Dutch cucumber hybrid "Cedric f1": description and reviews

Harvesting 20 kg of cucumbers per square meter is every gardener's dream. For those growing the Cedric hybrid, this yield is typical. This cucumber loves full sun, so there's no need to rush early planting. In unheated greenhouses, the variety is grown in the first rotation, in heated greenhouses - in the second.

History of selection

A new, productive hybrid was developed by specialists at the Dutch agricultural company Enza Zaden, a leader in the global seed market. The company operates greenhouses in various countries, producing vegetable seeds year-round.

The Cedric F1 cucumber has already conquered the world. It is grown in greenhouses around the world. In Russia, it was tested in 2015, and the variety was added to the state register:

• regions of admission - all;
• Growing place – closed ground.

In open ground, F1 Cedric is grown by farmers and gardeners in the southern regions and the Volga region. In greenhouses, it bears fruit in any climate.

Description

This new early-ripening parthenocarpic hybrid begins bearing fruit in 40-45 days. It has a short growing season and is grown in commercial greenhouses in spring-summer and summer-fall rotations. Double sowing increases the efficiency of the cultivated area.

Bush and fruits

The root system is powerful. Even in unfavorable conditions, it provides the plant with the necessary nutrients. In extreme conditions (heat, drought), the Cedric cucumber plant does not shed its buds; it redistributes its energy and temporarily stops growing.

The leaves are medium-sized and green, with few side shoots. The flowers are female. Three to five fruits are formed in the axils of the central stem. They ripen one after the other. Regular picking of the cucumbers stimulates fruiting. The main shoot is indeterminate. Its growth should be stopped by pinching the top.

Characteristics of commercial fruits:

• weight 100-110 g;
• length 12-14 cm;
• elongated cylindrical shape;
• spines are white, short;
• medium pubescence;
• color dark green;
• the skin is moderately tuberculate.

The fruits of the Cedric F1 hybrid are versatile. They are pickled, preserved, and used in salads, burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers. The gherkins (5 cm long cucumbers) are pickled. The cucumber flesh is not bitter, a genetic trait of the variety. It is juicy and crisp.

Productivity

The fruiting period of the Cedric cucumber lasts no more than two months. During this period, the fruits ripen evenly. Over the course of a season, 18 to 22 kg of fruit are harvested per square meter. This is a high yield. Sudden fluctuations in daily temperatures do not affect the yield. Even under unfavorable conditions, the hybrid continues to form ovaries.

Diseases and pests

Growing the Cedric cucumber is easy. Chemicals are rarely needed. With proper cultivation techniques, the plants are disease-free. The hybrid has strong immunity to a number of diseases:

• olive spot;
• powdery mildew;
• cucumber mosaic.

If poorly cared for, the bushes grow weak, suffer from fusarium, downy mildew. In greenhouses, they are attacked by spider mites and whiteflies.

Agricultural technology

Cucumbers are grown using seedlings. Professional-grade seeds are processed at the plant. They do not require treatment before planting. To avoid transplanting, the seeds are sown in individual cups. For proper root development, a container with a minimum capacity of 0.5 liters is required.

Two holes are made in the bottom of the glass to allow excess moisture to drain. The soil is prepared from a mixture of garden soil (taken from onion and carrot beds), humus, and peat. Wood ash is added to the mixture. It kills pathogens and nourishes the cucumbers with potassium and essential micronutrients.

Transplanting into a greenhouse

At the 4-5 leaf stage, cucumber seedlings "Cedric" are transplanted to a greenhouse (vegetable garden). The manufacturer's stated yield is achieved in protected soil. It's difficult to predict the results when grown in a garden bed. The F1 hybrid "Cedric" was bred for protected soil. It grows well outdoors in southern regions.

By the time of transplanting, the soil should warm up to 17-18°C at a depth of 10-15 cm. Seedlings planted in cold soil will not grow. Their roots do not thrive at temperatures below 15°C. The manufacturer's recommended planting pattern is 30 x 60 cm. No more than three Cedric cucumber plants can be planted per square meter of bed.

Conditions for growth

Cucumbers are a warm-weather, moisture-loving crop. They thrive in loose, fertile soils. Intensive fruiting is achieved with regular, balanced NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilization. Fertilizers are selected according to the plant's needs for each stage of development.

How to shape the Cedric cucumber bush

The cucumber is given time to strengthen and develop a root system. To do this, the five lower nodes are pruned. Any fruit that develops in them is removed. If the weather is unfavorable and cloudy, the flowers will not develop. stepsons are plucked out up to 8 sinuses.

Before the main shoot reaches the top of the trellis, all side shoots, starting from the 6th or 7th node, are plucked out. Only the ovaries are left. When it reaches the crossbar, it is transferred. The central stem continues to grow and bear fruit. Its growing point is pinched off a meter from the ground.

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Harvest

During the active fruiting period, the cucumbers are harvested at least once every three days. If harvesting is done less frequently, the productivity of the bushes decreases. New cucumbers do not ripen until the old ones are harvested. In a cool room or in the refrigerator compartment, the fruits retain their flavor and marketable appearance for two weeks.

Pest control and disease prevention

It's easier to prevent fungal diseases than to spend time treating them. Preventative treatment of tomatoes with onion peel infusion repel aphids, spider mites, whiteflies.

The folk remedy lasts for 10 days in a greenhouse and 3-5 days in a garden. The effect of spraying fades even after a light rain. When insects appear on the leaves of the Cedric cucumber, gardeners are forced to resort to chemical treatments. They choose modern, effective products (bio-insecticides, insecticides):

• Confidor;
• Actellic;
• Actarophyte.

Reviews

Gardeners have spoken highly of the new Dutch variety. After testing the cucumber in their own gardens, they acknowledge the advantages of the F1 hybrid Cedric:

• early maturity;
• keeping quality;
• transportability;
• beautiful, even fruits with good taste, without bitterness;
• friendly fruiting.

Maria Sergeevna, 42 years old, Krasnodar region

I'm happy with the hybrid. I'm growing it for sale. I plant it in a greenhouse in single rows spaced 1.2 m apart, 30 cm apart within a row. I restrict the growth of the central shoot at 2-2.5 m, training it into a single stem. I pluck off the lower leaves as they age.

Ksenia Veniaminovna, 51 years old, Krasnodar region

This season, we grew two hybrids in the greenhouse: Gunar and Cedric. Both were new. I liked Gunar better; it's more fruitful. We'll be sowing it next season.

Inna Semenovna, 43 years old, Ukraine

I liked Cedric. The yield is good, and the ovaries are full-bodied. I'm growing it for sale in the first crop. The greenhouse is heated. We create optimal growing conditions. Soil: 17-18°C, air: 20-22°C.