Cucumber Hummingbird F1: description and characteristics of the variety, photos, reviews, planting and care

Content

1 Origin of the variety
2 Description of the variety of cucumbers Kolibri
3 Characteristics of Hummingbird cucumbers
- 3.1 Productivity of Hummingbird cucumbers
- 3.2 Resistance to diseases and pests
4 Advantages and disadvantages
5 Planting Hummingbird cucumbers
- 5.1 Sowing in open ground
- 5.2 Growing seedlings
6 Caring for Hummingbird cucumbers
7 Conclusion
8 Reviews from gardeners about Hummingbird cucumbers

Cucumber Kolibri is a Russian high-yielding gherkin-type variety. It is resistant to a number of diseases and is unpretentious, so the crop can be grown in most regions. Fruits appear until the beginning of autumn, fruiting ends with the onset of the first frost.

Origin of the variety

The Hummingbird cucumber is a first-generation hybrid (F1), bred on the basis of the breeding and seed-growing company Manul. A group of researchers took part in the development of the variety: Borisov A.V., Vostrikova O.R., Skachkov V.A., Orekhova E.A. and others. Included in the register of selection achievements in 2010.

The Kolibri cucumber is approved for cultivation in most Russian regions:

middle lane;
Volga region;
Northwest;
Chernozem region;
southern regions;
Ural;
Western and Eastern Siberia;
Far East.

Recommended for growing in film shelters (without heating). In the south, the crop can be cultivated in open ground.

Description of the variety of cucumbers Kolibri

The description of the Kolibri cucumber variety provides the following characteristics:

indeterminate (grows throughout the season);
flowering type: predominantly female;
weakly branched (few shoots);
undersized.

The stem of the plant reaches a height of 25-30 cm, spreads along the ground, and curls. The bush is characterized by bud weaving and produces many tendrils, which allows it to attach well to any support. The green mass grows quite quickly; the lateral sinuses of Hummingbird cucumbers are small.

The leaves are deep green, heart-shaped, and have five lobes. In the axil of each leaf, 4-5 ovaries appear, less often two or eight. The flowers are small, typical yellow in color. Flowering is proceeding amicably; Hummingbird cucumbers do not need pollinators. This makes it possible to grow them in closed greenhouses.

The fruits are gherkin-type, small in size (length 5-8 cm, diameter no more than 3.5 cm). The color is rich green, the average weight is 60-80 g. The pulp is juicy, crispy, and has good taste. Greens are short, fusiform, tuberculate, with white pubescence. Cucumbers are not prone to overgrowth, so the marketable yield is consistently high. The fruits are mainly used for preparations, less often - fresh.

Kolibri cucumbers are suitable for pickling and pickling

Characteristics of Hummingbird cucumbers

The variety is quite unpretentious. Hummingbird cucumbers grow well in a variety of soil types. Subject to proper growing conditions, they produce consistently high yields. The crop is sensitive to frost, so in most regions cultivation is allowed only indoors. Drought also has a bad effect on yields - additional watering is required in hot weather.

Productivity of Hummingbird cucumbers

The marketable yield of Kolibri cucumbers, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, reaches 11-13 kg per square meter. According to the ripening period, the variety belongs to the category of early (early ripening). The first harvest can be harvested 40 days after planting the seeds (technical ripeness), optimally after 48-50 days.

The fruiting period is long, until the onset of frost. Therefore, the harvest can be harvested even in late summer and early autumn (August, September). The fruits appear together, which makes them easier to collect.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Kolibri F1 cucumbers are resistant to a number of diseases: cladosporiosis, cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew.

Less resistant to downy mildew (downy mildew). May suffer from the following fungal and bacterial infections:

white and gray rot;
anthracnose;
bacteriosis

Damage from aphids, nematodes, spider mites, slugs and other pests is possible. To prevent crop loss, Hummingbird cucumber plantings should be periodically inspected.

Advantages and disadvantages

The variety is characterized by high yield and good taste of fruits. These are classic gherkins of the correct shape that can be grown in a greenhouse and even on a windowsill. There are a lot of fruits, so they are used both for personal consumption and for sale.

Hummingbird cucumbers have approximately the same size (up to 8 cm in length)

Pros:

very high yield;
good taste;
early ripening (only 1.5 months);
attractive presentation;
long fruiting;
can be grown in any Russian region;
the fruits do not outgrow;
resistance to a number of diseases;
keeping quality and transportability.

