Main characteristics
This is a fast-ripening variety of cucumbers; fruit ripening occurs 45 days after germination. The plants themselves are very powerful, strong, and tall. Branching is moderate, flowering is mainly of the female type. From 1 to 3 fruits are formed in the leaf axil. The leaves are dark green in color and are of moderate size. The root system is very well developed, due to which the crop can easily survive even severe drought. The petioles are small and pubescent. Flowering occurs 3 weeks after emergence. Large yellow buds grow. Summer residents like this variety because there are usually no problems with growing plants.
Description
A bee-pollinated hybrid that produces a crop approximately 45 days after germination and is characterized by long fruiting. Included in the State Register of Varietal Achievements in 2010.
It is recommended to grow alligator in greenhouses, hotbeds or open ground. It has good resistance to adverse conditions and weather changes.
Distinctive features
High yield: 1 sq. m can produce up to 16 kg of cucumbers. From 6 to 8 fruits are formed on one plant at the same time. They are easy to transport and do not lose their appearance. The hybrid is resistant to major stresses during cultivation.
Composition, properties, benefits
The calorie content of cucumbers is approximately 14 kcal per 100 g. They contain vitamins A, K, C, and the minerals fluorine, copper, magnesium and calcium, which improve the functioning of the heart and kidneys.
Characteristics
The bushes of such cucumbers have a well-developed root system. The leaves are deep green, small in size, and pentagonal in shape. The Alligator hybrid produces high yields.
The fruits have an unusual shape - elongated, cylindrical, which attracts many gardeners. They can grow up to 40–45 cm in length. At the same time, they have a small diameter and an average weight of 300 g. The pulp is light in color, with a uniform consistency.
On the surface of the seeds you can see short spines and small tubercles, which makes this cucumber look like a crocodile. This feature gave the variety its name. But despite the thorns, the fruits have delicate and soft skin. The taste is pronounced cucumber, with a slight sweetness.
The photo shows Alligator cucumbers.
Description of the fruit
The fruits are unique and have a very interesting shape. They can reach a length of 45 centimeters, while their circumference is small. The weight of one cucumber can reach 300 grams, and sometimes more.
The shape of the fruits is elongated and cylindrical, with moderate tuberosity. The spines are short in length and there are quite a few of them. The pulp inside is light and has a uniform structure. The seeds are very small and have an elongated shape.
The taste of cucumbers is surprisingly bright and well expressed, characteristic of this culture. They are very juicy and have some sweet notes. Their purpose is mainly for table use; most often they are consumed fresh or in salads; some chefs add them to desserts. They are also good lightly salted. Due to their special structure, the fruits are salted very well, absorbing the tastes of herbs and spices. The skin of the fruit is very thin, which makes it ideal for this type of preparation.
Advantages and disadvantages
Each variety has its own strengths and weaknesses. The manufacturer of this hybrid highlights the following advantages:
- Resistant to most diseases.
- Calm response to bad weather.
- Long fruiting periods. Cucumbers can set until the end of the season.
- The productivity is very high. The share of marketable fruits is 70%.
- The keeping quality of the fruits is good, they can be transported over long distances.
The disadvantages are the following:
- You cannot use cucumbers for pickling for the winter; pickling is also not recommended.
- Sometimes the flesh is bitter.
Landing
Cucumbers can be planted from seeds or seedlings. It is worth noting that the place for growing must be sunny. You can also select partially darkened areas, but it is not recommended. The groundwater level should be low, and the soil should be fertile, fertilized and loose. For feeding, you can use minerals or organic matter - for example, humus or compost.
Before planting seed material, it should be thoroughly disinfected. For this purpose, add 30 grams of garlic to 100 grams of water, mix everything thoroughly and immerse the seeds there. Leave for an hour, then remove, wash and place on a damp cloth. In this form, the seeds should lie for about two days. It is very important to ensure that they do not germinate - they must only swell.
After this treatment, the planting materials are placed in the refrigerator for a day. Sowing in open ground or a greenhouse is carried out either in May or June. If it is not possible to disinfect the seeds using the above method, you can place them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate the day before planting.
