Dalila F1 Pickling Cucumber

Cucumis sativus - Dalila F1

Cucumbers undoubtedly belong to the most popular types of vegetables. Pickling cucumbers or salad cucumbers are probably the most commonly grown vegetable type. Everyone knows the long snake cucumbers. The fruits measure over thirty centimeters, are smooth, non-bitter, and suitable for growing in greenhouses and polytunnel covers. Cucumbers originate from India, where they have been cultivated for 3000 years. The plant grows up to 2 meters long and is climbing. It characteristically has large, deeply lobed, alternately growing leaves. Cucumbers produce large yellow unisexual male and female flowers, which are pollinated by insects. The fruit is a cucumber - a berry.

Cucumbers contain the enzyme erepsin, which breaks down proteins. Vitamin E protects cells against free radicals. When consuming cucumbers, a feeling of satiety soon appears, which helps with weight loss diets.

Besides basic culinary preparations of cucumbers, such as salads or for canning, cucumbers can also be used to make various cream salads, but also cocktails and various smoothies.

How to Grow Cucumbers

• It is not suitable to plant cucumbers where potatoes or strawberries were previously grown. On the other hand, beds after peas, onions, beets, or beans are suitable. Cucumbers require bright, warm locations that are sheltered from wind. We keep the soil around germinated seedlings loose and clean. Cucumbers are shallow-rooting, so we don't hoe deep. We pinch plants at the six-leaf stage after the fifth leaf and later also pinch side shoots after set fruits. Pinching accelerates harvest by at least fourteen days. Watering in hot sunshine is not suitable as plants suffer from scald and downy mildew. Leaves must be dry at night, so afternoon watering is completely unsuitable and we only water in the morning. For growing cucumbers, it is suitable to use PVC film which protects seedlings from possible temperature drops. Black non-woven fabric is most suitable.

• Cucumber seeds can be sown directly into the bed around May 20th. Cucumbers are quite susceptible to temperature shocks, so temperatures should not fall below 8°C.

  Another option is pre-cultivation, which helps avoid cucumber downy mildew. Sowing can be done from mid-April. Seeds are sown in sowing substrate, one seed directly into pots or seed trays. We can pre-cultivate indoors by a window or in a greenhouse. Seedlings are pre-cultivated for 12-16 days and the suitable temperature for seed germination is 15-18°C. Overwatering doesn't suit seeds or young seedlings very well, as they could easily die. We place seedlings at the final location only after May 20th.

• They require quality, well-manured, deeply worked soil.

• It is good to fertilize the location before planting with well-rotted manure or matured compost. This is left to settle for another 2-3 weeks. During vegetation, you can fertilize with diluted cow manure with fermented chicken droppings. You can also use artificial fertilizer Cucumin, specially designed for cucumbers. We can also apply Cererit or Floran.

• Sucking pests such as aphids, whiteflies, or spider mites can significantly weaken our cultivated plants when heavily infested. Fungal diseases include mainly mildews such as cucumber downy mildew, black fruit rot, powdery mildew. It is suitable to use ROCK EFFECT as prevention, not only against sucking pests but also against fungal diseases. For treatment against fungal diseases, we can use products Acrobat MZ WG, Aliette 80 WG, also Dithane DG Neotec, Champion 50 WP, Kuprikol 50, Ortiva, Previcur Energy, Ridomil Gold MZ Pepite, and Plíseň STOP.

  Symptoms of cucumber mosaic virus can be observed in approximately month and a half old plants. Greener irregular spots begin to form on leaves, which turn yellow over time. Leaves wrinkle and deform. The disease is transmitted by pests such as aphids or whiteflies. Protection involves eliminating sucking pests that transmit the disease and destroying plants in case of infestation.

• We harvest cucumbers at least two to three times a week. During harvest, we take care not to tear cucumber seedlings and damage shoots. We harvest mature fruits.