What is unique about the Chinese cucumber and how to get a decent harvest?

Chinese cucumbers are no longer perceived as exotic and even compete with traditional varieties from Russian garden beds. People with experience in growing “Chinese” fruits note the gigantic size of the fruits, early ripeness, high yield and resistance to heat and cold.

What other advantages do Chinese cucumbers have, how to grow them in open and closed ground, what to feed them with, whether they need to be pinched and what diseases to protect from - you will get answers to these and other questions in the article.

general description

Unlike ordinary varieties, the Chinese bush grows up to 4 m. Their fruits reach 80-90 cm in length and 8 cm in diameter. Chinese cucumbers do not require special conditions for growing and take root in any soil. Able to withstand temperatures up to +40°C. At the same time, drought has little effect on yield, however, the fruits will be bitter if they really did not have enough water.

Attention! The bushes can cross-pollinate with other varieties growing nearby.

Cucumbers are grown both in greenhouses and in open ground. They bear fruit abundantly; up to four fruits of the same size are formed on one plant, which ripen simultaneously. Vegetables are classified as high-yielding: up to 10 kg of fruits are collected from one bush.

Their popularity has increased due to their early ripening: it occurs 30 days from the moment the first leaves appear from the ground. They are eaten mainly raw, and they must be eaten as soon as possible, otherwise they will wither and shrivel due to loss of water.

The fruits of the Chinese cucumber are also suitable for canning, but they are closed immediately or the next day after picking from the bush.

Popular varieties and hybrids

The bulk of the seeds are brought directly from China. Let's look at the most popular crops among consumers.

Emerald Stream

A variety of vigorous and weakly growing Chinese cucumbers. It is classified as an early ripening plant; it begins to bear fruit on the 48th day after the shoots emerge from the ground. Productivity per 1 sq. m averages 6 kg. These cucumbers are grown in any conditions, both in open beds and in greenhouses, as well as at home. The size of the fruit reaches up to 50 cm in length and weighs up to 200 g. The variety is resistant to diseases, even powdery mildew is not afraid of it. It is unpretentious in care, shade-tolerant and tolerates cold well.

Reference! This variety of Chinese cucumbers capable of self-pollination: during flowering, predominantly female flowers are formed. But it can also reproduce with the help of bees, while the yield increases, and the fruits become deformed - this also happens as a result of growing a bush without support and garter.

Up to five cucumbers can form on a bush at once. The thin fruits have an elongated cylindrical shape and are dark green in color. The peel is thin, not hard, covered with tubercles and white pubescence. Juicy and crispy cucumbers with a small seed chamber, yet quite sweet in taste and with a pronounced aroma. Used mainly for salads.

They are collected at a length of 18-25 cm, because longer fruits become thicker and turn yellow, which leads to a deterioration in taste.

Chinese kite F1

It is classified as a mid-early culture. It has powerful branched bushes that grow very quickly and produce a fairly large harvest.

Reference! Parthenocarpic hybrid, self-pollinating.The fruits are arched and reach a length of up to 50 cm, like many Chinese varieties, they smell like melon or watermelon. They are eaten immediately after collection, otherwise the next day they will lose their taste and will be soft and watery.

Vegetables are dark green. They have virtually no seeds, are dense, fleshy, and have large, infrequent tubercles on the surface.

Important! Hybrid was bred specifically for growing in greenhouse conditions. It is planted in open ground only in one case, when the average daily air temperature does not fall below +25°C.

Chinese miracle

Cucumbers of this variety grow up to 4 m, have a powerful and fairly branched root system, their lashes must be tied up. Cucumbers are cross-pollinated or self-pollinated.

The fruits are up to 60 cm long, smooth cylindrical in shape, juicy green in color with infrequent tubercles. The weight of one cucumber can reach 650 g. The taste is not bitter, crispy and juicy with small seeds.

