April cucumber

The April cucumber is one of the oldest hybrids. Tried and tested over the years, this variety has long proven all its benefits. It is mainly chosen by those who love early cucumbers.

Aprelsky is one of the best ideas of breeders Borisov, Tarakanov, Panov and Dodonov. The hatching took place at the V.I. VI Edelstein Moscow Agricultural Academy. The resulting hybrid, after testing, was allowed for widespread use; it has been in the State Register since 1977.

The self-pollinated hybrid has been grown for decades on the sites of the Russian Federation, without losing its demand. Parthenocarpic cucumber can be grown even by those who try their hand at gardening in the first years, due to the following qualities:

• cold resistance - adult bushes almost do not react to temperature changes at night and short-term frosts;

• excellent marketability - even green cucumbers look beautiful on the shelves and are quickly sorted out by customers;

• decent yield that does not suffer even with the vagaries of the weather;

• refreshing taste and an abundance of vitamins, so essential in summer;

• a high degree of resistance to major cucumber diseases and most pests;

• the possibility of cultivation at home on a loggia or on a balcony;

• minimum care requirements.

The variety also has weaknesses, but their number is small:

• seeds must be disinfected before planting;

• cucumbers are characterized by simultaneous ripening, and it is impossible to prolong the fruiting period;

• fruits harvested out of time are long, yellow and tasteless, and sometimes bitter.

April has bushes with a main lash of medium length, the maximum it can grow up to two meters. Plants practically do not branch, so they are easy to care for and compact. This quality is especially important for greenhouses. The leaf blades are round-pentagonal, medium-sized, of the usual green color. The bushes bloom with female or mostly female flowers.

Cucumbers vary in length. The minimum is 13 centimeters, the maximum is 22, but it is better not to reach this point, since a long cucumber will taste worse. The fruits are cylindrical, green, the tubercles are hardly noticeable. The thorns are light, easily washed off with water. The average weight of a cucumber is 200 grams, especially large specimens weigh 250.

Hybrid growers say that it has a very good and pleasant taste. In terms of use, fresh cucumbers are mostly cut into salad or vegetable slices. If you want to preserve the product, you need to take the smallest copies.

April ripens early - already on the 45th day after sprouting. Fruiting is fast, so it is recommended to plant an additional variety with a later ripening date nearby.

On a square meter of soil, an average of 23.9 kilograms of cucumbers usually ripens. It is worth noting that the yield of a crop is directly dependent on light. If it is not enough, the indicators decrease significantly.

April is zoned in seven main regions of Russia:

• North;

• Northwest;

• North Caucasian;

• Srednevolzhsky;

• Volgo-Vyatsky;

• Central;

• Central Black Earth.

In the description for the variety, there is a recommended planting scheme - 30 by 70 centimeters. With a similar arrangement on a square meter of the greenhouse, it turns out to place about 2.5 plants.

The Aprelsky variety prefers greenhouse growing conditions. It is under cover that it develops most harmoniously and brings the best yields. But in warm zones, outdoor cultivation is also permissible. An earlier harvest can be obtained with seedling cultivation. It is customary to grow the seed in peat cups. The grains are placed in them in April-May. The grown seedlings are planted in open ground after about 25 days. And if the grains are buried in the soil without prior germination, then it is recommended to do this in late May - early June.

The frequency of watering the bushes depends on the weather conditions. In the open field, plants are watered like this:

• once every two days with low precipitation;

• once a day in the absence of rain;

• twice a day at dry temperatures (over 30 degrees).

In greenhouses, cucumbers can be irrigated every 2-3 days, but if the heat comes, they are also watered in the morning and evening.

April cucumbers require a minimum amount of dressings. When 14 days have passed since the planting of seedlings, the bushes are fed with ammonium nitrate. With the active formation of shoots, the cucumbers are fertilized with potassium, and during the release of the fruits, it is best to add light organic matter. A prerequisite is that all fertilizing for this variety must be given a couple of hours after irrigation.

Despite the fact that the bushes show little branching, they must be formed. The procedure begins after 8 leaves are formed. The three lower knots are blinded, and in the next five knots each leaf and ovary are left. Then pinching is carried out, it has to start from the ninth knot. Lateral shoots are pinched from it behind the third leaf.

In addition to the described care measures, cucumbers of the variety will be required:

• weed;

• spud;

• provide loose soil;

• tie up.

For optimal yields, April requires highly fertile land. It must be nutritious and well-drained. You can get such characteristics by preparing the soil in the fall. Correct feeding during this period will be rotten manure, potassium, superphosphates. In the spring, the soil is improved with nitrogen. The substrate must be neutral in acidity.

Aprilsky copes well with temporary drops in temperatures, but he is very afraid of shaded places. This variety should be planted in areas with maximum lighting.

If the seeds undergo pre-sowing treatment, then there should be no problems with diseases. The variety is very resistant to cucumber mosaic and cladosporium disease. But it is tolerant of root rot. It can appear if the bushes are not getting enough oxygen. That is why it is important to plant according to the scheme, loosen the soil in time and ventilate the greenhouse.

Harmful insects rarely parasitize on bushes. The most common pest is aphids. Even in a warm and humid greenhouse, slugs can settle.

April is a variety with a long history, so every second summer resident tried to grow it. Under the condition of pre-treatment, the bushes grow healthy, delight with early fruiting and the absence of diseases. April is often planted as the earliest variety. Some people try to grow it on balconies, which turns out to be quite successful.

Summer residents are advised to remove cucumbers from the beds on time, then they turn out fresh and tasty. But few canned this variety, preferring to take strong short gherkins for this purpose.