Choosing the perfect variety of cucumbers for your garden is an impossible dream for plant growers. After all, in addition to taste, you need to know on what soil it is best to sow it, how quickly the fruits ripen and how suitable they are, for example, for canning. It seems that a cucumber variety close to the ideal one has actually already been bred. All that remains is to purchase seeds from the store and start sowing seedlings. Let's reveal the cards: his name is cucumber Khabar. It seems that this vegetable combines all the advantages that are possible in a cucumber sample. Now let's move on to a detailed description of the plant.
Characteristics of cucumbers Khabar
The cucumber variety Khabar, bred by the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture, was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2000 for cultivation throughout Russia. Refers to tall, early-ripening, mixed-flowering plants. It is characterized by pollination by bees and resistance to temperatures not lower than +5 °C, and therefore the vegetable is perfectly suited for growing in open ground.
According to the description, Khabar cucumbers differ little from other varieties and have the shape of an elongated cylinder and a rich green color with stripes of a lighter shade, as in the photo. Their surface is lumpy, and the growths themselves often resemble thorns. The length of the fruits can reach 9 - 11 cm, while their diameter ranges from 3 to 4 cm. The average weight of one cucumber is 80 - 90 g.
Taste qualities of cucumbers
The Khabar cucumber is loved by gardeners largely due to its taste, which sets it apart from other varieties. The vegetable pulp is dense, but despite this, remains tender and juicy. Other distinctive properties of this cucumber variety are its rich, characteristic aroma and the complete absence of a bitter aftertaste. For this reason, Khabar cucumbers are widely used in the culinary industry for making salads and rolls. Vegetables are no less tasty when eaten raw.
Pros and cons of the Khabar cucumber variety
Based on the description of the properties of the Khabar cucumber, we can conclude about its positive characteristics. The vegetable is distinguished by:
- excellent gastronomic properties;
- no bitter aftertaste when consumed;
- rapid ripening;
- high productivity;
- long fruiting period;
- good transport tolerance;
- possibility of long-term storage;
- disease resistance;
- the ability to grow equally successfully in open ground and in greenhouses.
However, the Khabar cucumber also has certain disadvantages. These include:
- the presence of spines on the surface of the vegetable;
- whimsicality regarding the soil in which cucumbers of this variety grow;
- heat-loving nature of the plant.
And, although the negative properties of the Khabar cucumber to a certain extent affect the subsequent care of this variety, the advantages of this vegetable significantly exceed the existing disadvantages.
Control of harmful insects and diseases
The cucumber variety Khabar is resistant to many diseases, especially bacteriosis and downy mildew. However, improper care of plantings provokes the development of various infections. To reduce the risk of pests and diseases, you need to follow these tips:
- Seeds must be purchased from reliable manufacturers who disinfect them before sale.
- Cucumbers should be grown in well-fertilized beds and fed periodically at intervals of at least 14 days. To prevent the fruits from becoming deformed, it is necessary to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. If plants grow slowly, they should be fed with a nitrogen-containing product.
- It is necessary to promptly remove damaged parts of bushes, dead or diseased plants.
On a note!
Signs of cucumbers being affected by infection include spots, whitish bloom or changes in the color of the foliage.
For the purpose of prevention, it is recommended to periodically spray the bushes with insecticides and antifungal agents. When insects are detected, cucumbers are sprayed with Actellik, Fitoverm or garlic infusion. The latter is prepared from 100 g of crushed cloves and 1 liter of water. The mixture is infused for 7 days in a closed container. Then the product is filtered and diluted with 9 liters of water.
Optimal growing conditions
Before planting Khabar cucumber on your plot, plants of this variety should be provided with optimal growing conditions. To do this, you need to prepare a seat for the vegetable in advance.
Since the Khabar cucumber is a heat-loving variety, when choosing a place for planting, preference should be given to sunny areas. The best area is where the vegetable will not be exposed to direct sunlight - this way the risk of the cucumber getting sunburn will be minimal. In addition, it is advisable to choose a place that is well protected from drafts.
According to reviews, the soil for growing Khabar cucumbers should also be given sufficient attention. Since the vegetable grows very poorly in acidic soils, before planting you should take care to equalize the pH values of the area. As a rule, this is done in advance, in the autumn, by adding lime to the soil. During the same period, the area is cleared of weeds and unnecessary roots by digging.
In April, the area allocated for planting is dug up again and then leveled. In the second week of May, fertilizers are added to the soil, for example, mineral fertilizer or humus.
Landing
In order to harvest earlier, the variety is grown in seedlings. You can also sow seeds directly into the soil. Before planting, they are pickled in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then washed with clean water and treated with a stimulant. To speed up germination, you can germinate by wrapping it in a damp cloth and placing it in a warm place.
Seedlings require plastic or peat pots with a nutritious soil mixture. Half of it is prepared from humus, the other half is peat with soil from the garden. Place 2 grains in each container, nose up, moisten and place in a warm place. When the shoots appear, they are transferred to a cooler room with a temperature of +18-20 and good lighting.
