeds for sowing next year from a hybrid of the first generation (F1), since they do not retain their parental qualities and partially remain sterile.

Regardless of where the bed intended for cucumbers will be located (in a greenhouse or on the street), the soil must be properly prepared before planting seedlings or sowing seeds. It is very important to add nitrogen and calcium for cucumbers. Cattle manure can be used as nitrogen fertilizer, and wood ash can be used as calcium fertilizer.

For 1 m², 10 kg of manure and 200 ml of ash are enough. Manure is laid out on the surface of the soil, after which it is dug up as deep as possible with the soil. The ash is introduced by sprinkling the excavated soil on top and mixing it with the soil with a rake.

In the open ground

Cucumbers are sown in the garden when stable heat is generated on the street and the soil temperature at a depth of 20 cm will be at least + 12 ° C. In the middle lane, this period usually falls in mid-May, depending on what the weather is like. In the south, sowing is carried out several weeks earlier. In the north, in the risky farming zone, cucumbers are sown only in early June.

Did you know? In the Middle Ages, European healers treated patients with cucumbers, since these fruits were considered a good diuretic and laxative.

Sowing seeds in the garden is as follows:

1. Furrows for sowing seeds are made on the prepared bed. Furrows are conveniently made using the lateral angle on the chopper blade. The depth of the furrows should not exceed 5 cm.
2. If the bed is wide, at least 120 cm wide, 2 rows of cucumbers can be sown on it. To do this, create 2 grooves parallel to each other with a distance of 60 cm from each other. Only 1 row of cucumbers is sown on narrow beds.
3. Planting furrows are abundantly watered using at least 1 liter of water per meter of furrow.
4. After the water is absorbed into the ground, seeds are laid out along the center of the recess. On a narrow bed, where the plants will be grown in a single row, the seeds are laid out at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. When growing 2 rows of plants on a single bed, the seeds are laid out at a distance of 30 cm.
5. Using a chopper or other gardening tool, the seeds are covered with soil flush with the rest of the bed. The soil is slightly compacted, after which the crops are watered again (moderately).
6. So that the soil on the bed does not lose moisture so quickly, the soil surface is covered with spanbond, which will also take on the role of a warm "blanket" for sowing.

Cucumber seeds can be sown both dry and sprouted. Germination of seeds is done in order to accelerate the appearance of cucumber sprouts on the soil surface.

Important! For the germination of cucumber seeds, you need to take only sawdust obtained from deciduous trees. Coniferous wood contains inhibitor substances that prevent the rapid germination of seeds.

How to germinate cucumber seeds:

1. Before germination, the seeds are disinfected in a solution of water and manganese (per 1 liter of water 1 g of potassium permanganate), then lowered for 15 minutes in a growth stimulator. It can be either a home growth stimulator (warm water with honey, aloe juice) or acquired in a garden center (Epin, Emistim).
2. Next, the seeds are removed from the growth stimulator and wrapped in moist wool for a day.
3. At the end of the soaking period, the seeds are placed in a bag or container with moist wood chips. Seeds should be covered with sawdust on top and bottom. A bag of sawdust and seeds is placed in a warm place for 3 days.
4. When sowing, the germinated seeds are laid out on a wet furrow in the soil very carefully, trying not to break the fragile, barely formed sprouts and roots.

In the greenhouse

Indoors, cucumbers are grown in greenhouses (heated and unheated) and greenhouses. Growing in closed ground allows you to get an early crop of vegetables, sometimes a few weeks earlier than in a bed of open ground. Since it is a rather complicated and expensive process to heat such structures, gardeners prefer to plant adult seedlings in greenhouses.

Did you know? Medieval beauties with the help of cucumber pulp bleached the skin of the face and hands.

Growing cucumber seedlings takes place as follows:

1. White river sand, fertile black earth and humus or compost are mixed in equal parts. To these ingredients, 0.5 L of sifted wood ash is added. All parts are well mixed, after which the soil mixture is ready for sowing.
   

2. The gardener needs to remember that cucumbers, like other representatives of the pumpkin family, do not tolerate when they disturb their root system. That is why seedlings of these crops need to be grown in containers whose walls decompose in the ground. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place along with the pot in which it grows. Subsequently, the walls of the pot become moist in the soil and become permeable to growing roots. Pots from humus or peat are best suited for these purposes.
3. At the bottom of the planting pot there must be a hole for the drainage of water. If the excess liquid remaining after watering is not where to drain, it will remain at the bottom of the pot in the root zone, which will cause them to rot.
4. Planting pots fill the soil only up to half the volume. In the future, during the growing season of young cucumbers, the earth will periodically be sprinkled under the root of the plant until it reaches the edge of the landing container.
   

