Cucumber Amur is a hybrid variety. Bred his selection and seed company Manul. Since 2000, the variety belongs to the State Register of the Russian Federation. Private gardens and small farms of any region are suitable for its cultivation. This variety has a lot of advantages and high productivity.
Amur cucumber seeds
Cucumber is a bunch type fruiting
Ripe Amur Cucumbers
Description of the variety of cucumbers
Cucumber Amur is an ultra-early hybrid - fruiting begins on the 37-40th day after emergence. You can cultivate the plant both in open and in protected ground (greenhouses).
Cucumber Amur is a parthenocarpic plant, that is, it has a female type of flowering. This is a strong-growing indeterminate culture - the growth of the stem is not limited. The plant is characterized by very weak branching, which virtually eliminates the need for the formation of a bush. The formation of 1-2 ovaries in the node is characteristic. Simultaneous pouring of several fruits is characteristic.
Amur leaves are medium in size and green in color, with a slight wavy edge. The fruits are characterized by an oval-fusiform shape, slight wrinkling, small tuberosity, short neck. In length, they reach 12-15 cm, weigh an average of 100 g.
The fruits of the culture are distinguished by dark green skin, the first third of the length is covered with weak longitudinal strips of light color. The Amur variety is characterized by weak pubescence and the presence of white spines.
The main crop is removed in the first month of fruiting. From one square meter 12-14 kg of cucumbers are collected. The growth of fruits along the entire length of the lash is characteristic.
An important feature of the variety is self-regulating branching. Stepsons appear only after the active growth of the main lash and the formation of the main crop.
Advantages and disadvantages
Cucumber Cupid has a lot of advantages:
- ultra-early ripening;
- lack of need for pollination;
- cold resistance;
- branching is self-regulating, it is practically not necessary to form a bush;
- beam type fruit formation;
- fruiting is plentiful and long.
- short fertility;
- excellent taste;
- resistance to many diseases;
- universality in application.
The Amur variety has some disadvantages:
Only a month is actively bearing fruit, and if the harvest is not taken off time, the fruits outgrow and lose their taste. The advantage of this variety in disease resistance has one nuance - this quality manifests itself when trellis is used for cultivation.
Soil requirements
Soil preparation for growing Amur cucumbers must begin in the fall. It should be dug up and superphosphate added. Before planting in the spring, it is worth fertilizing the soil with rotted manure and wood ash.
After planting, mulching is effective. To do this, peat is used (it is necessary to grind) and sawdust.
The ultra-early ripening and high yield of the crop heavily load the soil, which leads to its rapid depletion. You can avoid such a nuisance even at the seedling stage, if you correctly compose mixed soil for it. It should consist of humus, peat, forest land and sand. You need to mix them equally, and for every 10 liters add 1 tbsp. l nitroammophoski and 3-4 tbsp. wood ash.
Rules for sowing seeds, planting seedlings
An important feature of the Amur variety is the fact that seeds are sold already in processed form. This is evidenced by their colored shell. This treatment means that the seeds do not require pre-soaking or germination - they can be immediately used for planting in open ground or planting seedlings.
Cupid is an early variety of cucumbers, so it can be planted in open ground. In this case, it is necessary to organize a temporary shelter - arches with a film or agrofibre. You can use ordinary plastic bottles, covering the wells with makeshift cups.
In open ground, culture can be planted immediately after the cessation of frost by seedlings, and seeds - at a temperature of 24 degrees. In the regions of the middle zone, seeds must be planted before mid-June, and in the southern regions by the end of the month.
The video below will tell you how to plant Amur cucumber seedlings:
Cucumber Amur can be planted not only on classic beds, but also on a compost heap, in bags, barrels, boxes. To fill the tank, use natural garbage - fallen leaves, weeds, twigs, household waste. The top layer is garden soil and humus or compost. You need to mix them equally.
Density of fit depends on its method. In the greenhouse, it is recommended to plant 3 bushes per 1 sq. Km. m, and in the open ground - 4-5 plants. When using 200-liter barrels, 3-4 plants are planted, and 1-2 in a bag.
