Very tasty and productive “Stella” cucumbers: let’s get acquainted with the variety and try to grow it ourselves

Cucumber is one of the ten most popular vegetables around the world. Since ancient times, people have known that it has beneficial properties for the body. The fruits of this crop contain about 80% water, which improves kidney and heart function and has a beneficial effect on metabolism and appetite.

The cucumber came to us from the forest tropics of India. Therefore, to obtain a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to create conditions close to tropical ones: constant heat and humidity. There is a wide variety of cucumber varieties and hybrids. One of them is Stella F1.

Description of culture

The Stella F1 cucumber was bred by domestic breeders from the All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Growing. The vegetable is recommended to be grown in the Central, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus, North-Western, Northern, Volga-Vyatka regions, as well as in the Middle Volga region.

Distinctive features

Stella F1 has good resistance to root rot, powdery mildew and ascochyta blight. The fact that the vegetable is a hybrid makes the crop productive and hardy. The fruits of this plant have an excellent presentation. Cucumbers are grown both in greenhouse conditions and in open ground.

Composition, properties, benefits, calorie content

Since cucumber consists mainly of structured water, it is an excellent thirst quencher. The vegetable contains a large amount of minerals and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, PP, H.

In addition, it includes:

• iodine;
• magnesium;
• sodium;
• phosphorus;
• potassium;
• carotene;
• calcium;
• glucose;
• fructose;
• starch.

The vegetable also contains caffeic, ascorbic and folic acids.

Calorie content per 100 g of product is 15 kcal:

• proteins – 0.8;
• fats – 0.1;
• carbohydrates – 3.0.

Characteristics

Stella has long vines, many side shoots and a high main stem. Flowering type: female. The leaves are green, large, heart-shaped. The fruit ovary is cylindrical in shape.

Cucumber Stella F1 belongs to the mid-early hybrids. The first harvest is harvested 65 days after germination.

The type of pollination is parthenocarpic, that is, the plant pollinates independently, without the participation of insects.

From 1 sq. m. harvest up to 23 kg of crop. Ripe vegetables have a corrugated base and a cylindrical elongated shape. The surface is grooved, slightly bumpy. The length of the fruit is from 20 to 25 cm, the diameter is from 3.5 to 4.5 cm. One cucumber weighs approximately 270 g.

How to grow Stella cucumbers yourself

The soil for growing Stella F1 cucumbers should be light and rich in humus. Cucumbers are planted in the same place once every 5 years. This makes the crop more resistant to disease.

Cucumbers develop well in the place where tomatoes, potatoes, peas and corn used to grow. These vegetables are grown both by seedlings and by direct sowing in the ground.

Planting by seed

Before sowing, careful preparation of not only the seeds, but also the soil is carried out. Since cucumber germinates well, most gardeners plant the seeds dry, but to be sure they are pre-treated.

The first step is to calibrate the seeds: even, large seeds without dark spots are selected for planting. Next, they are disinfected with the drug “Fitosporin”, following the instructions on the package. Potassium permanganate is also used to process grains. 1 g of potassium permanganate is stirred in 100 g of water.The seeds are placed in the solution for 20-30 minutes.

The next stage is germination. The grains are wrapped in damp cotton cloth and placed in a container, which is wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a warm place with an air temperature of +22...+26°C. Seeds are germinated within 1-2 days.

In regions with cool climates, grains are hardened. To do this, the sprouted seed material is placed in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, after which it is planted in the ground.

On a note. There is seed material on sale that has already been processed by the manufacturer. This is indicated on the packaging. Such seeds do not require disinfection; they are sown dry.

Step-by-step instructions for planting seeds:

1. Make planting holes or even grooves and lightly water them.
2. Plant the grains to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. If the soil is loose and sandy, a maximum of 3 cm.
3. Dry seeds are planted at a distance of 5-10 cm. Sprouted seed material is placed according to the scheme: 20-40 cm by 60-100 cm, 4-5 plants per 1 square. m.
4. Place 2-3 seeds in one hole. Subsequently, the weakest shoots are removed.

Planting by seedlings

The seedling method produces a harvest 14 days earlier than direct sowing in the ground.

Before planting seedlings seeds pour into a fabric bag and place in a nutrient solution (1 teaspoon of nitrophoska and wood ash are mixed in 1 liter of water) for 12 hours. At the end of the specified time, the seeds are washed several times with clean water, placed on a damp gauze cloth and left for 2 days at a temperature of at least +20°C. 24 hours before planting, the grains are placed in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2...+3°C.

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out throughout April. To do this, use small containers up to 12 cm in height.Soil for these purposes can be purchased at a specialized store or prepared independently.

To prepare the mixture you will need:

• 1 part small sawdust;
• 2 parts humus;
• 2 parts peat.

In 10 kg of composition mix 1.2 tbsp. l. nitrophoska and 2 tbsp. l. wood ash. All this is thoroughly mixed and distributed into containers. Plant 1 seed in one pot with prepared soil and lightly moisten it. When two true leaves appear, the seedlings will be ready to be transplanted to a permanent location.

Growing in stages and care

Stella cucumbers are watered systematically, but moderately. Before the crop blooms, moistening is carried out daily, and during the fruiting period - every 3 days. For this purpose, use slightly warm water.

For your information. Water the cucumbers in the morning or evening. Do not moisturize during the daytime, otherwise the leaves of the plants will get sunburn.

