Cucumber “Balcony miracle f1”: growing fresh herbs at home

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Description of cucumbers “Balcony Miracle F1”

One of the most successful varieties for balcony cultivation is the parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) hybrid F1 “Balcony Miracle”. This plant is compact, its stem is long, the leaves are small, and the root system is well developed. Its internodes are short, there are many nodes, each of them can hold up to three dozen cucumbers. Zelentsy are small, gherkin-type (up to 8 cm in size, weighing up to 60 g), cylindrical in shape, bright green, with small tubercles. They have a sweetish, pleasant taste without bitterness. This variety is early: the greens begin to ripen within a month and a half after the first leaves appear.

Its main advantages:

• excellent taste both fresh and canned;
• high drought resistance and shade tolerance;
• precocity;
• good resistance to many diseases (powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic, etc.);
• high productivity;
• self-pollinating;
• Possibility of growing both in open ground and in small areas in pots or cache-pots.

Being a first-generation hybrid, this cucumber variety does not produce productive seeds that inherit parental characteristics.

Consumer qualities

The fruits are small in size, gherkin type. The length of the greens at technical ripeness is no more than 12 cm; fruit diameter is 2-2.5 cm. Even overripe cucumbers do not become large and do not form hard seeds. It is recommended to collect greens daily: this promotes the growth of the following ovaries in the hand.

The skin of a young cucumber is not too dense and is practically not felt when eating the fruit. Nevertheless, it is quite strong, allowing cucumbers not to lose their elasticity and presentation for several days. Cucumbers are quite transportable; Store in the refrigerator for several days.

The color of the skin is green; at the tip there is a small light area, from which several parallel stripes of a yellowish-white hue extend to the base. There are not too many tubercles; As the fetus grows, they become rare and inconspicuous. The spines are white and blunt.

The pulp is dense, crispy, greenish in color. The walls of the fruit are not particularly thick; it is filled with seed capsules to ¾ of the diameter. The grains in the capsules are formed in small quantities, and the taste of the cucumbers does not suffer. The characteristics and descriptions of the variety given by amateur vegetable growers note a pleasant cucumber aroma, moderately pronounced and unobtrusive. The taste is sweetish, delicate, the consistency of the fruit is juicy.

The main purpose of the early variety is to consume fresh vegetables. Small, crispy and tender greens are a pleasant addition to any salads. They can be used for gourmet cuts and gourmet snacks. Cucumber slices are included in sandwiches, rolls, and national dishes. Cold summer soups (okroshka, kuksi) and even refreshing drinks are prepared from fresh cucumbers.

Cucumbers can be stored for a long time by cold pickling some of the products. Lightly salted vegetables are always popular as an excellent snack and addition to potato dishes.

If you have a large number of gherkins, you can also prepare them for winter storage. Traditionally, small fruits are included in assorted vegetables or salted and pickled separately. Somewhat overgrown vegetables can be preserved in cut form or made into pickles, salads and snacks. Cucumbers can even be stored frozen so that you can enjoy okroshka in the winter.

Before freezing, the fruits must be cut into strips and placed in bags.

Preparing seeds for sowing

To reap a good harvest of greens, you need to take care of pre-treatment of the seeds before sowing them in the ground. This will ensure the abundant appearance of female flowers on the plants, from which cucumbers develop. It is usually carried out at the end of winter.

This process includes four stages:

1. Drying in the oven at 60 degrees.
2. Soak seeds placed in gauze bags in a special solution for several hours. There are several options for substances used for this (their quantity is indicated for dilution in a liter of water): boric acid - 20 mg, zinc sulfate - 2 g, methyl blue - 300 mg, potassium nitrate - 5 g, superphosphate - 10 g. But more often In total, the seeds are treated in a pale pink solution of manganese.
3. Hardening in the refrigerator at a temperature of -2 degrees for 6 hours.
4. Germination on damp cloth. This stage, which usually takes 2-3 days, is very important for identifying ungerminated specimens. They should be discarded.

Characteristics of the variety

According to the description, City Cucumber F1 is one of the hybrids intended for growing in open beds, in greenhouses and even indoors.

The variety is capable of self-pollination, which increases its yield and allows the formation of ovaries without additional pollination.

The flowers on plants of this hybrid are collected in inflorescences, which is why they are called bunched. The City Cucumber variety is high-yielding: up to 3 kg of fruits are obtained from 1 bush per season.

Peculiarities

The advantages of the City Cucumber include:

• good seed germination;
• early ripeness;
• duration of the fruiting period.

