Peculiarities of growing Chinese cucumbers

Description

This is not a new variety of cucumber, but another species belonging to the same pumpkin family.

The herbaceous stem can stretch up to 3.5 meters, and the fruits grow from 40 to 90 cm long. The flesh of this cucumber is slightly denser, sweet and juicy, without voids, with a light watermelon or melon aroma. The seeds are small, collected in a compact chamber located in the center of the fruit.

The skin is sweet, firm, glossy, and green in most varieties. Flowers are clustered. This unusual cucumber is remarkable not only for its gigantic fruit size but also for its high yield. With proper care, a single bush can yield up to 30 kg of fruit.

It thrives both in a greenhouse and in open garden beds. It's undemanding in terms of light, growing in full sun and partial shade. What all Chinese cucumber varieties do need is support. Plants that grow creeping along the ground produce deformed, hook-shaped fruits.

This species is distinguished by its early maturity; some varieties begin to bear fruit 25 days after emergence. It's disease-resistant and tolerates heat and cold well. Fruiting is extended, right up until the first frost. Chinese cucumbers have several drawbacks.

Firstly, the fruits have a short shelf life—they lose their firmness within 24 hours. Secondly, the seeds have a low germination rate. Thirdly, the varieties are predominantly salad varieties, which are unsuitable for canning.

Video "Description"

From the video you will learn many interesting facts about Chinese cucumbers.

Common varieties

Today, long cucumber seeds are common, with seed stores offering both Chinese and domestically bred varieties. The most well-known are: "Chinese Miracle" (a high-yielding late variety), "White Delicacy" (unusually tasty and highly temperature-tolerant), "Chinese Snakes" (the earliest variety), "Emerald Stream" (distinguished by its long fruiting period), and "Chinese Heat-Resistant" (a high-yielding hybrid).

Chinese miracle

Chinese Miracle, like other varieties of Chinese origin, is distinguished by its disease resistance, high yield, and late ripening period. Fruiting begins two months after planting. The fruits are long (up to 60 cm), cylindrical, finely tuberculated, and dark green. They are suitable for canning.

Disadvantages: The fruits don't keep fresh for long; they need to be eaten or preserved within 24 hours. The shoots need to be tied up several times during the summer.

White delicacy

The fruits are exotic white, elongated, conical, and short—12 to 15 cm. The skin is thin, and the flesh is sweet and very tasty. This mid-season variety has numerous lateral shoots. It is disease-resistant, tolerates adverse temperature fluctuations, and is heat-resistant. Suitable for both fresh consumption and canning.

Chinese snakes

This variety can be considered early, as it takes only 35-37 days from the first shoots to fruiting. The fruits are long—50-60 cm—curved, and dark green. The plant is vigorous, branching, and has an extended fruiting period. The Chinese Snake cucumber is ideal for salads.

Emerald Stream

A domestic F1 cucumber hybrid of elongated type. Early maturing, parthenocarpic (self-pollinating), it grows well in open ground, greenhouses, and even on balconies. The fruits are long (up to 50 cm), cylindrical, dark green, and have a pleasant flavor. The bushes are medium-sized with well-developed lateral shoots, and the flowers are borne in clusters.

Long, uninterrupted fruit formation period. The variety is resistant to many diseases.

Chinese heat-resistant

A mid-early (48-54 days) Chinese hybrid, it produces fruit well even in 35-degree heat. Fruits grow up to 50 cm. Disease resistance and a long fruiting period, like all Chinese varieties.

Growing

Well-composted beds are essential not only for common cucumbers but also for Chinese green cucumbers, which have several unique growing requirements. Due to their relatively low germination rate (60 percent), the seeds require very careful pre-sowing preparation. They are heated at 35 degrees Celsius, disinfected for 10 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, soaked, and then waited for sprouts to emerge. Once sprouted, the seeds are planted in the soil.

To obtain early fruit, tall cucumbers are grown from seedlings. Wider pots, at least 25 cm in diameter, are needed, as this plant's root system is more robust than that of its small-fruited cousin. Seeds are planted at a depth of 4 cm. Germination takes approximately 6 days. Seedlings are planted at one month of age, when they have developed 3-4 true leaves and are 15-20 cm tall.

Long-fruited cucumbers are planted in open ground from seeds in May. A sunny location, as well as lightly shaded, is suitable. To ensure proper fruit development, a trellis should be installed, taking into account the enormous size of the vines.

Since almost all plants produce only one strong shoot, seeds can be sown more densely, but no closer than 20 cm apart. Mulch the bed with compost, sawdust, or grass.

Care

The only difference between caring for Chinese cucumbers and regular cucumbers is the need to constantly tie the vines to the trellis. Otherwise, the principles are similar: regular watering, loosening the soil, and fertilizing. Typically, four fertilizing sessions are required: the first two weeks after planting, the second at the beginning of flowering, and the third and fourth during the fruiting period.

Overfeeding is also not recommended; you just need to watch closely, and the plant itself will tell you about its needs: a hook-shaped form indicates a lack of nitrogen, thinning fruits indicate a lack of boron, pear-shaped cucumbers acquire a potassium deficiency, and a lack of calcium makes cucumbers tasteless and small.

Video "Growing"

This video will show you how to grow cucumbers in your garden or at your dacha.