Review of the hybrid cucumber "Ajax f1": features, advantages and disadvantages

Ajax F1 is a consistently productive hybrid that gardeners love for its resistance to adverse weather conditions and the marketable appearance of the fruit. Fans of pickles and pickled vegetables should pay attention to this crop, since Ajax F1 is especially good for preparing for the winter.

Description of the hybrid

Cucumber Ajax F1 is an ultra-early hybrid created by Dutch breeders of the Nunhems company. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was added to the state register of horticultural crops in Russia. The hybrid is intended for growing in open ground in summer cottages and on an industrial scale.

The crop has powerful, large, open-looking bushes with high climbing ability. The leaves are medium-sized, wrinkled, rich green in color. Ajax F1 is pollinated by bees, the flowering type is female.

Cucumbers grow cylindrical in shape, up to 12 cm long and weighing 80-100 g. The fruits are genetically free from bitterness, they can be eaten fresh or used for canning. It is permissible to harvest at the stage of pickles (3-5 cm in length) and gherkins (7-9 cm).

The crop begins to bear fruit early, 40-50 days after the appearance of the first shoots, and continues to yield until the first autumn frosts. The plant tolerates sudden temperature changes well and is not afraid of cold snaps and heat.

Important! The bushes quickly and actively grow in height, so experienced gardeners recommend growing them on a support. For these purposes, trellises, pegs or a net can be placed in the garden bed.

Distinctive features

Ajax F1 differs from other varieties and hybrids:

• lack of bitterness in fruits;
• innate resistance to major diseases;
• high yield (with early sowing and good care);
• commercial type of cucumbers.

Composition, benefits, calorie content

The calorie content of fresh cucumbers is 13 kcal, pickled cucumbers – 16.2 kcal. Nutritional value of 100 g of fruit:

• proteins – 0.9 g;
• carbohydrates – 2.4 g;
• fats – 0.01 g;
• water – 96.69 g.

The product has a rich chemical composition of the following elements:

• alimentary fiber;
• starch;
• organic acids;
• mono- and disaccharides;
• beta-carotene;
• vitamin A;
• B vitamins (thiamine, folate, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, choline);
• vitamin C;
• vitamin E;
• vitamin K;
• vitamin PP;
• ash;
• biotin;
• niacin;
• macroelements (sulfur, potassium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, sodium);
• trace elements (aluminum, zinc, boron, iodine, iron, fluorine, chromium, manganese, selenium).

The fruits are endowed with a large number of useful properties:

• improve kidney function;
• relieve heartburn and heaviness in the stomach;
• remove waste, toxins, heavy metal salts and excess fluid from the body;
• stop the formation of adipose tissue on the waist and sides;
• bring blood pressure back to normal;
• improve the condition of skin, hair and nails;
• heal joints;
• reduce the concentration of uric acid;
• remove harmful substances formed as a result of drinking alcoholic beverages and relieve hangovers;
• relieve pain from gout, arthritis;
• relieve inflammation in the oral cavity;
• reduce bad cholesterol levels;
• improve digestion;
• replenish the lack of fluid in the body.

Reference. Cucumbers have anti-inflammatory properties, so they are often used for cosmetic purposes. Vegetable slices can relieve swelling, remove bags and bruises under the eyes.

Characteristics

The table shows the main characteristics of the bushes, fruits and taste of the hybrid.

How to grow your own

The hybrid is undemanding in terms of care and growing conditions, so its agricultural technology will not seem complicated even to novice gardeners.

Attention! The crop needs pollination by bees, so it should not be planted to greenhouses and greenhouses.

Landing

Growing Ajax F1 begins with obtaining seedlings or sowing in a summer cottage. He is unpretentious to the composition and parameters of the soil, but for a bountiful harvest, the bed should be well fertilized. Preparing the site for planting begins in the fall, removing all weeds along with the roots, adding organic fertilizers and digging the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm.

As feeding better to use:

• humus;
• peat;
• chicken droppings;
• mullein.

Planting of seedlings or seeds is carried out in late April - early June, focusing on the weather conditions of the region. By this time the soil should warm up to 15-18°C. Before planting, the bed is dug up, weeds are removed, earthen clods are broken up and leveled. At the same time, do not forget to add 40 g of superphosphate and a glass of ash for each square meter of soil.

If bulk beds in boxes have been formed on the site, the soil in them can be replaced with fresh soil. Ajax F1 likes a mixture of the following components:

• humus;
• turf land;
• peat;
• garden soil.

The components are combined in a ratio of 1:1:1:1, 20 g of superphosphate and 250-300 g of wood ash are added to each bucket of the mixture.

Seeds also need to be prepared according to the following algorithm:

1. 1 g of potassium permanganate is dissolved in half a glass of water.
2. Place the planting material in the resulting solution for 10-15 minutes.
3. Wash the seeds in clean water and wrap in damp gauze or cotton cloth.
4. Sprouted seeds are placed in a moderately cold place for a day.

After these steps, they are sown as seedlings or immediately in open ground.

Seed method

The scheme for planting seeds in open ground is presented in the following table.

Sowing is carried out as follows:

1. Carefully loosen the soil in the garden bed.
2. Make holes 2 cm deep and moisten them with warm water.
3. Place 2-3 seeds in each hole and cover with fluffy, light soil.
4. Before the first shoots appear, it is important to regularly water the bed with warm water from a spray bottle or watering can with a diffuser, so as not to wash out the plantings.