No more than 40 days pass from germination to the start of harvesting the first harvest of the fruits of this hybrid. This cucumber is valued because it never bears empty flowers. The hybrid is drought-resistant and shade-tolerant.

In open ground conditions, the bushes bear fruit when a stable temperature is established: 15°C at night and above 24°C during the day. The optimal temperature for growing City Cucumber is 25°C. Air humidity in artificial conditions should be maintained at 70%.

Description of the bush

The plant is highly branched and covered with dense green leaves. The size of the latter varies from small to medium, but there is a lot of foliage, so the bush seems huge. A multiple ovary is formed in the axil of each leaf: the number of buds in it ranges from 3 to 10 pieces.

A feature of the cultivation of this variety is the need for timely harvesting. The more often the collection is carried out, the more buds will appear on the shoots, and the branches themselves will begin to grow much more actively.

The cucumber root system is well developed. If the bush will be grown on the balcony or right in the room, then it would be best to place the pot with the plant on the south-east window. In this case, the shoots grow evenly, and the ovary on them becomes frequent.

Description of the fruit

The fruits of the hybrid City Cucumber F1 belong to the finger varieties of cucumbers and have a regular oval shape.

The weight of one fruit usually does not exceed 90 g. The maximum length of the gherkin is 12 cm, and the diameter is 3 cm. Mature gherkins are green in color with longitudinal whitish stripes along the edges. The latter are not clearly expressed. When cut, the fruits have white, juicy pulp with small grains; there are no internal cavities (voids).

Cucumbers of the Urban cucumber variety are distinguished by moderate density and soft, slightly pubescent spines. The fruits are attached to the bush on long thin stalks, which allows the crop to remain miniature for a long time after ripening.

Fresh cucumbers never taste bitter, and the taste of pickled preparations is also high. When canned, the fruits turn out crispy and moderately dense.

Plants of this variety, with proper care, bear fruit until frost.

Sowing seeds and caring for them

Prepared seeds can be sown in separate cups. This is done as follows:

• A special soil mixture is made, consisting of equal parts of peat, sawdust, turf, and manure humus, to which a spoonful of nitrophoska and urea is added. It is poured into cups.
• Before sowing, warm up containers with soil mixture in hot water.
• One seed is planted in a cup to a depth of 2 cm.
• All containers with seeds are placed in a warm room until sprouts appear. The optimal temperature for them is 25 degrees.

There should be drainage holes in the bottom of the seedling container. It is better to place these pots on a tray, where excess moisture will drain.

To get strong seedlings, the following conditions are needed:

1. Good lighting and protection from drafts.
2. Daily watering with settled water at room temperature. And if the seedlings are illuminated, then they need to be watered twice a day.
3. Feeding. It is carried out 2 times - two and three weeks after the sprouts peck. The solution is prepared as follows: a teaspoon of urea is dissolved in 3 liters of water.

Growing

It is better to plant the balcony miracle in open ground at the end of May.

Seed preparation

Pre-treatment of cucumber seeds subsequently affects their yield and viability. Using certain procedures, harmful microorganisms are removed from the top of the seeds, which increases their germination. Seeds must be pre-processed in several stages:

1. Warming up the planting material. It needs to be done in the oven at temperatures up to 50 degrees. You can also tie a bag of grains to a hot radiator for 1-2 days.
2. Disinfection. To disinfect seeds, they need to be soaked for 2-3 hours in a weak concentration of potassium permanganate solution.
3. Germination. For better germination of cucumber seeds, they should be placed in a damp cloth and kept at a temperature of +27 degrees. Full seeds should hatch in a warm, humid environment within 2-3 days, after which they can be planted in the ground.

Warming up the planting material increases the number of female flowers, and, consequently, the yield.

Growing seedlings

To sow cucumber seedling material, you need to take a container and soil:

1. As a container, you can use small containers with a diameter of 8 cm, or peat tablets. If you use plastic containers, you need to provide drainage holes.
2. Soil for sowing seeds is used both in finished form and prepared independently by mixing the following ingredients: peat, sand, pepper and fertile soil in equal proportions.
3. In order for cucumbers to germinate, they need to be placed in the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. You can wait until the cotyledon leaves appear at a temperature of +25-27 degrees for the seedlings.
4. After the seeds germinate, they will need a lot of light and a temperature of +22 degrees.
5. The seedlings will need daily watering and fertilizing. Cucumbers should be fed with a solution prepared in the following proportions: 1 teaspoon of urea per 3 liters of warm water.

