Information on how to collect cucumber seeds will be useful to many summer residents who grow vegetable crops.

Of course, no one is canceling the option of buying ready-made seeds at a gardening store, but sometimes you really want to plant seeds you collected with your own hands and continue growing a proven and really liked variety.

Content:

• What varieties of cucumbers can you collect seeds from?
• Is it possible to collect seeds of hybrid cucumbers?
• Which cucumber should be left for seeds?
• When to pick cucumbers for seeds
• How to collect cucumber seeds, useful tips
• How to dry seeds
• Where, how and for how long can it be stored?
• How cucumber seeds are selected: testing for germination

What varieties of cucumbers can you collect seeds from?

Buying seeds in a store greatly simplifies the process. growing cucumbers. However, there is often a desire to plant exactly the variety that produced an excellent harvest last year.

Procuring seeds yourself, despite the possibility of difficulties, has undeniable advantages: the variety has been tested by you, the taste of the vegetable suits you, and the yield in the region of your residence is quite high.

As for the choice of varieties, one can often come across the opinion that fruits from bee-pollinated plants have higher taste qualities.

To be sure that the flowers are not pollinated by another variety, it is advisable to plant the varieties separately; the distance between plantings should not be less than 30 m.

But even if all the requirements are met, it is not recommended to collect seeds from your variety for more than 3-5 years: the likelihood that the variety will degenerate and change its basic characteristics becomes too high.

You can obtain high-quality planting material by following certain rules; we suggest that you carefully consider them.

Is it possible to collect seeds of hybrid cucumbers?

The most important thing is that you cannot collect seeds from hybrid varieties. Myself principle of obtaining a hybrid plant involves crossing several varieties, it is easy to assume that such planting material can produce plants whose fruits will have completely different qualities than those that attracted you to the mother plant. It is unlikely that you will be able to get the desired vegetable.

However, experts do not exclude the possibility that the seeds of hybrid plants can produce varieties whose fruit quality will be excellent, but the chance of such a turn of events is too low.

Conclusion one: to obtain seeds we use only varieties, so as not to confuse them with hybrids, we pay attention to the inscriptions on packages purchased at the store. If there is a mark F 1 or F 2, then these are definitely hybrids of the first or second generation, respectively.

Which cucumber should be left for seeds?

You can often hear the statement that to extract planting material, you can only take female fruits, i.e. those that have a four-chamber structure. Male fruits have three chambers that contain seeds.

To distinguish a female fruit from a male one, no special skills are required; the chambers are clearly visible visually if you cut a cucumber crosswise.

So, agronomists do not recommend giving in to such talk: they know for sure that fruit can only be born on a female flower, on a male one, i.e. In barren flowers, the ovary does not form. Therefore, we cannot talk about “male” fruits.

But practice shows that seeds collected from four-chambered specimens produce a larger number of female flowers and have fewer barren flowers.

In order to collect high-quality seeds, you should choose the largest fruits growing on the strongest and healthiest bushes. To avoid accidentally picking off selected specimens, you can mark them with bright ribbons tied at the base. To exclude the possibility of rotting the fruit, you should place a board under it.

Let's watch a video about collecting cucumber seeds yourself:

When to pick cucumbers for seeds

In order for the seeds to be of high quality and give a high percentage of germination, you need to wait until the cucumber is completely ripe.

You can know when this moment has arrived by the following signs:

• the fruit has acquired considerable size;
• the color of the skin has changed to golden brown;
• the stalk has dried up.

These symptoms indicate that all the nutrients that could be obtained have already been received, and the seeds have reached a state of maturity. It is not recommended to pick seed cucumbers before the tail is completely dry.

There is an opinion that you can get better quality seeds from fruits that will be picked in the fall, after the first frost. Hardening helps to increase plant productivity.

How to collect cucumber seeds, useful tips

It's time to look at the collection process. The fruit, which has reached maturity, becomes brown or yellow and soft. If the cucumber seems too hard, it is better to let it sit for a few more days on a sunny windowsill.

The picked cucumber is cut in half, approximately 3-5 cm is cut off from the bottom part, which was attached to the stems. If the cut piece contains seeds, they are thrown away. It is not recommended to use these as planting material; the resulting harvest may taste bitter.

If we talk about how cucumber seeds are extracted, it is most convenient to do it with a spoon. They are selected together with the pulp and placed in a sieve. It is better to rinse with running water until the mucus and remaining pulp are removed.

But there is another option for obtaining planting material. He suggests that the seeds are not washed under water, but rather fermented. The selected material is poured into a clean glass container. Experienced gardeners recommend adding a little clean water to the container. The resulting mixture is placed in a warm place for three days. Then add water to the container and shake well.

As a result of the procedure, all mucus is separated from the seeds.

The advantage of this harvesting option is the elimination of the shell that inhibits germination.

During the shaking process, we will see that some of the seeds float to the top. These are dummies, they should be caught and thrown away, such shoots will not sprout.

We invite you to watch a useful video on how to collect cucumber seeds and store them correctly:

Everything that remains at the bottom is considered high-quality planting material. It will need to be rinsed very well, preferably under running water. Then you can start drying.

How to dry seeds

The planting material is dried by spreading it in a thin layer on paper or a piece of fabric; you can also use plastic film; well-washed grains do not stick to it at all.

Place the container in a warm, dry place. It will take about a week to dry completely.

There is no need to rush; it is best if the planting material dries naturally. The ideal place is a sunlit window sill.

Where, how and for how long can it be stored?

After drying, you will need to properly organize storage. The ideal option is to sew canvas or linen bags, pour grains into them, and tie them with strings.

You can also organize storage in paper envelopes or bags. Cellophane airtight bags are not recommended for such purposes.

The date of collection and the variety should be marked on each bag or bag.

The best temperature for storage is in the range from + 10 C to + 18 - 20 C, the room should be dry.

As for shelf life, cucumber seeds can be stored for 5-6 years; moreover, it is not advisable to sow seeds in the first year, they can produce a lot of barren flowers. The best option is to sow material that has been aged for two to four years.

How cucumber seeds are selected: testing for germination

In order not to waste time during the sowing process, it is recommended to carry out a preliminary test for germination.

Selected samples are placed in a humid environment and kept for several days in a warm room.

The emerging sprouts will allow you to determine the percentage of germination of the material, which, in turn, will allow you to calculate the required supply of seeds.

In addition to natural features, seed germination is influenced by:

• degree of ripening;
• collection and drying conditions;
• storage conditions;
• storage duration.

Knowing how to properly collect cucumber seeds, you can provide yourself with high-quality planting material. and after a couple of years - get a harvest of the chosen variety.