Numerous reviews say that Lukhovitsky cucumbers are very popular among gardeners due to their excellent taste, presentable appearance and versatility. Although it is known that they require special conditions, you can plant them on your site.
Description of the variety
Lukhovitsky is not one variety, but a common name for several. They are united by special growing conditions required to obtain a high-quality harvest. This type includes all varieties of cucumbers grown in Lukhovitsy using a special technology, which contributes to the production of hard, crunchy fruits.
This type of cucumber was created in the USSR, then the following varieties were especially popular: Graceful and Libelle. Today, vegetable growers plant many Dutch and Russian varieties. But when choosing, take into account frost resistance and the ability to resist various diseases and pests.
The name comes from the area of Lukhovitsa, located on the banks of the Oka River, where climatic conditions are different, positively affecting the properties and cultivation of vegetables. Lukhovitsky cucumbers are small in size, highly dense, the skin is covered with pimples, and a characteristic feature is a crunch when biting.
Popular varieties
In the last century, there were many varieties of Lukhovitsky cucumbers, but today there are noticeably fewer of them. The most popular varieties among summer residents in our time:
- Vyaznikovsky is a variety of cucumbers characterized by short-climbing, the length of the fruits does not exceed 11 cm, and their weight is approximately 130 g. The shape of the fruit is elongated, the skin is lumpy, and there is no bitterness in the taste. The yield is up to 3.5 kg per square meter of area. It tolerates temperature fluctuations, various pests and diseases well.
- Mirinda - characterized by mid-early ripening, the plant produces cylindrical fruits with a rough surface. The taste is without bitterness, the average length is 12 cm, and the weight is 110 g. Cucumbers can resist cladosporiosis, and produce from 6 kg of yield per 1 m of soil.
- Muromsky - cucumbers grow up to 14 cm, reaching a weight of 140 g, the shape is elongated-ovoid, the skin is tuberous. They tolerate the scourge of powdery mildew and bacteriosis. From one meter of bed you can collect about 3 kg. harvest.
- Graceful - characterized by resistance to olive spotting, in terms of ripening - mid-season.The cucumbers are elliptical in shape, have tubercles on the skin, grow up to 13 cm, weighing 140 grams. Quite a high-yielding variety - 5–7 kg per 1 m.
The variety Lukhovitsky f1 is especially famous; it is considered medium-climbing; up to 4 ovaries are formed on the bush. They ripen in a short time, the purpose of the fruit is universal. Cucumbers are oval shaped and dark green in color with lighter stripes. The skin has small tubercles, and the weight of one fruit reaches 110 grams.
If the growing rules are followed, the above varieties are ready for greenhouse cultivation or planting in open ground.
Advantages and disadvantages of Lukhovitsky cucumbers
Cucumbers grown using the Lukhovitsk technology have special characteristics of the variety description, among which both pros and cons can be identified. The advantages of this type include the following qualities:
- correct shape and small size;
- approximately the same dimensions;
- ability to grow in open ground and in greenhouse conditions;
- high productivity;
- lack of bitterness in taste;
- early ripeness;
- juicy pulp with a pleasant crunch;
- absence of voids inside the vegetable;
- grown cucumbers can be stored for a long time;
- resistance to cold and disease;
- ability to withstand transportation.
Quite an impressive characteristic, but the downside to growing Lukhovitsky cucumbers is the need to constantly provide special growing conditions. Therefore, it is better for novice gardeners not to start cultivating them.
Growing
As is already clear, Lukhovitsky are not a separate variety, but represent a group of plants that require a special cultivation technology, but at the same time they are characterized by high yield and early ripening.
There are quite heat-loving varieties produced in India, where it is always sunny and there are no cold snaps. The required temperature for their growth is 15 degrees, so they cannot stand the cold Russian nights. But here experienced vegetable growers figured out how to grow them in our conditions and resorted to tricks. They began to plant plants in beds with manure, a natural source of heat. The preparation of such beds begins in the fall: the biofertilizer is compacted, then sprinkled with a layer of earth, and covered with a film on top so that it does not freeze in the winter and does not lose its qualities. With the onset of heat, this entire mass is loosened and mixed, due to which the soil is enriched with oxygen and warmed up due to the development of microorganisms in it.
In spring, the ridges are prepared as follows:
- Holes are made in the heated ground for the ridges, their depth should be at least 40 cm. A layer of sawdust with the addition of urea, 9 to 13 cm thick, is placed at the bottom of the depression, everything is well leveled. Next comes the turn of warm manure, the calculation is as follows: 1 ton per 3 m of area. Lastly, the soil is laid, 20–25 cm thick. The ridge is covered with a dark film.
- You can create a double shelter for seedlings. This method involves heating the soil with boiling water; planting seedlings is done no earlier than April. It is necessary to create a fence using a frame - wooden or metal and film. The second layer is done the same way. Thanks to this technology, an air layer is created that prevents the cucumbers from freezing.
Creating the most favorable conditions makes it possible to grow cucumbers quickly, efficiently and in large quantities.
Care
The features of care for varieties grown in your garden do not differ from the care provided to other varieties.The only difference is that Lukhovitsky cucumbers do not need watering or loosening the soil at first. But fertilizing with various fertilizers is mandatory. Organic and mineral products are mixed in equal proportions, reducing the concentration by half.
The first requirement for varieties of this type that you need to pay attention to is the creation of conditions with high humidity and sufficient temperature. Cucumbers need protection from frost and nighttime temperature fluctuations. They need to be watered with warm, settled water. It is also necessary to weed and loosen the ridge.
Harvesting
With the onset of warm early spring, cucumbers in the greenhouse produce the first batch of crops already in May. In open ground, the fruits will ripen no earlier than 1–1.5 months from the moment of planting. If you follow all the rules for growing Lukhovitsky cucumbers, the harvest will be of high quality and abundant, but do not expect more than what is indicated in the characteristics of a particular variety.