5. In the soil, in the center of each planting pot, make 2-3 recesses under the seeds. The depth of the planting hole under the seed is at least 1–1.5 cm. Several seeds are planted in each pot, as a safety measure against poor germination of seed. After the cucumbers rise, the strongest seedling is left in the container for growth, the rest are removed. Removal is best done with scissors so as not to damage the sprout left.
6. The soil with planted seeds is watered, after which the planting container is wrapped in a plastic bag. Until the first shoots in pots appear, they are kept warm. After emergence, the containers with seedlings are transferred to a bright place, for example, on the windowsill of the south or southeast window. You can also grow cucumber seedlings under a phytolamp.
7. Young seedlings are watered as necessary, as soon as the soil in the container dries to a depth of 2-3 cm. During cultivation in the room, young cucumbers should be watered as little as possible, since this can cause the development of fungal diseases. To reduce the need for watering, pots with plants can be covered with a transparent cling film. It does not reduce the quality of plant lighting, but prevents the evaporation of moisture from the ground.
   

8. After 10 days, the young seedlings begin to harden. The first hardening sessions are carried out directly in the room, opening the window. The duration of the first quenching procedures does not exceed 15 minutes, gradually increasing the duration. As soon as the weather permits on the street, seedlings of cucumbers are taken out to the greenhouse, to the street or to the balcony. During street hardening, the sun should not fall on the plants, as they can damage the cucumber leaves. The hardening time in the open air increases every day, until it reaches 8-10 hours.
9. Cucumber seedlings can not be outgrown, it should be planted in the ground when the age of the plants reaches 30 days. In the greenhouse, seedlings are planted in one or two rows. In this case, observe the distance in the row between plants 10-15 cm, the distance between rows - not less than 50-60 cm. Seedlings in one row are planted in relation to seedlings in the other row in a checkerboard pattern.

2-3 weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the greenhouse or greenhouse, the plants are tied to a vertical net or to support cords hanging from the ceiling.

Care Features

In order for the cucumbers to bear fruit well, they must be properly and timely fed, irrigated, tied, loosened and mulched. We must not forget about the protection of plants from diseases and pests.

Also read about how to pinch cucumbers correctly.

Watering and fertilizing

Cucumber plants are very hygrophilous, therefore, to obtain high yields, the vegetable grower needs to take care of the timely supply of water to the garden. Cucumbers can not take a shower, they do not tolerate watering on the leaf, as this provokes the rapid development of fungal diseases. This culture is watered only at the root, so gardeners arrange irrigation ditches not far from the planted plants or lay out drip irrigation tubes along the plant rows.

The most successful solution is to mount a drip irrigation system, because in this case, the required amount of moisture will be applied under the root of each plant, and the low speed of water supply will not allow the liquid to erode the soil root layer. For watering an adult plant, 2 liters of water 2 times a week or 5 liters of water weekly is enough. As necessary, at the same time as irrigation, liquid fertilizers are supplied to the plant roots.

This culture can be fertilized with liquid organics. The most suitable fertilizer for cucumber is fermented bird droppings, as it has a high nitrogen content. A barrel or bucket of fermenting organics is set next to a cucumber bed or in a greenhouse. Rotting organics delivers enough carbon dioxide to the air, which cucumbers are very fond of.

Important! The gardener needs to remember that fermented bird droppings are concentrated fertilizers that need to be diluted with water. For every 10 liters of pure water, add 500 ml of liquid concentrated fertilizer.

How to prepare liquid organic fertilizer at home:

1. It is necessary to find a large tank unnecessary in the farm with a lid. The tank is installed in a warm sunny place on the street or in a greenhouse, after which it is filled with bird droppings. You can take both dry and fresh litter. For these purposes, the excrement of pigeons, ducks, geese, ostriches, chickens.
2. Water is poured into the tank over the droppings, making sure that its level does not reach the edge of the tank by 15–20 cm. This gap is necessary for liquid fermentation. The contents of the tank are mixed with a long and strong mixer, after which the container is tightly closed with a lid. The solution of litter and water is left for fermentation for one or two weeks. The higher the air temperature, the faster the fermentation of the fertilizer in the tank.
3. The contents of the tank must be mixed daily in order to release carbon dioxide from the fermenting mixture. Bubbles will no longer appear on the surface of the finished liquid fertilizer.

The culture is fed during flowering and then throughout the fruiting period every 10 days. Fertilizer is served under the root of the plant, using at least 1 liter of fertilizing under each bush.

Garter and bush formation

Do not allow the fruits of the cucumber to come into contact with the soil in order to prevent their decay. Cucumber is a climbing vine, so it can be tied to a support. In open ground, plants are tied to a trellis or supporting stakes. In closed ground, cucumber bushes are tied to vertically fixed ropes or a support net.

Soil care

All summer the gardener must ensure that the soil between the rows of the cucumber is clean of weeds. As soon as seedlings of weeds appear, the bed needs to be weeded with a chopper or a Fokin plane cutter. After heavy rains, the soil can be compacted, so it must be loosened using the same garden tools. Weeding is carried out every 10 days, loosening - after heavy rains.

Читайте подробнее о том, как бороться с пустоцветом на огурцах.

Pest and Disease Control

Огуречные растения очень чувствительны к нападению насекомых, питающихся их соком, и к заболеваниям, причиной которых является грибок. Лекарственные и профилактические жидкости наносят на листья растения с помощью садового опрыскивателя. Он должен быть оснащён мелкодисперсным распылителем, создающим влажный туман.

