If you prefer to pickle cucumbers for the winter in small jars, then the Malysh cucumber is an ideal option for this purpose. This species belongs to the so-called bush plants with gherkin-type fruits.
Wonderful little one
The length of the cucumber stems does not exceed half a meter, the fruits - no more than 10 centimeters. Caring for the crop is very simple, and the ripening time is the shortest. The variety belongs to the category of “young and early”, quickly ripening. The fruits are ready to be picked from the bush a month to a month and a half after the first shoots appear. The cucumber itself has a dark green color and lumpy skin.
The plant has strong immunity.Cucumber successfully resists various diseases - from downy mildew to cucumber mosaic. Cucumber yield is average; up to two kilos of fruit are usually harvested from a bush. The weight of one of them reaches 80–100 grams.
The Malysh variety was bred by breeders from Volgograd.
Advantages and disadvantages
This cucumber has the following positive qualities:
- excellent germination and early ripening;
- excellent taste, not bitter;
- universal (for salads, for pickling);
- retains its normal appearance after transportation;
- a large number of bushes can fit in a small area;
- the shortened length of the stems does not interfere with movement between rows and, thus, does not damage the plants;
- long shelf life;
- resistance to pests and diseases.
The characteristics of the cucumber would be incomplete without mentioning its shortcomings. These include intensive fruiting (although what’s wrong with that!). It’s just that the fruits should be picked every day in this mode, preventing them from overripening. In addition, the crop must be watered abundantly.
Cucumber variety Malysh is grown in open ground.
Soil requirements
The area for the beds is dug up along with the addition of manure (about a bucket per square meter). It would be useful to add a mixture of potassium salt (25 grams) and superphosphate (40 grams), as well as a small amount of ammonium nitrate, to the soil.
It is best to choose sandy or loamy soils for the beds. You need to wait until the air temperature exceeds +15 degrees during the day, and at night, in order to avoid various misunderstandings in the form of frost, cover the beds with special fiber or film.
Variety care practice
For the normal growth of a garden crop, it requires timely types of soil cultivation in the form of weeding and loosening, and the Malysh cucumber is no exception. Removing weeds will help speed up the growth of the planting, and aeration strengthens the plant's immune system.
Typically, gardeners water the Baby with a weak pressure of water from a hose, but to avoid exposing the roots, it is better to use the so-called sprinkling and drip irrigation.
Water procedures for cucumbers are carried out once a day, and if there is little rainfall or the plant is being cared for in a greenhouse, the frequency of watering is increased to twice a day.
The description of the Malysh variety should be supplemented with information about bait. It is produced throughout the entire ripening period. The first cycle must be carried out during the flowering of cucumbers, and then every 7–10 days. The cucumber is fed with a solution prepared according to the following recipe:
- 10 liters of water;
- a pinch of urea, potassium sulfate and superphosphate;
- 150–200 grams of semi-liquid cow dung.
Ready-made mixtures are suitable:
- "Fertility";
- "Spring";
- "Ideal".
Disease prevention and control
Cucumbers often suffer from fungal infections. Both the seeds and the soil itself can be contaminated. In this case, it is recommended to soak the seed in a solution of potassium permanganate for a while as a preventive measure. You can water the cultivated beds with it or with a saline solution (a glass in a bucket of water).
The most dangerous diseases for our Baby are:
- gray or white rot;
- cucumber mosaic;
- olive spot.
To protect your cucumber harvest from this scourge, you need to properly care for the crop and recognize signs of disease in time.It is necessary to strengthen the immunity of cucumbers by fertilizing in the form of adding mineral fertilizers and organic matter to the soil.
Harvest and storage
A month to a month and a half after the first shoots appear in the beds, the time comes to harvest cucumbers. Usually this is mid-July. It is during this period that gardeners should check the beds daily to identify ripe cucumbers. Intensive fruiting lasts approximately two weeks. The collected vegetables are stored for about ten days in a cool place so that they do not lose their properties and presentable appearance.
When removing a cucumber from a bush, it is important to tear it off with a small tail, and not to turn the stems over or swing them in different directions, so as not to damage the remaining fruits.
These simple rules will help you get good harvests of Malysh cucumbers in the future. Moreover, this crop is adapted for cultivation in areas with different climatic conditions.
Reviews about the Malysh cucumber are the most favorable. Most gardeners, after the first trials of planting this variety, subsequently have a strong desire to contact it again, since a small vegetable gives everyone great joy.