Before sowing, the beds are carefully dug up, fertilized and watered. Holes are formed at a distance of half a meter from each other, with 70 centimeters between rows. Seed the seeds 4 centimeters deep. Germination requires a temperature of +20 to +25 degrees.
You can also resort to the seedling method of planting so that the harvest is earlier. In this case, the seeds are sown in April or May, placing each seed in its own pot. Young plants will not tolerate picks. It is very important to water the crop in a timely manner and provide enough light. Feeding is allowed, but it is not necessary to apply it. This is usually necessary to ensure that the seedlings do not overgrow or when there are obvious signs of mineral deficiency.
Seedlings should be moved into open ground in May or June, only after the weather is consistently warm. In order for them to take root better, hardening begins a couple of weeks in advance. By the time of transplantation, the seedlings should have 2-3 true leaves. The distance between them should be 50-70 centimeters so that they calmly develop and grow without interfering with each other.
Harvest and storage
Alligator cucumbers must be collected carefully by screwing off the hanging vegetable with part of the stalk. After this, taking into account the length of the fruits, they need to be placed in wooden or plastic boxes, lined with paper. In this form, the fruits can be transported normally.
These vegetables cannot be stored for a long time, and given that they are a salad variety, it is better to use them for food and not subject them to processing or long-term storage.
The Alligator cucumber variety has remarkable taste and growth characteristics, which is why summer residents, farmers and consumers love it. Early ripening, frost resistance and drought resistance make it possible to grow these greens in areas with a rather harsh climate. And its interesting appearance attracts even children to it.
Care
Caring for the plant is not difficult. First of all, it is worth remembering that it must be watered with warm water at least 2 times a week, and also spray the leaves with warm water. It is also important to note that the bush must grow upward, as a result of which it needs strong support. Otherwise, the fruits will become deformed, turning into unflattering hooks.
After each rain or watering, weeding is carried out so that the soil does not become crusty. During the event, you should get rid of weeds so that the garden bed is completely clean. You should act carefully so as not to damage the root system.
Fertilizers are applied a total of three times per season. The optimal method of application is spraying. For the first time, fertilizing is used a couple of weeks after planting the seedlings or 3 weeks after the seeds hatch. Dilute 20 grams of urea with 10 liters of water, and use a fine spray bottle for spraying.
As soon as flowering begins, take superphosphate - 30 grams diluted in 10 liters of water. You can also take other fertilizers that are high in potassium and phosphorus and prepare them according to the instructions.
As soon as fruiting begins, fertilizing with urea or nitrogen products is repeated. Be sure to follow the instructions.
It is also advisable to carry out stepsoning. Excess stepsons and ovaries are carefully trimmed from the axils of the lower leaves, up to 3-4 leaves.
This variety is characterized by a disease such as powdery mildew. The bush will slowly die, and the fruits will be of poor quality, there will be few of them. For prevention, you should not allow high humidity, temperature changes and weeds.
There may also be downy mildew caused by high humidity and cold watering. Prevention measures are the same as in the previous situation. Of the pests, slugs are the most dangerous.
Growing from seeds to seedlings at home
Growing "Alligator" at home differs from planting in open ground in the procedure
Seed preparation
Select large seeds that are not damaged. They should be warmed up before planting. To do this, keep them for about a month near heating devices. The optimal temperature for them will be +25 °C. It has been proven that heated seeds produce early, vigorous shoots and reduce the number of barren flowers. Hybrid seeds do not need other types of pre-sowing preparation.
Contents and location
Cucumber seeds should be sown in small containers 10-12 cm high. For better germination, it is necessary to prepare in advance a soil mixture of small and old sawdust, humus and peat in a ratio of 1:2:2, and also add (per 10 liters) 1.5 Art. l. nitrophoska and 2 tbsp. l. ash. A thoroughly mixed mixture is ideal for sowing.
The process of planting seeds If the soil and seeds have been properly prepared, the planting process will not cause any difficulties:
- The containers should be filled to the top with the previously prepared mixture.
- Then the seeds are sown, strictly one piece per container.
- Water with a small amount of water.
Caring for seedlings
As soon as the first leaves appear on the seedlings, you need to speed up the process of its growth with the following solution:
- 3 liters of warm (not lower than +20 °C) water;
- 3 tsp. nitroammofoski.