To get a good harvest of Stella F1 During the entire growing season, the crop is fed up to 5 times:

1. When the first full-fledged leaves appear, the first feeding with mullein is carried out. The solution is prepared in proportions of 2 kg of manure per 10 liters of water. Mix well and infuse for 2 weeks. After this, mullein is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 liter of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. Next, add 30 g of superphosphate, 10 g of urea, 10 g of potassium sulfate.
2. The second fertilizer is applied a week after the first. Add 1 tbsp to 10 liters of water. l. fertilizers "Agricola-5". Feeding consumption: 3-4 liters per 1 sq. m.
3. The third feeding is carried out 10 days after the previous one. Dissolve 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. liquid fertilizer "Effecton-O". The crop is watered at the root at the rate of 3-4 liters per 1 square meter. m.
4. Dilute 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. nitrophoska and 2 tbsp. l. the drug "Agricola Vegeta". For 1 sq. m consume 5 liters of mixture.
5. After 10 days, carry out the fifth feeding. Add 2 tbsp to 10 liters of water. l. complex fertilizer "Agricola for cucumbers". For 1 sq. m use 2.5-3 liters of the prepared mixture.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The beds with the self-pollinating hybrid Stella F1 are systematically weeded. While the plants are still young, the soil is carefully loosened, at the same time removing weeds. In the future, the procedure is repeated once a week. For the crop, timely harvesting is important, since heavy fruits place a large load on the plants.

Diseases and pests

Since the Stella cucumber is a hybrid, the crop has good disease resistance, but there is still a small risk. In such cases, special preparations are used that protect plants from diseases and pests. When using products, it is important to follow the dosage so as not to harm the crop.

The most common diseases include:

1. White rot. This is a white viscous consistency, due to which the fruits and the bush itself rot. The culture is treated by removing the affected parts of the plant and treating it with a solution (10 g of urea, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate per 2 liters of water).
2. Powdery mildew. The disease is manifested by the presence of white spots on the leaves, and subsequently on the rest of the plant. The leaves begin to dry out and fruiting stops. The affected parts are removed, and the bush itself is treated with fungicides (10 g of the drug per 5 liters of water). If the disease has severely damaged the plant, it is destroyed.
3. Downy mildew. The leaves become covered with small yellow spots and dry out. Subsequently, the disease spreads to the entire plant.Watering and fertilizing are stopped for 3-4 days, the plants are treated with “Polycarbacin” (10 g of the drug per 5 liters of water).
4. Cladosporiosis. Bushes and fruits become covered with brown ulcers. To combat the disease, stop moistening the crop for 5 days and treat the plants with Fundazol (10 g of the drug per 10 liters of water). Infected parts of bushes are removed.

On a note. It is necessary to fight the disease in the first stages of its development, otherwise the crop will die. There is also a risk of infection of neighboring plants.

Often, during the cultivation process, cucumbers are also attacked by pests. Insects mainly attack plants during the fruiting period.

The most common pests:

1. Spider mite. It is located under the leaves, where it leaves its web. This parasite spreads various infections and eats foliage. To combat it, the back side of the leaves is sprayed with a soap solution (200 g of grated laundry soap per 10 liters of water).
2. Whitefly. This is a small white midge that sucks the sap from plants and leaves behind sooty fungus and wilted foliage. To combat it, use garlic infusion (200 g of grated garlic is stirred in 10 liters of water and allowed to brew for a day), which is sprayed over the entire plant.
3. Aphid. These are small green bugs that settle on greenery in whole colonies and eat it, which leads to wilting of the leaves. The pest multiplies very quickly. Aphids are destroyed using an ash solution (200 g of wood ash and 100 g of soap are mixed in 10 liters of water).

Once pests are identified, they are destroyed immediately. since insects spread very quickly and move to neighboring plants.

Harvesting and application

For Stella F1 it is very important that the cucumbers are collected on time.If you do not remove all ripe fruits on time, the yield will decrease.

Cucumbers are harvested early in the morning. If you follow this rule, the harvest will increase. Picked vegetables are immediately placed in the refrigerator, but not in closed plastic bags.

Cucumbers are good for making salads. They are rarely used for preservation, since the fruits reach 20-25 cm in length.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Summer residents like the Stella F1 cucumber due to its large number of positive qualities.

The advantages of this hybrid include:

• stable high yield;
• excellent taste;
• good presentation;
• Possibility of growing both in open ground and in a greenhouse.
• strong immunity;
• long fruiting;
• self-pollination;
• good seed germination;
• transportability.

The culture has few disadvantages. These include:

• high demands on fertilizing;
• inability to use seeds from your harvest.

Stella has a lot of advantages. Against their background, minor shortcomings are invisible, which is why many vegetable growers prefer this particular hybrid.

Reviews

Experienced summer residents evaluate the Stella hybrid positively. Cucumbers are actively grown in the vast majority of regions of the country. The opinions of some vegetable growers are further in our article.

Mikhail, Cheboksary: “I have been growing hybrid cucumbers for 7 years in a row. Most of all I liked Stella F1. The plant is self-pollinating, which is good for growing crops in greenhouse conditions. The fruits really grow like in the photo of the package with seeds - long and weighty, and most importantly - tasty. Last year I fed the plant, as they say, “from the heart,” and as a result there was so much harvest that I didn’t even know what to do with it.This hybrid is probably just right for implementation.”

Anna, Krasnodar: “In my own experience, I tried to grow many different hybrid cucumbers, until my neighbors recommended Stella F1 to me. Now I plant only this cucumber for salads, and always after seedlings. Fruiting lasts for a long time, until frost. The vegetables are very tasty and have thin skin. Even for the winter I can preserve salads with the addition of these cucumbers.”

Conclusion

Hybrid Stella has good resistance to diseases and negative factors. It is characterized by high productivity. The vegetable has an excellent presentation and tolerates transportation well. Maintenance does not require much effort. Growing Stella is no different from cultivating all hybrid cucumbers. This vegetable has proven itself well among experienced vegetable growers, but is also suitable for beginners for growing vegetables for the first time.

You will learn more about the Stella F1 hybrid from the following video: