How to distinguish zucchini seedlings from cucumbers?

In horticultural markets, it is common for buyers to make mistakes with seedlings, buying cucumbers instead of courgettes, and vice versa. The popularity of such errors is explained by the fact that it is not easy to immediately distinguish seedlings. Therefore, it is worth considering in more detail how cultures can be distinguished.

Zucchini is a culture brought to Russia from Mexico. Like cucumber, it belongs to the pumpkin family and is only one of the species. Among gardeners, zucchini is valued for:

• ease of care;
• strong immunity;
• frost resistance;
• high yield rates.

Before visiting gardening shops or markets, you should carefully study, if not the seedlings themselves, then the images of the two types of vegetables in order to recognize the difference between them and learn how to distinguish them by visual parameters. Characteristic features of the inoculum of zucchini:

• the shape of the seeds is oval, slightly elongated;
• the maximum length of a seed is 2 cm;
• color - white, in rare cases cream.

The fruits of the squash are oblong in shape, which resembles a cucumber, so cultures are often confused. But in fact, distinguishing between zucchini and cucumber is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Attention should be paid to some of the nuances.

• Leaf shape... In zucchini, the plates look predominantly rounded, and they are also characterized by pointed tips. In cucumbers, on the contrary, the leaves are more elongated, and the shape is oblong. Their ends are not pointed, but rounded.
• Seedling sizes. In squash, the seedlings are larger and differ in thickened stems that had time to form during the growth period.
• Thickness and type of sheet plates... In cucumbers, the leaves are mostly thin, they are distinguished by a slight shine and the absence of folds, which is not to say about zucchini. In the latter, folds are clearly visible on the leaf plates.

Interestingly, you can distinguish between zucchini and cucumbers by the aroma that the leaves exude. To understand what kind of seedlings gardening shops offer, you should:

• gently tear off a leaf from each bush;
• rub the plates in the palms;
• sniff.

Zucchini leaves emit a specific odor, which is almost impossible to confuse with anything. But the cucumber seedlings do not manifest themselves in any way, without emitting practically any aroma. As you can see, even by visual and olfactory signs, it will already be possible to find the difference between the two cultures. However, there are cases when even these selection criteria are not enough.

There are several other ways to help you recognize zucchini seedlings and not confuse them with cucumber seedlings. To highlight the first crop from the rest, gardeners recommend taking into account a few tips.

• It is better to buy zucchini seeds in specialized gardening stores or seed nurseries.where professionals preserve the properties of plants and help determine the right type of seedlings right away. The main advantage of such farms is the high quality and purity of the seedlings, the characteristics of which meet the established standards.
• Seeds harvested and dried from the previous harvest should be immediately distributed in separate packages and signed... At the same time, it is also worth indicating the date of collection, so that later there will be no doubts.
• Zucchini actively develop throughout the entire growth period, even during flowering. Cucumbers, on the contrary, gradually slow down by 7-9 weeks, giving all their strength to the formation of fruits.
• At seedlings of zucchini, the stems are dense, thick and pubescent... In cucumbers, the stem is weaker, since the plant is characterized by strong and large leaves.

Interestingly, both crops have the same planting, growing and tending requirements. Seeds are sown using the same technologies; both vegetables do not like to coexist with large crops with tall stems and massive foliage, which are able to block the sun. Planting of zucchini and cucumbers also occurs almost at the same period, when warm weather sets in the street.

Finally, even soil and fertilizer are needed for both crops during the growing season. It is not surprising that plants are often planted nearby, often confusing seeds. The listed methods will be an excellent tip for any gardener and will help to immediately determine the type of seedlings and choose the right crop for planting on a plot or greenhouse. If it was not possible to distinguish the seedlings in a timely manner, and the crops were mixed together, do not worry.