Cucumber Bumblebee f1: reviews, description and characteristics of the variety, planting and cultivation, advantages

Many of the cucumber varieties being created require pollination. But for this process to be successful, you can’t just plant another variety nearby and hope for a high-quality harvest. Seed farming has developed several hybrids specifically for this purpose, which provide high-quality pollination of female flowers of neighboring crops. Among them is the Bumblebee, which, in addition to its main goal, is also capable of showing a high level of fruiting. The new product was announced in 2013 and entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 2015 with permission for cultivation in all regions of the country. Cucumber is recommended for growing in film greenhouses and under film shelters on private farms. Seed bags should always be marked F1, since the hero of our article is a hybrid.

General information about the variety

The conditions in which gardeners grow cucumbers vary. Often gardeners are faced with a problem such as the lack of natural pollinators: insects and those related garden crops that are capable of pollinating the female flowers of the plant. Agrotechnicians set a goal: to develop a hybrid that could pollinate crops planted next to it. As a result of the work, several varieties of cucumbers appeared. Among them, the hybrid Bumblebee F1 is distinguished. It not only increases the yield of the entire vegetable garden, but also produces an excellent harvest.

Attention! The volume of fruiting of this variety was a pleasant surprise.

The following features of the hybrid are distinguished:

One plant can pollinate from 5 to 7 seedlings located next to it.
Blooms with male flowers.
Capable of increasing the yield of a number of varietal and hybrid cucumbers.
It has a long flowering period, thanks to which one plant can increase the yield of neighboring plants by up to 70%.

Hybrid Shmel F1 cucumbers have the following characteristics:

Peculiarities

Bumblebee is a bee-pollinated variety. Its peculiarity is the long period of flowering of male flowers, due to which the yield of other varieties of cucumbers can increase by 50 - 70%. The percentage during planting is 10 - 15%. This means that for 10 bushes of different cucumber species it is enough to plant 1 or 2 pollinator bushes. In this capacity, our hero is suitable for all major bee-pollinated hybrids and is used in spring, summer and autumn rotations. In addition, it can be planted in open ground.

Features of cultivation and yield

The hybrid is grown by seedling method. To plant grown and strengthened seedlings in the ground in May, gardeners begin germination at home. The seedlings are kept for a long time on window sills in apartments, where they are looked after, hardened off and watered abundantly.

Note!

Bumblebee F1 is planted in the ground before cucumbers of other varieties are planted in it. This is done so that by the time flowers appear on those plants that require additional or only pollination, the hybrid has already bloomed.

Experts who grow such crops recommend the following:

Plant the pollinator hybrid in the same bed with other plants.
Place the pollinator in the garden bed in the center of the plantings, as well as at different ends.
Keep in mind that one plant can pollinate no more than 5-7 other plants.

Hybrid Bumblebee F1 is a plant that can be added to cucumbers of other varieties, so initially agricultural technicians did not have the goal of developing a high-yielding variety. However, the bush gives a good harvest, in greenhouse conditions up to 4 kg per 1 m2.

The advantages of the variety include:

Resistance to a number of diseases characteristic of cucumbers.
Unpretentiousness.
Appearance, taste of fruits.
Possibility of transportation.
Keeping quality.

Productivity is not the most important feature, but many gardeners mention it as an advantage.

The hybrid does not have any serious disadvantages. The plant requires good watering at the root and regular weeding of the beds.

Reviews

Elena Ivanovna, Leningrad region
I grow bee-pollinated cucumbers. I like their taste better than hybrids. One problem is with pollination. A friend advised me to plant a pollinator cucumber and gave me two bushes of Bumblebee seedlings. A wonderful plant from which I collected some fruits and also helped other bushes to set fruit. The harvest was high, and for two years now I have always been planting this cucumber in the greenhouse. Two bushes are enough.

Ivan, Belgorod
It was written on the packet of seeds that a pollinator replanting was required. There was only Bumblebee in the store, so I bought it. I planted five seedlings, then planted them together with other cucumbers in a greenhouse. I can’t say whether it helped or not, but the harvest was good. There were a lot of bees flying around, so most likely the Bumblebee was needed. There are many flowers on it, more barren flowers, and the bees eagerly circled over these bushes.

Hybrid Bumblebee F1 is used as a pollinator variety for bee-pollinated cucumbers. Due to the dominance of male flowers, the pollination process in greenhouse cucumbers improves and productivity increases.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Bumblebee F1 is a hybrid variety bred for cultivation on the territory of the Russian Federation, therefore it is resistant to temperature changes, regular lack of sunlight and has good vitality.

