Cucumber Graceful

The cucumber variety Graceful was officially approved for use in 1971. The result of the work of Soviet breeders was intended for breeding in the difficult conditions of Siberia, the Urals and the Far East region.

Cucumber of the Graceful variety is resistant to low temperatures, which allows you to transfer seedlings to open ground at an early date and, accordingly, get a harvest earlier. It is most optimal to grow a crop outdoors, but in principle it can also develop under a temporary film cover.

The central stem of the plant is about 2 meters long, which is why the variety is often grown horizontally. Pollination of flowers, located in the axils of five-lobed leaves, occurs with the help of bees. Formation of male flowers is characteristic of the Graceful variety. Branched lashes in the amount of 4-6 pieces are abundantly covered with leaf blades of bright green color. Lumpy greens with a dense light green skin are covered with white fluff. The length of the elongated fruits ranges from 9 to 12 centimeters, and the weight does not exceed 90-140 grams.

The dense crunchy flesh of cucumbers has a pronounced aroma and pleasant taste, devoid of bitterness. However, excellent taste is possible only with sufficient moisture intake. The fruits have good keeping quality and do not turn yellow during storage. Cucumbers of the Graceful variety are used fresh, and they are also used for canning. Fruits can be pickled, salted and fermented.

Graceful is an early maturing variety. Before the first cucumbers are obtained, 45-55 days pass from the moment of seed germination or rooting of seedlings. However, it does not bear fruit for long.

If you plant 2-3 specimens of the Graceful variety per square meter, then the gardener will be able to get no more than 7 kilograms of fruit from this territory per season.

Before sowing the cucumber variety, the seeds must go through a preparation stage. First, all the material is soaked in room temperature water or a 3% sodium chloride solution. Those specimens that float are immediately discarded, and the rest are laid out between layers of thin tissue for germination. It should be mentioned that the grains of the last year should be warmed up for a couple of hours before that at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. Further, the planting material can be used for seedlings, or immediately planted in open ground.

In the first case, sowing is carried out from the end of April to May, and the plant is transferred to its permanent habitat from the end of May to June. Planting cucumber seeds immediately into the ground is also allowed from May to June, depending on the weather. When distributing plants in the garden, it is necessary to ensure that there are no more than 3 copies for each square meter. Growing seedlings is carried out in a mixture of rotted manure, garden soil and sand, enriched with urea, superphosphate and potassium-magnesium additives. The substrate must be disinfected by heating in the oven or soaking with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.Sprouted seeds are laid out in individual cups and embedded in the soil by 1.5-2 centimeters. The container is tightened with a film that is not removed until shoots appear.

If the seeds are immediately sent to the ground, then the land on the site will first need to be dug up, and also fed with organic and inorganic fertilizers. Having made a bed 20-30 centimeters high and be sure to water it, all that remains is to spread the grains into holes 1-1.5 centimeters deep. After that, the plantings are sprinkled with earth, and mulched with humus.

Caring for Graceful cucumbers is not very difficult. Watering the beds should be regular: you will have to irrigate the plants 1-2 times a week, and even more often during flowering and fruiting. Use water warmed up in the sun. The use of cold liquid will lead to rotting of the root system and the death of the ovaries. During irrigation, it is necessary to ensure that drops do not fall on the leaves, and also to accompany the procedure by loosening the soil.

Organic fertilizing is more suitable for culture. For example, once every 10 days it can be manure, a liter of which is diluted in a bucket of water. Poultry droppings, weeds and ready-made mineral complexes are also suitable. The first time fertilizers are applied a week after planting the cucumbers. In addition to root dressing, crop and foliar treatments with nitrogen-containing solutions, as well as potash and phosphorus fertilizers, will help. Spraying on the leaf is allowed twice a season.

Cucumber variety Graceful prefers well-lit areas. In principle, it is able to develop in the shade, but only if the shading is no more than 4 hours a day. The culture requires fertile and light soil, ideally sandy loam or loam. It is better to grow cucumbers in those beds where nightshades, peas or cabbage used to grow.