Cucumber Dirigent: description, planting and care, reviews, photos

Content

1 Characteristics of Dirigent cucumbers
2 Taste qualities of cucumbers
3 Pros and cons of the variety
4 Optimal growing conditions
5 Growing cucumbers Dirigent F1
6 Productivity
7 Conclusion
8 Reviews

The Dirigent cucumber is an unpretentious, versatile variety that can be grown in any garden plot. Fruit ripening begins in early spring and continues throughout the season until September. The variety was bred in Holland relatively recently and has earned the attention of gardeners due to its early ripening and high taste qualities of the fruit.

Characteristics of Dirigent cucumbers

It is better to start describing the Dirigent cucumber variety by showing a photo.

This is an early ripening, hybrid variety that does not require pollination. It can be grown in open and closed ground. For good fruiting, regular and abundant watering is important.

The plant has strong, strong shoots that form and constantly regenerate on the main stem. The lateral processes are weak, often die, and do not develop completely.

After sowing, the seeds germinate quickly and amicably. Fruit ripening occurs 40 days after seedlings are planted in the ground.

Important! The vines of Dirigent cucumbers are short, so the plant does not need to be tied up.

The leaves are small, serrated, sparse.Thanks to their small leaf size and small quantity, cucumbers are quite easy to harvest.

The fruits of the Dirigentne variety are large, up to 15 cm in length and up to 80 g in weight. Their size remains virtually unchanged throughout the entire ripening stage. 2-3 cucumbers are formed in one fruit node. The skin of the fruit is dark green, thin, lumpy. There are short yellow stripes on the surface.

Taste qualities of cucumbers

The taste of the fruit is high: the pulp is tender, juicy, crispy with a characteristic cucumber aroma. There is no bitterness inherent in cucumber crops. The seed chamber is small, the seeds are small, soft, and are always in the stage of milky maturity.

Pros and cons of the variety

The negative qualities of the variety include the high cost of seed material; it cannot be collected independently at home.

Among the positive properties are:

variety resistance to powdery mildew, brown spot, cucumber mosaic virus;
high productivity;
rapid fruit ripening;
drought resistance;

Important! The fruiting of the variety is constant and uniform throughout the entire period of ovary formation.

Optimal growing conditions

Cucumbers of the Dirigent variety are grown from seeds or seedlings. To get an early harvest in a greenhouse or open ground, use the seedling method of growing under film. Seedlings are planted in greenhouses in May. Plants are rooted at the rate of 3 seedlings per 1 m². When planting in open ground, use a scheme of 5 plants per 1 m².

The optimal soil temperature for rooting in open ground should be + 18 ᵒC. Watering is carried out at least 2-3 times a week.

To obtain high yields, cucumbers are fed with organic or mineral fertilizers up to 5 times per season.Removed once every 7 days weeds, water the plant at the root, and mulch the soil. When pests appear, spray with chemicals or use folk remedies.

Growing cucumbers Dirigent F1

The variety is recommended for cultivation in the central and southern regions of Russia. In this area, cucumbers can be planted directly in open ground in May. In the northern regions of the country, the variety can also be grown, but in a greenhouse or heated greenhouse. Farmers send reviews with photos and descriptions of Dirigent cucumber fruits from almost every region of Russia. This only confirms the fact that the variety can be grown in any climatic conditions.

Direct planting in open ground

In the south of Russia, seedlings or seeds of Dirigent cucumbers are planted in late April or early May in open ground. At this time there are no longer night frosts.

The area for planting is dug up and organic fertilizers are added: manure, peat, humus. You can also use potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. For seeds, long, narrow grooves are cut into which the seeds are placed with the sharp end up. They are deepened no more than 10 mm. Then they are covered with soil and watered. At the last stage of planting, the soil is mulched. This will conserve moisture and slow down weed growth.

Important! If there is a possibility of night frosts, the seedlings are covered with film in the evening and removed in the morning.

Growing by seedlings

Cucumber seedlings can be purchased or grown at home. To do this, the seeds are planted in special containers. They are filled with soil from the garden plot or purchased special planting soil. Furrows are cut in it and seeds are placed there, then they are covered with a thin layer of earth and watered.The containers are covered with film and placed in a warm, well-lit place. After 3 days, the covering material can be removed.

