Cucumber Dirigent F1 is a relatively new hybrid, bred in the Netherlands. Thanks to its many advantages, it has already gained recognition and popularity among gardeners. Among the positive qualities of the variety, it is worth highlighting its early ripening and excellent taste.
For several thousand years people have loved and grown cucumbers. After all, a cucumber is not only a tasty, but also a healthy vegetable.
Features of the hybrid
Dirigent F1 is an early ripening hybrid variety of indeterminate type that does not require pollination. Constant regeneration of the plant allows you to get a higher yield. Dirigent begins to bear fruit, on average, 40 days after sowing.
Description of the plant:
- medium-sized and medium-branched;
- leaves are small, dark green;
- female flowering, 1–3 female flowers per node;
- tolerates high temperatures and hot climates well, bushes do not burn in the sun;
- the hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew, brown spot and cucumber mosaic virus;
- the yield is high - from 4.5 to 7 kg per 1 sq. m.
Thanks to the openness of the plant, harvesting becomes more convenient and accessible.
Fruit characteristics:
- greens are equally short (up to 10 cm in length), cylindrical in shape;
- length to diameter ratio 3.1:1;
- dark green color with small stripes, moderate spotting;
- the peel is dense, with small tubercles and white pubescence;
- cucumber weight 65–80 grams;
- the seed chamber is small;
- The cucumbers are tasty, juicy and crispy.
Dirigent F1 cucumbers are great for salads and canning.
Growing and care
Dirigent is recommended for cultivation in greenhouse conditions and in open ground. It can be grown by seedlings or sown directly in the garden bed under covering material. Since Dirigent is a hybrid variety, the seeds germinate quickly and do not require additional processing.
- Sowing in the soil is carried out when it warms up to +18–20 degrees.
- Seedlings are planted in greenhouses and greenhouses in the first ten days of May, at the age of 20–25 days. By this time, the sprouts should have formed from 2 to 5 leaves.
- Before sowing seeds and planting seedlings, it is recommended to fill the holes with peat or humus, and then mulch them.Organic mulching will attract earthworms, which will loosen and fertilize the soil, supplying the root system of cucumbers with oxygen and essential microelements.
- The seeds should be planted with their nose up, at an angle of 45 degrees and to a depth of no more than 1 cm. This will facilitate and speed up the germination process.
- After sowing, the bed or container must be tightly covered with non-woven material. Use a spray bottle to pour warm water over the material. This way the soil will not be washed away, and the soil will be sufficiently moistened and provided with oxygen.
- After the first shoots appear, watering should be limited. Cucumbers love moisture, but do not tolerate too much of it. You need to water with warm water twice a day - morning and evening.
- During the first two weeks of active growth, it is recommended to carefully loosen the soil in order to provide the roots with oxygen. It is important not to get carried away here, since the root system is located close to the surface and is easily damaged.
- You can feed cucumbers with organic and mineral fertilizers. The first fertilizing should be done two weeks after germination. It is advisable to make two more before flowering and two after.
Advantages and disadvantages
Although reviews from experienced gardeners about Dirigent cucumbers are mostly positive, the hybrid still has disadvantages.
Pros:
- precocity;
- high productivity;
- unpretentiousness;
- uniformity of size and shape;
- resistance to diseases.
Minuses:
- high price of seeds due to the difficulty of obtaining them;
- inability to independently collect seeds.
The main advantage of hybrid varieties is that they also bear fruit abundantly even in an unfavorable year.
Reviews
Svetlana Gavrilova, Moscow:
“Last summer I planted Dirigent F1, I liked it.The cucumbers are sparsely tuberous, non-thorny, aromatic and tasty.”
Oksana Emelyanova, Kostroma:
“I liked Dirigent because it is very good at preserving. The cucumbers are all perfect, crispy and without voids.”
