Cucumber Ant

Of all the many hybrids offered by the modern vegetable seed market, plants that can be grown on the windowsill can be called a separate group. Cucumber Ant marked F1 belongs to similar representatives of breeding achievements that allow you to get fresh vegetables in winter. They can be grown on balconies and loggias, in small greenhouses and outdoors.

The originators of the hybrid are breeders of the well-known company Manul, Ltd., Borisov A. V., Krylov O. N., Orekhova E. A., Krylova T. I. The variety was registered in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2003.

Parthenocarpic hybrid of the first generation F1 Ant is not capable of producing seeds that fully transmit parental qualities. Seed material is obtained by crossing certain varieties, so it is easier to buy it in specialized stores. The ant tolerates return frosts well, but this does not mean that it can be planted in open ground earlier than usual. The culture requires warm soil, good lighting and warm weather for active development. Hybrid advantages:

• unpretentiousness;
• strong immunity;
• evenness and marketability of fruits;
• ability to withstand short-term negative temperatures.

Disadvantages:

• susceptibility to pest attacks;
• inability to obtain seed.

Such characteristics exclude Ant cucumbers from a number of especially popular varieties and hybrids, but they have their own buyer and are in constant demand. On a private backyard or in an urban setting, the Ant becomes an excellent help.

Medium-sized plants of the indeterminate hybrid are covered with green, slightly wrinkled leaves of medium size, the plate of which has a slight waviness at the edges, slight pubescence and a slight dissection into 5 lobes. Oval fruits 8–11 cm long and small (3–3.4 cm) in diameter are painted in green tones with blurred dull stripes. The surface of zelents has a characteristic ribbing and large tubercles with white thorns, not too densely located over the entire surface. The plant blooms mainly with yellow female flowers. The type of fruiting is bunchy, in each bunch from 3 to 7 ovaries are formed.

Universal smooth fruits are intended for fresh consumption, for cutting and preparing salads, as well as for whole-fruit canning in the form of pickles and pickles. After heat treatment, cucumbers do not change their taste, do not form voids, retain their elasticity and have an excellent crunch. The crispy and juicy pulp has a refreshing, sweetish and pleasant taste with no signs of bitterness.

The hybrid belongs to the ultra-early in terms of ripening: only 37–38 days pass from the emergence of seedlings to the beginning of fruiting.

On average, the Ant gives from 10 to 12 kg per 1 m 2.

Cucumbers are intended for growing almost throughout the entire territory of Russia: in the North, North-West, Central, Volgo-Vyatka, North Caucasian, Middle Volga regions, Central Black Earth Region.

Despite its relative compactness, the Ant requires sufficient space for optimal development. An approximate planting scheme is 60X15 cm, per sq. m no more than 3 plants are planted in greenhouses. In the open field, a denser cultivation is permissible: from 4 to 5 per sq. m.

Cucumber Ant is grown both by seedling method and by direct sowing of seeds in a permanent place. The first method shows the greatest efficiency, however, one should remember about the negative reaction of the culture to the pick. Seedlings should be grown in separate containers.

The optimal sowing time for seedlings is late March - early April. If the seeds are sown in open ground, then you should wait until the soil warms up to a temperature of + 15 °. Further care of the plants consists in traditional agronomic measures, such as watering, weeding, feeding, tying and shaping.

The unpretentiousness of the hybrid variety allows it to be grown on almost all types of soil, provided there is sufficient fertility. However, loose and breathable sandy loam and chernozem soils are considered ideal. The illumination of the plot has a significant effect on the efficiency of fruiting, therefore, when choosing a place, it is imperative to be guided by this parameter. The more sunlight the plants receive, the higher the yield rates.

The site should be protected from northerly winds and constant drafts - the hybrid does not tolerate such conditions. The acidity level should be kept within neutral limits. Strongly acidic and alkaline soils are brought back to normal with dolomite flour, gypsum, lime or chalk. Depleted lands are enriched with organic matter and mineral fertilizers, river sand is added to dense soils.

The ant is distinguished by good resistance to low temperatures, but it develops more actively in favorable conditions, that is, in warmth.

Seed producers claim the plant is resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, cladosporium disease and powdery mildew. The tolerance of the hybrid to downy mildew was noted. The Ant resists pests well, but it will not be able to resist such aggressors as a whitefly in a greenhouse, a spider mite on exhaust gases, so you should not neglect the prevention of diseases and pests.