Due to its high immunity, the hybrid is not susceptible to damage:

powdery mildew;
cladosporiosis;
cucumber mosaic virus.

As a preventive measure to protect plants from pests, it is recommended to cultivate the soil while the seedlings are sitting in cups. A few days before transplanting into the ground, you can treat the soil according to the instructions with the Aktau preparation. This is a systemic drug that protects young seedlings from insects that are found in a greenhouse or in the open air.

Characteristics of the variety

Bumblebee is an early ripening vegetable. From the moment of emergence of seedlings to the start of fruit harvesting, 41 - 45 days pass;
Considering the purpose of the cucumber, the resulting commercial yield can be called quite good - 4.0 kg per 1 square meter in film greenhouses;
immunity is high - resistance to cladosporiosis, cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew and downy mildew is noted. But some gardeners still pointed out that the plant is not as resistant to powdery mildew as described;
the transportability and keeping quality of greens are good;
method of use is universal. Cucumbers are perfect for preparing vitamin-rich salads, are consumed in their natural form, and have excellent pickling and canning qualities.

Agricultural technology varieties

Growing hybrid seedlings from seeds is not particularly different from cultivating varietal cucumbers. Beginner gardeners rely on general recommendations, experienced gardeners rely on the calendar of lunar phases (they calculate favorable and unfavorable periods for growing seedlings, planting seedlings in open ground) and previous successes or failures.

You can grow Bumblebee F1 in two ways: from seeds, immediately immersing them in open ground or in a greenhouse, or by first germinating them at home in special biodegradable pots.

If the open planting method is chosen, then you need to wait for favorable conditions:

the soil must be warmed up;
the air temperature should not fall below 0;
The weather forecast does not promise frosts.

At home, seedlings are grown, focusing on the timing of their planting in open ground or a greenhouse.

Recommendations for growing seedlings at home:

Use biodegradable pots.
It is possible to use a biostimulator.
Sow at least 2-3 seeds in each pot, no deeper than 1.5 cm.
Maintain room temperature at least 21 ° C until the emergence of friendly shoots.
After emergence of seedlings, use additional lighting.
Before planting in open ground, seedlings need to be hardened off.
Treat the seedlings with the Aktau preparation. It protects them from insect pests.

Recommendations for growing Bumblebee f1 in open ground:

Wait until the spring frosts end.
Keep the soil moist.
Sow 5 seeds in one hole.
Thin out the seedlings, leaving no more than 3 of the strongest and tallest.

There is an opinion that the Bumblebee hybrid must be grown simultaneously with the plants for which it is planted. However, experienced gardeners take the opposite point of view and plant the pollinator a week and a half earlier than the main cucumbers.

Attention!

The male plant manages to bloom by the time the female plants bloom, and can already pollinate them.

Caring for a hybrid is not difficult:

regularly water the bushes at the roots;
during fruiting, increase the frequency of watering;
weed the beds, clear them of weeds;
loosen the soil regularly.

If the soil requires it, you need to feed the bushes during their growth and flowering. Do not water cucumbers separately from the rest in the garden.

Landing

Typically, manufacturers cover the seed with a special coating that contains nutrients, as well as fungicides and insecticides. These seeds can be distinguished by their bright color. In this case, there is no need to perform any manipulations with the seeds. Having taken them out of the packaging, they are immediately immersed in the ground. If the seed material has not been prepared in advance, it is placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. They are then washed under running water, wrapped in damp cotton cloth and given time to germinate (usually this takes 2-3 days). To avoid drying out, the rag is periodically moistened.

Growing seedlings

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To get an earlier harvest, cucumbers are grown as seedlings. This process takes approximately 30 days. In this case, seeds cannot be sown in boxes. Containers must be separate. Their optimal volume is 500 ml. These can be special pots or glasses with a hole in the bottom. In order for seedlings to grow quickly, prepare a soil mixture of humus and lowland peat in a 1:1 ratio. Next, add 1 tbsp to the substrate bucket. l. spring-summer fertiki and 2 tbsp. l. dry soft deoxidizer.

Place one seed in each container. They are buried in the soil to a depth of 1.5-2 cm and watered. Then the containers are covered with film to create a greenhouse effect. In order for the seeds to germinate better, the room temperature is maintained at +26-28 °C. After seed germination, the film is removed and the air temperature is reduced to +20-22 °C. This helps prevent excessive stretching of seedlings.