If several plants grow in the holes at once, their number is reduced to one in each.To do this, the bushes are simply pulled out or transplanted into empty holes where nothing has sprouted.

Seedling method

The seedling method allows you to get the first harvest 10-14 days earlier. To do this, the seeds are planted in containers filled with moist and light soil, and after 1-1.5 months the grown bushes are moved to the garden bed.

Caring for seedlings is as follows:

1. As the soil dries out, water with warm, settled water.
2. Maintains a temperature favorable for growth and development. During the day it should remain at 19-25°C, and at night – 17°C.
3. 10-14 days before transplanting into open ground, the bushes are watered at the root with a solution of the following components: 10 g of potassium sulfate, 15 g of superphosphate and 5 liters of water.
4. A week before moving, the seedlings are hardened off. To do this, remove it every day to a room with an air temperature of 14-16°C for 2-3 hours.

Cucumbers ready for transplanting should have a thick, developed stem and healthy leaves of a rich color. They are planted in open ground according to the following scheme:

1. Planting holes are formed in the garden bed 2-3 cm larger than the diameter of the seedlings’ earthen ball.
2. Take into account that a distance of 50-60 cm should be maintained between the rows, and 15-20 cm between the holes.
3. The holes are moistened with warm water, plants are placed in them, sprinkled with earth and gently compacted to give the bushes stability.

Ajax F1 has a shallow root system and large leaf apparatus. This indicates that the bushes will be more comfortable in wet conditions rather than dry ones.

Step-by-step cultivation and care

Rules for growing and caring for outdoors:

1. Loosen the soil after each watering and rain so that a hard crust does not form on the surface of the earth. It will prevent moisture and air from penetrating to the roots.
2. Water the crop with warm, settled water. At the same time, avoid excessive waterlogging and drying out of the soil.
3. Once every 10-14 days, pull out all the weeds from the garden along with their roots.
4. Make sure that the plants do not fall over or spread across the soil. To do this, carefully tie them up and fix them on supports. Do not pinch the stems so as not to disrupt the sap flow process.
5. If the plantings become very thick, remove excess leaves and side shoots from the vines. It is also recommended to pinch the tops of 2-meter bushes so that they do not stretch even further.

During the season it is enough to feed the crop three times:

1. After transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place or forming a pair of true leaves when sowing in open ground, sprinkle the bed with Ammophoska and loosen it (5 g of the product per 1 m2 of soil).
2. After the first flowers appear. Dilute 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of potassium nitrate and 20 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water. Use the solution to water the bushes at the root.
3. During the fruiting period. Fill half a bucket with liquid cow manure and fill it with water to the brim. Leave in a warm place for about a week, water the cucumbers at the root.

Do not use chlorine-containing fertilizers.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

When cultivating Ajax F1, you may encounter the following difficulties:

Characteristic diseases and pests, resistance

The hybrid is genetically resistant to mosaic, powdery mildew and spotting. But Ajax F1 can become infected with gray rot. To prevent this from happening, it is enough not to allow the leaves to come into contact with the soil. To do this, the lashes are tied up and the plantings are not allowed to thicken.

Cucumbers are often attacked by pests: slugs, spider mites, and melon aphids. To protect plants from these insects, you can use one of the effective folk remedies:

1. Bury fresh onion and garlic peels between the rows and bushes.
2. Dissolve 0.5 kg of wood ash and 150 g of laundry soap shavings in a bucket of water. Moisten the foliage and stems of all cucumbers generously.
3. Grind the head of garlic along with the peel in a blender, add 5 liters of hot water and leave for 1-2 days. Strain the product and use for spraying.

Harvesting and application

The collection of cucumbers begins 40-50 days after the first shoots appear and continues until the first frost. The harvest can be eaten fresh, but Ajax fruits are more suitable for processing for the winter.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the Ajax hybrid:

• a bountiful harvest;
• resistance to cold and frost;
• excellent taste when canned, pickled and salted;
• marketable condition;
• tolerates transportation well;
• suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale;
• immunity to disease;
• Suitable for growing on pickles.

But in addition to its advantages, the hybrid has a number of disadvantages:

• requires pollination by bees;
• mediocre taste when fresh;
• not suitable for growing in greenhouses;
• thick skin.

Reviews

Reviews of the Ajax F1 hybrid are mostly positive. Gardeners value it for its low maintenance requirements and aesthetic appearance.

Alexey, Moscow: «The hybrid pleased me with a rich harvest. I planted a lot of bushes, had nowhere to put the cucumbers, and distributed them to colleagues and friends. Their taste is soft and delicate, I liked it. In salads, Ajax F1 does not overwhelm other components, and pickled cucumbers absorb the aroma of spices.”

Alena, Izhevsk: “Ajax F1 cucumbers are smooth, of the same size, look very good in jars, and there’s no shame in putting them on the table in front of guests. I salt them and add them to canned salads for the winter.”

Conclusion

Grow the Ajax F1 hybrid based on planting and care recommendations. In this case, it will not cause you problems, and will also delight you with a rich harvest. Do not forget that this crop is a record holder for the formation of fruits, so remove the cucumbers every day, otherwise the plant may break under their weight.