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Cucumber Ant f1, a recently created parthenocarpic vegetable, has already found its fans among gardeners, housewives and lovers of gardening on the balcony. The good thing about this variety is that it can grow not only in open ground. It bears fruit even on windowsills. Beautiful smooth fruits will decorate any table. Especially if you grow ant f1 cucumbers in such a way that for the New Year the family will be provided with their own fresh fruits.
History of variety selection
The hybrid cucumber variety Ant f1 was developed by the agricultural company Manul, one of the leading originating companies in Russia. In addition to Ant, the company developed such long-known varieties as Amur, Zozulya, Amursky and others.
The Ant hybrid was presented and entered into the register of breeding achievements in 2003. As is customary in the production of any other variety hybrids, the company keeps the ancestors a secret. Ant cucumber seeds must be purchased from the manufacturer. It is impossible to breed a hybrid at home.
Ant f1 is recommended for cultivation in regions north of the Caucasus:
- North Caucasus;
- Volgo-Vyatka;
- Central Chernozem;
- Central;
- North-West;
- Severny.
The variety is not suitable for industrial cultivation by large agricultural holdings. It is recommended for small farms and private farmsteads. Optimal growing conditions for Ant f1 are greenhouses. But cucumber also grows well in open ground.
Description of the Ant cucumber variety
The Ant cucumber variety is a medium-sized plant with short side shoots. The bush is indeterminate. The main growth is along the length of the main stem. The Ant branches little and reluctantly. Due to its growth characteristics, it requires a mandatory garter. The plant is parthenocarpic, that is, it does not require pollination by bees. This allows the cucumber to feel good in the greenhouse and on the windowsill in the apartment.
A healthy bush has slightly wrinkled, dark green leaves. The edge of the leaf is slightly wavy. Size is medium.
Women's flowers. They grow in bunches of 3-7 flowers each. The ovaries form on the 38th day after the appearance of the first true leaves of the seedlings.
Description of fruits
Cucumbers in commercial form have a regular cylindrical shape. The fruits are smooth, slightly ribbed. Length 5-11 cm. Diameter 3-3.4 cm. Weight of one cucumber 100-110 g. The fruit is densely covered with large tubercles. The spines on the tubercles are white. The skin of the cucumber is green, with white stripes that reach the middle of the fruit.
The pulp is dense, crispy, juicy. There are no voids inside. This variety is devoid of bitterness at the genetic level.
Characteristics of the variety
Ant f1 is an ultra-early ripening variety that begins to form ovaries on the 38th day after the appearance of the first true leaves. Ant f1 begins to bear fruit 1-2 weeks earlier than other varieties of cucumbers.But the yield of a variety largely depends on compliance with the rules of its cultivation. If grown incorrectly, not only the yield decreases, but also the quality characteristics deteriorate.
Productivity and fruiting
Cucumbers ripen 1-1.5 months after the formation of ovaries. When grown in open ground, Ant f1 is capable of filling up even with slight cold snaps. The yield of the variety is 10-12 kg/m².
If the flowers do not get enough sun, the ovaries will not form. This is the main reason affecting the yield of the Ant f1 hybrid. With sufficient sunlight and nutrients, cucumber consistently produces high yields.
Application area
Ant f1 is a universal variety, suitable for both fresh use and homemade preparations. Due to its small size and regular shape, cucumber is popular among housewives as a vegetable for preservation. The taste of the variety is high both fresh and canned.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The Ant f1 hybrid is genetically resistant to the main diseases of cucumbers:
- powdery mildew;
- olive spot;
- ordinary cucumber mosaic;
- brown spot;
- downy mildew.
For these qualities, the variety is highly valued by small farmers who cannot afford large crop losses due to disease and are looking to reduce costs. The ability to avoid spending money on chemicals to treat diseases is a significant competitive advantage.