Transplanting

To plant planting material in a pot, you need the following rules:

1. The container should be at least 5-8 liters in volume. Containers made from cut plastic bottles and ceramic pots may be suitable.
2. Pots where you plan to grow cucumbers should have drainage holes, and if it is a container, then broken brick or expanded clay should be placed there.
3. When filling containers with soil, you need to use a substrate that was intended for sowing cucumbers.

Expert opinion Ivan Yuryevich Filatov, private farmer for more than 30 years
Before planting seedlings, you need to carefully remove them from their previous container so that the soil on the roots is preserved, and peat pots can be planted directly into the ground, because such material disintegrates in the soil.

Transplanting seedlings

When two leaves appear on young plants, this means that the seedlings are ready to be transplanted to a permanent location. For central Russia, this period falls in the second half of spring. Transplantation requires compliance with the following rules:

1. For each plant you should prepare a container with a volume of 5-8 liters. These can be plastic bottles with a cut off top, ceramic pots, flower boxes, or even bags in which ready-made earthen mixtures are sold.
2. Expanded clay, crushed stone or small pebbles are placed at the bottom of these containers, equipped with drainage holes.
3. It is necessary to fill them with soil not to the brim, but to provide for the possibility of further adding soil in case the roots of the plant are exposed.
4. The composition of the soil should be similar to that in which the seeds were planted. Before planting, water the soil with warm water with the addition of a small amount of potassium permanganate.
5. Plants are planted, trying to preserve the earthen ball with roots as much as possible.

Landing rules

The plant is unpretentious in care

Balcony Miracle cucumbers are quite exotic, but it doesn’t take much time to grow them. Even novice vegetable growers can do this.

Sowing period

The plant loves warmth, temperatures from 15°C. That is why seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of May. They are planted in the greenhouse at the beginning of the month. When a person chooses the most optimal growing option for himself, it is worth thinking about the period of sowing seeds for seedlings. It is necessary to count 20-25 days from the approximate date of planting the seedlings in the soil.

You can sow seeds at home all year round, because the apartment is always warm and has favorable conditions for good growth.

When calculating the time for sowing seeds, it is necessary to take into account that in winter the days are shorter: it is daylight that cucumbers need for proper development, it accelerates ripening by 10 days.

Preparing seeds for planting

During processing, all bad substances leave the seed, and the formation of the plant is accelerated. Seeds are prepared step by step:

1. Warm up. To do this, they are dried in the oven at a temperature of 50°C. You can also tie a bag of seeds to a warm radiator for a couple of days.
2. Disinfected. To do this, they are filled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours.
3. They germinate. To do this, they are placed in a damp cloth at a temperature of 27°C. This procedure helps speed up the growth of the plant.

The heating process helps to increase the number of female flowers on the plant, which increases the yield. Germination not only allows the plant to grow quickly, but is also a grading step. The procedure lasts 2-3 days. If there are seeds that have not sprouted during this time, they are removed. Next they are sown in the prepared soil.

Growing seedlings

It is recommended to treat the seeds before planting

Seedlings are planted not only for planting in beds, but also for home cultivation, since small pots are much easier to move to light, to a warm place. Seedlings do not need to be frequently watered or fertilized. To start growing it, prepare the soil and special containers.

1. In the form of a container, you can take plastic bottles with a diameter of 8 cm, and also use peat cups. There must be holes made for air to enter.
2. Any soil for sowing is suitable: it can be purchased with all fertilizers or prepared independently. If it is taken from the site, it is fed, for which it is mixed in equal parts with peat, sand and humus.

When the seeds germinate, they are planted in the ground to a depth of 1-2 cm. Until the first stems appear, the seedlings are kept in a room with a temperature of 25-27°C. When the seedlings germinate, they are transferred to a well-lit place with a temperature of 22°C. Seedlings need to be watered and fed every day. The plant is fertilized with the following mixture: 1 tsp. urea per 3 liters of warm water.

Planting seedlings

Any gardener knows how to plant seedlings in an open area. Growing in pots is an unknown process that can make growing difficult. When planting seedlings in containers, you need to know the basic rules and be sure to adhere to them:

1. The container should be 5-8 liters in size, no less. Flower pots or cut plastic bottles and bags will do.
2. Holes are made in the pot to allow air to enter, and small bricks or expanded clay are placed on the bottom.
3. The container is filled with prepared soil; you can take the soil used for seedlings. It fits well in composition.
4. During the period of planting cucumbers, the seedlings are carefully removed from the previous container, so as not to shake the soil from the roots. If peat pots were used for seedlings, there is no need to remove them: this material disintegrates well in the soil after planting.

When planting cucumbers, add fertilizer consisting of a spoonful of nitrophoska and a spoonful of urea.

