One of the new products in the gardens of our compatriots is the cucumber Grandma's secret f1. It appeals primarily to greenhouse owners. In addition, cucumbers of this variety can be grown on the balcony or windowsill of your home. Northern climate conditions suit it. But you need to know certain features inherent in these cucumbers.
Description of the variety
Cucumbers of the Babushkin Secret variety are early parthenocarpic hybrids. Already 50 days after germination, you can enjoy the first harvest. Reviews from summer residents indicate that under ideal conditions, the fruits began to ripen within 40 days. For lovers of early harvests, this is a real find.The bush of Grandmother's Secret is medium in size; long-term fruiting is ensured by indeterminateness.
Cucumbers are a type of bunch varieties. This means that they bloom in bouquets, and several fruits are formed in the axils. The fruits reach sizes of 10–12 centimeters, and the weight of each of them is 90–100 grams. For canning, the crop is harvested at the pickle stage. The size of cucumbers at this time is only 4–5 centimeters.
Zelentsy at Grandmother's Secret are distinguished by their bright green color and large tubercles on the surface, strewn with white spines. The pulp lacks bitterness and is sweaty.
Cucumber Grandma's secret f1 is intended for cultivation in open ground. Only due to the fact that they do not require the participation of insects for pollination, the variety has gained great popularity among greenhouse owners. It should be noted that in the latter case, these cucumbers became indispensable.
Main advantages and disadvantages
The Babushkin Secret variety has significantly more advantages than disadvantages. That is why most gardeners already grow it on their plots. The positive qualities of cucumbers include:
- high yield (in greenhouses the figures reach 15–16 kg, and in open ground - 6–8 kg);
- has no barren flowers;
- excellent taste;
- universal application;
- increased resistance to diseases;
- suitability for long-distance transportation.
But Grandmother's Secret also has certain disadvantages. If flower stalks are pollinated by bees and deformation of the fruit occurs, then unwanted cucumber bitterness may appear. Also, gardeners will not be able to independently collect seeds and prepare seed material for the next season.Even if female peduncles pollinated by bees produce fruits with seeds, it will not be possible to obtain plants with the same characteristics as the mother plant. This is the disadvantage of all hybrid varieties.
Features of cultivation
Cucumbers of the Babushkin Secret variety are undemanding in care and growing conditions. However, the soil must be selected with a high content of turf and humus. You should not plant plants in the same bed where cucumbers were already grown last season. For good development of bushes, it is required that the air temperature does not drop below +15 ⁰C.
You can grow Grandma's Secret either by seedlings or by direct sowing in the ground. The seeds have good germination. The sowing depth is 1.5–2 centimeters. The soil should be loose, well permeable to air and moisture. It is advisable to prepare seedlings for growing in greenhouses. It is planted in a permanent place of growth when 4 true leaves are formed.
Seedlings are sown in heated greenhouses in February. Grandmother's secret is planted at the rate of 3-4 plants per square meter. 120 centimeters are left between rows. If you do not plan to leave side shoots, then the plantings can be made more dense.
Features of care
Grandma's Secret cucumbers need regular watering. For this purpose, it is good to resort to the use of drip irrigation systems. Their advantage is that moisture goes directly to the roots and does not harm the leaves. The threat of water stagnation is also eliminated, which is important with the greenhouse growing method.
To prevent diseases and improve air circulation, the beds where Grandma's Secret cucumbers grow are regularly weeded and weeded.To obtain high yields, plants require timely staking and pinching of side shoots. This variety is grown mainly by trellis method. When tying the stems, you need to pay attention so that the twine does not overtighten the stem. Otherwise, the plant may die.
Timely harvesting of Grandmother's secret provokes the formation of new ovaries. This hybrid can form from 2 to 6 of them in each sinus. The variety is characterized by rapid fruit production and very early ripening. This advantage is used by gardeners in those regions that have short summers.
Grandmother's secret is in great demand, which is why cases of sales of counterfeit seeds of this variety have become more frequent. If you plan to grow a high-quality crop with the expected characteristics, then you should purchase planting material in branded stores that have a good reputation.