The seedlings are grown for 25-30 days, then transplanted.
Optimal conditions for sowing seeds in the ground or planting seedlings are soil temperature +15-20 degrees and no nighttime cold snaps below +8.
The bed must be prepared in the fall. It is picked in a sunny place with little wind. It is advisable that one of the favorable crops grow there before the cucumbers:
- tomato;
- pepper;
- potato;
- eggplant;
- carrot;
- onion;
- cabbage;
- corn;
- any legumes.
Preparation includes deep digging and fertilization with manure, compost or saltpeter. To protect against diseases, the soil can be disinfected with fungicides or potassium permanganate.
Agricultural technology for cucumbers Khabar
Despite the rather extensive preparatory work preceding planting the vegetable, caring for the Khabar cucumber is not too difficult. As a rule, it comes down to watering, fertilizing and periodic treatment against pests and various diseases. There are some nuances in different ways of planting vegetables, but even novice gardeners can do this procedure if they follow a number of recommendations.
Planting seedlings
If we compare this vegetable with other varieties, Khabar cucumber is planted for seedlings quite late, in the first days of May. Sprouts appear after 2 - 3 weeks. As soon as they have at least 4 leaves, the plants are transplanted into the greenhouse.
Advice! It is preferable to plant planting material directly in open ground, as this will facilitate pollination of cucumbers by insects.
Landing in the ground
Another option for planting a vegetable involves directly sowing cucumber seeds in open ground. Just as in the case of seedlings, the procedure takes place from the end of May to the beginning of June. It is advisable to carry out the event after the danger of sudden frosts has completely disappeared and the ground temperature during the day is +15 - 20 °C. Seeds are placed in prepared soil 1.5 - 2 cm deep. In this case, the distance between the beds should be at least 50 cm. As soon as the seedlings sprout, they need to be thinned out so that 4 to 5 plants remain on 1 linear meter.
Important! Before sowing, the seeds must be disinfected using a solution of potassium permanganate to prevent the seedlings from becoming infected with diseases, and then covered with a dark film.
Watering and fertilizing
Timely watering and fertilizing will not only help to achieve a bountiful harvest, but will also have a beneficial effect on the taste of the Khabar cucumber.
The vegetable requires regular and generous watering with non-cold, settled water directly under the root. Moreover, the amount of watering depends on the growth phase of the plant. So, during the period of active growth and flower setting, the Khabar cucumber must be watered once every 5 days at the rate of 3 - 4 liters of water per 1 m2. During flowering and fruiting, watering is carried out more often - once every 3 days using up to 10 liters per 1 m2.
Fertilizing cucumbers of the Khabar variety is carried out no more than 5 times per season, alternating mineral fertilizers with organic ones.
Formation
Since the Khabar cucumber is considered a bee-pollinated variety, when forming a plant, a vertical trellis is usually used, along which one main stem is led. As soon as it reaches the top of the trellis, the stem is pinched and all side shoots and flowers in the axils of the first 3 leaves are removed. Pinching of other shoots is carried out over the 3rd leaf.
Protection from diseases and pests
Although the Khabar cucumber can be considered a variety that is highly resistant to parasites and diseases, insufficient care of the plant can cause various ailments. To avoid this, you should take note of some useful tips:
- Cucumbers of the Khabar variety should be planted only in carefully prepared soil with the required amount of fertilizer.
- It is better to give preference to high-quality seeds from trusted manufacturers that are guaranteed to be disinfected.
- It is necessary to promptly get rid of damaged parts of the plant, dead or diseased specimens.
- Cucumbers should be treated with fungicides and insect repellents from time to time as a preventative measure.
Following these simple rules will help protect this variety of cucumbers from diseases and potential pests.
Landing Features
The cucumber in question is not too demanding on the composition of the soil. However, Cyborg f1 demonstrates the best productivity indicators in light, saturated soils: sandy loam or black soil. The moisture content of the soil is of particular importance for the variety.
Site preparation
They begin to prepare the ground for Cyborg in mid-September. The soil for the variety is dug up to a depth of 60-65 cm, and the larvae of parasites are carefully selected. Then the soil is disinfected with Fitoverm and fertilized with wood ash.
Germination of seeds
Cyborg f1 seeds are added to peat pots in mid-April. Sand, sawdust, compost and coconut substrate are added to the soil. 2 seeds of the variety are planted in each container. They are buried 2-2.5 cm and fed with humus. The cucumber is watered every other day, in the evening after sunset. 10 days before transplantation, the sprouts begin to be hardened in air.
Planting seedlings
The seedlings are ready to be transferred to the ground in mid-May, on the 27-28th day after planting. At this point, the sprouts will have 3 leaves. The hybrid is planted in the ground on a warm, quiet, but not too sunny day. The ideal distance between bushes is 55 cm. The row spacing required by a cucumber is 70 cm. No more than 3 bushes of this variety can fit per 1 m².
