Description and characteristics of the variety
Cucumber variety Masha F1 has powerful, strong bushes. With proper care, more than five fruits are formed on each branch. These cucumbers are suitable for growing in various types of greenhouses. Plants of this variety also develop well in open ground.
Cucumber variety Masha F1 is a good choice for growing on site
The fruits of Masha F1 cucumbers are dark green and cylindrical in shape. Their average length is 8 cm. The weight of each fruit does not exceed 90 g. Since cucumbers themselves are small, they are classified as gherkins. The fruits of this variety almost never taste bitter.
The cucumber hybrid Masha is self-pollinating. It has super-fast ripening times. It takes about 36 days from sowing to fruit production.
Video: appearance of cucumbers of the Masha variety
Advantages and disadvantages
Cucumbers of the Masha F1 variety have a large number of advantages. Among them are:
- early maturation;
- disease resistance;
- bountiful harvest;
- universal use of fruits;
- unpretentiousness.
Gardeners have identified virtually no shortcomings in the variety. The only thing that those who rarely visit the dacha can complain about is the overripening of cucumber varieties too quickly. Daily harvesting allows you to avoid overgrowth, which is not acceptable for all gardeners.
History of selection
This hybrid is the fruit of selection by specialists from the Dutch company Seminis. When creating this variety, breeders from the Netherlands sought to create an early-ripening variety that can easily withstand transportation over long distances without losing marketability and taste, and also have high shelf life.
Russian gardeners who grow cucumbers for sale, as well as those summer residents who grow vegetables for personal needs, also paid attention to this hybrid. The cucumber Masha f1 was included in the State Register of Russia at the beginning of this century, zoned for cultivation in the central regions, the Volga region, and the southern regions.
Recommended Regions
The Dutch hybrid Masha adapts best to warm climates where there are no sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to grow cucumber in temperate Russia, as well as in its southern regions.
Landing
Masha F1 cucumbers are universal. They are suitable for direct sowing in the ground, as well as for growing through seedlings. In the first case, sowing is carried out when the soil has warmed up sufficiently - to about 14 ° C. At first, you should cover the crops with film at night to prevent them from freezing.
Preliminary seed preparation
Regardless of the chosen growing method, cucumber seeds are pre-soaked. First, they are disinfected by immersing them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. Such treatment is not required if the seeds were disinfected in the factory. Usually information about this is available on the packaging. If the annotation does not say anything about this, you should pay attention to the appearance of the seeds. The processed ones have a bright color.
After this, the seeds are placed on a damp cloth, covered with it and left for 4–5 days. At the same time, you should ensure that the fabric does not dry out. Pre-soaking the seeds allows you to select for sowing the strongest ones that will sprout.
Sowing seeds
When growing cucumbers through seedlings, at the end of April, each grain is planted in a separate container containing a mixture of soil and humus. Before transplanting into open ground, plants should be hardened off. To do this, the air temperature is reduced to approximately 17 ° C. Plants are planted when five true leaves form on each bush.
If you decide to sow cucumbers directly into the garden, this should be done at the end of May. In this case, the seeds are buried approximately 3 cm into the soil. The optimal planting density is 5 plants per 1 square meter.
When growing cucumbers through seedlings, the harvest can be obtained much earlier.
Conditions required for growing cucumbers
For cucumbers, the best place is one that is fairly well protected from the wind. At the same time, a sufficient amount of sunlight should reach the garden bed. The ideal soil for cucumbers is light and non-acidic.
You should not plant cucumbers where groundwater lies too close to the surface. The predecessors of this variety should not be beets or zucchini. If you plant cucumbers on ridges where these crops grew the previous year, the yield may be significantly reduced. This is due to the fact that zucchini and beets extract from the soil exactly those substances that cucumbers need.
Preparing the soil for planting
It is necessary to prepare the soil for planting cucumbers in advance. Already in the fall, fertilizers are applied to the places where they will grow. To do this, use 3 buckets of manure, a liter of wood ash and 100 g of nitrophosphate per square meter. After applying fertilizers, the soil must be thoroughly dug and loosened. In the spring, the soil is dug up again and ridges are cut.
If it was not possible to apply fertilizer in the fall, in the spring a layer of manure is poured on the site of future plantings. The top is covered with 20 cm of fertile soil and ridges are formed.
