Cucumber Early Bird

The Early Bird variety appeared in 2013 thanks to the work of many breeders. The variety was approved and entered into the State Register for the Russian Federation in 2015. Since that time, it has been actively cultivated in most regions of the Russian Federation.

The variety is a Russian hybrid of the first generation. Has an indeterminate type of growth. Due to its ability to survive in different regions, taste characteristics and versatility, the variety is quite popular among gardeners.

The plant has medium branching. The leaves of the Early Bird are medium in size, green in color. Blooming flowers are of the female type. Zelentsov in each bundle there will be from 2 to 7 pieces.

The fruits of the variety are short, reaching 9-13 cm in length and 3-4 cm in diameter. The average weight of one green leaf is 80 g, the maximum is 120 g. Cucumbers have a medium lumpy glossy surface.

The early bird is considered a salad variety, but due to its size it fits perfectly in canning jars. The fruits are characterized as crispy and juicy, with excellent taste and aroma.

The variety belongs to the early group, which gave rise to its name.

The early bird is a high-yielding hybrid. The average indicator reaches 14 kg / m2.

Among the regions prescribed for cultivation, there are North, North-West, Central, Volgo-Vyatka, TsChO, North Caucasian, Middle Volga, Nizhnevolzhsky, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian, Far Eastern.

When planting the Early Bird, the site is marked out in a standard way. Adhere to the scheme 30x60 cm.In greenhouses, about 2.5 plants are placed per square meter, and in open ground - 3-4.5. It is also important to take into account that the bushes do not interfere with each other and do not block the sunlight.

The variety is intended for planting in open ground using a temporary film cover, it is also grown in film greenhouses. For the landing of the Early Bird, the climate will be favorable when the upper layers of the earth are warmed up to +15 degrees. The temperature at night should not drop below +10 degrees. Cucumbers are planted in the greenhouse in late April - early May, in open ground - in mid-May.

In the case of a greenhouse, preliminary preparation is required. All unnecessary vegetation is removed, twines for vertical tying, the walls are wet cleaned. Gardeners advise using a solution of laundry soap (a 10 liter bar), it not only cleans well, but also acts as a disinfectant. Streaks and residues of the solution are removed with a damp cloth.

If your seed material was purchased from the Manul company, then you do not have to worry about pre-planting. The producers have already coated the grains with a special compound that protects the seeds from ailments.

If you are planting seeds in open ground, then it will not be difficult for you to carry out the simplest planting operations. A strip 3-4 cm deep is drawn along the bed, it is moistened (with slightly warm settled water). 2 seeds are planted in one place. In the case of the emergence of both bushes, either two are left (if the neighboring ones suddenly turned out to be weak), or one (the strongest survives).Cucumbers themselves have weak branches, so it is important to keep only strong and viable ones.

If you are not confused by the above operations, and you are ready for more to achieve an even earlier harvest, use the seedling growing method. Seeds are planted in plastic cups or peat pots. They are left in a warm, dry and dark place, covered with foil. After about a week, the first shoots appear. The seedlings are moved to the sun and watered with warm water under the root.

The optimal state for planting in the ground is the presence of 3-4 leaves on each plant. For the bushes, dig holes with a depth of 10-12 cm. They are moistened and a little potassium permanganate is added to the base. Seedlings are placed together with peat (directly from the pot) or soil from a glass. The plant deepens to the first leaf. Sprinkle the seedlings with earth, tamp it a little.

Cucumbers of this variety need a lot of water. Before the period of flowering and the formation of ovaries, the bushes are watered once every 5 days, 2 liters per m2. During fruiting, the number of approaches increases to 1 time in 2 days, and the volume of water - up to 5 liters. The settled water should be at room temperature: colder liquids can damage the root system of the plant. Watering is carried out either in the morning or in the evening.

The bush also needs a garter and shaping. The early bird does not have very long branches, but it is nevertheless distributed over trellises or tied up horizontally or vertically. Thus, the plants bear fruit just above ground level, they are well lit and remain clean and accessible to the caring hand of the gardener. Tied and slightly grown bushes dazzle up to 3-4 leaves. Side shoots are not removed: they are needed for the second crop wave.

The very peak of fertilizing falls on the periods of flowering and fruiting. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are used. Additives are applied once a week, 10-15 g per 1 m2. Complex fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen are also suitable. The early bird assimilates well feeding in the form of humus and wood ash.

The variety is hilled only with wet soil. During the harvest season, cucumbers are cut every second day. The fruits keep well in the refrigerator (up to two weeks) without losing their taste.

The soil for cucumbers of this variety is light, fertile and fertilized, with a neutral pH. Before planting, the land is dug up, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. As the first, gardeners recommend compost, humus (5-7 kg per 1 m2), as the second - nitroammofosku (30 g per 1 m2).

The hybrid is highly resistant to various diseases. Among them are cucumber mosaic virus, cladosporiosis (brown olive spot), powdery and downy mildew. Let's figure out what to do in other cases.

• Late blight. An infectious disease occurs due to sudden changes in temperature, high levels of humidity, or is transmitted from other plants. To prevent the development of the disease, the land is disinfected before planting, the greenhouses are periodically ventilated. Plants are treated with a solution of Bordeaux liquid (0.5%).
• Whitefly.The insect is based on the inside of the leaf, as it does not like direct light. Whitefly can be caught by hand by removing diseased leaves. In the greenhouse, special Velcro is hung from them. In serious cases, use drugs "Aktellik", "Aktara".
• Fusarium wilting. It is transmitted through the root system. It is treated with the drug "Previkur".