Cucumber care

Caring for the “Balcony Miracle F1” is as follows:

1. Garter. Cucumber is a climbing plant that needs support. For normal growth, a wire is pulled at a height of up to 170 cm from the ground. A twine is tied to it, twisting its lower end around the plant. Thereby directing the latter to movement along the support.
2. Pinching. To ensure that the “Balcony Miracle” has one stem, does not branch and does not thicken, its tendrils and side shoots are removed. For the remaining shoots that have grown to the wire, only one leaf is left above the ovary.
3. Feeding. During the fruiting period, plants need nutrition every ten days with mineral fertilizers and organic substances - wood ash, infusions of eggshells or tea.
4. Watering at the root is carried out at least 2-3 times a week, using settled, not cold water.

Characteristics of the variety

The length of the Balcony Miracle variety reaches up to 1.5 meters. During growth, its side shoots are formed, which need to be pinched.

• The leaves of the hybrid are bright green and small.

• 2-3 ovaries are formed in each node. the variety is mid-season.

• Productivity occurs 50 days after sowing the seeds.

You can take a sample approximately 10 days after the due date, and you will also be interested in knowing:

1. That this hybrid plant is related to gherkins.
2. The average length of cucumbers reaches 7-8 cm, weight - 60 g. The fruits of the hybrid are cylindrical in shape, with a tuberculate surface.
3. The vegetable has a pleasant taste and a bright aroma. The pulp is sweetish, medium density. Cucumber is characterized by crunch and freshness. The vegetable is good for salads and also for canning.
4. The balcony miracle is not picky in terms of cultivation. Even cultivation in apartment conditions is not particularly difficult if you follow some rules.
5. The variety can also be grown in the traditional way in garden beds. This plant loves heat very much and does not tolerate temperatures of +15 degrees.

Lukhovitsk cucumbers are famous throughout Russia. In this article you can find out.

Reviews from gardeners

Many fans of growing balcony cucumbers consider the hybrid “Balcony Miracle F1” to be one of the most acceptable and high-yielding varieties. Some farmers advise planting cucumber seedlings on the balcony at a later date, when more than 5 leaves have already appeared. In this case, plants adapt faster and begin to bear fruit earlier.

When planting seedlings in open ground or in a film greenhouse, according to reviews from experienced vegetable growers, it is good to use cut plastic bottles. Their upper part (with the plug) can in this case serve as protection for young plants from frost.

Landing

Plants need to be planted in warm soil

The best time to plant in open ground is the beginning of May, when the ground is already quite well warmed up.

The soil in the hole should be soft and rich in nutrients. The bed for cucumbers should be prepared in advance. The optimal distance between plants is 30 cm in greenhouses and 20 cm in open ground. The row spacing should be 40 cm.

For cultivation, you can also use flowerpots and deep boxes with a double bottom. When growing cucumbers of this variety on the balcony, you should provide one plant with a capacity of at least 6 liters. Soil acidity must be maintained within 6.8 units.

How to grow cucumbers at home (video)

These cucumbers feel good in hanging pots, also being an original balcony decoration and unusual shading. Mobile trellises for the “Balcony Miracle” are also convenient. But in this case, for better growth of greens, you need to use “short” pinching of the side shoots of the plant at the lower nodes.

The Balcony Miracle F1 cucumber really lives up to its name. It is unusually tasty, gives a good harvest, can be used in any form, and is not capricious when planting and caring for it. On protected balconies located on the south side of the building, this delicious greenery can be grown even in winter with sufficient lighting.

Characteristics of the variety

The uniqueness of the variety is that the initially heat-loving bush calmly tolerates a short period of relatively low temperatures, up to 15 degrees. Even cucumbers of the Balcony Miracle variety placed on the window, judging by reviews, produce a harvest in the autumn-winter time. The first generation drought-resistant hybrid bushes survive and bear fruit in low light conditions, which is observed in November-December. The seed producer points to the ability of the variety to set fruit in stressful conditions of low light and normal room temperature, to produce an early spring harvest of cucumbers that are cultivated on window sills and enclosed balconies.

Advice! Hobbyists provide crops of cucumbers placed on the windowsill with lighting in the winter.

Productivity and fruiting

An early-ripening variety, adapted to full growth in partial shade, forms fruits in a greenhouse in 50–55 days. In winter, unfavorable conditions for the development of cucumbers should be taken into account. Therefore, on the windowsill, the greenery of the Balcony Miracle hybrid grows en masse by the end of the second month of the bush’s growing season. The signal fruits of the indoor variety of cucumbers ripen even after 40–42 days. When sowing seeds of the Balcony Miracle variety on short winter days, take into account that the ripening of the fruits will be somewhat delayed due to the lack of bright sunlight. The most successful development is for those cucumbers that are located on windows on the south or southeast side.

