Bush cucumber

Bush cucumbers, unlike parthenocarpic cucumbers, grow compact. Plants resemble medium-sized zucchini. The Kustovoy variety is one of the first domestic representatives of this class of cucumbers.

Bush cucumber is a commercial bee-pollinated variety. Not a hybrid. You can easily collect seeds from this cucumber - they completely retain the qualities of the plant for the next year. The variety was created by the agrofirm "Poisk", included in the State Register of Admitted in 1980. In 2013, the variety was officially recognized in Belarus as well.

The bush is compact, not higher than 70 cm, in most cases it does not even reach half a meter, it branches weakly, there are few lashes, they are short. The bush is decorative, lush and beautiful. In the axils, 1 flower and one fruit each, but the distance between the leaves is small.

The fruits are short, 9-12 cm, rather weighty for such a length, 90 grams each, plump. The shape approaches ovoid. Young greens have a clear cylindrical shape and only then begin to grow in breadth. The skin is dark green with clearly visible light stripes and with large sparse tubercles, which have black spines. The skin is strong, the pulp is juicy.

The taste is excellent. The cucumber is not bitter, with a fragrant tasty skin, fragrant, juicy and crunchy. The variety is universal according to its purpose. The originator recommends it for pickling - the cucumbers are compact, convenient and beautifully shaped. But nothing prevents the use of fresh Kustovoy cucumber, for slices, salads, main and main courses, cocktails and snacks.

The variety is early, the crop is harvested 37-39 days after germination, according to some sources - after 45-50 days. The yield is friendly, cucumbers are often located, and it is very convenient to collect them.

The yield is good - an average of 10-12 kg per 1 sq. m. Industrial parthenocarpic cucumbers bring 30 kg from the same area, but 10 kg is considered a good indicator for a bush cucumber. The keeping quality of fruits at room temperature is 3-5 days, cucumbers are quite juicy. The yield of marketable fruits is at least 5-6 kg.

The variety is recommended for cultivation in the Volgo-Vyatka, Nizhnevolzhsky, Ural regions, as well as in the North Caucasus.

The bushes are compact, so the bush cucumber is planted often - every 30 cm.In the row spacing is also 30 cm.

The plant is planted in open, sunny places. In this case, it is better to avoid drying out places with direct scorching sun.

The variety can be grown in open and closed ground, but the first option is preferable. For a good harvest, the plant needs insects that carry pollen. Sowing in the ground is carried out in May, according to the weather. The soil should warm up to + 15 ° С during the day, at night the soil temperature should be at least + 8 ° С.

The plantings are covered with non-woven material or film, but in the second case, the crops must be monitored so as not to miss the moment of emergence and removal of the shelter.

You can stimulate the formation of ovaries with boric acid: 1 tsp. powder is diluted in 3 liters of water, mixed, poured into a bucket of 10 liters, top up with fresh clean water to the brim. Leaves, buds, flowers and ovaries are sprayed evenly, in the "fog" mode, avoiding empty spaces or large drops in one place. Three sprays can be carried out - during the period of budding, flowering, mass formation of ovaries.The interval between spraying is at least 1 week.

Bush cucumbers can be grown unsupported, let go in the beds. The variety is completely unpretentious and does not require any special measures: it is watered, loosened, and weeds are removed.

Cucumbers are watered only with warm water in the evening. In the dry season - once a day. In a very hot summer, two-time watering is organized. Bush cucumbers are watered a little more often than any other. If there is no time for frequent watering, the soil is mulched with peat.

They are fed once every 2 weeks. Use ready-made mineral complexes or organics. Water infusions are well suited: on nettles, on banana skins, on wood ash. Fertilizing based on yeast and sugar is useful: 12 g of yeast, 100 g of sugar are diluted in 5 liters of water, insisted for a week. Before watering, dilute 1 glass of yeast infusion in 1 bucket of water, pour 1 liter of solution under each bush. During the season, 2 feeding with yeast is carried out.

If the soil is initially very rich, it is better to use leaf dressing. Spraying with an ash solution, copper sulfate or calcium nitrate nourishes and at the same time acts as a prevention of diseases.

Possible feeding scheme in the open field:

1. during the formation of mass ovaries;

2. during the period of picking up the first fruits.

Use the same solution both times: for a bucket of water 10 liters 1 tbsp. l. nitrophosphate, 2 tbsp. l superphosphate, 2 l compost. The solution is stirred, and the plants are watered under the root.

Nutrient deficiency is expressed by blanching of the leaves.

In the greenhouse, the plants are fed more actively.

1. A mixture of superphosphate (2 tbsp. L.), Potassium (1 tbsp. L.), Nitrate (1 tbsp. L) - 1-2 weeks after transplanting seedlings into the greenhouse.

2. Organic matter, mullein solution or bird droppings - when the plants are just starting to bloom.

3. Potassium nitrate - during the period of mass fruiting. Use the lowest dosage. Potassium is very useful, the fruits will be tastier, but the excess will negatively affect the harvest.

It is very important not to overfeed, therefore it is imperative to take into account the initial qualities of the soil. The Kustovoy variety can do without feeding at all if it is planted in an initially very nutritious soil.

Cucumbers need very nutritious and loose soil. The soil should have time to dry out in 1-2 days. In dense soil, cucumbers grow weak, often get sick. Optimal - soil with a lot of humus. Some gardeners plant cucumbers in clean humus, or arrange warm beds in which there is a layer of fresh manure. To loosen the soil, coarse sand, fine gravel, chopped straw, perlite, vermiculite, rotted sawdust are added to it.

The variety has good resistance to pests and diseases, but according to these indicators it does not stand out against the background of medium varieties. For prophylaxis, "Fitosporin" is used - it is a safe biological product, an extract of beneficial bacteria. It can be used even the day before harvest. The only negative is that the drug requires regularity. Spraying is repeated every 14-20 days in warm calm weather. For breeding, take only clean water, without chlorine.

Bush cucumbers are perceived by domestic gardeners as a curiosity. Little is known about them. Almost all bush cucumbers are bee-pollinated, there are very few parthenocarpic varieties in this category. Usually, bush cucumbers do not have very high yields, because only one cucumber grows from one bosom, and it may not grow if pollination does not take place. The Kustovaya variety stands out against this background. Its yield is impressive, the internodes of the plant are very short, the harvest seems to be rich.

Its advantages: no need for shaping, endurance, compact plant, early maturity, tasty fruits, simplified care. Despite the average health, the variety does not have time to get sick - the crop is harvested before massive outbreaks of fungal and bacterial diseases. The Kustovoy variety is perfect for an ornamental garden.