Cucumber Crane

Cucumber Crane is an unpretentious vegetable that can produce a rich harvest of delicious fruits for a long time. Adhering to simple recommendations in growing, you can feast on fresh cucumbers until the onset of cold weather.

The hybrid was created in 1996, the authors were domestic breeders Medvedev A.V., Medvedeva N.I., Yakimenko L.N. Despite the fact that the variety has been known for a quarter of a century, it is still popular among vegetable growers due to its justified reliability in yield and ease of maintenance.

The crane has a number of significant advantages:

• undemanding to the composition of the soil;

• high yields with minimal care;

• resistance to temperature extremes;

• stable and long-term harvesting;

• strong immunity to most infectious diseases;

• excellent taste and market indicators;

• universal purpose in cooking.

But, like any plant, the variety is not devoid of disadvantages:

• great climbing ability, especially of secondary shoots, requiring a constant tie to the support;

• it is necessary to systematically apply fertilizers to the soil.

Cucumber Crane is an indeterminate culture with intensive growth, which requires a constant tie to the trellis. The height of the main stem is 150-190 cm. Climbing bush, forming from 3 to 5 lateral shoots. The main stem develops poorly, for the most part, abundant fruiting occurs due to the high growth of lateral shoots. Average leafiness. The leaf blade is oval, the surface is smooth, green.

Fruits are small in size, on average 10-12 cm, weighing 90-110 g. Their shape is elliptical, with a matte, large-tuberous surface and frequent tubercles, with black thorns. The color of Zelentsov is green, with blurred light stripes. The skin of the fruit is thin.

The fruit has an excellent sweetish taste, without bitterness, with a pleasant cucumber aroma. The flesh is firm and crispy. The purpose of the variety is table. Zelentsy are suitable for fresh consumption in salads and slices, as well as for preservation.

The crane is characterized by an early ripening period. From the moment the first shoots appear until ripe vegetables are obtained, 48-54 days pass. Harvesting begins in early July. The main feature of the hybrid is the long harvesting period, up to the onset of cold weather.

The culture pleases with a bountiful harvest. From 1 sq. m, on average, 7 to 10 kg of cucumbers are obtained. Bee-pollinated hybrid.

The cultivation area of ​​the variety is quite wide. The plant is successfully cultivated in the Central Black Earth Region, North Caucasian, Nizhnevolzhsky, West Siberian, Ural, Volgo-Vyatka, East Siberian regions.

When planting the Crane, they adhere to the 40x40 cm scheme.To maintain a good yield, the variety is planted with a density of no more than 3-4 specimens per 1 sq. m.

Cucumber Crane is not particularly whimsical to grow. However, in order to obtain a plentiful and long-term harvest, it is worth considering some of the characteristics of the variety. I plant cucumbers in a seedling and non-seedling way. You should not plant a plant on an area where zucchini, watermelons, pumpkins previously grew.

In open ground, seeds begin to be sown only after constant warm weather sets in, and the soil warms up to a comfortable +15 degrees. The seedling method allows you to get the harvest a month earlier.

Sowing seeds for seedlings in cups is carried out in early May. Germinated seedlings are planted in open ground in late May - early June. At the same time, cucumbers are sown under a film or greenhouse, and seeds are sown in open ground.

The place for planting the hybrid is prepared in advance. The soil is carefully dug up, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. They make holes and plant previously soaked seeds or already germinated seedlings. The site is watered abundantly, metal arcs are installed, and covered with agrofibre. This is necessary to protect young seedlings from possible cold weather, especially at night.

Hybrid varieties adapt well and quickly to different climatic conditions. But for intensive growth and fruiting, the culture needs regular watering and additional nutrition. They systematically weed the beds, ridding them of weeds, as well as loosening the soil after irrigation and rains.

When the top layer of the soil begins to dry out, watering is carried out with warm water to a depth of no more than 20 cm. It is not recommended to pour the variety. It is necessary to irrigate the entire area, due to the fact that the root system of the bushes is quite branched. Water procedures are carried out early in the morning or in the evening. Watering during the day is prohibited, this can lead to burns on the leaves. The best option for irrigation is drip irrigation.

The hybrid variety is able to grow even on the poorest soils, but requires additional nutrition. Organic and mineral fertilizers are applied alternately. Mineral dressings (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) are taken at the rate of 30 g per 20 liters of water. Organic count: 1/10 mullein or 1/25 bird droppings. Three liters of top dressing infusion are diluted with 1 bucket of water.

When creating a hybrid, breeders took care of its resistance to most of the diseases inherent in the cucumber culture. The crane is not afraid of powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic and bacteriosis. However, you should not neglect preventive measures. One of the main ones is soaking the seeds in a disinfectant solution before planting. The seeds must be dried after the procedure for a day, only then they begin planting work.

The most formidable infection for a variety can be root rot, as well as peronosporosis. Root rot is effectively dealt with by wood ash, which is sprinkled with a root stem during planting. For prophylactic purposes in the fight against peronosporosis, the bushes are treated with fungicides, for example, "Fitosporin".

Among the pests infecting succulent cucumber stalks are aphids, whiteflies, and slugs with snails. Folk remedies, such as a solution of onions and garlic, do a good job with aphids. But you can resort to pest control and special drugs. In the fight against snails and slugs, experienced gardeners use traps in the form of boards or pieces of slate, under which they hide during the day. It is convenient to collect pests from the traps laid out on the site.