This variety is classified as late-ripening; vegetables will be ready for harvest 60-70 days after planting. They grow well and produce crops in good light and constant watering. However, they are easy to care for and resistant to disease.

Reference! Unlike other varieties, the Chinese miracle has an interesting feature. A piece of the required length is cut from a cucumber growing on a branch, and the remaining part will continue to grow on the vine as usual.

Cucumbers are used both for raw consumption and for preservation.

Chinese frost-resistant and heat-resistant F1

These hybrids are suitable for those gardeners who are just starting to get acquainted with exotic vegetables. The crops tolerate high and low temperatures, as their names indicate.

Farmer's heat-resistant cucumber is a mid-season cucumber. From the emergence of seedlings to the harvest of the first harvest, up to 54 days pass. The plants are powerful, branched with well-developed leaves. The harvest is harvested before frost. From one bush, from 15 to 20 kg of cucumbers are harvested, with a single fruit weighing up to 120 g and a length from 35 to 55 cm.

Cucumbers of both varieties have a cylindrical shape, large pimples, dark green color, and short white stripes at the top of the fruit. The pulp is tender, crispy, sweet and aromatic. They are eaten fresh or salted.

Reference! Hybrids bear fruit at high and low temperatures. Both crops have developed immunity to powdery mildew and Fusarium wilt. Cucumbers keep great in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

The frost-resistant hybrid is planted directly into the ground with seeds, but it also grows well in a greenhouse. It tolerates light frosts and is not afraid to grow in the shade.

White delicacy

This variety is considered one of the most delicious among Chinese cucumbers. It withstands adverse weather conditions and all diseases to which cucumbers are exposed. Not afraid of sudden changes in temperature and humidity.

The variety got its name because of the color of the peel - it is white, with a small, almost imperceptible yellow or green tint. It is thin, and the flesh is aromatic and tender.

Reference! The length of the fruit does not exceed 15 cm, and the shape is cone-shaped, unlike other varieties of Chinese cucumbers.

Alligator F1

Refers to early maturing hybrids of Chinese selection. Ripens in up to 50 days. From 1 sq. m harvest 14-16 kg of crop. The fruit reaches a length of up to 40 cm and a weight of up to 300 g. Fruits until mid-autumn.

Reference! Alligator F1 cannot self-pollinate and requires insect pollination.

Vigorous bushes require staking. 6-8 fruits ripen on one plant. The skin of the vegetable is similar to the skin of an alligator. Cucumbers are consumed fresh and used for preparations.

Shanghai fellow F1

It is an early ripening hybrid and grows excellently in a greenhouse, as it does not require pollination by insects. A few bushes are enough to reap a good harvest until October. The plant has unlimited stem growth, which is taken into account when planting.

Cucumbers are tasty and long, weighing up to 350 g. From 1 sq. m in a greenhouse, up to 13 kg of crop is harvested. Resistant to infection with peronospora and fusarium. It is mainly used for making salads.

How to grow

The rules for cultivating Chinese cucumbers are not much different from growing conventional varieties and hybrids. Suitable for both growing in greenhouses and in the garden.

Features of growing in a greenhouse and open ground

The main feature when growing all Chinese varieties and hybrids in a greenhouse and open ground is the mandatory tying on strong trellises. This will help you get straight fruit without kinks.

The crops are planted closer to each other, which saves space, but do not forget about the height of the stems when choosing a greenhouse.

Irrigate them every day with warm water. In open ground, natural precipitation is taken into account when watering. Make sure the soil is always moist.

The soil for planting is prepared in advance in the fall, because minerals and substances that fall into the ground decompose within 4-5 months and only after that are well absorbed by the roots of the plants. Fertilize the soil with humus and sawdust. In the spring, saltpeter is added at a rate of 20-25 g per 1 square meter. m. Superphosphate, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are also applied. To increase the weight of the fruit, ash is added.

Important! If you nourish the soil in the fall, you won’t need fertilizer during the growing process. When planting seeds or seedlings of Chinese cucumbers, maintain the distance between seedlings and planting depth.