Protection against omnivorous insects and mollusks has so far only been achieved for potatoes, and then only at the level of genetic engineering. Therefore, Ant f1 is susceptible to pests in the same way as any other variety.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
According to reviews from gardeners, the Ant variety of cucumbers has only one serious drawback: you cannot get seeds from it for self-propagation. Even if it is possible to pollinate the flowers, the second generation of cucumbers will lose their marketable and taste characteristics.
Otherwise, the hybrid has only advantages:
- only female flowers on the lash;
- no need for pollinating insects;
- unpretentiousness;
- short fruitfulness;
- ultra-early fruit formation;
- high yield, little dependent on the weather (the influence of weather on greenhouse plants is always minimal);
- good taste;
- excellent presentation;
- resistance to pathogenic microorganisms.
Unpretentiousness and genetically high productivity do not cancel the rules for caring for cucumbers if the owner wants to get a lot of high-quality fruits.
Rules for planting and care
Planting and care are carried out in the same way as with other indeterminate varieties of cucumbers. Planting rates for the Ant f1 variety: 3 bushes per 1 m² in a greenhouse and 3-5 per 1 m² in open ground. Having enough space when growing outdoors is not critical. It is enough to put a few supports.
When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, care must be taken to ensure that the internal volume of the structure is large. This variety needs light.
Planting seedlings
Ant seedlings begin to be prepared at the end of April. You can either prepare a nutrient mixture for seeds yourself or buy it in a store. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for several hours. Disinfection is not required, since Ant seeds are purchased and must already be disinfected or not initially carry infectious microorganisms.
Any plant does not tolerate transplantation with bare roots. Cucumber seeds are large and planting them one at a time is not difficult. For good seedling survival, take a small container, fill it with soil and plant 1-2 cucumber seeds in it.
Seedlings are planted in the ground after 3-4 true leaves appear, if the soil has warmed up to + 10-15 °C.
Growing cucumbers using the seedless method
When planting directly in the ground, the seeds are immediately planted in such a way that there are no more than 5 adult plants per 1 m². The minimum norm is 3 bushes per 1 m², so even if some vines die, there will be no crop loss. At first, the beds are covered with film to protect them from night frosts and drying out of the soil.
When planting cucumbers directly in open ground, the formation of the crop will begin later than when planting seedlings, since the seeds can be planted no earlier than the soil warms up. At the same time, seedlings are also planted, which are usually about 2 weeks old. Otherwise, the rules for planting seeds in open ground are similar to the rules for planting grains for seedlings.
Aftercare for cucumbers
Cucumber is a vine that can produce roots from its stem. When planting seedlings in a permanent place, the stem is slightly deepened so that the plant produces additional roots. After planting seedlings, care is usual. In order to get rid of weed To avoid the appearance of an earthen crust near the cucumber bushes, you can mulch the soil.
The earth is periodically loosened. Cucumbers are fed with fertilizers.
When growing Ants in a greenhouse, there are 2 options:
- greenhouse - a building above a plot of land;
- the greenhouse is separated from the ground, and cucumbers are grown in a special substrate.
In the first case, although the Ant cucumber variety is resistant to diseases, there may be insect larvae in the soil. With a large concentration of pathogenic bacteria, they can even penetrate the Ant’s immunity.
The second option is more often used in greenhouses when growing large volumes of vegetables for sale. The fertile substrate is placed in containers completely separated from the natural soil. Vegetables are grown in this substrate. The advantages of isolated cultivation are that there are no pests or pathogens in the substrate. If the substrate is depleted or pests appear in it, the soil can be easily replaced.
Bush formation
This variety of cucumbers has the ability not to produce long side shoots. But the main stem does not stop growing after the first bunch of flowers and continues to grow further. It is not necessary to pinch the Ant, but it is necessary to ensure free growth of the main stem in length.
The ant will not form cucumber ovaries in shaded areas of the cane. Therefore, the whip is carefully straightened by tying it up. A good option is to “let” a cucumber whip along the ceiling of the greenhouse.
Conclusion
Cucumber Ant f1 is suitable for growing in almost any conditions. The only exceptions may be regions that are too hot. Housewives who prefer homemade preparations to store purchases are also pleased with this variety.
