Let's get acquainted with the cucumber hybrid "Alex f1" and learn how to grow it correctly
Alex f1 is an early maturing Dutch hybrid for indoor and open ground. It has a high yield of marketable products, about 94%. Less than a month after planting, the first fruits appear. Cucumbers are short-fruited, of the same size, and do not outgrow, even if they are not removed from the bush in time. Fruiting lasts until mid-October.
In the article we will talk about the nuances of growing “Dutch” in the climatic conditions of our country, methods of combating downy mildew and insect pests.
Description of the hybrid
Cucumber Alex f1 is a product of selection by the Dutch company Bejo Zaden. The culture was included in the State Register of Russia in 2007. The hybrid is approved for cultivation in all regions of the country, in open and closed ground.
The crop is characterized by early ripening and long fruiting, until mid-October. The bushes are indeterminate, medium-sized, medium-climbing, with female-type flowers. 4–6 ovaries are formed in the nodes. The fruits ripen together and look like Adam f1 cucumbers from Bejo Zaden.
The photo shows hybrid cucumbers.
Alex's Distinctive Features:
| Indicators | Characteristic |
| Ripening period | 38–42 days |
| Pollination type | Parthenocarpic |
| Weight | 70–90 g |
| Length | 9–11 cm |
| Form | Cylindrical |
| Coloring | Green or dark green with short stripes and slight spotting |
| Leaves | Small green and dark green |
| Pulp | Crispy juicy |
| Taste | Sweetish without bitterness |
| Skin | Dense, finely tuberculate, with dense white pubescence |
| Purpose | Universal |
| Productivity | 2.8–5.7 kg/m², for the first 10 days of collection - 1.6 kg/m² |
| Sustainability | To cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew and olive spot |
| Transportability | High |
Composition, calorie content and benefits
Nutritional value of cucumbers (per 100 g):
- calorie content - 14 kcal;
- proteins - 0.8 g;
- fats - 0.1 g;
- carbohydrates - 2.5 g;
- water - 95 g;
- fiber - 1 g.
Table of vitamin and mineral composition:
| Name | Content | Norm |
| Vitamin A | 10 mcg | 900 mcg |
| Beta carotene | 0.06 mg | 5 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.03 mg | 1.5 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.04 mg | 1.8 mg |
| Vitamin B4 | 6 mg | 500 mg |
| Vitamin B5 | 0.27 mg | 5 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 mg | 2 mg |
| Vitamin B9 | 4 mcg | 400 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 10 mg | 90 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.1 mg | 15 mg |
| Vitamin H | 0.9 mcg | 50 mcg |
| Vitamin K | 16.4 mcg | 120 mcg |
| Vitamin PP | 0.3 mg | 20 mg |
| Potassium | 141 mg | 2500 mg |
| Calcium | 23 mg | 1000 mg |
| Silicon | 53 mg | 30 mg |
| Magnesium | 14 mg | 400 mg |
| Sodium | 8 mg | 1300 mg |
| Sulfur | 6.5 mg | 1000 mg |
| Phosphorus | 42 mg | 800 mg |
| Chlorine | 25 mg | 2300 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 18 mg |
| Iodine | 3 mcg | 150 mcg |
| Cobalt | 1 mcg | 10 mcg |
| Manganese | 0.18 mg | 2 mg |
| Copper | 100 mcg | 1000 mcg |
| Molybdenum | 1 mcg | 70 mcg |
| Selenium | 0.3 mcg | 55 mcg |
| Fluorine | 17 mcg | 4000 mcg |
| Chromium | 6 mcg | 50 mcg |
| Zinc | 0.215 mg | 12 mg |
Benefits for the body:
- restoration of water balance;
- acceleration of metabolism;
- cleansing blood vessels;
- normalization of pressure;
- reducing the level of “bad” cholesterol;
- whitening and moisturizing the skin;
- regulation of the pancreas.
Agricultural technology
The crop is grown mainly through direct sowing into the ground.. Some farmers still use seedlings and then plant them in a permanent place. The agricultural technology of the crop is standard. To receive consistently high yield and to minimize infection of plantings by fungi and bacteria, frequent loosening, weeding, moderate watering and fertilizing with organic matter and minerals are carried out.
Direct sowing
Cucumbers love fertile loamy and breathable soil. By observing crop rotation and saturating the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and humates, high productivity can be achieved. It is much easier to maintain soil fertility in outdoor areas than in a greenhouse.