With good care, one bush produces up to two dozen cucumbers. On a production scale, yields reach 9 kg per square meter. For good development of a unique indoor variety of cucumbers, provide illumination for up to 12–14 hours daily. The hybrid develops best at a temperature of 25–27 degrees. At 20 °C, cucumbers slow down the growing season. Too high a temperature, above 32 °C, also has a detrimental effect on the yield of the variety. The plant may also suffer from ventilation or drafts.

Attention! The timing of fruit ripening depends on the amount of daylight that the cucumber vine receives.

Application area

A rare hybrid with the ability to bear fruit indoors, it is valued because of the opportunity to obtain fresh vegetables out of season. The Balcony Miracle variety was developed by the authors as salad fruits with a balanced taste. Lovers of delicacies also use greens for pickling and canning.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The Balcony Miracle cucumber also lives up to its name because it is characterized by high resistance to fungal and viral diseases. Plants of the variety are not affected by powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic. This feature puts the hybrid among the most popular varieties.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The new hybrid Balcony Miracle already has many supporters thanks to its undoubted advantages:

• high yield;
• attractive appearance;
• pleasant taste;
• ability to bear fruit under stress;
• low susceptibility to diseases;
• the versatility of the plant and fruits of cucumbers, which is expressed in the possibility of cultivation in closed and open ground, as well as the use of products for salads or preparations.

Among the disadvantages, they note the possible infestation of the plant in apartment conditions by spider mites, which spreads from flower crops.

Comment! The viability and productivity of plants depends on pre-treatment of seeds.

Features of agricultural technology

Depending on where the crop will grow, cucumbers are sown in peat pots or a bed. To grow at home, seeds are planted in pots, flowerpots, and containers. The container must have holes for water drainage, a double bottom or a tray. Most of the containers are filled with loose, disinfected substrate. During the growing season of cucumbers, as the soil compacts, it is added to the initial level.

To ensure that the bush has enough nutrition and the soil does not dry out, you need to plant the plants in a container of at least 5 liters.

When the temperature outside the window rises to +24–+26 ⁰С, cucumber seeds are planted in pots to a depth of 1.5–2 cm and placed on an eastern or south-eastern window sill. To prevent the soil from drying out, cover the container with glass. When it is not yet warm enough outside, you can grow cucumbers using seedlings.

After the sprouts of the hybrid variety appear, the temperature is kept at +20–+24 ⁰C during the day, and 18–19 ⁰C at night. Moderate temperatures will prevent cucumber sprouts from stretching. The optimal volume of a pot for growing seedlings is 200–300 ml. Growing cucumbers in a smaller container is problematic, since the soil will often dry out. The root system does not have time to weave a lot of substrate, which is why the shoots may be damaged during manipulation and the plant will not take root.

At the age of 2 and 3 true leaves, seedlings are fed with water-soluble fertilizers based on the calculation of 2–3 g per 1 liter of water. You can plant cucumbers on an insulated balcony from May 1 to 5, and on an open balcony from 10 to 15. The age of the seedlings at the time of transplanting to a permanent place should be 10–20 days.

You can grow indoor cucumbers only if they are properly tied. As a support, strings are used, attached to the top of the balcony and mobile U-shaped supports, which are installed in each pot. Cucumbers are also grown in hanging pots.

To ensure that the characteristics correspond to reality, cucumbers are formed according to the following scheme:

1. On the lower 2–3 nodes, the ovaries and lateral processes are plucked off.
2. At the next pair of nodes, the ovaries are left and the shoots are removed.
3. The remaining shoots are first pinched into 2 leaves, and then into 3–4.
4. At the end of the trellis, the top is pinched off or the stem is wrapped around the support and pinched off at the bottom.

Top dressing

Cucumbers need a lot of nutrients, especially during the period of ovary formation and fruiting.

When growing this variety, you need to follow the rule - every 10 days, feed the plants with fertilizers containing minerals.

It is better to use liquid fertilizers - “Ovary” or “Fertika-Lux”. In addition, you need to add wood ash to the soil and water the seedlings with an infusion of tea or egg shells. Oxygen is also food for plants. To ensure its access to the roots, it is necessary to periodically loosen the soil, preventing it from compacting. If the soil settles, be sure to add it to the plant box, otherwise the roots may be exposed.