Cucumber Blizzard

A universal variety of cucumbers in use, Blizzard pleases gardeners with a pleasant taste, unpretentious care, and resistance to many diseases. At the same time, the fruits have an attractive appearance, and they ripen in a short time. Fruiting lasts until severe cold weather.

The hybrid was developed by A. N. Kononov and L. G. Krasnikov, employees of the "Association Biotechnics" in St. Petersburg. Since 2007, the admission to the distribution of Metelitsa cucumbers in domestic regions has been opened. According to the expert commission, the quality of the green leaves deserves 4.67 points out of 5.

A medium-sized plant with small green leaves forms 3-4 greens in a bunch. It has limited growth of shortened side shoots. By the type of flowering in the parthenocarpic cucumber, female flowers with an ovary and a small green plant predominate.

Hybrid seeds are not worth picking yourself. In the second generation, it will not be possible to get offspring from hybrids, and if this happens, the resulting fruits will not meet varietal standards.

The length of the fusiform green corresponds to a gherkin - up to about 8 cm. By weight, the fruit does not exceed 75 g. It is colored by nature in a dark green color, on the skin there are pronounced stripes of medium length and large tubercles.

The pulp tastes juicy, but dense, without the slightest bitterness, the crunch is pronounced. The purpose of the variety is salad, it is often used fresh, but it is excellent for pickling and preserving.

By the timing of ripening, the Blizzard cucumbers are considered ultra-early. From sprouts to the appearance of the first gherkins, only 36-37 pass.

The hybrid belongs to high-yielding varieties. On average, the yield is 14.8 kg per sq. m.

The site should be in a sunlit place and closed from drafts. It is important to constantly ventilate the greenhouse and treat the walls with liquid formalin at least once every 14 days.

Blizzard seeds for seedlings are planted in the first half of April. The seed is introduced into peat pots to a depth of 1.5 cm, planting 2-3 seeds in a container. For the growth of cucumbers, a special soil mixture is needed, consisting of sand, turf, humus and chicken droppings.

The sprouts are watered every day, waiting for the sun to set, making sure that the soil under the bushes does not dry out.

The seedlings are transferred to the ground in the first ten days of May, provided that the spring frosts have receded. It is planted with 3 cucumber bushes per 1 m2. Optimally, there should be 30-35 cm between them, and the row spacing should be 60 cm. Immediately after planting, the sprouts need abundant watering and hilling to the top leaf.

Cucumbers of this variety need water and feed with potassium-phosphorus compounds. Planting is spud up to 3 times throughout the season, but if the spring is cold, it is done more often. The land around the bush is loosened twice a week.

To form bushes, the central stem is knitted on a vertical trellis and the top is pinched at a height of 1-1.2 m.

In warm weather, the Blizzard hybrid needs daily watering; in cool weather, the soil is moistened every other day. The daily volume of water per bush is 5-6 liters. The liquid should be settled, well heated in the sun up to 24-25 degrees.

Bushes need fertilization 4-5 times per season.

For the first time, seedlings are fed with chicken droppings (ash) 7 days before being transported to the ground.

Next time - with humus or nitroammophos for 3-4 days from the transplant.

The third and fourth fertilization with nitrate is necessary with the onset of flowering and at the end of it.

The final feeding falls on the start of fruiting. Superphosphate is required here.

Fertilizers are applied in liquid form before watering, pouring them under the root. To enhance the effect, mulching of row spacings is shown.

Such a cucumber is more successfully cultivated in black soil. And also the hybrid grows well on medium loamy soil.

The soil for the variety begins to be prepared in September, after the harvest. The site is dug up and disinfected using Fitoverm. The soil is then fertilized with compost (mullein). With the arrival of spring, five days before planting, the ridge is slightly loosened, the earth is calcined with boiling water, and weeding is carried out.

The Blizzard hybrid is resistant to adverse weather conditions and cladosporium disease (brown olive spot). The variety is resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew infection.

The cucumber Blizzard has a lot of positive characteristics against the background of a small number of negative qualities that are easy to fix.

The harvest is stored up to 7-9 days. Immediately from the garden, it is placed in a bag and sent to the top shelf in the refrigerator.

The characteristics and quality of the fruit meet the requirements of discerning growers. They can be grown not only outdoors, but also in greenhouse conditions. Cucumbers grow well in apartments on windowsills and on balconies.