To sow cucumbers for seedlings, the soil is prepared from equal amounts of sand, peat, leaf soil and humus. It is advisable to first disinfect the resulting soil. To do this, pour boiling water over it or place it in an oven preheated to maximum for 5 minutes. This allows you to destroy pest larvae and bacteria that cause major diseases.
Reviews of cucumbers Masha F1
Ksenia, 35 years old, Serpukhov I have been planting cucumber Masha F1 for several years now. And every year I am satisfied. All seeds germinate perfectly without pre-treatment. The bushes are powerful, but low. Quite open. Caring for them and harvesting them is a pleasure. They bear fruit for a long time. The taste is excellent.
Olga, 60 years old, Tolyatti Cucumber Masha F1 is just a godsend for me. I grow early greens and vegetables for sale. I plant them as seedlings in the greenhouse in April. In mid-June I harvest neat and tasty cucumbers. There is always a demand for them on the market.
Rules of care
The Masha F1 variety, like all other cucumbers, is demanding on soil moisture. Therefore, it is important to ensure timely watering of plants. To carry it out, you should use only warm water. The holes in the watering can should be small enough. This will avoid soil erosion and protect the root system.
Cucumbers also require heat. Therefore, it is important to cover plants growing in open ground with film or special covering material (Agrotex, Lutrasil) on cold nights.
Do not neglect weeding and loosening. Timely removal of weeds provides the plant with better nutrition. When loosening, do not go very deep into the soil so as not to damage the root system. Hilling is also useful for cucumbers.
You can increase the number of lashes, and therefore the number of fruits, on each bush by pinching the top above the fifth leaf.
The Masha F1 variety is quite demanding on soil fertility. Therefore, it is important to provide timely feeding with fertilizers. Organic ones are preferred - manure and ash. The first feeding is carried out at the stage of development of the third leaf. Then every ten days. To prepare the fertilizer, pour 1 liter of manure with 10 liters of water, add a handful of ash and leave for about half an hour. Approximately half a liter of the resulting mixture is added to each bush.
Among mineral fertilizers for cucumbers, the following options are most preferable:
- urea;
- superphosphate;
- ammonium and potassium nitrate.
Each of these fertilizers is diluted at the rate of 20 g per 10 liters of water. Watering with solutions is carried out no more than twice a month, choosing one of them.
In cold summers, it is advisable to add foliar feeding. For them, 10 g of urea should be diluted in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is sprayed onto the plants.
Features of seedling and non-seedling growing methods
Seedling method
The seedling method of cultivating crops makes it possible to harvest the crop as early as possible. In addition, it is possible to control conditions - temperature, level of illumination and humidity. In this case, you must adhere to the following rules:
- When seeds are planted, the temperature should not exceed 28 degrees. How to plant cucumber seedlings - read here.
- When the first shoots appear, the temperature decreases (maximum +18).
- 7-10 days before picking to a permanent place, the seedlings are hardened. To do this, the culture is taken to a cool place (first for an hour, then the time gradually increases).
- When replanting, actions must be careful, since the roots are still weak. For this, experienced gardeners recommend planting seed material in half-liter pots made of peat and humus.
- In the greenhouse, the bush develops until strong 3 leaves are formed, after which it is transferred to the garden bed.
Growing sprouts in greenhouse conditions has many advantages, but there is also a significant drawback - poor ventilation and high humidity create favorable conditions for the development of pathogenic microorganisms.
To avoid infection of plants, the greenhouse is disinfected. Usually these are special smoke products that are installed evenly throughout the room and set on fire. In this state, the greenhouse should stand for 5 days, after which it is recommended to thoroughly ventilate the “room”. Make sure that there are no cracks through which the disinfectant can escape.
Other recommendations:
- Once every three years, remove the top layer of soil in the greenhouse (maximum 7 cm) and replace it with new soil.
- Add compost, loam, and horse manure to the soil.
- It is useful to apply potassium, phosphorus, and organic fertilizers. For this, wood ash, superphosphate, and urea are used.
In the modern world, you can find peat tablets on sale for planting seeds that do not damage the root system when transplanting seedlings. The seed is embedded in a tablet, and when the seedling is transplanted, you need to remove the protective film and plant the sprout in the ground.