Minuses:

you have to constantly buy seeds;
after pickling, cucumbers may become soft;
frost resistance is low;
germination is weak;
there is no immunity to certain diseases and pests.

Planting Hummingbird cucumbers

The timing of sowing Hummingbird cucumber seeds depends on the growing method and the climate in the region:

when growing seedlings, seeds are planted from early to mid-April;
Seedlings are transferred to open ground at the age of 25 days from mid to late May;
if you plant seeds directly into the garden bed, this can be done no earlier than mid-May (in the south in the last days of April, in the Urals, in Siberia - towards the end of May).

When planting seeds in a greenhouse, as well as when transferring seedlings under film, the timing is shifted a week earlier. In this case, you need to take into account the weather forecast - the seeds can be planted a little later to wait out the period of return frosts.

Attention! When growing cucumbers on a windowsill, sowing dates can be any. But in the spring-autumn period, the bushes need to be constantly illuminated with a phytolamp. The total daylight hours should be 12-14 hours.

Sowing in open ground

For outdoor cultivation, choose an open area protected from strong winds. The place is cleared in advance. The earth is dug up and fertilized with humus and compost (a bucket per 2 m²). If there is a lot of clay in the soil, you need to add sawdust or sand (1 kg for the same area).

Hummingbird cucumber seeds also need to be prepared before planting:

hold for half an hour in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate;
hold for 2 hours in a fungicide (“Fitosporin”, “Baksis”);
the day before planting, soak for 7-8 hours in a growth stimulator (for example, “Agat”, “Baikal”, “Sodium Humate”).

The surface of the bed is leveled, furrows are marked at intervals of 40 cm. Holes 1-2 cm deep are formed in parallel or in a checkerboard pattern. Cucumber seeds are planted at a distance of 5-7 cm, buried and watered. After three leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out so that there are no more than four plants per square meter.

Hummingbird cucumber seedlings are transplanted into the ground no earlier than mid-May

Attention! Planting with dry seeds should be dense, since germination is low.

Growing seedlings

Planting material for Hummingbird cucumbers is prepared in the same way as described above. The soil should be disinfected with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also keep it in the freezer for several days. A universal soil for seedlings is suitable for growing. The mixture can be prepared in advance independently, for example, from garden soil mixed with humus, black peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1.

Standard instructions for growing Hummingbird cucumber seedlings:

Plant the seeds in boxes or cassettes to a depth of 2 cm, maintaining an interval of 5 cm.
Water from a spray bottle.
Cover with film and place in a warm place (23-26 degrees).
After emergence of shoots, the film is removed.
At the same moment, you can feed with a complex composition, for example, “Kemira”, “Rastvorin”, “Ideal”.
Continue to maintain the temperature at the same level.
Water periodically. A month after planting, they are transplanted into a greenhouse or an open garden bed.

Caring for Hummingbird cucumbers

Hummingbird cucumbers require some attention. They produce a good harvest only if the rules of agricultural technology are observed:

Water regularly (twice a week), but without waterlogging. The top layer of soil should remain slightly moist.
The first feeding is given to cucumbers two weeks after planting, then twice more every 2-3 weeks. The best option is to alternate a complex mineral composition with organic matter (mullein, droppings, humates).
Hummingbird cucumber bushes climb well and produce a lot of tendrils, so a garter is required. To do this, install a trellis and pull the rope, and the height of the structure is small - up to 50 cm.
Loosening and weeding are carried out regularly.
It is advisable to mulch plantings of Hummingbird cucumbers with straw, mown grass, sawdust or pine needles.

When growing Hummingbird cucumbers, be sure to install supports for the garter.

Conclusion

Hummingbird cucumber is best grown in greenhouses, on fertile, light soils. Then it will produce consistently high yields of delicious gherkins. Their care is standard, so even novice gardeners can grow cucumbers.

Reviews from gardeners about Hummingbird cucumbers

Mironenko Tatyana, 59 years old, Perm

We tried growing Hummingbird cucumbers in buds with compost directly in the open air. The summer was not very hot, but the harvest was still good. We salted almost all the gherkins and they came out tasty, but not very crispy. I value this variety for its high yield.

Ilyushkina Svetlana, 65 years old, Anapa

I grow Hummingbird cucumbers in garden beds without much difficulty. The variety does not like cold weather, so in other regions it is better not to risk it and plant it in a greenhouse. Ripening before our eyes. If planted in May, the cucumber harvest can be harvested at the end of June. I use it for winter preparations. If you salt it with mustard, the gherkins turn out crispy.