In protected ground, crops are swapped: the land is quickly depleted, pathogenic flora accumulates in it, which cannot always be destroyed when treated with pesticides. Changing the top layer of soil and replacing it with a new one corrects the situation, but this method is labor-intensive and expensive.
Quickly restore soil fertility in a greenhouse oats, white mustard, oilseed radish and legumes. Green manure increases the level of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, inhibits the development of fungi and bacteria. In closed ground, plants are sown in autumn. Within a month they quickly gain green mass. They are mowed and embedded in the ground. Microbiological preparations “Vostok-EM” or “Baikal-EM” accelerate decay.
Sowing in the garden green manure (clover, lupine, oats, beans, peas) begin in March–April. Plants make the soil loose and fertile. They often mulch beds.
The early ripening period of the Alex f1 hybrid allows you to sow plants in the ground. This is done in May–June, depending on the region of growth. The minimum ground temperature is +16 °C, air temperature is +20 °C.
Important! The seeds are pre-processed in production, so they do not require additional manipulations.
The soil on the site is loosened and fertilized with chicken droppings (10 l/m²). The beds are formed with a bayonet shovel and leveled with a rake. Sowing depth corresponds to half a spade bayonet. The recesses are poured with a hot dark solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with wood ash. Seeds are planted at a distance of 20–25 cm and sprinkled with damp peat.
The beds are covered with agrofibre to protect against frost, maintaining optimal humidity. After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed and the seedlings are thinned out. Weak sprouts are pinched at ground level, strong ones are left.
Growing seedlings
Cucumber seedlings begin to be grown 3–4 weeks before proposed pick to a permanent place.
The soil mixture is prepared from 2 parts humus and pus, 1 part river sand or sawdust. The components are mixed in a large bucket and filled with Fitosporin-M solution or potassium permanganate. Peat containers with a volume of 500 ml are filled with a damp substrate, 2 seeds are planted to a depth of 1-2 cm. A film is pulled over the top, and the containers are placed in a warm place.
After the sprouts appear, the film is removed and the seedlings are placed on a lighted windowsill. If necessary, seedlings are illuminated with fluorescent lamps.
The culture is inspected as it grows: weak shoots are pinched (cut with scissors), but not pulled out, so as not to damage the root system. Water with plenty of clean water at room temperature. Frequency: 1 time per week.
The seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the stage of 4 true leaves, after the soil has been warmed to at least +16 °C and the air to +20 °C. Planting pattern: 20x60 cm, 4-5 bushes per 1 m². The roots are earthed up, the soil is lightly compacted and watered abundantly.
Care
Rules for caring for crops:
- Maintaining the air temperature in the greenhouse at +22...+25 °C, humidity - 80–85%.
- Watering plants with warm water at the roots in the morning and evening or organizing drip irrigation.
- Mulching the soil with hay, straw, sawdust.
- Regular loosening and weeding of beds.
- Shaping the bushes, according to the rules for parthenocarpics, and tying them to the trellis.
- Fertilizing with organic matter and minerals 4-5 times per season. Particular attention is paid to the fruiting period.
- Timely harvesting to maintain productivity.
Hybrid feeding scheme:
| Stage of development | Fertilizer |
| Before flowering | Dissolve 100 g of pressed yeast in 10 liters of water and leave in a warm place. After 3 days, stir and pour over the cucumbers. Consumption – 500 ml per 1 bush. |
| During the flowering period | 15 g of ammonium nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. Consumption - 10 l per 1 m². |
| 5 tsp. boric acid, potassium permanganate on the tip of a knife per 5 liters of water. Spray the bushes in the evening. | |
| During the fruiting period | Infusion of nettle or tomato tops (1:15). Water at the root. Consumption - 5 l/m². |
| 50 g of urea per 10 liters of water. Treat bushes in the evening. | |
| 200 g of wood ash per 10 liters of water. Consumption - 10 l/m². |
Reference! Cucumbers are fed with root fertilizers in dry, sunny weather, and with foliar fertilizers in cloudy weather.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
To support plant productivity, they are shaped by regulating the growth of leaves and vines. Parthenocarpics are prone to rapid growth of green mass: if you do not pinch the vines, the yield will be lower, all their energy will be spent on the formation of foliage and shoots, not fruits.