Seedless method
In open soil, seeds are sown exclusively in well-warmed soil. The site should be moderately sunny (there should be shade during hot hours) and without drafts. The following requirements are then adhered to:
- 20 days before planting seeds in open ground, digging is carried out to the depth of a shovel.
- At the same time, humus or compost is added (dosage per 1 sq. m - a bucket of fertilizer).
- When planting, add a handful of humus and 1 tbsp to each hole. l. urea.
- Water the hole with water and place the seed.
- Mulch and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it like this until the first shoots form. To ensure they appear evenly, maintain the same depth of seed placement.
The seed material goes deep into the soil by 2-3 cm, no more. The horizontal type of growth (stems lie on the ground) assumes a planting pattern of 80x60, the vertical type (a trellis is used) - 20x100 cm.
Diseases and pests of cucumbers and ways to combat them
Cucumbers of the Masha F1 variety are resistant to most known diseases and pests. This is explained by the fact that the seeds are treated with fungicides in the factory. Nevertheless, it is advisable for gardeners to be able to recognize the problem in time and take action. Most often, cucumbers are affected by fungal diseases, which are caused by sudden changes in air humidity and ambient temperature.
Photo gallery: external signs of the most common cucumber diseases
White rot
Root rot
Powdery mildew
Slugs gnaw leaves, leaving sticky residues behind.
Leaves affected by spider mites dry out and die
Table: main diseases and pests of Masha cucumbers
| Disease | Signs | Prevention | Fighting methods |
| Powdery mildew | White coating on plants. Gradually, the affected area grows, the fungus literally sucks the nutrients out of the cucumber. Eventually the plant dies. | You should not replant cucumbers in the same place earlier than after five years. When growing in a greenhouse, a constant temperature should be maintained - about 24°C. | When signs of disease appear, plants are sprayed with an infusion based on cow dung. To prepare it, add 5 parts of water to one part of the litter, mix thoroughly and leave for 7 days. Spraying should be repeated once every ten days. If the disease continues to spread, the affected leaves should be torn off and destroyed. |
| Root rot | The disease affects exclusively weakened plants. A sign of the disease is a brown coating on the roots of plants. The root affected by rot loses the bulk of its hairs, as a result, the nutrition of the plant deteriorates and the cucumber dies. | It is most often observed with a sharp drop in temperature to about 15°C. Therefore, it is important to keep the plantings warm, covering them during the cold season. | If the disease begins to progress, the cucumbers should be watered with a warm and weak solution of potassium permanganate. |
| White rot | It affects absolutely all parts of the plant. At the first stage, a white coating appears on the tissues of the bush. Subsequently, the affected areas become soft and rot. | When a disease appears, all affected areas of plants must be destroyed, and the sections are powdered with ash or lime. After this, the plants are disinfected. To do this, dilute 2 g of copper sulfate and 10 g of urea in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is sprayed on the greenhouse, soil and plants at the rate of 1 liter per 10 m2 of surface. | |
| Spider mite | The first signs of the disease are white spots on the leaves. Subsequently, the affected parts of the plant dry out and die. | Only pre-treated seeds should be planted. | The plantings are treated with a solution of karbofos (dilute 60 g in 10 liters of water). |
| Slug | Leaves and fruits are chewed by the pest. | Crushed eggshells are placed along the edges of the planting, which prevents slugs from reaching the plants. | The ridges are sprinkled with a thin layer of ash or lime. |
Characteristics of Masha cucumbers
Cucumber Masha F1, the characteristics and description of which are given in the article, belongs to determinant or growth-limited varieties. The bush is no more than 1.5 meters high and produces a limited number of side shoots or lashes, which makes maintenance much easier. The leaves of the Masha cucumber are medium in size and bright green in color. The leaf blades are rounded, with five pronounced tips. Their surface is slightly wrinkled, covered with a light edge, slightly prickly to the touch.
Cucumber Masha F1 is a bunch-type variety. It produces predominantly female flowers and does not require insect pollination. It bears fruit well both in open ground and in greenhouses or film shelters. Up to 7-10 cucumbers can ripen in one bunch at the same time.
