Cucumber "Merengue f1": growing features and care

Cucumbers

The Meringue cucumber is a Dutch hybrid with an early ripening period. It was developed by Monsanto, a company known for its high-yielding, early-ripening vegetable hybrids. Since 2007, Meringue has been included in the State Register of Plants of the Russian Federation.

It is recommended for cultivation throughout Russia, both indoors and outdoors. The first fruits appear 40 days after germination. Fruiting continues throughout the season, as long as daylight hours and temperatures meet the cultivation requirements of this hybrid.

What are the characteristics that distinguish it?

The bush forms medium-sized vines, where only female flowers are produced. Up to seven ovaries grow in a single bunch. The fruits are dark green with subtle spotting. The top of each cucumber is decorated with small, light stripes. The cucumber is cylindrical in shape, with long tubercles on its surface. The harvest begins when the cucumbers reach a length of 10 cm or more and a diameter of about 3 cm. The average weight of a single gherkin reaches 100 grams.

Meringue is distinguished by its high yield, with fruit resistant to yellowing and various deformations. In a garden bed, the yield is 2 kg per square meter, while in a protected area, the yield can reach up to 15 kilograms per square meter. The first harvest forms uniformly. The shoots are able to quickly recover from stressful situations. After the top breaks off, lateral shoots appear on the 5th or 6th leaf, increasing the yield.

The hybrid is resistant to various fungal and viral diseases commonly seen in melons. Its downside is its moderate resistance to downy mildew. The plants tolerate temporary temperature drops, prolonged inclement weather, and prolonged heat well. Fruiting will continue during these periods with regular irrigation and foliar feeding.

Important: Merengue F1 is distinguished by its fruit storage period of up to 7 days without equipment and the ability to transport the harvest without loss of quality.

Growing requirements

The manufacturer does not recommend growing the Meringue variety in a second crop rotation. Insufficient daylight and low night temperatures can cause plants to die from downy mildew. This self-pollinating hybrid can be grown by sowing seeds in open beds or from seedlings. Seeds are sown directly into the ground in warm beds when frosts are prolonged and the summer is short, with fewer than 90 days of warm days. This hybrid is suitable for long summers and an early harvest of gherkins.

In central Russia, sowing begins under temporary shelters from the second week of May. Any covering material designed to prevent seedlings from freezing is suitable, as it will protect the seedlings from nighttime temperature drops.

Important: Cucumber seedlings die at air temperatures of +3C.

To prevent seedlings from being damaged by an accidental frost, it is recommended to sow dry and sprouted seeds in the same bed. This method is suitable for nest sowing, where a hole 60 cm in diameter is dug and three sprouted and three dry seeds are placed in it. If growing horizontally without support or tying, the distance between holes should be 50 cm. When growing with support, leave a distance of 30 cm. Seedlings, with proper care, produce a super-early harvest. To grow full-fledged seedlings with strong immunity, you need:

select full-weight seeds;
treat them with a growth stimulator;
select seedling containers with a drainage system;
sow seeds in nutrient soil to a depth of 1.5 cm;
maintain the necessary air and soil humidity for cucumbers;
water with warm water over 20C;
harden off seedlings;
leave the last week before planting without cover;
water generously before replanting;
cover the bushes planted in the evening with wide burdock or rhubarb leaves;
After 10 days, begin foliar feeding, which ends after the first ovary appears.

Further care consists of watering and harvesting. Loosening the soil is not recommended. Weeds are removed after rain, when the soil is moist and the roots are easily removed. To maintain looseness of the soil, mulching the soil under the bushes is recommended after each watering.

Important: If pest control is required, use folk remedies or pesticides that are not hazardous to human health. Manually collecting insects and destroying them away from the garden bed is often used.

To ensure cucumber plants produce fruit actively, remove flowers and leaves from the first four nodes and pinch the top after the eighth node to encourage axillary shoots to develop. This rule applies to all parthenocapric hybrids. They produce fruit well only if they have a well-developed main stem, which should be at least 0.8 m long.

What reviews are there about Merengue?

This Dutch hybrid is ideal for growing in all regions of the Russian Federation. Vegetable growers have left rave reviews about it.

Svetlana, 45 years old, Krasnodar:

I've been planting these cucumbers in open ground for several years. The fruits are sweet, without bitterness, even on the hottest days. The cucumbers are beautiful, even, and small. The gherkins are delicious when preserved. I didn't do any special care for them, but I watered and weeded them when necessary.

Kirill, 54 years old, Tula:

The Meringue variety suited our climate, so I started growing them in a greenhouse. The cucumbers yield a high yield and have excellent flavor. We ate them both fresh and pickled. The pickled cucumbers are crisp and have a subtle aroma. I'll be planting more.

Olga, 35 years old, Russia, Ural:

I've been planting Seminis "Merengue F1" cucumber seeds in my greenhouse for three years now. Friends recommended this hybrid to me. At first, I was skeptical about the yield. When the first wave of cucumbers appeared, I didn't regret planting this hybrid. There are enough gherkins not only for my family but also for relatives, and there are even some left over for sale.

Semyon, 49 years old, Stavropol:

My summer income depends on selling fresh vegetables grown in my garden. Early, crisp cucumbers sell well at the market. I chose Meringue because this hybrid met all my requirements. All the seeds I purchased were of the same size. The manufacturer treated them with a fungicide, preventing the development of fungal diseases. Out of 1,000 seeds, only 13 failed to sprout. I grew them individually in small containers; all the seedlings grew equally, and the seedlings were healthy, full-grown, and had well-developed root systems.

After planting in the greenhouse, the gherkins quickly established themselves and began growing. As soon as the fifth leaf emerged, female inflorescences began appearing in the internodes. They grew in clusters of five or more. I removed the side shoots as they appeared. When the shoots reached one meter, the gherkins began filling out all at once, which was surprising. All the fruits were uniform, finely pimpled, and of the same size. Of course, I applied foliar feeding and watered them because the plant was under significant strain, but the harvest was worth the close attention.

Meringue produces stable yields with timely watering and root and foliar feeding. Greenhouse yields are several times higher than those in the open field. Growing this cucumber hybrid is recommended with vertical vines. This makes harvesting easier and preserves the integrity of the vines.