As soon as 2-3 true leaves appear on the seedlings, the grown plants can be planted in the ground. Dirigent cucumbers take root well and grow in any type of soil.

Seedlings are planted in holes filled one third with humus or peat. The distance between each plant should be at least 30 cm. Before planting, the soil is also carefully dug up and fertilized. After the seedling has rooted, the hole is filled with loosened soil, watered abundantly, and mulched.

Watering and fertilizing

In arid regions, cucumbers are watered daily. Do this in the evening so as not to burn the leaves under the scorching sun. In other cases, the crop can be watered every other day. Water is poured at the root - moisture should not get on the leaves.

The first fertilizing is carried out 2 weeks after planting the seedlings in the soil. Then you need to apply fertilizer 2 more times until flower stalks form. During the formation of ovaries, cucumbers are fed 2-3 more times. Fertilize the crop with organic or mineral fertilizers created for feeding cucumbers.

Formation

The formation of cucumber crops is carried out to increase its productivity. This stimulates the formation of ovaries, rather than the growth of side shoots.

The formation of Dirigent cucumbers is done as follows:

After planting the seedlings, they are given time to take root (about a week).
Afterwards the bushes are tied to the trellis.
As soon as the top of the seedling grows to the level of the wire, the plant is pinched and no more than 3 leaves are left on the stem.
The stem is then wrapped around a stretched rope. The side shoots of the Dirigent variety are not pinched, as they are underdeveloped.

Important! Dirigent cucumbers can be grown spread out without tying them up. To do this, cover the soil with a thick layer of peat, sawdust or hay.

Protection from diseases and pests

The Dirigent variety is resistant to pests and diseases, especially fungal ones. If there are aphids or mites on the seedlings, it is necessary to treat the plants with insecticides.

Among the types of plant protection from insects that are safe for humans, the following are used:

soap solution;
infusion of onion peel;
garlic infusion;

Any of the proposed products is sprayed on the stems and leaves of the plant.

Productivity

The Dirigent cucumber variety is classified as a high-yielding crop. On average, up to 3 kg of crop or 10 kg per 1 m2 is harvested from one bush per season². Productivity may vary in one direction or another depending on the growing conditions of the variety.

Conclusion

Cucumber Dirigent is a light-loving crop that bears fruit well in any soil. The main condition for high yields is abundant watering. The variety can be grown in any region of Russia. The main thing is to create the proper conditions. In the south, Dirigent cucumbers are planted in open ground, in the central regions - in greenhouses, in the north - in heated greenhouses. In any of these regions, the yield of the variety is always consistently high.

Reviews

Descriptions and reviews from farmers confirm the data on Dirigent cucumbers. The variety has become popular in every region of Russia due to its excellent taste.

Vladimir Valerievich Kuzmin, 40 years old, Krasnodar

It’s already hot here in April, so I plant cucumbers directly in the ground and don’t cover them with film. Even under the scorching sun the plant does not turn yellow. It is necessary to water cucumbers daily, otherwise the fruits will lose their juiciness and there will not be as many of them.With abundant watering, cucumbers become crispy, juicy, and the skin does not become rough. I grow greens for sale, so it is important for me to get an early, abundant harvest. At the moment, I don’t see an alternative to the early Dirigent variety.

Iya Andreevna Shevtsova, 45 years old, Orel

I have been growing cucumbers in my garden for a long time and have tried different varieties. Before I met Dirigent, my attempts to grow a tasty early cucumber were unsuccessful. Now in early March I buy seeds of this variety and grow seedlings at home. In April I move it to a greenhouse on the site. In mid-June the first harvest can be harvested. Apart from watering and fertilizing, I don’t use any other crop care products or treat them with chemicals. I did not observe any beetles or diseases on the plants.

Sergey Viktorovich Zubov, 36 years old, Samara

I am engaged in supplying vegetables and fruits to city markets. Often they have to be transported from afar. Dirigent cucumbers can be transported over any distance, the fruits do not lose their presentation. This is one of the first varieties to appear in the summer. I always buy it from domestic farmers. They praise the variety, saying that there is little hassle with it, and the yields are high. I like that these cucumbers are not susceptible to diseases, which means that gardeners do not use chemicals when growing the crop.