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Cucumbers are one of the most common vegetables in the world. Today, there are many breeding species of cucumbers, as well as numerous hybrids obtained as a result of mutation of varieties. In order for a vegetable to bear fruit and produce seeds, the cucumber must be pollinated.
Types of pollination
The process of pollination itself is equivalent to fertilization - pollen from the male flower must fall on the female one. As a result of this, cross-pollination will occur and an ovary (future cucumber) will form. Therefore, pollination is very important; without this process, so-called empty flowers are formed - inflorescences that do not turn into fruits, but simply dry up.
There are three types of cucumbers:
- parthenocarpic (self-pollinating);
- bee-pollinated;
- not requiring pollination.
The latter are a selected hybrid of cucumbers, created specifically for growing indoors (in a greenhouse). These varieties have only female inflorescences; the number of barren flowers is kept to a minimum.
Natural pollination of cucumbers can be carried out in several ways:
- with the help of the wind;
- through streams of water;
- pollination by insects.
In addition to the natural method, artificial pollination of cucumbers is often used. This is necessary when vegetables are planted in a closed greenhouse or the number of insects (bees) is not enough to fully pollinate all the flowers.
How does cucumber pollination occur?
In order to fully understand the process of pollination of cucumbers, you need to learn to distinguish male inflorescences from female ones. Male flowers are arranged in groups in one axil, while female flowers grow individually. In addition, a male flower has a stamen, but no pistils, while a female flower, on the contrary, has only pistils.
For proper pollination, pollen from the stamen of the male inflorescence must fall on the pollen of the pistils of the female flower. This is exactly the job that bees do. But these insects cannot always cope; they are hindered by:
- closed greenhouses (when the air temperature outside is too low, for example);
- strong winds;
- rains;
- Cloudy weather is also not conducive to the flight of bees.
In these cases, bee-pollinated crop varieties need human help - artificial pollination. There are several ways to do this, here are two of them:
- Pick a male cucumber flower and bring it to the female one, while carefully moving the stamen along the pistils, from top to bottom.
- Arm yourself with a soft brush for painting and use it to transfer pollen from male cucumber flowers to female ones.
How to choose cucumber seeds
When buying cucumber seeds, you need to start not only from the qualities of the finished fruit. When choosing a variety, several factors are taken into account. Weather conditions, soil type, possibility of watering, type of treatment against diseases - all this is analyzed in a complex manner.
If the choice fell on bee-pollinated varieties, you should first think about the possibility of full natural pollination of cucumbers. In this case, it is better if the owner has bees on the same plot of land. As a last resort, hives with insects should be located in close proximity to the garden. If the number of bees is insufficient, bee-pollinated varieties will not produce the expected harvest, and there will be many barren flowers instead of cucumbers.
The situation can be corrected mechanically (artificially). It was written about earlier.
The best varieties of bee-pollinated cucumbers
Every gardener has his favorite varieties of cucumbers: some prefer more productive hybrids, for others disease resistance and taste characteristics are important. Below is a list of varieties whose seeds are the most popular:
"Abundant"
It has high productivity. From each square meter you can remove up to 5.8 kg of cucumber. The hybrid is resistant to the most common diseases of cucumbers: powdery mildew and cladosporiosis. The bushes of this variety are small, the fruits rarely reach 100 grams. The taste quality of the variety is high; the Izobilny cucumber is perfect for salads and fresh consumption. This bee-pollinated variety is intended for both planting in open ground and greenhouse cultivation.It is recommended to sow the seeds of the hybrid only after the threat of frost - this cucumber loves warmth (suitable soil temperature is above 11-12 degrees).
"F1 TSHA-2693"
It has large fruits, the weight of which reaches 250 grams. The cucumber is easily distinguished by its fairly large tubercles and white spines. The bushes of the plant are of medium climbing, the cucumber has a predominance of female flowers. The yield is very high - 26-28 kg per square meter. The taste characteristics of the variety are also excellent - it is perfect for both salads and canning. Cucumber “F 1 TSKHA-2693” can be planted both in a greenhouse and in open ground; it is resistant to olive spot and common cucumber mosaic.
"Vanguard"
It is distinguished by early ripeness; fruiting of the hybrid occurs 36-38 days after sowing. The bushes of this variety are distinguished by their branching and bright green leaves; the cucumbers themselves are small (90-150 grams), with large pimples, without bitterness. The plant is resistant to downy mildew and is suitable for planting in open and closed ground. Avangard cucumber is tasty both fresh and canned (pickled).
