Cucumber April f1: description and characteristics, reviews

This cucumber variety is grown on windowsills, loggias, and in greenhouses. Aprelskiy always pleases with an early harvest. It grows well in the garden and indoors. The hybrid's fruits are compared to Zozulya. It is an excellent salad variety. The Aprelskiy hybrid has long been known to gardeners. It was developed by Russian breeders. It was added to the State Register in 1977.

Description

The Aprelsky cucumber is grown in the south, Siberia, and the Far East. This variety is suitable for all light zones of the Russian Federation. It is planted in the Arkhangelsk Region and on Sakhalin. The Aprelsky variety grows in any type of protected soil:

• greenhouse;
• tunnel;
• greenhouse;
• windowsill;
• loggia.

Advantages

Every gardener is interested in yield. Aprelskiy produces a respectable yield of 7-13 kg/m² during the first month of fruiting. Over the entire growing season, up to 40 kg of cucumbers can be harvested per m². One of the variety's advantages is its early maturity. The fruits ripen in 40-45 days.

Behind the bushes of April easy to care forThis variety has determinate lateral shoots. They stop growing on their own. This results in compact plants. Gardeners save time by eliminating the need to remove side shoots.

The variety is intended for salads, but the cucumbers can be preserved. The Aprelskiy cucumber has strong immunity to olive spot and cucumber mosaic virus. The variety rarely suffers from root rot. Other advantages of this domestic hybrid:

• shade tolerance;
• cold resistance;
• rapid adaptation to changes in weather conditions;
• no problems with pollination.

Characteristics

The plant is parthenocarpic, producing female flowers and ovaries without the help of insects, making the hybrid popular for growing on balconies, in apartments, and in greenhouses. The Aprelsky cucumber has a long fruiting period, a fact noted by all gardeners.

The ripening period is early. From germination to harvesting the first fruits takes 40-45 days. Characteristics of the cucumbers:

• there is no bitterness in the taste;
• taste rating is high;
• the size of cucumbers for picking is 15-25 cm;
• average weight of ripe fruits is 200-250 g;
• beautiful cylindrical shape;
• large, tuberculate, delicate skin;
• Green cucumbers are used fresh, preserved, and salted.

The bushes are sparsely branched. Due to the small number of side shoots, Aprelskiy cucumbers do not require side shoot removal. The central shoot grows up to 2 m, and the top can be pinched. The variety responds well to warmth and light. When grown indoors or on a balcony, cucumbers require additional lighting.

Diseases and pests

With proper cultivation practices, Aprelsky bushes rarely suffer from diseases. The variety has low resistance to the infection (Sclerotia fungus) that causes white rot. Causes of this include:

• high soil moisture;
• a sharp drop in temperature;
• dense planting (open ground);
• lack of ventilation (closed ground).

The fungus damages the roots, stems, and leaves of plants. It also damages the harvest. Fruits that appear healthy quickly spoil and are unfit for consumption. Here's how to combat white rot:

• do not water the bed for some time;
• cut out the shoots affected by fungus, capturing some healthy tissue, sprinkle the wound with crushed charcoal;
• treat the bushes with an antiseptic (Oxychom, Topaz);
• ventilate the greenhouse.

During the active fruiting period, those who avoid chemicals prepare a folk remedy. Take 3 parts whey and 7 parts water. Add 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate to 10 liters of the solution.

Pests rarely attack Aprelsky cucumber bushes. Standard preventative measures are sufficient: maintain crop rotation, keep the soil clean, and renew the topsoil every two years in the greenhouse.

Planting and care tips

The Aprelsky cucumber is grown using seedlings and direct sowing of seeds into pits. Seedlings are ready for transplanting at three weeks of age. This is taken into account when calculating planting dates. A viable seedling should have 4-5 true leaves by the time it is planted in the greenhouse (ground).

