Chinese cucumber varieties

Chinese cucumber varieties began to be grown by summer residents in greenhouses not so long ago. Although this vegetable practically does not differ in appearance and taste from the classic cucumber crops we are used to, not every gardener is willing to experiment with such a variety.

Chinese cucumber varieties

Characteristics of Chinese cucumbers

Regardless of their particular variety, all varieties of cucumbers from China have a similar characteristic:

• these are elongated vegetables with an average size of 35 to 80 cm are long,
• in taste it is slightly sweeter than the classic types of cucumber culture and emits a fresher smell, somewhat reminiscent of watermelon and melon,
• peel of a cucumber, as opposed to t familiar to us, it’s never bitter,
• the inner cucumber flesh of Chinese varieties is relatively dense, without emptiness,
• cucumber seeds are located in the center.

The vast majority of Chinese cucumber varieties have female flowers collected in bunches.

Cultivation Feature

The technology for growing Chinese cucumbers at the base is not much different from cultivating classic cucumbers vegetable crops. When cultivating this variety, gardeners note as an additional bonus the ability to plant them more densely than can be allowed when planting ordinary cucumber species. This is due to the fact that for a cucumber from China, which grows mainly with the formation of one stem up to 3 m in height, the side shoots are almost absent.The formed ones are rather short.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

Chinese cucumber has several advantages over the classic cucumber varieties.

1. High yields. Even in the event of a poor harvest, up to 30 kg of vegetables can be collected from one bush from a single bush. The best indicators of Chinese cucumbers show when grown in greenhouse conditions, but many gardeners have adapted to grow vegetables in open soil. Good stability of vegetables allows this to be done not only in the southern regions, but also in the north.
2. Early maturity. The period from the beginning of seedlings to the time the first crop is harvested often covers just over 35-45 days.
3. Compactness when grown. It is enough to plant 3-4 bushes in the garden to get a decent harvest for the whole family.
4. The resistance of the varieties to most diseases characteristic of cucumber culture, self-pollination of plants, shade tolerance and attractive presentation also serve as a good help in cultivation.

Disadvantages

When cultivating cucumbers bred in China, gardeners noted several disadvantages.

• The most significant drawback of summer residents consider poor keeping quality of vegetables. This feature of a cucumber requires the use of a plucked vegetable immediately, otherwise it becomes soft, dried and dehydrated.
• Another disadvantage of Chinese vegetables is their suitability solely for the preparation of salads. For pickling and canned preparations, they are not suitable.
• Many of the shortcomings note the poor germination of seed material.
• For some gardeners, the obligatory vertical garter of cucumber bushes is also a drawback. Without this technique, when grown, vegetables grow hook-shaped.

Chinese miracle

Type of cucumbers The Chinese miracle is considered to be late, ripening in 2-2.5 months after the appearance of primary shoots, its description includes a set of characteristics inherent in most varieties from China:

• cucumber 0.4-0.55 m long, slightly curved cylindrical, surface covered with small tubercles,
• it tastes sweet, without a taste of bitterness.

Cucumbers withstand transportation and bear fruit, are quite fruitful , with almost no barrenness, show good resistance to disease.

Cultivation subtleties

This the variety easily withstands the coolness

When growing the Chinese miracle, a number of features should be taken into account:

• the seedlings are grown, the time suitable for planting seed is March-April,
• the depth of planting seeds should be no more than 3-4 cm, the planting pattern – every 15-40 cm,
• the transplantation of cucumber seedlings into the soil is carried out in the second half of May-June.

unpretentious Chinese miracle n care It requires a lot of light and can handle cold weather easily. Long shoots require garter bushes, which ensures the proper development of the plant, and in the future also facilitates harvesting.

White delicacy

Chinese breeders brought Chinese cucumber with atypical almost white coloring with the name White delicacy. In the description of vegetables, only occasionally mention a slightly pronounced greenish tint.The White Delicacy characteristic includes a number of characteristics:

• mid-ripening variety, ripening 45-50 days from the time of initial germination to the date of technical maturity of vegetables,
• White delicacy is equally well grown in greenhouses conditions and in open soil,
• vegetables are uncharacteristic for Chinese varieties of length – only 12-15 cm, conical in shape, with small tubercles on the surface,
• yield indicators are about 4 kg per cucumber bush.

Subtleties of cultivation

White d likates, like most Chinese varieties are grown seedling method. Sowing of seed material occurs in March, diving occurs after the appearance of 1-2 leaves on the shoots, which are planted in the ground a month after emergence.

The planting density of the White Delicacy is no more than 3 cucumber bushes per square meter sown area.

Careless White delicacy withstands weather changes and temperature changes. Among the basic rules for caring for it is regular watering and top dressing with mineral compounds.

It can be grown without tying, but for a more aesthetic appearance it is more advisable to tie the plant to supports.

Chinese snake

Cucumber variety The Chinese snake was bred for breeding in a greenhouse.Its branched bushes are distinguished by intensive development and duration of fruiting. Chinese snake cucumbers grow up to half a meter in length and bend when growing into a light arc. The skin color is dark green, the surface is covered with a pattern of rare tubercles. Inside the vegetables, the seeds are collected in a small chamber, barely visible.

