One of the most popular vegetable crops among gardeners is cucumber. The main requirements for vegetables are high yield, fast ripening time and good consumer properties. Hybrid True Colonel F1 combines all the listed characteristics, which is why many farmers love it.
Characteristics of vegetable crops
A mid-early ripening type of cucumber, a true universal-purpose colonel has been included in the State Register of the Russian Federation since 2004 and is recommended for cultivation in the Central and North-Western regions.
Parthenocarpic or self-pollinating types of vegetables, which include a hybrid, are ideal for growing in greenhouse conditions, but can be planted in open ground, where they will produce the same yield as bee-pollinated types of vegetables. The plant has an indeterminate type of growth: powerful stems with an average level of branching grow without limiting the top. The leaves are green with a smooth edge, medium in size, not too wrinkled. The type of flowers is predominantly female, the ovaries are formed 3-4 in a bunch.
Description of fruits:
- greens are spindle-shaped with weak ribbing, white-thorned with large tubercles;
- delicate skin of bright green color, with short, sometimes barely noticeable white stripes;
- fruits up to 15 cm long, up to 4 cm in diameter and weighing up to 120 g;
- The taste of cucumbers is sweet without bitterness, the greens are juicy and crispy.
Growing and caring for vegetables
The developer of the hybrid variety of cucumbers, the Real Colonel, the Manul company, recommends growing vegetables from seedlings or by directly sowing seeds into the soil.
If you need to harvest as quickly as possible, it is better to use seedlings: plantings obtained using this method begin to bear fruit 2 weeks earlier than plants grown in open ground. This is due to the fact that direct sowing of seeds can only be done when the soil is warmed to 15 - 20 ° C during the day and not lower than 8 ° C at night.
The main recommendations for sowing seeds in the ground, in addition to observing the temperature regime, are as follows:
- the best soils for growing the True Colonel variety are formed after cultivating cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes or peppers;
- the best fertilizer for cucumbers is rotted manure applied to the soil at the rate of 7 kg/1 m2;
- cucumber feels best on prepared soil, loosened and moistened;
- The density of cucumber bushes should be no more than 4 plants per 1 m2 (in greenhouses up to 2.5 bushes are allowed).
Some of the disadvantages of the species that need to be taken into account when growing vegetables are the long germination of seeds and a fairly low germination percentage (about 60%).
After the seeds germinate, the sprouts are covered with film to prevent the young plants from freezing. To improve plant development and facilitate care, it is more convenient to grow the hybrid using a trellis method.
Caring for cucumbers of the Real Colonel variety includes typical activities:
- at the beginning of growth, it is necessary to water the plants with warm water;
- sufficient moisture and loosening of the soil;
- applying nitrogen fertilizers during the growth period, phosphorus fertilizers during flowering, potassium and nitrogen fertilizers to support fruiting;
- preventive spraying of lashes with “Fitosporin”, a solution of ash or a mixture of whey and copper sulfate to protect against plant diseases.
Fruit formation and harvesting
The first harvest begins 40 - 42 days from the appearance of crop inputs. Zelentsy ripen in large quantities, which is of interest to farmers who grow vegetables for sale.
The variety bears fruit until frost, but the fruits do not grow more than 15 cm. The yield of the hybrid is high, with good care it reaches 13 kg per 1 m2. Thanks to its small branching, the hybrid is easy to care for and harvests on time.
Application and reviews of the variety Real Colonel
The universal hybrid is suitable for fresh consumption in salads and for canning. Those who like to enjoy the juicy, sweet pulp of the vegetable can even grow it on a windowsill.
Reviews of Real Colonel cucumbers are often positive.Productivity and disease resistance cover the minor shortcomings of the plant associated with seed germination and the formation of hollow fruits due to improper temperature conditions. The variety's resistance to a number of diseases was noted: cladosporiosis, root rot, cucumber mosaic virus, and its tolerance to powdery mildew.
