Cucumber Madrilene

Madrilene cucumber is a Dutch variety, very productive, tasty and hardy. It is little familiar to the gardeners of the Russian Federation, it is a novelty in the Russian seed market.

Madrilene cucumber is bred in Holland by Monsanto, author HENK VAN KOOTEN. The variety is included in the Russian State Register in 2017. This is a first generation parthenocarpic hybrid. The plant produces mainly female flowers.

Indeterminate bush, medium branching. Leaves are medium in size, green in color. There are mainly 2 female flowers in 1 node.

Zelentsy are not large, 70-80 g each, up to 10 cm long, cylindrical in shape. The color is dark green. There is no wax coating. The fruits are covered with small spiny tubercles of medium frequency. The pulp is crispy and firm. The skin is strong, the fruits tolerate transportation well, and the marketable qualities are very high.

The taste is excellent, bright, with a well-defined aromatic aroma. A variety of salad purposes, but in fact it is universal. In the workpieces it does not lose its shape, does not become watery. Tinned cucumbers are as crispy as fresh ones.

The variety is mid-ripening, in some sources it is described as early-ripening. The term for the return of the crop is 35-45 days after the emergence of seedlings.

The yield is very high - 12.9 kg per 1 sq. m. According to some reports, in greenhouses it is possible to remove up to 40 kg from 1 sq. m. m. From 1 bush can be obtained with good agricultural technology 12-15 kg. These are huge indicators for culture.

The variety is universal; it can be grown in shelters in any region of Russia. Experienced gardeners get excellent harvests in the open field on warm ridges. The variety has a high cold resistance for the crop.

35-40 cm are kept between the plants, 70 cm between the rows. The plantings should not be thickened, this provokes outbreaks of diseases. In open ground, where there is a lot of fresh air, you can plant plants a little more often - 4 pcs. for 1 sq. m. And in a greenhouse, it is better to plant no more than 2.5-2.7 specimens on the same area.

Dutch varieties are best grown in film greenhouses or under film shelters, Madrilene is no exception.

Seeds are sown as needed: from January to June. The timing depends on the desired harvest period. Seedlings are more carefully cared for than mature plants. In the conditions of an ordinary apartment, it is especially important to take into account the lighting: there should be enough light. It is better to use phytolamps. Supplementary lighting in January can be plus 6-8 hours to the usual daylight hours.

Cucumbers are extremely sensitive to transplants, so it is better to immediately plant seeds in portioned cups: these can be peat pots, milk or juice bags, which can be simply torn during transplantation without disturbing the earthen lump.

The Madrilene variety is cold-resistant, but only against the background of other, more delicate varieties. Even the most hardy cucumber remains a cucumber, whose homeland is India. Madrilene, like all cucumbers, loves high and even temperatures, can react negatively to drafts and night cold. It is very important to organize a system of vents in greenhouses. Temperature drops are the main problem in amateur greenhouses; in hot summers in an unventilated greenhouse, the temperature can reach + 50 ° C.

The variety is shade-tolerant, you can plant it between buildings or larger plants, this will not affect the yield.

Like all cucumbers, Madrilene loves abundant watering: in dry summers, they are watered daily with warm, settled water. If it is very hot, you can switch to a two-time regimen: water the cucumbers early in the morning and in the evening. The number of fruits directly depends on watering.

To maximize the yield, greens are harvested daily. The breakage of old fruits stimulates the growth of new set, the yield can be 1.5 times more if the cucumbers are harvested in a timely manner.

The ideal soil for cucumbers is loose, highly nutritious sandy loam or loam. The most important soil qualities are nutritional value and high mechanical properties, airiness, and the ability to dry out quickly. Cucumbers can even be planted in pure humus. Dolomite flour, hydrated lime, chalk or sifted wood ash are added to acidic soils. Cucumbers love neutral soils, slightly acidic are acceptable.

Looseness of the soil is achieved by adding plant residues, dry manure, chopped straw, rotted sawdust, coarse sand, cut turf, peat, and sometimes fine gravel. It should be borne in mind that improving the mechanical properties of the soil is work for years. It is not enough just to add structuring or nutritive components, you also need the soil to be alive, beneficial bacteria, microorganisms, and worms live in it.

It is best to plant cucumbers in specially prepared warm beds. There are dozens of options. In general, the layers of a warm ridge consist of the following components (starting from the bottom layer).

• Large drainage. Any large waste goes here. Large branches, stems, even parts of old boards.
• The drainage layer is smaller. Cardboard, paper, shavings.
• Heavy organic matter. This is usually kitchen waste. Tops, peels, eggshells.
• Light, quickly decaying organic matter: leaves, weeds, tops.
• Humus or compost.
• A layer of garden soil.

The total height of all layers together is 130 cm.

The variety is resistant to powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus and cladosporiosis. It should be sprayed only in cold summers with temperature extremes. Preventive treatments may include spraying with the following formulations.

• Nutrient solution: 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of urea (carbamide), 2 g of boric acid, 2 g of copper sulfate, 1 g of potassium permanganate. This solution nourishes, promotes increased set and at the same time protects against bacterial and fungal diseases of the cucumber.
• Spraying with milk whey. Dissolve 2 cups of milk whey in 1 liter of water, add 1 drop of iodine. Spray once a week or as needed (if small spots were noticed on the leaves or if the weather is unfavorable).

Treatments with Fitosporin may be helpful. This is a biological product that is safe for humans; it can process plants even 3 days before harvesting.

The variety unfairly attracts little attention of domestic gardeners, probably, they are frightened off by the Dutch origin: the plant seems to be too delicate. However, few reviews indicate that the variety is promising: it is reliable, stable, always with good yields. Even in a cold summer, the fruits will be and will be of high quality. Zelentsy are leveled and very beautiful, even and dense in color, lie well, versatile. It is important that the plant tolerates shade well, is resistant to diseases and tolerates temperature extremes well for a cucumber.

The variety will be of interest to anyone who prefers commercial hybrids and is looking for an effective plant. Madrilene cucumbers, beautiful and hardworking, will be good for small farms in which the crop is grown not only for their own needs.