If you want to get an early harvest, then you need to plant Amur seedlings. Grow it according to the following rules:
- sow seeds for seedlings a month before its planned planting;
- use separate pots or cups - plant 1-3 seeds in each container;
- for growing seedlings, the use of a finished mixture is recommended - its composition is maximally adapted and saturated;
- at several shoots in the same container leave the strongest specimen - the rest must be cleaned carefully so as not to damage the roots;
- for planting seedlings, the soil must warm up to at least 16 degrees.
When planting seedlings in open ground, it is recommended to sprinkle the sprout almost completely. This technique provides the development of a powerful root system - the key to a plentiful harvest.
After landing care
Cucumber Cupid is quite unpretentious in leaving. It consists in the following activities:
- Watering. It should be plentiful during active fruiting and on dry days. No more than 20 liters of water are needed per square meter, sprinkling is effective in drought when solar activity is minimal. Water should be warmed up to 25 degrees.
- Top dressing. Fertilizer is recommended to be applied at least 2-3 times. Effectively use complex formulations. The first top dressing is necessary already at the beginning of flowering, then it is repeated with an interval of 1-1.5 weeks. It is good to use special mixtures for top dressing: BioGumus, Agricola, Zdorov. Green fertilizers are also effective - fermenting infusions of weed grass (they usually use nettles). Infusion must be diluted in 5 parts of water. Under one bush, it is enough to add 1.5-2 liters of such a solution.
- Bush formation. The first removal of inflorescences is required even before the development of 5-6 true leaves. To tie the lashes, it is necessary to organize vertical supports - there are a lot of ovaries, therefore, non-tied stems can not withstand the load.
How to achieve a generous harvest?
The standard duration of fruiting Amur is a month. At this time, sufficient watering and regular feeding are needed.
It is important to remember the recommended water temperature for irrigation. If it is too cold, the fruit growth will slow down, and the risk of disease will increase.
Diseases are reflected in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the crop. It is necessary to timely prevent them.
The duration of the harvest can be increased if the conveyor method is used during planting. This means that it is necessary to plant a crop not on the same day, but at certain intervals. The effect will be if a month is maintained between the first and last landing.
Diseases and their prevention
Amur is characterized by high resistance to various pests and diseases, but certain factors can provoke such problems. It is important to timely prevent them, and if necessary, treatment.
Diseases can be as follows:
- Cladosporiosis. The disease is manifested by rapidly growing dark brown spots on the leaves and fruits. The reason is the remains of diseased plants in the soil. For prevention, use Bordeaux liquid, special preparations.
- Powdery mildew. This fungal disease is expressed by the appearance of a white coating on the surface of the leaves, followed by their yellowing and drying. The reason is usually cloudy and cold weather. For treatment and prevention use fungicides, a solution of colloidal sulfur.
- White rot. Such a disease is also called sclerotinia. It appears gradually darkening and spreading white spots on the stems or leaves, their decay. Prevention is planting bushes at a sufficient distance, removing the affected parts of plants, treating the soil with lime, crushed coal.
- Ants. These insects are useful, but can cause aphids or damage the root system of the crop. You can get rid of them by treating the soil with boiling water, pouring kerosene into the anthill, and special traps.
- Whitefly. The larvae of the insect feed on the sap of plants, so they harm them. For prevention, you need to loosen the soil, you can plant tobacco next to cucumbers.
Harvesting and storage rules
Harvest should be 1-2 times a week. If you do this less often, then the fruits will become rough, lose their taste.
The Amur variety is considered salad, therefore, during fruiting it is actively used for food. This hybrid is also suitable for canning, but with its collection and processing it is not necessary to pull, otherwise the taste will change, and the peel will become rougher.
Cucumbers of this variety are often grown for sale, as they are well stored and survive transportation. At home, fruits should be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, but not more than a week.
Cupid cucumbers are well suited for pickling. The fruits can even be frozen whole - in the winter they are crushed on a grater and added to ready meals.
Cucumber Amur - a hybrid that ripens in an ultra-short time. It provides good yield, and fruiting can be prolonged in various ways. It is important for culture to ensure proper care, which includes a range of activities.