Phoenix cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumbers - salted and pickled, fresh and pickled - have always been one of the favorite dishes of traditional Russian cuisine. They are very easy to buy in the supermarket, but those grown with your own hands have a unique aroma and taste.

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Choosing the right variety

The consumption of cucumbers depends on their variety. Some are only good for salads, others can be stored for a long time or are good for processing. In order to choose the right variety, you need to understand the classification of cucumbers. They are divided into the following varieties:
  • By purpose - salad and pickling;
  • According to the method of pollination - parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) and bee-pollinated;
  • According to the ripening period – early and late.
One of the best domestic cucumber varieties is Phoenix.

Description of Phoenix cucumber

cucumbers

The variety is universal and can be used for salads and pickling. The fruit is strong and large, up to 16 cm long, has an oval-cylindrical shape. The peel is thin and tender, the pulp is juicy. The surface is coarsely tuberous. The fruit has a good taste, it is crispy and dense, without bitterness. Color – green, with light stripes along the length. The spines are white. The cross section is round-triangular in shape. Fruit weight up to 180 g, diameter 4-5 cm. Zelentsy are suitable for pickling, pickling and any type of processing.
The flowering type of Phoenix cucumbers is predominantly female. This is a vigorous variety, the length of the main stem reaches 3 meters.The bush is powerful, highly branched. The leaves are green, the ovary is bunched.
The variety has good resistance to diseases typical of cucumbers: powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus No. 1, downy mildew. Productivity reaches 5 kg per 1 sq. m.
In terms of ripening speed, the Phoenix cucumber is late-ripening. Fruiting begins 55-65 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Pollinated by bees. Grows well in open ground. It is possible to grow under temporary film covers. The fruiting period is very long - right up to frost.

Soil, feeding and fertilizing cucumbers

The soil for planting cucumbers should be rich in humus, without the phenomenon of water stagnation. Soil pH - no more than 7. Predecessors can be onions, tomatoes, potatoes. If the soil is highly acidic, liming should be done in the fall before planting cucumbers.
Choose a sunny place for cucumbers, protected from drafts. Planting is done in warm soil, otherwise the seedlings will be weak and less resistant to diseases. For 1 sq. m of soil protected by a shelter, 3 seedlings are placed; in open ground, 4 cucumbers can be planted in the same area.
When digging the soil before planting, you need to add organic fertilizers - manure. In addition, cucumbers should be fed with nitrogen when the third true leaf appears and when the ovaries form (2 g per square meter). Twice during the growing season they are fed with mineral fertilizer containing nitrogen and potassium (20 g per 1 sq. m).

Features of caring for cucumbers

Cucumber

Cucumbers love warmth. For normal plant growth, the daytime temperature must be at least 22 degrees, and the night temperature must be up to 18. When it gets colder, the cucumber stops developing, and during prolonged cold dies.Therefore, plants should be protected from hypothermia using various covering materials.
When watering Phoenix cucumbers, the following rules should be observed:
  1. Before the ovaries appear, moderate watering.
  2. The total amount of water per 1 sq.m is 40-50 liters for the entire growth period.
  3. Reduce watering during cold weather.
  4. Water only with warm water.
When collecting fruits, it is better not to pick them, but to cut them off, so as not to damage the vines and not tear the roots, which are located closer to the surface of the soil. This must also be remembered when periodically loosening the soil.
To avoid the appearance of barren flowers, you need to pinch the main stem after 5-6 leaves appear. Lateral ovaries above 30 cm should also be removed after the formation of the second ovary.

Basic rules for growing cucumbers

Beginners often make the same mistakes when growing cucumbers. To prevent them, you must adhere to the following rules:
  1. Planting seeds or seedlings only in heated soil. In cold soil, the seeds will not germinate, but will rot and the seedlings will die.
  2. Do not plant cucumbers in the same place for several years in a row. This puts them at increased risk of disease.
  3. Add organic matter before planting. It could be manure, rotted leaves, grass.
  4. Leave sufficient gaps between plants, at least 20 cm.
  5. Fertilize regularly.
  6. Cucumber roots love not only water, but also air. Therefore the plant should be loosened frequently, better with every watering.
  7. Collect small fruits. The appearance of at least one overripe fruit inhibits the development of the entire bush and reduces the formation of new ovaries.
The disease resistance and good taste of Phoenix cucumbers makes them one of the best for planting in individual plots.
There are several varieties of this variety - Phoenix, Phoenix 640, Phoenix plus. They have their own characteristics. Depending on the specific growing conditions, the most suitable one is selected.
Watch all the intricacies of growing cucumbers in a greenhouse in the video:
cucumbersPhoenix

Comments

A very good variety, especially for canning. The gherkins are very tasty and crispy. Moreover, the phoenix is ​​not whimsical. The main thing is to tighten the mesh or provide some kind of support for weaving. And water in the evening during drought.

I really appreciated this variety only this season! Yes, although it begins to bear fruit later, only it and the phoenix+ endured the Crimean heat and delighted with cucumbers until the cold snap! Despite the fact that care consisted only of watering - as they say, planted and almost forgot :)
I really like the peculiarity of this variety - its tolerance to diseases and the fact that you need gingerbreads - please :) And of different sizes... If you want to get a salad cucumber and again, please :) As you wish :)
To the recommendations in the article, I would add one more point - do not take fresh (from last year) seeds for planting! In principle, this feature of the entire pumpkin family is to withstand 2-3 years.
As a conclusion, I’ll say that next year my main plantings will be “Phoenix” and “Phoenix+”!
Good luck to everyone and harvest :)