Forming rules:
- blind (remove shoots and flowers) in the axils of the first 5 leaves;
- leave 6 side shoots 20–25 cm long;
- pinch several shoots above, leaving 35–40 cm;
- secure the main stem to the trellis by pinching the top, or wrap it around the crossbar several times.
Diseases and pests
Hybrid Alex is resistant to virus cucumber mosaic, powdery mildew and olive spot, tolerant to downy mildew (peronospora).
Signs of the disease:
- brownish-yellow small spots on the leaves;
- gray-violet coating on the back side;
- yellowing of green mass, general wilting of the plant.
Due to the early ripening period of the crop, the fight against the fungus is complicated. Fungicides should not be used during this period. Prevention is a reliable way to preserve the harvest. To achieve this, the following measures are taken:
- soil disinfection with copper sulfate (50 g of powder per 10 liters of water) or “Fitosporin”;
- loosening and weeding of beds;
- removal of infected plants;
- compliance with crop rotation;
- spraying plantings with fermented milk products with iodine (10 drops per 1 liter);
- feeding with vitamin complexes: “Energen Extra”, “Novosil”.
Preventive treatment is carried out from the moment flowers appear until the end of the growing season.. Fermented milk products (kefir, whey, yogurt) are used once every 10 days so as not to acidify the soil.
Cucumbers are often affected by melon aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and slugs. To combat insects, folk remedies are used:
| Pest | Signs | Treatment |
| Spider mite | Small white dots on the backs of leaves, thin cobwebs on the bushes. | 300 g of horse sorrel per 10 liters of water, leave for 4 hours and treat the bushes. Spray the plantings once every 10 days. |
| Aphid | Drooping leaves, drops of honeydew, a large concentration of ants. | Grind 1 kg of aloe vera and add 10 liters of water, add 50 g of laundry soap shavings. Spray the plantings once a week. |
| Whitefly | Sticky coating on stems and leaves, many white larvae in the early stage, white moths in the late stage. | 30 g pepper, 200 g tobacco shag per 10 liters of water. After a day, strain and add 25 g of liquid soap, 120 g of ash. Consumption per 1 m² - 3 liters of infusion. |
| Slugs | Shiny mucus on the leaves, holes in the cucumbers. | A solution of ammonia (4 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) for spraying bushes. Manual collection of pests at night. |
Harvesting and application
The fruits are harvested approximately 40 days after full germination.. Cucumbers are removed every 2 days. The fruits do not overgrow or barrel, but their regular collection supports further fruiting.
Like all parthenocarpics, Alex hybrid cucumbers are not bitter, have dense crispy flesh without voids. Ideal for fresh consumption and canning.
When assembled, they can be stored for about 3 weeks in a cool place., do not turn yellow, tolerate transportation well.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of a hybrid:
- early ripeness;
- short fruitfulness;
- lack of bitterness in taste;
- keeping quality;
- long fruiting;
- versatility in cooking;
- possibility of growing everywhere;
- plants do not require additional pollination by bees.
Flaw — the need to shape bushes by blinding.
Reviews
Hybrid Alex received high praise from gardeners for excellent taste of vegetables, ease of care and long-lasting fruiting.
Ivan, Vyksa: “I’ve been growing the Alex hybrid for a long time. The result is always pleasing. Maintenance of the crop is minimal. I installed drip irrigation in the greenhouse, combining moisture with liquid mineral fertilizers. I form the bushes into 1 stem. The cucumbers have never gotten sick.".
Irina, Balakhna: “Last season Alex discovered cucumbers.I grow vegetables for myself in a summer cottage greenhouse. I planted it through seedlings: it’s more reliable. I did not process the seeds. I planted them at the end of May and picked the first cucumbers at the end of June. I liked the taste, sweetish and without bitterness. Inside is full of small seeds, the skin is covered with prickly pimples.".
Conclusion
Hybrid cucumbers Alex are adapted for cultivation throughout Russia. The crop is not demanding on soil composition and can withstand heat and cold. Fruiting lasts until the first frost. Cucumbers do not overgrow, do not barrel, and are suitable for fresh consumption and making winter snacks.
Plants are protected from cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew and olive spot at the genetic level, but are susceptible to infection by downy mildew if agricultural practices are not followed. Preventive measures (weeding, loosening, soil disinfection, crop rotation, mineral fertilization) prevent infection and preserve the harvest.