Sowing seeds and growing seedlings

Chinese cucumbers are planted directly from seeds or seedlings. Before planting, prepare the seeds and soil.

Preparing seeds for planting:

1. Calibration is carried out, the seeds are lowered into water and the floating seeds are removed.
2. Soak in a solution of potassium permanganate for an hour to disinfect.
3. They are treated with stimulants, keeping them in them for up to 12 hours.
4. Sprout by laying out on damp gauze.

In the fall, humus and sawdust are added before digging the soil. In greenhouses, the soil is laid out in two layers. Bottom layer: manure, straw and leaves, then humus. For every 10 kg of soil mixture, 15 g of superphosphate and 250 g of ash are added.

Sowing seeds

After preparing the seeds, they are planted in soil prepared in advance in the fall. If this has not been done, add manure and mulch the soil with sawdust. In southern latitudes, at an average daily temperature of at least +13-15°C, seeds are planted in the ground without covering with film.

In other latitudes, after planting the seeds, the holes are covered with black film until the first leaves appear, after which it is removed for a while to harden the seedlings. When planting seeds in greenhouses, do not cover them with film.

Important! When planting, be sure to pour warm water into the holes.

With this method of planting, certain conditions are met:

1. The distance between the holes should be at least 5 cm. The width between the rows is 50 cm. Three seeds are planted in each hole.
2. They are planted to a depth of no more than 3-4 cm.
3. Sprouted seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 10 cm between them.
4. After the leaves appear on the bushes, they are broken through again, leaving the bushes at a distance of 25-30 cm.

Important! When thinning out seedlings, they are cut or plucked out, but not pulled out, otherwise the roots of the remaining sprout will be damaged.

Growing seedlings

When growing seedlings of Chinese cucumbers, the soil is prepared in advance. To do this, mix:

• 6 parts peat;
• 1 part sand;
• 1 part sawdust;
• 2 parts humus.

And in early spring, on April 10-15, the mixture is poured into containers with a diameter of 10-12 cm. Seeds prepared in advance are planted two at a time in cups with moistened soil to a depth of 1.5 cm. Then covered with film and put in a warm place .

When the first shoots appear, the seedlings are moved to the windowsill and the film is removed. They are regularly watered and sprayed with water at a temperature of +22…+24°C. When the plants have three leaves, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving one strong seedling at a time.

Important! After 15-30 days, the seedlings are planted in a greenhouse. The plant should have at least nine leaves by this time. When planting seedlings, leave space between seedlings.

Plant care

Chinese cucumbers have a long stem and not many side shoots: for this reason they must be tied up.

Plant care includes:

• frequent watering;
• shallow loosening of the soil;
• weeding;
• obligatory tying of the whip;
• periodically fed.

When growing crops in a greenhouse, plants are watered twice a week; in beds, precipitation is taken into account.

Plants in greenhouses are fed twice: when flowering begins and during fruiting. Plants in open ground are not fertilized if the fertilizer was applied in the fall. To increase yield, it is sprayed with a urea solution.

Since the roots of Chinese cucumbers are close to the surface, the soil is loosened shallowly. They do mulching so that the earth does not crack and the water does not evaporate so quickly. Mulching is carried out using peat, fine grass mixture or sawdust. As a result, oxygen will better penetrate the soil, preventing it from compacting.

Step-by-step instructions: how to shape cucumbers

Scourges form during the growth process. Supports for weaving are installed on the beds: trellises, mesh or stretched ropes. In a greenhouse, a vertical support will be sufficient; a central stem is tied to it, from which side shoots branch. The first five branches from the root are cut off.

The photo shows the plants before and after molding.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Chinese cucumbers are resistant to most diseases, but some diseases and pests do not bypass them.