"Abruzze"
This is a variety that stands out for its long (up to 45 cm) light green fruits. There are no pimples on the cucumbers, but there are slight ribs. Medium height bushes with green leaves and good side shoots. Cucumber is resistant to diseases, including powdery mildew. Fruiting of the variety occurs 65 days after sowing. You can plant cucumbers of the “Abruzze” variety at least in greenhouse, even into the ground. Productivity reaches 10 kg/m².
Strengths of bee-pollinated cucumbers
Bee-pollinated crops have many “fans” among gardeners and summer residents.And this is not surprising; such recognition is well deserved, because these varieties of cucumbers have the following advantages:
- unpretentious lighting requirements for a greenhouse or greenhouse;
- high degree of precocity;
- high taste characteristics and versatility (cucumbers are not bitter and lend themselves well to pickling);
- increased productivity;
- profitability (the funds spent on the purchase of seeds will be returned in excess after the cucumber harvest);
- disease resistance;
- good response of the variety to temperature changes.
For all their advantages, bee-pollinated varieties also have a couple of disadvantages. The first of these is the necessary presence of bees in sufficient numbers. In an open area of ground, this problem can still be dealt with, but in a greenhouse you will have to pollinate the cucumbers manually.
The second disadvantage of this variety of cucumbers is that for complete pollination you need to maintain the proportion of male and female inflorescences. This involves purchasing and overseeding cucumber varieties with a predominance of male flowers.
Well-known breeding companies put several of these seeds into each packet of seeds of bee-pollinated cucumber varieties. They can be distinguished by their coloring, and the packaging will indicate this feature of the seeds.
In addition, there are a number of less significant disadvantages of bee-pollinated varieties:
- low bushes with sparse leaves when growing greenhouse hybrids;
- increased consumption of planting material;
- large labor costs for caring for cucumbers;
- the need to maintain or attract pollinating insects.
Despite the shortcomings, bee-pollinated varieties lead in the total number of seeds purchased. These cucumbers are distinguished by good germination and high yield; these are probably the main qualities of the vegetable that gardeners take into account.
Preparing seeds for planting
Cucumber seeds can be purchased from a breeder or collected yourself. Purchased seeds undergo complex processing and are ready for planting. But you will have to work with the seeds you collected yourself. There are a number of rules and recommendations here:
- You can plant cucumber seeds collected two years ago. Last year's ones are not suitable for planting.
- For the initial selection, you need to carefully examine the seeds: they must be smooth, whole, and the same color. Defective seeds are rejected.
- Seeds are sorted by size into three categories: small, large and medium. You need to plant seeds from the same category together.
- Empty seeds are identified. To do this, place them in salted water (add 1.5 teaspoons of salt per glass of water). Mix the water with the seeds and leave for a few minutes. The floating seeds need to be thrown away - nothing will grow from them.
- The seed material must be disinfected. To do this, use a solution of boric acid or manganese. First, the seeds are heated in the sun, a radiator, or in a thermos with warm water. Then they are placed in a disinfecting solution, kept, and washed with running water. Treatment with an ultraviolet lamp is very effective.
- Wood ash will help saturate the seeds with essential microelements. A tablespoon of ash is stirred in 0.5 liters of water. The seeds placed in the mixture are left for a day.
- In a good way, the seed also needs to be hardened.First, the seeds are placed in damp sand and kept for a day at a temperature of +25 degrees until they swell, the next stage is the refrigerator, where the seeds should lie for 2-3 days.
After all stages, the seeds are ready for planting.
Planting bee-pollinated cucumbers
In addition to the seeds, the soil also needs preparation. If this is a greenhouse, the soil from it must be mixed with humus and wood ash. When sowing in open ground, you need to prepare grooves; their location and depth depend on the methods of watering, the bushiness of the cucumber and the height of the vines. You need to add fertilizer to the soil; bird droppings are a good natural fertilizer.
It is important to take into account that any cucumbers do not like transplanting; they are transferred to a permanent place along with the soil. That's why cucumber seedlings It is better to plant in disposable peat or paper cups, the diameter of which exceeds 10 cm.
Cucumbers are planted in a heated greenhouse at the end of February, beginning of March. Seedlings should be planted in open ground only when stable warmth arrives. Cucumbers do not like temperatures below 17 degrees.
Bee-pollinated varieties are the best choice for owners with their own bees or an apiary nearby. To attract insects to a greenhouse with cucumbers, you need to open it in sunny weather and spray the bushes with weak sugar syrup. Cucumber seeds can be bought, the range of species and hybrids today is simply huge, or you can collect them from your own harvest, following the rules for preparing seeds for planting.
