Cucumber True Friends F1 is a hybrid variety bred by the breeders of the Manul company - O. N. Krylov and A. V. Borisov. It is recommended for cultivation throughout Russia, both in summer cottages and garden plots, and on farms, for mass production of cucumbers.
Features of the hybrid
True friends F1 is an early ripening bee-pollinated hybrid of the female flowering type. It begins to bear fruit early: 38–40 days from germination.
Description of the plant:
- medium-sized, climbing, weakly branched;
- leaves are medium-sized, slightly wrinkled, deep green;
- formation of bunch-type ovaries, from 4 to 10 ovaries are formed in leaf nodes;
- yield - 3–3.5 kg per 1 sq. m;
- the hybrid is not afraid of low temperatures and bears fruit abundantly in any climatic conditions;
- has increased immunity to powdery mildew, cladosporiosis and cucumber mosaic virus.
Due to the weak branching and small size of the leaves, caring for cucumbers is greatly simplified.
Fruit characteristics:
- greens are oblong, cylindrical in shape, thickened at the base;
- the size of the cucumbers is approximately the same: length 8–10 cm, diameter 3.5–4 cm;
- the weight of each cucumber is from 80 to 100 grams;
- the skin is dense, lumpy, black-thorned with slight pubescence;
- The color of cucumbers is light green with short white veins, the top is lighter;
- The pulp is juicy, without bitterness, with a pronounced cucumber aroma.
Cucumbers of the True Friends F1 variety are universal in use. They can be eaten fresh directly from the garden, used for salads and prepared for the winter.
Growing and care
The children's song says: “It’s no secret that friends don’t grow in the garden,” but true friends grow great in the garden. And you can grow cucumbers of this variety, either in a greenhouse, in a tunnel-type film shelter, or in open ground.
- Sowing seeds or planting seedlings in unheated greenhouses and greenhouses is carried out from May 15 to May 20; in open ground - in the first ten days of June, when the soil warms up to +18–20 degrees.
- It is recommended to sow seeds that have been previously soaked in warm water for 12 hours. Immediately before sowing or planting seedlings, mineral or organic fertilizers should be added to each hole. To do this, you can use peat, compost or manure humus.
- The compactness of True Friends allows you to increase planting density: in greenhouses there are 3 bushes per 1 sq. m. m, in open ground - 4–5 bushes per 1 sq. m The distance between the grooves should be 50–60 cm.
- Planting is done to a depth of 1–2 cm and mulched with peat.
- Due to the fact that the cucumber is not self-pollinating, overseeding with 10–15% of the pollinator is necessary.
- True friends are an unpretentious cucumber and do not require special care. It is necessary to weed, hill and loosen the soil in a timely manner.
- Even before germination, cucumbers must be regularly watered with settled, warm water. Watering is usually carried out twice a day: early in the morning and at sunset. Watering during the day is strictly prohibited, as the leaves can burn in the sun.
- You can fertilize cucumbers in different ways: at the root, using the leaf method, or a combination. It is possible to use mineral mixtures and organic fertilizers as top dressing. It is very effective to use wood ash; it can be used every week from any stage of development until the end of fruiting.
Having studied the description of the hybrid and reviews about it, we can conclude that True Friends are a godsend for a novice gardener. This cucumber is easy to care for, unpretentious to weather conditions and resistant to diseases, and you will also be pleased with the harvest.
Reviews of the hybrid True Friends
Liliya Galieva, Rostov:
“True Friends is indeed an ultra-early variety. The cucumbers grow together and the taste is great.”
Lyudmila Yakovleva, Krasnodar region:
“True friends and buddies always delight us with the harvest; their cucumbers are on the table all season long. And enough for salting. The main thing is to have time to collect. There were never any bitter ones.”
Antonina Soikina, Samara:
“Every year I experiment with new varieties of cucumbers, but I always grow True Friends.This is a tried and true variety. The only drawback is that the bushes begin to age early, so they have to be constantly rejuvenated. But the cucumbers are all even, tasty and crispy.”