Characteristics and cultivation of Herman cucumbers, how to buy Herman seeds

Cucumber

Cucumbers are one of the most popular vegetable crops. They can safely be included in the top three, along with potatoes and cabbage. Cucumbers are grown on an industrial scale in open and closed ground, and in private gardens.

The number of modern varieties is difficult to count. Everyone is looking for that very variety that will have excellent taste and appearance both fresh and canned. Perhaps German cucumber seeds are just what you need. But first, let's try to understand the basic terms and characteristics of cucumbers.

Content:

What types of cucumbers are there?

All cucumbers are heat-loving crops. Their main growth, flowering and appearance of the ovary begins at temperatures above + 15 +18 degrees. Cucumbers are one of the few crops whose fruits are usually collected unripe. Varieties and hybrids of cucumbers can be divided into:

  • early, harvesting is possible after 40 - 45 days
  • average, harvest in 50 days
  • late, harvest after 50 days

Cucumbers are consumed both fresh and canned. Varieties with fruits of the following sizes are suitable for fresh consumption:

  • first group - length up to 11 cm, diameter no more than 5 cm
  • second group - length up to 14 cm, diameter 5.5 cm
  • third group - long-fruited, length up to 25 cm, diameter 5.5 cm

More suitable for canning cucumbers with dense pulp, without a cavity inside, seeds with a soft shell. Cucumbers for harvesting for future use in salted and canned form can be divided according to their length:

  • pickles - length from 3 cm to 5 cm
  • gherkins - the first group from 5 cm to 7 cm, the second from 7 cm to 9 cm
  • greens - up to 11 cm

Cucumber

A good harvest depends on how many cucumber flowers are pollinated. It is important to know that according to the method of pollination there are varieties:

  • self-pollinating or parthenocarpic
  • bee-pollinated

Most varieties of cucumbers, especially old selections, are distinguished by long shoots, the length of which requires gartering on trellises. Such varieties are called indeterminate. However, now there are a lot of new varieties and hybrids with limited shoot growth; such varieties are called determinate; they are most often grown in bush form.

The length of the shoots is from 50 cm to 100 cm. Such varieties produce a harvest more uniformly, and the shoots are less damaged. Cucumber fruits may have a bitter taste, especially when there is a lack of moisture, so it is advisable to focus on varieties without bitterness. In addition, when choosing a variety, the following are important:

  • productivity
  • resistance to diseases
  • adaptability to climate and weather
  • taste
  • skin thickness

When going to the garden center to buy seeds, it is advisable to remember these few characteristics in order to choose the very tasty and correct cucumbers. Perhaps German cucumber seeds fall under these characteristics.

Characteristics of German cucumbers

Herman cucumbers are an F 1 hybrid. The main positive aspects include early ripeness. Already 35 - 37 days after the appearance of mass shoots, you can see the first cucumbers. The massive appearance of cucumbers is observed on days 40 - 45.Unlike many early varieties, it differs in yield. The ovary of German cucumbers is formed in bunches.

One bunch can contain up to 9 cucumbers. From one square meter you can collect up to 9 kg of cucumbers, of which only 3 - 4% will be rejected. About 95% of the harvest comes out with high commercial quality. The cucumbers are even and the same size. The hybrid is ideal for growing:

Considering that the variety is parthenocarpic, cultivation in a greenhouse does not require the presence of bees or bumblebees. A variety with indeterminate shoots; when grown on a trellis, their length can be up to 4 m. The leaves are of the usual shape for the crop, medium in size. The color of the leaf blade is green or dark green. The fruits are gherkin-type, dark green with white tubercles. The length of cucumbers is on average 9 cm, diameter 2.5 - 2.9 cm. The taste of hybrid Herman cucumbers is very high, there is no bitterness.

Cucumbers Herman

Separately, it is worth mentioning the plant’s resistance to cucumber diseases:

  • powdery mildew
  • cladospornosis
  • mosaic

The hybrid can be recommended for cultivation not only on personal farmsteads, but also for small-scale production both in greenhouses and in open ground on small farms for sale to the public. This is due not only to its excellent presentation and high yield, but also to the ability to grow in small winter greenhouses and good transportability. The general principles of growing German cucumbers are similar to growing other early hybrids, but have some peculiarities.

Growing German cucumbers from seeds

The main seller of hybrid Herman seeds is the Dutch company Siminis.Before sale, the seeds are pre-treated with the substance thiram, which protects them from diseases and improves germination. When processed since 2005, the seeds are covered with a protective green crust. There is no need to soak and wash the seeds of the German variety.

It is important to know that if the seeds are of a natural color, then this is most likely falsification and waiting for varietal characteristics in such cucumbers is a hopeless matter.

When choosing seeds from sellers, you need to know that genuine Herman hybrid seeds have a fairly high cost, with wholesale purchases it is about a ruble per seed, with retail purchases it is already 2.5 - 3 rubles per seed.
There are two ways to grow cucumbers:

  • through seedlings
  • sowing in the ground

When growing seedlings, it is better to use individual cups or pots. Place 1 seed in each. You can, of course, do two at a time, but given that germination rates reach 95% and the high cost of seeds, this is not always advisable. When transplanting to a garden bed, you should try to plant the seedlings without destroying the earthen clod, at the age of approximately 21-25 days, with 4-5 true leaves.

Sowing time in open ground seeds Hermann cucumber hybrid is related to soil temperature. It is important that it does not fall below +8 degrees at night, and warms up to +15 in the sun during the day. The plant tolerates a short-term decrease in temperature normally, but with prolonged low temperatures the death of the entire bush is possible.

You can sow seeds both in holes and in furrows, having first placed rotted humus and a mineral mixture in them, this will have a positive effect on the harvest. After this, the grooves must be shed with water and only after that the sowing is carried out.Covering with soil should not exceed 15 mm. The top of the cucumber bed can be mulched with humus or rotted manure and covered with film or any covering material.

How to care for a Herman cucumber

Considering that the shoots are quite powerful, it is better to grow the hybrid in one stem. To do this, form the plant as follows:

  • from the axils of 1, 2, 3,4 leaves you need to remove the entire ovary, this will give time for the formation and strengthening of the root system
  • in the axils of the fifth and sixth leaves, only one ovary should be left, the shoots are removed
  • in the axils from the seventh to tenth leaves, no more than two ovaries are left, the shoots are removed
  • when the stem reaches the desired height of 1.0 m - 1.5 m, its top is pinched

In addition to the vertical position on the trellis, shoots can be launched horizontally.
Further care comes down to regular watering. Its frequency is once every 2-3 days; the portion of water per watering should not be too large. When the first cucumbers appear, it is important to know that even if you do not remove them from the bush in time, they are unlikely to grow more than 12 - 15 cm. The fruits of the variety are crispy, with a bright cucumber taste and smell. The purpose is universal.

Video about growing and caring for German cucumbers:

CucumberCucumbers Herman