Attention!

At temperatures +16°C and below, seedlings are not grown.

To ensure that plants grow and develop well, the soil is regularly moistened by spraying with a spray bottle. Plants should not be allowed to be flooded. In case of insufficient lighting, lamps are hung above the seedlings. During development, the hybrid absorbs a large amount of nutrients, so from the moment the seeds are planted until the plants are transplanted to a permanent place, they are fed twice. The first time, calcium nitrate is used for this (1 tablespoon per bucket of water), and the second time, any complex fertilizer (for example, Agricola). If the seedlings grow poorly, they are fed a third time. To do this, use manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20.

Once every 15 days, the hybrids are sprayed with epin, and 3 days after that with zircon. Thanks to this, plants tolerate stress better and quickly take root when transplanted. About a week before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, they are hardened off: containers with plants are taken out into the open air for several hours. To do this, choose a place protected from strong winds and scorching sun rays.

Sowing seed material in open soil

Sowing in open ground is carried out after it has warmed up to +15°C and the threat of night frosts has passed. Water the wells generously and add 1 tsp to each of them. Fertika spring-summer and 1 tbsp. l. Borofoski. The first shoots usually appear after 15 days. When planting pollinators, take into account the location of the bushes of the main varieties. As a rule, Bumblebee F1 bushes are placed at the ends of the rows.

Sowing seeds in open ground

Seed material must be disinfected. To do this, the seeds are kept in a weak manganese solution for 20 minutes. Often, producers have already completed all the necessary preparatory steps, as indicated on the seed package. If the seeds are already disinfected and hardened, no additional measures are required. Sowing is carried out when the night frosts end and the top layer of the earth warms up to +15 degrees.

Seeds are placed in holes prepared in advance, 3-5 pieces in each. The soil should be well moistened. The holes should be placed 50-70 cm from each other. The first shoots will appear in about 2 weeks. As soon as the sprouts grow, weak plants should be cut off, leaving 3 pieces in each hole.

cucumber Khutorok F1 - description and characteristics of the variety

Plant care

Cucumbers require timely treatment against diseases and pests. Cultivation and mulch are used to control weeds. Regular watering is important, mainly in the morning. For this, drip irrigation is best suited, which will promote rapid and continuous growth of plants.

Bee-pollinated varieties are preferably sown next to sunflowers, sage, lavender and oregano. The presented plants attract bees, which will increase the chances of pollination and increase the yield.

Care instructions

Cucumbers love moisture very much. Therefore, it is important to ensure the supply of water on time. It is best to prefer drip irrigation. It will ensure continuous growth and development of the bushes. It is important that the water for irrigation is heated in the sun. It is recommended to carry out the event in the evening or in the morning, before the sun rises. Soil mulching is used to control weeds.

In another case, after watering, it is necessary to periodically loosen and hill up the soil. This will give oxygen access to the root system, which has a beneficial effect on plant development. Weeds must be constantly removed. They take food from the soil and are carriers of dangerous fungi and pest larvae. To combat and prevent garden pests and common diseases, bushes are treated with insecticidal preparations. You should make raids around the garden more often, checking the bushes for damaged leaves.

It is imperative to periodically feed the bushes with mineral and organic fertilizers. It is especially important to do this during flowering and during fruit ripening. To make it convenient to care for the variety and collect ripe cucumbers, the vines must be tied to a vertical trellis.

Bee-pollinated cucumber species are recommended to be planted next to sunflower, oregano or lavender. These fragrant plants attract pollinating insects. This increases the yield of cucumbers. Every gardener wants to see the fruits of his labors in an increased amount of vegetables. Cucumbers Variety Shmel are suitable for universal use. They are used to prepare summer salads, pickled and pickled. Gardeners are noting more and more positive aspects of the variety, one of which is high yield and ease of care.

Agricultural technology

Bumblebee seedlings should be planted in a permanent place at the same time as the varieties that need pollination. Since our hero blooms very early and the male flowers do not fall off for a long time, it is not worth sowing seedlings earlier than other hybrids, despite the fact that some sources indicate that this should be done in advance. The originators recommend sowing simultaneously with the main varieties. Growing and caring for seedlings is the same as for other crops. The formation scheme is standard. Caring for a cucumber is no different. For an unpretentious plant, the agricultural technology that will be applied to the main crops is quite enough.

The Bumblebee hybrid is a unique plant in its own way. It is planted to increase the yield level of other varieties, but in addition, fruits that are distinguished by excellent taste are harvested from the plant itself.