In the south, cucumber seedlings are planted outdoors in early May, while in Siberia, the Urals, and the Moscow region, they are planted in early June. For unheated greenhouses, the time frame is reduced by 1-1.5 months. Seeds are sown after the soil has warmed up. The soil temperature should not fall below 15°C.

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Place and soil

Loamy and sandy loam soils are suitable for the Aprelsky cucumber. In heavy, clayey soil, root development is poor, and yields are lower than expected. The taste of cucumbers is affected by the composition of the garden soil. Due to nutrient deficiencies, fewer cucumbers are formed, and their flavor is noticeably worse.

To ensure that the cucumber bed produces fruit throughout the season, the soil is fertilized in the fall during preparation, adding:

• bird droppings;
• ash;
• manure.

Improve the structure with sand, peat, rotted sawdust, humusMonitor the pH level. A healthy pH is 5.6-6.5. The April cucumber does not like acidic soil. Lime is applied to acidic soil every four years. The recommended rate is 200-500 g/m².

Crops that require little nutrition to thrive are planted next to cucumbers:

• radish;
• onion;
• garlic.

At the end of summer these vegetables are harvested.

Watering

The April cucumber requires regular watering. This must be done carefully to prevent root rot. Experienced gardeners water between the rows. A damp strip along the bed retains moisture for a long time if it is covered with grass clippings and weeds.

If watered irregularly, Aprelsky cucumber bushes are susceptible to spider mites. The plant's maximum moisture requirements occur during the flowering and fruiting season. The recommended watering rate during this period is 15-20 l/m².

The bed is watered in the morning or evening. Evening watering should be done no later than 7:00 PM. The leaves should be completely dry by sunset. Use warm water. Its temperature should not be lower than the outside air temperature in the greenhouse.

To retain moisture, the soil is loosened superficially after each watering to prevent a crust from forming, or the bed is covered with a 3-5 cm layer of mulch.

Organic fertilizer for cucumbers

Growing cucumbers that will make everyone envious is not difficult if feed In July, apply slurry to them. Before use, dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:10, adding 1 tablespoon of wood ash to the solution. First, water the bed, then pour 0.5 liters of slurry under each bush.

The formation of ovaries can be stimulated by:

• Do not water the cucumbers or fertilize them with liquid manure for a week;
• Pour ash under the bushes, 1 handful for each, or water them with ash infusion.

When manure is unavailable, make an herbal infusion. Place nettles, dandelion leaves, and other greens in a container. Like mullein, the herbal infusion is diluted 1:10 with water before use. Root feeding is done once every 10 days.

Harvesting

At the beginning of fruiting, cucumbers are harvested every other day to prevent them from becoming too large. The optimal size is 15-20 cm. In August, fruit formation is slower because of the cool nights. During this time, cucumbers are harvested every other day.

Cucumbers for pickling are best picked in the morning, when they're cool. The Aprelskiy variety is a salad variety, but any cucumbers that haven't been eaten fresh are processed. They're salted, pickled, and used to make delicious winter snacks.

Reviews

Yulia Ilyinichna, 46 years old, Moscow region

I planted this variety in a greenhouse. The description says the flesh isn't bitter, but we had a lot of bitter cucumbers. That's how they reacted to the cold snap.

Elizaveta Ivanovna, 37 years old, Omsk

We pickle cucumbers. Aprelsky's lightly salted cucumbers are crunchy and delicious. We have to pick them daily to keep them from getting too big.

Olga Sergeevna, 41 years old, Yekaterinburg

I don't have a dacha, but I'm constantly drawn to the land. I have a mini-vegetable garden on my balcony. I plant the Aprelskiy variety every year in large plastic bottles. I cut the tops off at shoulder level and pierce the bottoms with nails in several places. The cucumbers grow long. I measured the largest ones at 25 cm. There are no barren flowers. I've harvested 7 kg of cucumbers from two plants so far. I pinch off the tops and remove side shoots, but there aren't many.