The most dangerous:

• spider mite;
• melon aphid;
• damage by sprout fly and cucumber gnat.
• powdery mildew;
• fungal anthracnose;
• bacteriosis, which is unique to this culture.
• fusarium or root rot;
• gray rot;
• brown spot;
• cucumber mosaic;

Important! The crop is especially susceptible to powdery mildew and anthracnose; among the pests, the poutine mite and melon aphid are dangerous. To protect the plant, preventive actions are carried out in a timely manner.

To combat spider mites in the initial stages, peroxide, ammonia, tobacco dust and turpentine are suitable. If there are obvious signs of damage, plants are sprayed with infusions or decoctions of plants that contain deadly toxins for ticks. Such as dope, dandelion, calendula, onion and garlic.

To combat powdery mildew, plants are sprayed with Oxychom (20 g per 10 liters of water).This is done every two weeks in the evening.

To destroy melon aphids, plants are sprayed with “Fitoverm” (4-6 ml per bucket of water). Repeated spraying is carried out after two weeks.

To combat fungal anthracnose, antifungal drugs are used and prevention is carried out.

When fighting bacteriosis, “Fitoflavin”, “Kuproksat”, “Gamair” and other drugs are used for treatment.

Fusarium is fought radically by removing the entire plant by the root, and after removal the formed hole is watered with a solution of copper sulfate.

When gray rot appears, stop foliar feeding and reduce the humidity in the greenhouse. Infected plants and fruits are removed and treated with fungicides.

To prevent plant diseases and pest attacks, cucumbers are sprayed with fungicides and other measures are taken:

1. Maintain distance between plants.
2. Do not allow water to stagnate in the ground.
3. Mulch to prevent weeds.
4. Diseased lashes are immediately removed and destroyed. If it’s too late, then the entire bush is removed.
5. Cucumbers are treated with garlic solution and onion peel infusion.

Reviews from gardeners

Even though the Chinese cucumber is an exotic crop, every day it is gaining ground over ordinary cucumbers, which is reflected in the reviews.

Tamara, amateur gardener, Krasnodar region: «Chinese cucumbers were recommended in the store - they promised that they would like it. Oddly enough, they didn’t lie. I planted them in July, and within a week 80% of the crops had sprouted. It’s very hot here in the summer - up to 40 degrees in the shade, so the heat resistance of the variety is very useful. Ordinary cucumbers disappear, wither and dry out, but Chinese cucumbers do nothing. Cucumbers grow up to 45 cm, there are few seeds.”

Veniamin, summer resident, Vladimir region: “I plant Chinese cucumbers as seedlings. Seeds do not germinate well in the ground. I pinch off the lashes when they grow to the trellis. The variety practically does not branch to the sides, so they are planted tightly. The taste is excellent, and they never taste bitter, even if it’s very hot outside. For a long time, the question haunted me: why do Chinese cucumbers grow crooked and curled? I read that this happens due to a lack of potassium, I fed it - even fruits began to appear.”

Natalya K., 40 years old, summer resident, Moscow region: “Last year I paid attention to the Chinese disease-resistant variety. I bought it! Those that were planted directly into the ground sprouted better than the usual soaked ones. On the third day in the greenhouse, instead of flowers, such long, good ovaries of these cucumbers appeared. Two more days passed and huge cucumbers grew in their place! During growth and fruiting, I did not notice any signs of disease! So I didn’t have to spray them with anything, and they grew as is, on unfertilized soil, and grew half a meter long and weighed half a kilo! In a greenhouse, planting and care do not require any difficulties. I was satisfied with the result of these seeds, I bought them again, and will grow them again! The cost allows it too!”

Conclusion

Chinese cucumbers are grown in different climates and soils, in almost any region of our country - they are unpretentious in care. Unlike ordinary cucumbers, they are practically not affected by diseases and pests. But they also have their disadvantages - they are not stored for a long time and not all varieties can be preserved.

As practice shows, even a beginner can cope with their cultivation. And the harvest will delight you with its volume, original appearance, unusual smell and taste.