Amur is a Russian cucumber variety. It is well adapted to the weather conditions of the central part of Russia. Statistically, Amur cucumber seeds are the most popular. This hybrid is a sprinter. The harvest ripens early. The cucumbers set and ripen quickly. This is especially convenient for those who sell early vegetables from their gardens at the market.
History of selection
The Manul company is actively developing new, promising cucumber varieties (hybrids). Amur F1 was created by the company's breeders. It can be considered a "weekend" variety because it requires little care.
The cucumbers retain their marketable appearance for a long time and do not overgrow. Branching is limited, preventing the bushes from becoming overgrown. Most of the fruit is formed on the central stem. All Manul products undergo quality control.
Description
Amur F1 is grown in garden plots, summer cottages, and on farms. It grows well in open ground, any type of greenhouse, and under temporary plastic cover. It produces fruit quickly. Harvesting begins in 37-40 days.
A parthenocarpic hybrid for salads. Most of the flowers are female, so pollinators are not needed, and pollination is straightforward. Amur bushes are indeterminate. The central stem is long. It does not develop strong lateral shoots. Instead, determinate stems appear. These have short internodes. They stop growing on their own, so pinching the growing tip is not necessary.
The Amur F1 cucumber yields 12-14 kg/m². The bushes are covered with medium-sized leaves. The edges are wavy, the leaf blades are slightly wrinkled, and the color is green. Amur cucumbers produce delicious cucumbers, finely tuberculated and covered with white pubescence.
The neck is short and green, with visible light stripes extending to the center of the spindle-shaped fruit. The average weight is 90-110 g, and the length is 12-15 cm. Two to three cucumbers form in each axil. The number depends on the quality of care.
Features of fruiting
In the Amur F1 cucumber, the main stem initially grows vigorously. Ovaries form in the axils. After the cucumbers ripen, side shoots develop. These also produce ovaries, but the number of fruits is smaller than on the central shoot.
The main harvest is formed within a month. A single Amur F1 cucumber bush produces 30-40 cucumbers, equivalent to 3-4 kg in weight. Fruit production is consistent, so it's important to process the harvested crop quickly. Harvesting is carried out at least twice a week during the active fruiting period.
You may be interested in:This is a salad hybrid, but the cucumbers are good for preserves. Overripe specimens have rough skin and a poorly flavored flesh, so harvesting should be done immediately. Methods for processing Amur cucumbers:
- traditional ambassador;
- freezing;
- preparation of summer salads, vegetable dishes.
Pros and cons of the Amur cucumber
Self-regulating branching is a key advantage of this variety. Due to the extensive branching of the bushes, gardeners who rarely visit their dachas lose part of their harvest. This problem does not occur with the Amur cucumber. The lateral shoots are no longer than 15 cm, and they bear few leaves.
The plant is compact, so planting holes can be spaced closely. Thanks to the dense planting and long central stem, the variety produces a high yield. Other advantages of the Amur cucumber include:
- transportability;
- preservation of commercial qualities for a week;
- presentation;
- good taste;
- quick harvest;
- productivity;
- good immunity.
The hybrid does have its drawbacks. It requires a trellis. All the advantages of the Amur F1 cucumber are revealed when grown vertically. A drawback is the short period of active fruiting, which lasts only one month. However, some may find this advantageous. Like other hybrids, overgrown Amur cucumbers are not tasty and have rough skin.
Diseases and pests
The hybrid has good immunity, but it can be compromised by external factors. Plants remain disease-free if gardeners carry out routine preventative measures. If there's been an outbreak of cladosporiosis in the garden or greenhouse, cucumber plants are treated with Bordeaux mixture.
In damp weather, the fungus becomes active, causing a white coating to appear on the leaves. This is the first sign of powdery mildew. Above-ground plants are sprayed with a fungicide to prevent and stop the development of this dangerous disease.
Ants are a pest to watch out for. They breed aphids. Adults (imagoes) and larvae parasitize cucumber leaves. If there are many insects, the plant becomes depressed, grows slowly, and loses fruit.
Ants damage cucumber roots, which impairs the plant's nutrition and reduces yield. Removing the insects from the garden is difficult; you can douse the anthill with boiling water or kerosene and spread bait (egg yolks and boric acid). While the plant is small, aphids can be washed off the leaves with soapy water.
Secrets of a Big Harvest
The Amur cucumber produces its entire harvest within a month. During this time, the plants require high-quality care:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- weeding.
Soil
The harvest always depends on the quality of the soil. It's best to prepare it in the fall. This is especially important if you want to grow early cucumbers. The best fertilizers for cucumbers are humus and ash. They contain nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients.
