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Cucumbers are a common crop grown all over the world, with a huge variety of varieties. Among them, the main part is occupied by hybrid cucumbers, there are about 900 species.
It is quite difficult to figure out on your own which cucumbers should be planted in a greenhouse in a particular region; even experienced agronomists will not always answer this question. Eat hybrid varieties of cucumbers, capable of producing a high level of yield, but specifically in your region, their yield will be insignificant.
On closed ground, they declared themselves with high yields parthenocarpic cucumbers, they are gradually replacing the varieties that are familiar to everyone, it should be noted that they are also hybrids, which means that it is not possible to obtain seed material from them at home; this is done by specialized scientific farms.
The advantages of growing hybrid cucumbers in a greenhouse over open ground are that in a greenhouse the harvest can be obtained much faster, and the stability of cucumber yields remains at a high level, this is due to the absence of negative natural factors affecting the cultivation of hybrids. In addition, in a greenhouse you can create an ideal microclimate for the growth of cucumbers, increasing humidity and maintaining a comfortable temperature.
How can an inexperienced greenhouse owner distinguish hybrid cucumbers from varietal cucumbers when purchasing?
Hybrid cucumbers, grown both in open ground and in greenhouses, have a number of advantages over varietal ones:
- Endurance to sudden temperature changes downward;
- Significant resistance to typical cucumber diseases;
- Regular and high-quality harvests, with the declared characteristics of the fruit.
It should be remembered that by chasing the huge yields declared on hybrids of foreign origin, be it Dutch or German cucumbers, you will not necessarily be able to collect these harvests in your greenhouse. After all, conditions in European laboratories and in domestic greenhouses vary significantly, so it is better to choose local varieties of hybrids that will show the declared results in your greenhouse.
The most common cucumber hybrids are:
- Regina plus - F1;
- Herman – F1;
- Arina – F1;
- Sultan – F1;
- Form – F1;
- Green wave – F1;
- April - F1;
- Ginga – F1;
- Arina - F1;
- Anyuta – F1;
- Orpheus – F1;
- Petrel – F1;
- Pasamonte – F1;
- Be healthy – F1.
When choosing a variety of hybrid cucumbers, you should pay attention to a number of specific factors, which vary for each variety:
- What is the purpose of the fruit?
- Cucumber ripening time;
- Hybrid productivity;
- Seasonality of cucumber production;
- The degree of endurance of the variety in the shade;
- Resistance to cucumber diseases and pests.
Taking into account all these properties, you can prepare the varieties necessary for your conditions, be it film greenhouse or polycarbonate greenhouse. But the most important criterion is still zoning; cucumber hybrids must be designed specifically for your region.
Pollination methods
Both varietal and hybrid cucumbers can be divided according to the method of pollination:
- Parthenocarpic - varieties of greenhouse cucumbers, mainly female types, they almost completely lack seeds;
- Insect-pollinated - such cucumbers can only be used in greenhouses with a sliding ceiling;
- Self-pollinating - cucumbers with flowers that have female and male properties, this gives them the opportunity to pollinate on their own.
Purpose of varieties
When purchasing seeds, you should initially understand the purpose of their future harvest; they are:
- Universal varieties of cucumbers - Blagodatny F1, Voskhod F1;
- Pickling cucumbers are thick-skinned varieties with dark and powerful thorns; the highest yields are demonstrated by Grasshopper F1, Brigantine F1, Cascade F1;
- Salad - Tamerlan F1, Masha F1, Vicenta F1.
Types of pollination
The trends in growing cucumbers in a greenhouse are such that parthenocarpic varieties for greenhouses are replacing self-pollinated ones, and insect-pollinated varieties are practically unsuitable for a larger number of greenhouses. They have a number of advantages:
- The taste qualities are in no way inferior to common cucumbers, their peel is not bitter, and the composition of minerals is more balanced.
- Harvesting year-round, despite the weather outside the greenhouse, such cucumbers bear fruit for up to eight months a year, regardless of the climate zone.
- The presentation of cucumbers is ideal, all fruits are the same size, shape and color; among other things, these cucumbers last longer than their competitors;
- There are varieties for universal use, from which you can equally successfully prepare a salad or make rolls for the winter;
- The absence of such a factor as yellowing of the peel, unlike ordinary cucumbers. This is due to the fact that ordinary cucumbers turn yellow due to the ripening of seeds, but parthenocarpic cucumbers do not have seeds, so they do not begin to ripen. Cucumbers stay green and attractive longer.
There are, of course, disadvantages; all hybrids of cucumbers and other vegetables have poor viability, which means that the demands on agricultural technologies must be increased, otherwise there will be no harvest at all in the greenhouse. Although modern hybrids have gained greater viability compared to samples of past years.
Seasonal groups of cucumbers
It is worth noting that even in a greenhouse for cucumber hybrids, the time of year matters. So, there are cucumbers for winter cultivation in a greenhouse, and there are hybrids for summer cultivation. But taking into account the period of growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, for convenience they were divided into three groups:
Winter-spring varieties
These hybrids are undemanding to light, their fruiting period is quite short, and their taste is high. They are usually planted in a greenhouse in February and include:
- Moscow-greenhouse F1 – parthenocarpic hybrid of rapid maturation;
- Relay F1 - has an average ripening period, but high yield;
Spring-summer varieties
Unpretentious varieties of cucumbers, they have proven themselves with high yield, unpretentiousness, good taste and resistance to low temperatures in the greenhouse:
- April F1 - has large fruits weighing up to 170 grams. and high taste characteristics;
- Zozulya F1 is a hybrid cucumber with female flowers, and it also has quite large fruits.
Summer-autumn varieties
They are planted in July, these hybrids are distinguished by a long period of fruiting, up to November, and are undemanding to good lighting in the greenhouse.
- Maryina Roshcha F1 is a hybrid of gherkins that self-pollinates in a greenhouse;
- Anyuta F1 is a parthenocarpic type of hybrid, undemanding to care.
