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Even a novice gardener probably grows cucumbers on his plot of land. This culture came to us from India, where it is still found growing wild today. Domestic farmers are offered more than 3 thousand varieties of cucumber, which differ in the appearance of the fruit and agrotechnical characteristics. However, from this wide variety, several best varieties can be distinguished, which undoubtedly includes the Zozulya F1 cucumber. In the article we will try to describe the main advantages of this variety, the taste and external qualities of the cucumber, as well as the characteristics of cultivation.
Advantages
The cucumber variety Zozulya F1 is parthenocarpic, which means that the process of pollination of its flowers occurs without the participation of insects and humans. The plant is capable of independently forming a large number of ovaries, regardless of weather conditions or the presence/absence of insects. Thanks to this, the Zozulya F1 variety has an extremely stable, high yield of 16 kg/m2.
To obtain the Zozulya F1 variety, breeders crossed cucumber varieties with different genetic codes. Thanks to this, the hybrid has excellent taste without bitterness. Also hybridity has endowed the Zozulya F1 variety with special resistance to diseases such as root rot, olive blotch, and cucumber mosaic virus. These cucumber diseases are characteristic of a greenhouse environment with high humidity and temperature. The genetic protection of the Zozulya F1 variety allows it to be grown safely in greenhouse conditions.
The ripening period for Zozulya F1 cucumbers is approximately 40-45 days, while some other cucumber varieties require more than 60 days. This early ripening allows you to get an early harvest of cucumbers, as well as grow the crop in areas with a short summer period.
Thanks to self-pollination, a short period of ripening of cucumbers and resistance to diseases, the Zozulya F1 variety can be successfully grown in open ground, in greenhouses, including in harsh climates, for example, in Siberia or the Urals.
Description
The cucumber is characterized by an average length of the lash and needs a garter. Its leaves are large and bright green. The ovaries are formed in bunches, which allows cucumbers to ripen in large quantities at the same time.
Zozulya F1 cucumbers have a cylindrical, even shape. Their length varies from 15 to 25 cm, weight from 160 to 200 g. On the surface of a cucumber of this variety you can see small bumps and rare black spines. The variety is characterized by light longitudinal stripes. You can see a photo of the Zozulya F1 cucumber below.
The pulp of the vegetable is dense, elastic, crispy, with a sweetish taste, the skin is thin. Cucumber is excellent for making fresh salads, canning, and pickling. Heat treatment has a slight effect on the characteristics of the cucumber; after canning, its pulp retains its crunch and elasticity.
Growing cucumbers of the Zozulya F1 variety
It would seem that it could be simpler than growing a cucumber: plant the seeds and wait for them to bear fruit. In fact, to obtain a full-fledged harvest of cucumbers, the gardener needs to implement a whole range of measures:
Selection of fertile seeds
Having bought cucumber seeds, you cannot be completely sure that they are all sufficiently full and viable. You can select viable seeds from the total mass as follows: add 2 tablespoons of table salt to 5 liters of water, then mix the solution thoroughly and place Zozulya F1 cucumber seeds there. After 4-5 minutes, the floating, empty seeds must be removed, and those that have settled to the bottom must be selected for further germination.
Germination
In order not to occupy the pots with ungerminating cucumbers, they are sprouted. There are several ways to germinate cucumber seeds, for example:
- Fold the gauze into 2-3 rows, place on a saucer and moisten with water. Cucumber seeds should be placed on its surface and covered with the same layer of gauze, which must be moistened a second time. The saucer with seeds should be placed in a warm place and periodically sprayed with a spray bottle. Instead of gauze, you can use cotton wool.
- Place cucumber seeds in a napkin, tie it in a knot and moisten it with warm water (about 30-350WITH). After that, the bundle of seeds must be placed in a plastic bag and left in a warm place until germination.
- Place cucumber seeds on a piece of cloth moistened with water and cover them with a second damp piece of cloth.The resulting “sandwich” is placed in a jar with sawdust, steamed with boiling water, so that it covers the fabric on all sides.
In addition to the above methods, there are other ways to germinate a seed, but they all involve creating favorable conditions for the cucumber with high humidity and temperature.
Under favorable conditions, soaked cucumber seeds will germinate within a couple of days.
Growing cucumber seedlings
It is recommended to sow seeds of the Zozulya F1 variety in May. If further cultivation of cucumbers will be carried out in a greenhouse, then you can sow seeds for seedlings earlier than this time.
To grow cucumber seedlings, you can use ready-made soil mixtures or make your own mixture. To do this, you need to mix fertile soil, sand and peat in equal parts.
It is recommended to use small containers as containers for cultivating cucumber seedlings, however, the best option is peat tablets and pots. When planting cucumbers, they can be embedded in the soil for subsequent decomposition without damaging the root system of the plant.
Before sowing cucumber seeds, peat tablets are soaked in water until completely swollen, after which one seed is placed in each of them. Peat pots are filled with prepared soil, into which two cucumber seeds are embedded. With the appearance of cotyledon leaves, the weakest plant in the pot is removed.
Until the seedlings germinate, the containers are covered with film or protective glass and placed in a warm place (27 0WITH).After the cucumber shoots appear, the shelter is removed and the seedlings are placed in a lighted place with a temperature of 20-220C. For watering cucumbers, it is recommended to use melted or boiled warm water.
To plant cucumber seedlings into the ground, two conditions must be met:
- night temperatures should not fall below +100WITH;
- cucumber seedlings should have 2-3 true leaves (photo below).
As a rule, from the moment the seed of the Zozulya F1 variety germinates until the seedlings dive into the ground, about 20-22 days pass.
Picking seedlings and caring for an adult plant
Cucumbers, like other plants, love nutritious soil, so before planting seedlings, compost is added to the ground in the amount of 0.5 buckets per 1 m2, as well as mineral fertilizers. Wood ash should also be added to acidic soil. Cucumbers of the Zozulya F1 variety have stems of medium length, so the planting scheme in the ground involves placing 4 bushes per 1 m2 land.
During the picking process, peat pots and tablets are embedded in the ground along with cucumber seedlings. When using other types of containers, the seedlings must first be watered and removed, keeping the lump of soil on the root.
The first time after picking, cucumbers are watered daily, subsequently once every 2 days, and during drought periods once a day. Watering should be done before sunrise or after sunset. Water should not get on the cucumber leaves.
Weeding, loosening and fertilizing are necessary conditions for obtaining a rich cucumber harvest. Thus, fertilizing with nitrogen-containing and mineral fertilizers should be carried out every 2 weeks. You can see an adult plant and hear a review from an experienced gardener about the Zozulya F1 variety in the video:
In the active fruiting phase, harvesting must be done daily so that the plant’s forces are directed to the formation of young cucumbers.
Growing Zozulya F1 cucumbers is not particularly difficult even for a novice farmer. When sowing cucumber seeds for seedlings in May, peak fruiting will occur in June and July. Significant harvest volumes will allow you to enjoy fresh cucumbers and stock up on winter supplies. The taste of vegetables will certainly be appreciated by even the most fastidious gourmets.