These organic fertilizers restore soil fertility, improve its structure, and normalize pH levels. They can be applied during tillage or mixed under bushes in summer. The results will be remarkable in both cases.
To improve the mechanical composition, you can add:
- rotted sawdust;
- lowland peat;
- river sand.
Classic version:
- superphosphate – 25-30 g/m²;
- urea or ammonium nitrate – 25 g/m²;
- Potassium sulfate – 20 g/m².
You may be interested in:Landing features
The seeds of the Amur hybrid undergo special preparation. This is indicated on the packaging, as evidenced by the colored coating on the seeds. They do not need to be soaked or germinated before sowing; they can be sown dry.
The hybrid is early maturing, so it can be sown from mid-April (greenhouse, southern regions) until the end of June. Amur cucumbers are planted in the garden (greenhouse) as seedlings or seeds. The soil should warm to 15°C and the weather should improve. Covering material draped over arches (trellises) protects against recurrent frosts. It is used in the garden and in a polycarbonate greenhouse when planting in April.
In northern regions, where the soil warms up late, Amur cucumbers are planted in raised beds. These are constructed in advance, in the fall. In the spring, they are watered with hot water, using Baikal EM when the average daily temperature is above zero.
When land is tight at the dacha, Amur cucumbers are planted in bags or barrels. The planting pattern depends on the location:
- per bed in a greenhouse – 3 bushes per 1 m²;
- per garden bed – 4 bushes per 1 m²;
- in a 200 l barrel – 4 bushes;
- 1-2 bushes per bag.
Cover the seeds with a mixture of soil, peat, humus, and sand. Use equal parts. The layer should be no more than 2 cm thick.
Cucumber seedlings Amur
Seedlings are grown when there is time for care and favorable growing conditions. Seedlings do not tolerate transplanting well, so the seeds are planted in individual cups with a minimum capacity of 500 ml. Make 2-3 holes in the bottom of the container to allow excess moisture to drain.
Mix garden soil (1 part) with store-bought soil (1 part) and pour into cups. A week before sowing the Amur seeds for seedlings, water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin.
Two to three seeds are planted per container. To simplify care, each cup is placed in a plastic bag and tied. The improvised mini-greenhouse is maintained at an optimal humidity level. From planting until the sprouts emerge, the air temperature is maintained at 25-28°C, then reduced to 20-22°C.
When the seedlings develop true leaves, leave one Amur cucumber per cup. Choose the strongest one. Weaker ones are pinched off at ground level or trimmed. Make holes the size of a cup. Cover the seedlings with fertile soil up to the cotyledons and water.
Before transplanting to the garden (greenhouse), Amur cucumber seedlings are watered 2-3 times a week and fertilized twice with nitroammophoska (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) or Zdraven Turbo cucumber seedling fertilizer. A week before planting, the seedling bed is dug to a depth of 20 cm and watered with a mullein solution. Plant in a 30 x 60-70 cm pattern.
Summer care
Gardeners and farmers note the ease of care. This is facilitated by the short period of active fruiting, lasting only four weeks. During this period, cucumbers require ample watering. During hot weather, the plants are watered daily. The recommended rate is two buckets (20 liters) per square meter.
During the growing season, Amur cucumbers are fertilized 2-3 times. The first time is at the beginning of flowering, then 2-3 times at weekly intervals. The hybrid responds well to commercial fertilizers:
- Agricola;
- Biohumus;
- Fertika.
You may be interested in:Natural farming advocates use infusions of mullein, bird droppings, and grass. They are diluted with settled water at a ratio of 1:10 before use.
Farmers get two harvests of Amur cucumbers per season. They sow the hybrid twice, with the second sowing occurring one month after the first. For summer consumption, one flush of fruiting is sufficient. For winter storage, late-ripening varieties can be planted, as they have an optimal sugar ratio.
Gardeners' reviews of the variety
Anna Vladimirovna, 37 years old, Moscow
For several years, I planted Amur seedlings for an early harvest. Now I sow dry seeds at the end of May. We don't visit our dacha often, and the Amur fruits quickly become too big and hard.
Gleb Viktorovich, 41 years old, Kazan
I plant Amur in open ground for salads. It's an excellent variety, growing well in both hot and cold weather. The bushes are disease-free. The fruits are neat.
Ksenia Ivanovna, 33 years old, Tyumen
I can't get to the dacha very often. There were watering issues. The Amur variety's fruits started to taste bitter, but the taste of the other cucumbers remained unchanged.
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