Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers: properties and characteristics

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

All cucumbers are divided into two large groups - bee pollinated and parthenocarpic. Both of them can often be seen in summer cottages and gardens.

Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers are sometimes erroneously called self-pollinating. They were bred a long time ago for use in greenhouses. Zelentsy in this species are formed without any pollination at all. Therefore, it is more correct to call them self-fertile.

At the moment, these cucumbers are used for cultivation in open ground. Moreover, summer residents most often prefer them to self-pollinating varieties. If we compare the characteristics of both groups, the self-fertile one can note a lot of advantages over the traditional one. Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers are distinguished by the absence of bitterness in the fruits, continuous fruiting, better resistance to adverse weather conditions and various diseases. Growing them is also advisable because the population of bees and other pollinating insects has recently declined significantly in nature.

Ontoday the most popular variety of cucumbers belonging to the self-fertile group is F1 Zador. It is an early maturing hybrid of the so-called gherkin type.

It is distinguished by an unusually high yield. Zelentsy are relatively dark, tuberculate, have a beautiful cylindrical shape. The main difference between this hybrid and the previously used self-fertile varieties is that these cucumbers are ideal for canning. They are small (8-10 cm) and excellent in taste.

Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers, to which Zador belongs, are also remarkable in that their fruits contain no seeds at all. And this makes them even more suitable for winter harvesting, because in such pickled or pickled cucumbers the formation of voids is excluded. Their skin is not too thick, and therefore, in the process of canning, s alt easily penetrates through it. The flesh remains crisp and firm. If you plan to store them in the cellar, you can not even roll up the jars with lids. In this case, it is best to use spring water for s alting.

Parthenocarpics are high-yielding varieties of cucumbers. The same Zador gives up to 12 kg of fruits from 1 m2. This is facilitated by the intensive development of stems for almost the entire growing season. As a result, the whips form an unusually powerful curtain. It is very easy to collect the fruits of Zador, since its leaves are not too large. Cultivation can be done both in seedlings andby sowing seeds directly into open ground. The most common planting method used by gardeners is in spreading.

Zador was among summer residents the first popular variety of greenhouse self-fertilizers adapted for growing in open ground. However, at the moment, of course, he is far from the only one. Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers are represented, for example, by Marinda F1, Masha F1, Shchedrik F1 and many others. Perhaps the only disadvantage of self-fertilizers is the inability to harvest seeds on their own. But given that they are not too expensive, this can not be considered a particularly big drawback.