Cucumbers are traditionally popular in our latitudes. Russians respect this vegetable both fresh, salted and pickled. Cucumber Gunnar f1 is suitable for all of the above. This is a suitable variety for growing in the central regions of the country, where it is cared for in a greenhouse, but it is better not to take risks with planting cucumbers in open beds.
Cucumber Dutchman
The description of cucumbers such as Gunnar should begin with the fact that the variety is a hybrid. It is noteworthy that it does not require pollination by bees, which is important when growing under film. The hybrid stoically tolerates many atmospheric nuances and also calmly withstands soil salinity.
The positive characteristics of the Gunnar cucumber are made up of the following indicators:
- rapid ripening;
- quite high yield;
- preservation of useful properties during transportation;
- even when overripe, it does not become barrel-shaped;
- Suitable for long-term storage.
Among the shortcomings, we note one - the high cost of seeds.
Features of cultivation
Sowing with cucumbers Gunnar starts in May when the soil warms up well. This is necessary to ensure rapid germination of shoots. The seeds sink into the soil to a depth of about one and a half centimeters.
As soon as the sprouts hatch, it is necessary to ensure a temperature inside the greenhouse of plus 20 degrees Celsius. In the future, it is advisable to lower the temperature by another two degrees - this is the ideal environment for the Dutch Gunnar cucumber.
The vegetable grows in one stem. When five leaves appear, the ovaries and shoots are removed. This process is called blinding. In the future, only the ovaries are left, and the side shoots are eliminated. After that, the cucumber stem is wrapped around a trellis at a height of about two meters and pinched behind the third or fifth leaf. Withered lower leaves are removed in the morning. According to the plan, from three to five cucumbers should ripen at the same time.
Under normal growing conditions, the crop is harvested three times a week, and in favorable times and abundant harvests - daily.
Description of the fruit
The cucumber fruit has the shape of a spindle with pimples on the skin. Let's continue the description of the variety with a small list:
- length 10–14 centimeters;
- weight 80–120 grams;
- color dark green;
- The pulp has a sweetish taste.
Fruiting of the Gunnar cucumber is abundant throughout the season.
What to feed?
For best growth, cucumbers must be treated with complex fertilizers at various stages of cultivation.Offer plants nitrogenous fertilizers. As an option: dilute 60 grams of superphosphate and 20 grams of urea in ten liters of water. Or use the following recipe: take 10 grams of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium salt and pour into a bucket with ten liters of water. As an addition to mineral fertilizers for cucumbers, rotted compost based on cow manure or chicken manure can serve.
The cucumbers are then fed just before flowering. Makes the following mixture: take and mix 20 grams of potassium and ammonium nitrate, 40 grams of superphosphate per 10 liters of water.
It is recommended to sprinkle the soil with ash obtained from burning logs after watering and before loosening. If you don’t want to get fancy with your own prepared cucumber fertilizers, then you can use ready-made mineral fertilizers purchased in the hardware department of the store. For example, such as:
- "Radifarm".
- "Magnisal".
- "Gumat".
Diseases and pests
Cucumber Gunnar is little susceptible to disease. Its main scourge is defenselessness in relation to downy mildew.
Dew attacks plants during the fruiting period. Oily green spots suddenly appear on the leaves of cucumbers, which increase in size after a week. The leaves turn brown, and after a couple of days they dry out completely. The disease is provoked by soil fungi, which begin to instantly spread when watered with cold water and due to the formation of condensation inside the greenhouse due to the difference in internal and external temperatures.
We offer a description of ways to combat powdery mildew:
- Before sowing, Gunnar cucumber seeds are heated and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Seeds are immersed in the soil exclusively in heated soil.
- Watering young shoots should be done with warm water, but without excessive moisture.
- Don't forget about feeding cucumbers.
- For prevention, you need to spray the greens with a urea solution.
- Do not plant cucumbers on contaminated soil for five years.
- If affected by dew, watering and fertilizing are suspended for a week and treated with Polycarbacin or the drug HOM.
- After the harvest, the greenhouse and soil are treated with a solution of copper sulfate.
Among the pests dangerous to the Gunnar cucumber, it is worth noting the spider mite and whitefly.
The spider mite sucks the juices of the plant, and the leaves are entwined with cobwebs. The pest loves dry weather and soil. For prevention, the soil in the greenhouse should be disinfected. If this does not help, then you need to treat the plants with garlic or onion infusion in a proportion of 200 grams per ten liters of water and repeat spraying several times during the season.
The whitefly lays eggs on the bottom of cucumber leaves. Its larvae, like mites, suck the sap from the plant. To eliminate the pest, the plant is sprayed with the above-mentioned garlic solution, the larvae are washed off to the ground, the soil is loosened and sprinkled with peat or humus.
All these activities will help achieve high yields of cucumber called Gunnar.
