Cucumber Parker f1 is intended for both open and closed cultivation. It is also successfully grown under film. It is resistant to high summer temperatures. It was included in the State Register of Varieties of the Russian Federation for cultivation in the southern part of the country, but the area of cultivation of this hybrid extends beyond its borders. It is also successfully used in Ukraine and Moldova.
Description of the variety
This is an early variety of the plant. It has a predominantly female type of flowering. Pollinated by bees.The plant is distinguished by a powerful stem, on which large quantities of cucumbers of the same size are formed.
The description of these cucumbers emphasizes that the bushes have medium climbing habit. The leaves are gray-green, with a slightly wrinkled surface. The first ovary appears after 4–5 leaves. Typically, one ovary produces from 1 to 3 cucumbers.
The fruits have a cylindrical shape and a uniform dark green color along the entire length with small white stripes. Cucumbers are covered with large tubercles with white spines. A special feature of these cucumbers is the fact that they do not turn yellow.
This cucumber hybrid is used as a salad variety and can also be preserved. It has high taste qualities.
Growing
Two types of planting Parker cucumbers are used:
- Rassadny.
- Seed (directly into open ground).
The seeds, which are sold in specialized stores, are already treated with the necessary fungicides, so no additional soaking is required.
The time of planting in open beds is determined by measuring the soil temperature. By this time it should warm up to 10–15 degrees. Night temperatures should not be below 8 degrees.
Before planting, furrows are made in the ground, which are filled with rotted manure, sand and mineral fertilizers. Then the bed is thoroughly watered. Only after this preparation are the seeds placed in the furrows and covered with soil on top (a layer of approximately 2–4 cm). Then they mulch and cover the bed with film.
The distance between the bushes and the rows of planted cucumbers is approximately 50 cm.
If there is a greenhouse, the seeds are sown in them in early May, and the best period for planting seedlings is mid-May. Seedlings ready for planting should have 3–5 true leaves.
Planting seeds to obtain seedlings is carried out in March, so that by the time they are planted in the ground, the age of the seedlings is about 1–1.5 months.
Preparing seeds for planting
Hybrid seeds cannot be collected from your own harvest, as they lose their maternal properties. They must be purchased in specialized stores. Cucumber seeds remain viable for about 7 years.
Preparations should begin approximately 1 month before planting. During this time they are heated and hardened. To determine the suitability of seeds for sowing, they are placed in a saline solution (1 tsp per 250 ml of water). Seeds suitable for planting, placed in the solution, sink to the bottom, and empty ones rise to the surface.
Then the seeds are dried, placed in a bag and placed in the refrigerator, and after a while they are removed from the refrigerator and placed in a warm place.
Immediately before planting, the seeds are soaked in warm water and treated with potassium permanganate to prevent diseases. After swelling, the seeds are considered ready for planting.
Construction of beds on film
You can plant cucumbers under the film both in open ground and in a greenhouse. The prepared bed should have a flat surface. In addition, protection from winds should be provided.
The width of such beds should be about 1 meter, and there are no restrictions on the length. Manure and last year's straw are poured on top of the beds. As they rot, heat will be released to warm the soil. This layer is covered with a layer of soil on top.
A week after this preparatory work, the beds are sown with cucumber seeds and then covered with film. If warm days set in, the covers can be removed during the daytime and covered in the evening.
No frame is required to stretch the film. Along the edge of the bed, polyethylene is pressed against the ground with boards or bricks. The covering material can be removed after June 10. Until this point, the bushes are ventilated daily.
Loosening of such planting is not required until the film is removed. The main advantage of this growing method is that the plants are exposed to warmer conditions.
Features of care
To cope with weeds when growing cucumbers on your site, use plastic film. This allows you to collect decent yields of cucumbers, and the growing process is greatly simplified. If cucumbers grow in beds without using a film covering, then a trellis is first stretched onto which the cucumber vine is then tied.
Cucumbers are quite a moisture-loving plant. It requires frequent watering to prevent the soil from drying out. Watering should be done only with warm water, and make sure that moisture does not get on the foliage. In addition to weeding, during the summer it is necessary to carry out 1-2 fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
Advantages and disadvantages
The taste of the hybrid is high. There is no bitterness in the pulp. The dense consistency of the inside of the cucumber, as well as the dense outer skin, allows them to be transported over long distances.
This hybrid has few negative characteristics. The disadvantage is that there is no way to collect seeds from your own crop. And since the variety is pollinated by bees, when planted in greenhouses, difficulties may arise with their pollination.
Pests and diseases
The hybrid has the ability to resist typical diseases of this type of plant: powdery mildew, tobacco mosaic, olive spot.To avoid infection with such viruses, pre-planting seed treatment is carried out.
It is not recommended to plant cucumbers in beds where zucchini or pumpkins previously grew. It is advisable to wait several years, as harmful microorganisms can infect the planted cucumbers.
Harvest and storage
Fruit characteristics:
- The length of greens is 9–12 cm.
- The diameter of the cucumber is up to 3–5 cm.
- The weight of the fruit is approximately 100–110 g.
The time from germination to harvest of the first harvest is approximately 44–46 days. From 1 sq. m. you can collect up to 11 kg of fruit. Harvesting takes place from June to October.
Reviews from gardeners
Dmitry Gor, Ukraine: “Parker grew cucumbers strictly according to the recommendations. I carefully prepared the beds, tied them up and cut off the side shoots. The bushes turned out to be quite strong and viable. The fruits matched the bushes and were just as strong. The taste is excellent, however, I didn’t really like the appearance of them, they turned out too embossed, but they were perfect for preservation.”
Anastasia, Rostov region: “I grew Parker cucumbers in my dacha. I liked the high yield of the hybrid and their resistance to disease, but I was not impressed with their taste. In addition, they have a very thick skin.”
