- Authors: Borisov Alexander Vladimirovich, Krylov Oleg Nikolaevich (LLC breeding and seed-growing company "Manul")
- Year of approval: 2000
- Growth type: vigorous, indeterminate
- Branching: very weak
- Fruit weight, g: 90-110
- Fruit length, cm: 12-15
- Fruit color: green with faint light stripes reaching the middle
- Cucumber Mosaic Virus Resistance: stable
- Ripening terms: ultra early
- Fruit shape: fusiform
Cupid is a cucumber hybrid of Russian selection, adapted to the temperate climate of the middle zone. It turns out that gardeners buy Cupid seeds more often than others. And this is not surprising. The harvest ripens very early, tied and ripens amicably. And also the culture can be called a "weekend" variety, since it does not require complex care.
Breeding history
The agricultural company "Manul" is actively engaged in selection and seed-growing activities, creating promising varieties and hybrids of cucumbers. It should be noted that absolutely all products of the "Manul" company undergo strict quality control.
Cupid F1 was created by famous breeders Borisov Alexander Vladimirovich and Krylov Oleg Nikolaevich. The new crop has successfully passed all the necessary variety tests. In 2000 it was entered into the State Register. The variety is approved for cultivation in all regions of the country.
Description of the variety
Cupid is a hybrid of the parthenocarpic group, has a salad purpose. It is cultivated both in private summer cottages and household plots, and in farmsteads. Cucumber grows very well in open beds, in greenhouse structures of any type, as well as in temporary film shelters.
Characteristics of the appearance of plants and zelents
The bushes of the Amur cucumber hybrid have an indeterminate type of growth and a long central stem, which lacks too large lateral shoots. Thus, branching is limited. Most of the crop is formed on the main stem. Since the plant is parthenocarpic, its flowers are predominantly female, and there is no need for pollinators. The fruits ripen very quickly.
Amur bushes are leafy with medium-sized leaf blades. Foliage slightly wrinkled, green, may have slight waviness at the edges.
Zelentsy have a short neck, green color with light stripes reaching the central part of the fusiform fruit. On average, the weight of a cucumber is 90-110 g, it grows up to 12-15 cm. Each sinus contains 1-2 ovaries.
Purpose and taste of fruits
Zelentsy Amur are quite tasty. Despite the fact that the hybrid is classified as a salad, its small fruits are great for all kinds of preparations. Since overgrown cucumbers become less tasty, and their skin coarsens, ripe greens should be removed in time, without delaying the collection.
Maturation
Cupid is an ultra-early culture. Lightning ripening of cucumbers in 37-40 days makes the variety so popular.
Yield
The high-yielding hybrid variety Amur, on average, can bring 12-14 kilograms of cucumbers from 1 square meter.
Growing and care
This variety has a very interesting feature, which is also its advantage. This is self-regulation of branching. It often happens that due to the abundant branching of the bushes, some summer residents, who quite rarely visit the country, lose a certain part of the harvest.With a cucumber of the hybrid Amur variety, there may be such a problem.
After all, lateral shoots grow no more than 15 cm, moreover, they have few leaves. The plant itself is quite compact, bushes can be planted often. Thanks to such a dense planting, as well as a long central stem, such a high yield is obtained.
Since it is a hybrid, Cupid seeds have to be bought every time. However, this also has its advantages. All planting material undergoes special processing. This is clearly expressed in the colored coating of the seeds. Before sowing, such seeds do not need to be soaked or germinated. They just need to be taken and sown directly into the ground dry.
The early ripening hybrid variety can be sown from mid-April (if in a greenhouse, it belongs to the southern regions) until the end of June. Cupid cucumbers are planted either by seedlings or by seeds. In any case, the soil should warm up to + 15 ° C, the weather should be warm, and there should be no chance of frost return. Just in case, you can use a covering material thrown over the arcs to protect against cold weather.
In regions closer to the north, where the soil warms up late, experienced summer residents plant Amur cucumbers in high ridges. They are built in the fall, and in the spring they are spilled with hot water. If the average daily temperature is above zero, it is treated with Baikal Em. In the event that there is little land in the country or a plot of land, and the territory does not allow setting up a plantation, Cupid cucumbers can be grown even in bags or barrels.
Both summer residents and farmers unanimously note the simplicity of caring for Cupid. Of course, this is facilitated by an extremely short fruiting period of 4 weeks. Yes, during this period, the culture needs watering, and if it's hot outside, the bushes are watered daily. During the entire growing season, Cupid must be fed 2-3 times: at the beginning of flowering, then a couple more times with an interval of a week.
Farmers, as a rule, take off 2 crops of Cupid cucumbers per season, sowing the hybrid twice. Moreover, 2 crops are done within a month after the first. For summer residents, one wave of fruiting is usually enough for private use.
In order to collect strong, tasty and beautiful cucumbers on your site, you need to make top dressing. Lack of nutrients can negatively affect the appearance of the plant and significantly reduce the yield. Fertilize cucumbers with organic fertilizers in combination with mineral fertilizers. With the right balance of these components and adherence to the fertilizing schedule, the cucumber yield will be maximum.
Disease and pest resistance
Cupid's immunity, like all hybrids, is good, however, it can also give weakness under the influence of external factors. As a rule, the plants will not get sick if neat summer residents carry out all the planned preventive measures. In case of an outbreak in the garden of cladosporium, cucumber bushes should be treated with Bordeaux liquid.
In damp weather, when the fungus is activated, and powdery mildew is possible, the entire aerial part of the bush should be sprayed with a fungicide.
Of the pests, ants can attack, which, in turn, breed aphids. It is quite difficult to drive out insects. For example, you can fill an anthill with boiling water or kerosene, and also use baits (egg yolks with boric acid). In the early stages, while the bush is small, aphids can be washed off the leaves with a stream of soapy water.
Despite their popularity, cucumbers are often attacked by diseases and pests. From them, cucumber plantings often die before the start of fruiting. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to try to prevent ailments or get rid of them at the very beginning, having studied in detail their causes of occurrence, signs and methods of treatment.