Человек, обрабатывающий растения инсектицидами или другими химическими препаратами, должен обезопасить своё здоровье от воздействия химии. Ему необходимо перед началом работы надеть специальную одежду, закрывающую руки, ноги и голову. Обувь должна плотно закрывать кожу стоп, а слизистые оболочки рта и носа должны быть надёжно прикрыты респиратором.

Did you know? В Библии упоминается огурец, как овощ, выращиваемый на землях Древнего Египта. Уч ё ные утверждают, что люди выращивают эту культуру около 6000 лет.

Наиболее распространённые болезни и вредители огурца:

1. Тли — многочисленные мелкие насекомые, живущие большими колониями до нескольких тысяч особей. Окраска хитина тли может быть чёрной, зелёной или светло-серой. Длина тела — 1–2 мм. Самок тли заносят на огуречные кусты муравьи, которые проживают в симбиозе с этими мелкими насекомыми. Муравьи выполняют роль пастухов для тли и питаются «медовой росой» — сладкой жидкостью, которую те выделяют. Тля питается соками и клетками растений, на которых обитает, чем способствует их гибели. При небольшой заражённости огуречной плантации тлёй, владельцу можно попытаться очистить грядку от насекомых вручную: сорвать и закопать заражённые листья или же смыть вредителей с помощью поролоновой губки и мыльной воды. Одновременно с уничтожением тли огороднику стоит озаботиться уничтожением муравейников, находящихся вблизи огуречных грядок. В качестве отвлечения тли от огурцов можно высадить рядом с грядкой настурцию. Желательно также привлекать на огуречную грядку божьих коровок — они естественные хищники тлей. При большой заселённости растений тлёй овощеводу придётся задействовать обработку огуречных кустов инсектицидами. Можно использовать такие препараты, как «Каратэ» или «Актара».
   

2. Красный паутинный клещ — взрослые жуки и молодняк питаются клеточным соком огурца. Поскольку паутинные клещи очень мелкие насекомые, то невооружённым глазом их сложно заметить. И если взрослых паутинных клещей можно увидеть в качестве бордовых точек на листьях, то молодые насекомые имеют прозрачное тело и практически незаметны. Присутствие паутинного клеща на огурце можно обнаружить по закреплённой в междоузлиях растения паутине. В качестве борьбы можно использовать высадку рядом с грядкой растений с отпугивающим насекомых запахом: бархатцев, чеснока, лука, ноготков. Уничтожить паутинного клеща можно с помощью инсектицидов или органических растворов (табачного или перцового).
   

3. Грибковые заболевания (мучнистая роса, антракноз, пероноспороз) — эти болезни вызываются спорами грибков. Особенно быстро болезнетворные грибницы развиваются в жарком и влажном воздухе или же в мокром и холодном климате. В качестве профилактики, чтобы не допустить грибковых заболеваний, огородник должен: периодически прореживать листья на огуречной плантации, вовремя собирать плоды, не допускать гниющих плодов или завязей на растениях, обрабатывать растения молочнокислыми продуктами (сывороткой, кефиром) по листу, уничтожать прошлогодние растительные остатки, дезинфицировать огородные инструменты и тару под рассаду. О появлении грибковых болезней свидетельствует возникновение на листьях пятен различного характера, усыхание листьев и обнаружение омертвевших участков основных или боковых стеблей. С грибковыми заболеваниями огороднику помогут справиться профилактические и лечебные обработки растений фунгицидами.
   

4. Заболевания вирусного характера (огуречная и табачная мозаики) — характеризуются появлением мозаичных пятен на листьях. Окраска пятен варьируется от бледно-жёлтого до оливкового цвета. Вирусы переносятся на семенном материале, садовом и огородном инструменте, на подошвах обуви огородника. В качестве профилактики рекомендуется обрабатывать инструменты дезинфицирующими средствами. Можно положить перед входом в теплицу коврик, смоченный в дезинфицирующем растворе. Необходимо также обеззараживать подозрительные семена перед высадкой (обрабатывать кипятком или замачивать в марганцевом растворе). Против вирусных заболеваний на растениях не существует лекарств, поэтому проще избежать развития болезни, чем потерять заболевшую огуречную плантацию. После обнаружения признаков вирусных заболеваний рекомендуется удалить растение с грядки вместе с корнем, вынести его за пределы участка и сжечь.
   

Harvesting and storage of crops

В теплице огурцы дают урожай быстрее, на открытом пространстве время сбора плодов может растянуться, но в итоге овощевод соберёт 9–10 кг корнишонов с 1 м² грядки. Первый урожай огурцов Клодин F1 можно получить уже через 38–40 дней после посадки семян в почву. Плоды этого раннего гибрида собирают с интервалом в 2–3 дня, поскольку этого времени достаточно для того, чтобы завязанные плоды приобретали характерную массу и размер.

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Задержка съёма плодов приводит к недополученному урожаю. Только один пропущенный во время сбора и постаревший до жёлтой кожицы огурец снизит урожайность куста на 50%. Несколько кустов огурцов Клодин F1 могут обеспечить огородника и его семью хрустящими и ароматными огурцами в течение всего лета.

Видео: сорт огурцов Клодин