No different from any other Chinese variety, the Chinese dragon is not bitter and has a sweet taste.

Subtleties of cultivation

The planting of seeds of the Chinese snake is planned a month before the expected date of planting in the soil. A vegetable crop is planted in the greenhouse at the end of May. Seed is sown to a depth of 2 cm. Among the rules for the care of the variety is the mandatory dive seedlings. The Chinese snake is more demanding in care than other varieties and immediately responds to changes in the irrigation regime.

The plant shows high yields only on fertile soils with good air permeability, therefore, sawdust and foliage are often mixed into the soil .

Emerald stream

Chinese hybrid Emerald stream refers to mid-season cucumber culture, ripening from the moment of the first germination in 45 days. This is a parthenocarpic Chinese cucumber, whose vigorous bushes are weakly woven. Description of the Emerald Stream distinguishes it from other Chinese cucumbers.It:

• long-fruited, up to 0.5 m in size,
• parthenocarpic delicious fruits gain weight up to 0.2 kg each,
• the shape of the vegetables is cylindrical, the color is dark green, closer to the emerald,
• the surface is covered with large tubercles.

Due to the weight of the vegetables, the productivity of the Emerald flow is on average 15-18 kg per 1 sq. m of cultivated area.

Cultivation subtleties

The fruit can reach 50 cm in length

Sowing of seed material starts no earlier than mid-April, and spacious containers are required for vigorous cultivars. Transplanted seedlings in a greenhouse with established warm weather. A long-bearing fruit variety often has to be covered so that the first cold weather does not harm the plant.

When growing the Emerald Stream, they use tying, for which trellis and wire are used.

Heat-resistant grade

A heat-resistant hybrid from China, unlike most, is not self-pollinated, requiring bee pollination. This early-ripening variety ripens in 2.5-3 months. The plant is formed by one stem with branched bushes.

Chinese cucumbers have a standard cylindrical shape, they are up to 0.3-0.5 m in length, their color is green, the skin surface with small tubercles.The heat-resistant variety is distinguished by resistance to elevated temperatures, withstanding 35 ° C.

Subtleties of cultivation

Seed is planted in the period from April to May. This variety can be grown not only seedlings, but also by seed. However, when sowing seeds, you should adhere to the temperature of soil soil at 20 ° C-25 ° C. Otherwise, the seeds of the heat-resistant type of cucumbers will not germinate.

You can grow heat-resistant cucumbers both in the greenhouse and in the open ground.

Reviews of gardeners cultivating the heat-resistant variety are advised plant it on a separate bed, away from other cucumbers in order to avoid mutations in vegetable crops, leading to a decrease in yield. Caring for a vegetable crop is simplified by the small number of stepchildren formed in the plant, but involves frequent watering. A prerequisite is the creation of a strong support that would support the weight of the tied bushes with vegetables.

Alligator

Pollinated by bees and moths the early ripe hybrid Alligator begins to give the first vegetables after 46-48 days after emergence. Vegetables have a typical cylindrical appearance, have a length of 0.35-0.4 m, bright green color, with tubercles. The high-yielding Alligator shows a fairly high yield – up to 16-18 kg per 1 sq. Km. m of sown area.

Subtleties of cultivation

This fruit-bearing variety until mid-October is grown on any soil by the seedling method. Seed is planted in the first half of April. A month after the moment of planting the seeds, the seedlings are transplanted. It is better to plan the time for growing seedlings so that the bushes are transplanted into the ground at the end of May-June.

If desired, get From the Alligator, early seedlings are transplanted, after warming the soil, do this 10 days before transplantation by covering the ground with a black film. Only after warming up the soil seedlings are planted.

Other varieties

Among the less well-known varieties, there are specific features that stand out from the total mass.

Emperor

Bred in the homeland of Bruce Lee, Emperor-f1 is a hybrid with early ripening, which differs from other varieties in the large mass of fruits reaching a weight of 0.35-0.4 kg. In diameter, vegetables grow 5-5.5 cm.It can be grown in greenhouses and in an open area. You can get the first crop from the Emperor f1 variety 45 days after the first seedlings.

Gin

Chinese Gin is in demand among a number of gardeners, as it is characterized by resistance to fungi. In length, dense vegetables of the f1 hybrid grow to 0.3-0.4 m and are suitable for fresh salads and canning. It can be grown by seedling and sowing seeds.

Momordika

A vegetable crop with the strange name Momordika, or Indian cucumber, is actually an exotic creeper from the pumpkin family, which some exotic lovers began to grow in their greenhouses. Its fruits are yellow in appearance, similar to a spindle about 20 cm long; their pimpled surface resembles the skin of a crocodile. The taste is similar to a bitter gourd.

Cold-resistant

The Hybrid Cold-resistant F1, developed by domestic plant breeders of the Zedek company specifically for Russian climatic conditions, is medium-ripening and gives a harvest in 50- 55 days. The curved-shaped fruits with large tubercles grow to a length of 0.3-0.5 m, have a short neck and a bright green skin color.