Water the cucumbers with the mixture at least once a week. Transplanting seedlings into the ground If you did everything correctly, the plants will be ready for planting in an open area in 27-32 days. Everything is simple here too. We prepare the beds in advance, namely, we make holes 3-5 cm deep with a distance of about 60 cm from each other. We transplant the sprouts into the ground. Carefully bury the soil so as not to damage the sprouts. We water it.
Reviews
Valeria Mikhailovna, 63 years old: I like the Alligator cucumber variety, I use it for making salads. I tried to pickle it - it turned out so-so. Then I only found out that the fruits are not suitable for this method of harvesting. I grow the plant every year, but sometimes the harvest leaves much to be desired due to slugs. Dealing with them is very difficult.
Nikolai , 50 years old : I tried many different hybrids of cucumbers, but I liked the Alligator the most. The plant is hardy and has withstood terrible temperature changes without any problems. The harvest is good - I get enough fruit from several bushes. There is never a bitter taste; this variety is simply excellent for fresh consumption. I would recommend it to both novice summer residents and experienced ones.
Daria Irtysh, 38 years old : My husband and I love dacha farming. We have been looking for something to plant in our garden for a long time. In the end, we settled on the Alligator cucumber variety. We bought seeds and planted them in a greenhouse. Almost all of them sprouted, and at the same time they received the harvest very early and quickly, in large quantities. We were pleased with the quality. This vegetable is simply wonderful in salads.
Further care of the cucumber bush
The Alligator cucumber variety is unpretentious and does not require any special conditions for cultivation. It is enough to water and fertilize the plant on time, weed the weeds and carry out preventative measures against pests.
We recommend reading about the main reasons for yellowing of leaves in cucumber seedlings.
Intensity of watering and fertilizing
You need to water the bushes once every 2-3 days, and in case of drought, you can water them daily. The water temperature should be several degrees higher than the soil temperature so that the roots do not become overcooled. When determining the need for watering, you need to check the dryness of the top layer of soil - if it is dry to a depth of 2 cm, then it is definitely necessary to water the bushes that day. Watering is carried out in the root zone without the formation of waterlogged puddles.
This variety must be fertilized 3 times during its growth according to the following scheme:
- 2–3 weeks after emergence or planting of seedlings, the plants are sprayed with a urea solution (15–20 g per bucket of water).
- During the start of flowering, the bushes are sprayed with superphosphate (25–30 g per bucket of water).
- When the first fruits appear, urea is used again.
Loosening the soil
Given the high frequency of watering cucumbers, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the soil surface to prevent crust formation. As soon as the soil dries out after the next watering, you need to carefully loosen it in the garden bed or in the root zone, depending on the growing method.
Important! When loosening the root zone, you need to be especially careful so that the garden tool does not damage the delicate stems of the bushes.
Weeding
Weeds can deprive bushes of nutrients and moisture from the soil, so the appearance of any extra plant in the garden must be met with a hoe. In principle, weeds are not particularly active on a cucumber plantation, since the branched wide vines provide little opportunity for the penetration of sunlight and the development of excess plants.
In any case, it is necessary to check the beds for the presence of weeds, and with weeded weeds you can mulch the rows or carefully remove them from the area so that the seeds do not scatter
Prevention of diseases and pests
As mentioned above, this hybrid variety avoids diseases, but prevention is never superfluous. To strengthen the Alligator’s immunity, it can be treated with the fungicide “Trichodermin” even before flowering.
Did you know? International Cucumber Day is celebrated annually on July 27th. On this day, a cucumber festival is held in Suzdal on the territory of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve.
Pests are more dangerous for the variety than diseases. The plant can be affected by nematodes, aphids and spider mites . Stems, leaves, flowers and fruits should be inspected as often as possible for the appearance of these parasites. If small lesions are detected, they are washed with soapy water or Bordeaux mixture. If the pests have managed to seriously occupy the bush, then it makes sense to treat the entire plantation with insecticides - “Aktelik”, “Aktara”, etc. If a spider mite was found, you can carry out additional treatment with acaricides - “Antiklesch”, “Fufanol”.