The fruits of Masha cucumbers, according to the reviews of gardeners and the photos they took, have a very attractive appearance. Gherkins are small, up to 8-10 cm in length and weighing 80-100 grams. They have a regular cylindrical shape. The color of the fruit is rich emerald. The skin, covered with medium-sized tubercles, is thin and tender. At the nose, the cucumber is either somewhat lighter, or there are light stripes-rays on it. The edge is weakly expressed, white.
According to reviews from farmers who grew Masha F1 cucumber for sale, its commercial qualities are excellent. The yield of high-quality, market-competitive products is 95% and does not depend on weather conditions. Cucumber Masha F1 can be stored for up to 10 days in a cool room without signs of wilting, loss of taste and beneficial properties. The variety tolerates transportation well over long distances.
The Masha F1 variety in all descriptions is positioned as a cucumber with good and excellent qualities. The pulp is dense and juicy, not prone to cracking or the formation of internal voids. The seeds are small. The skin is thin and delicate, but at the same time it tolerates heat treatment well, without wrinkling or losing its bright color. Cucumbers of this variety have a fresh taste and pronounced aroma. Even in cold weather they lack bitterness.
Masha F1 cucumbers are currently grown in greenhouse conditions or open ridges almost throughout the entire Russian Federation, which is confirmed by numerous photos. Thanks to the short ripening period, they have time to bear fruit even in the northern regions.
According to descriptions by breeders and reviews from vegetable growers, the Masha F1 cucumber is considered one of the unpretentious varieties. Medium-sized open bushes do not require much experience in their formation.
Attention! Cucumber Masha F1 is a hybrid. In laboratory conditions, it was instilled with such qualities as relative cold resistance, resistance to moisture deficiency and most diseases characteristic of vegetable crops.
All this significantly reduces the time spent caring for plants. Even beginners in gardening can grow a good harvest.
Productivity
Cucumber Masha F1 ripens in favorable conditions 35-40 days after emergence, and is considered ultra-early ripening. Peak fruiting in greenhouses during early spring planting occurs in June. Cucumbers begin to be harvested from open ridges in early July.
The yield of the cucumber variety with the beautiful name Masha is also encouraging. On average it is 10-11 kg/sq. m, which is a very good indicator for small plants. To improve the formation of ovaries, you should carefully monitor the number of gherkins already ripening on the branches. There should be no more than 15 pieces. Otherwise, the cucumber will be overloaded and will not have enough nutrients to produce new fruits. Good lighting, timely watering and fertilizing also have a beneficial effect on the harvest.
Pollination
Variety Masha f1 is a self-pollinating species. That is, the bushes do not need insects. The hybrid is characterized by a female type of flowering, so each flower produces its own ovary.
Advantages and disadvantages
Cucumber Masha F1 is deservedly popular both in private plots and in small farms. Among its advantages are noted:
- early ripening and the ability to have two harvests per season;
- high productivity;
- ease of forming bushes;
- ease of care;
- good adaptation to unpredictable weather conditions;
- resistance of cucumber Masha to diseases;
- attractive appearance of gherkins;
- high taste and product characteristics;
- versatility in use.
Harvest
Cucumbers of the Masha F1 variety are one of the earliest. The good taste of fresh fruits allows them to be used in salads. In addition, small size is the key to successful salting and pickling of these cucumbers.
Due to the fact that the fruits of the Masha F1 variety grow very quickly, harvesting should be done regularly. It's best to do this every day. Such frequent collection allows you to speed up the ripening process of other ovaries.
Cucumber bushes are very delicate, do not pull them too hard. This will help avoid injury to the lashes.
Cucumbers of the Masha F1 variety are characterized by high yield. During the season, with proper care, you can remove up to 2 kg of fruit from each bush.
Growing seedlings
Planting cucumbers as seedlings makes it possible to get an earlier harvest. At home, you can create the most favorable conditions for plants. Seeds germinate best at an average air temperature of 26°C.
Young plants have weak roots. Therefore, it is better to plant them in peat pots, tablets. After emergence, the temperature should not be lower than 18°C. They can be replanted after the formation of 3-4 true leaves.
Before planting seedlings in a permanent place, it is recommended to harden off young plants. To do this, they are taken out onto the street or loggia for a couple of hours a day. Every day the time spent in the air increases.
The first cucumbers can be tasted 3 weeks after planting the plants in the ground.
