Why do many summer residents love the “Amur” cucumber hybrid so much: a review of characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

Planting by seedlings

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out 3-4 weeks before the planting date, following standard technology:

1. Prepare a soil mixture of two parts peat and humus, one part sawdust or river sand. Disinfect in the oven at a temperature of +110 °C or fill with Fitosporin M solution.
2. Pre-etch the seeds in potassium permanganate and germinate on damp cotton cloth. For sowing, use the hatched grains.
3. Fill 0.5 liter peat cups with moist soil and plant two grains to a depth of 1-2 cm. Stretch the film on top and place in a warm place.
4. After the sprouts appear, remove the film and place the containers on the windowsill on the south side.
5. Inspect the seedlings and leave only strong shoots, trim weak ones with scissors at ground level.
6. Water generously with warm, clean water once a week.
7. Plant the seedlings in a permanent place at the stage of 4 true leaves, after warming the soil to at least +17 °C, and the air to +22 °C.
8. Planting pattern: 20x70 cm, 4-5 bushes per 1 m².
9. Hill up the roots, lightly compact the soil and water generously with warm water.

Growing and care

Rules for caring for crops:

1. Maintain the air temperature in the greenhouse at +22…+25 °C
2. Water bushes at the root with warm rain or settled water 3-4 times a week or install a drip irrigation system.
3. Regularly loosen and weed the beds. Remove weeds with their rhizomes.
4. Form the plant according to the rules adopted for parthenocarpics and tie it to a trellis.
5. Feed cucumbers with organic and mineral fertilizers at least 5 times per season.

In the table there is a diagram fertilizing cucumbers

Advice. Alternate root and foliar feeding. Apply the former in sunny and dry weather, the latter in cloudy weather.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

A parthenocarpic hybrid is formed according to the standard scheme, despite the ability of the culture to independently regulate branching:

1. In the first 5-6 leaf axils, all ovaries and shoots are removed.
2. The main stem is led to the trellis, removing the stepsons and leaving only the ovaries.
3. As soon as the stem reaches the crossbar, it is wrapped around it several times and the crown is pinched, or thrown over the bar and the growth point is stopped a meter from the ground.
4. In the early morning, remove the lower yellow and dry leaves.

Diseases and pests

Hybrid Amur is resistant to cucumber mosaic, cladosporiosis, powdery mildew, but tolerant to downy mildew (peronosporosis).

Signs of the disease:

• yellow and brown spots on leaves;
• purple-gray plaque on the back side;
• yellowing of green mass and wilting of bushes.

The fight against fungus is complicated by the early ripeness of the hybrid. The first fruits appear a month after the entrances appear, so fungicide treatment is not carried out.

The best way to preserve the harvest is to prevent the development of fungus and infection of plants:

• in the spring, disinfect the soil with copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water) or “Fitosporin”;
• regularly remove weeds;
• immediately remove the affected bushes with rhizomes and burn them;
• observe crop rotation;
• plant green manure;
• treat the bushes with whey (kefir) with iodine (10 drops per 1 liter);
• feed with vitamin preparations: “Energen Extra”, “Novosil”.

Reference. Preventive treatments are carried out from the beginning of flowering to the end of the season.

Cucumber plantings are most often attacked by melon aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and slugs. Folk remedies are used to control pests.

Harvesting and application

The first cucumbers appear approximately 35 days after full germination. The fruiting of the crop is extended; it produces the bulk of the harvest in the first month of fruiting.

Harvesting is carried out every 3-4 days. The fruits do not overgrow, do not barrel, and no voids form inside. Cucumbers are suitable for fresh consumption and conservation.

The fruits do not turn yellow during long-term storage and tolerate long-distance transportation well. Store for 2-3 weeks in a cool place.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• high productivity;
• early ripeness;
• fruit evenness;
• ease of care;
• long fruiting;
• high level of transportability;
• keeping quality;
• excellent taste without bitterness;
• amicable maturation;
• resistance to major diseases.

Flaws:

• rough skin;
• the need to mold plants and tie them to the trellis.

Reviews

Hybrid Amur is highly valued for its ease of care, high yield and excellent taste.

Vladimir, Podolsk: «I grow Amur cucumbers indoors. The plant produces its harvest almost simultaneously, the main part in the first month. I form it into one stem and tie it to the trellis. The fruits are not bitter, but if you don’t pick them in time, the skin will be tough.”

Valentina, Ivangorod: “An excellent hybrid for greenhouse cultivation. This is not the first year I have been planting and I am always pleased with the result. The cucumbers are smooth, with a large number of small sharp pimples. The pulp is sweet, not bitter. We eat cucumbers in salads and seal them in jars for the winter.”

Conclusion

The ultra-early ripening hybrid Amur is cultivated mainly in closed ground. They are grown in open areas in the southern regions. The culture is undemanding to the composition of the soil, pleases with extended fruiting and strong immunity to the main “cucumber” diseases. Cucumbers do not outgrow, are stored for a long time in a cool room, do not turn yellow and do not lose their presentation.

A plant with a female type of flowering does not need pollination by bees, therefore it is suitable for growing in greenhouses and hotbeds. Medium-branched bushes are formed into one stem and tied to a trellis for better ventilation and support of high productivity.