Balcony F1 cucumbers: characteristics, planting rules and care methods

It is worth starting the description of the Balcony F1 cucumber variety with the fact that it is a gherkin of the female flowering type. It is distinguished by medium-sized leaves and has an open habit. It is universal, that is, it can be grown in greenhouses, in open ground, as well as on loggias and balconies. Under these conditions, the Vyuga variety of cucumbers can also be grown.

Description of Balcony cucumbers

Balcony cucumber F1 is a hybrid. This variety can also be found under another name: Balcony Miracle. It belongs to the early ripening species. It was created in 2007 by breeders of the Manul Agrofirm, and in 2008 it was included in the Russian register.

This variety has medium branching. Forms more than 8 ovaries in one node. It produces a consistent harvest throughout the season.

Its fruits reach a length of 10 cm and have medium tuberculation. Its skin is green with small white stripes. It can be consumed both fresh for salads and for pickles. The fruits have good taste. They are characterized by a sweetish flavor. And they lack the bitterness characteristic of cucumbers. Cucumbers have a cylindrical shape.

Disease resistance and agricultural technology features

You also need to be prepared to fight insects. To eliminate spider mites, it is necessary to treat the crop with garlic infusion:

1. Pour a liter of water over the chopped garlic head and leave for 50 minutes.
2. After straining the mixture through cheesecloth, mix with a small amount of soap.
3. Should be processed every day.

If aphids attack, you need to make a tobacco decoction. To do this, add tobacco from a pack of cigarettes to a liter of water. Boil this mixture for 10 minutes, then add another half liter of water. Treat foliage only once. This substance also helps against whiteflies, you just need to make a stronger decoction (one and a half packs of cigarettes per liter of water).

For all its “exoticism,” cultivating Balcony F1 cucumbers is not problematic even for a beginner. But growing this hybrid in an apartment will require compliance with special rules.

Pros and cons of the variety

Hybrid varieties have many advantages over regular cucumbers, and the Balcony variety is no exception.

pros

Balcony F1 has the following qualities:

1. Short stems;
2. The fruits of the cucumber are compactly arranged;
3. High and stable yield;
4. No pollination required;
5. The variety is shade-tolerant and cold-resistant;
6. Resistance to many diseases.

Minuses

There are practically no disadvantages to hybrid varieties. These include:

1. The above qualities remain only in the first generation;
2. Cavities may form in the fruit.

Are cucumber, balcony and window opening compatible?

For a long time, enterprising owners have been using a balcony and a window for a small vegetable garden. Dill, parsley and other greens come to the table directly from the improvised garden bed. And preparing a salad from freshly picked cucumbers is not a problem at all; you just need to put in a little effort and follow the recommendations of experts. The key to success is the choice of seed material . You should not choose a super productive variety. It is better to give preference to those types that meet the following requirements:

• belonging to the pumpkin family;
• thermophilia;
• annual plant;
• moisture resistance (likes abundant watering and high air humidity).

Soaking seeds in potassium permanganate
When growing cucumbers on the balcony, you need to free up as much space as possible to create good lighting. It is better to exclude proximity to other ornamental crops.

Landing Features

It is very easy to grow the Balcony variety, but some conditions must be met. It is best to grow cucumber varieties on the east or southeast side. And when growing, make sure that the variety is protected from winds and cold. If Balcony cucumbers are grown in the north and in relatively cold conditions, then its fruiting period will be short. And the cucumbers will be underdeveloped.

Landing time

Balcony F1 seeds are sown in mid-April. It makes no sense to plant earlier. Since in the room they will begin to actively bud, which will lead to a large loss of flowers.

Site preparation

For the Balkonny variety, you need to purchase a ready-made universal soil mixture saturated with microelements. This land also has the required pH level. You can add compost to the mixture. One plant requires about 5 kg of soil. You need to make holes in the container for planting cucumbers. Place crushed stone at the bottom of the containers for planting. The layer should be 1-2 cm high. This will ensure drainage. And then fill the soil.

Planting seeds

Before planting, the seeds of the Balkonny cucumber variety need to be prepared; first, they are dried at a temperature of 50 ° C in the oven, then they are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of fertilizers. After soaking, the seeds are placed in the refrigerator for several hours. After this, the seeds are germinated on damp gauze. After three days, the sprouts should hatch. Seeds that do not germinate are discarded. The seeds are first planted in small pots. Make a shallow hole in the center of the prepared container and place 2-3 seeds there.

Planting seedlings

After the plant has three leaves, it can be transplanted into larger containers. To do this, make a hole in the center of the pot, add fertilizer, humus, compost, water it and place the Balcony seedlings in it. Cover with soil, sprinkle with wood ash and cover with agrofibre, place in a sunny place.

The Balcony F1 variety can also be planted in open ground; the technology for transplanting seedlings is the same as for large pots. Just remember that the soil must be neutral.

Planting scheme

To grow on the balcony, one plant is planted in one pot. For open ground, plant according to this scheme 40 by 60 cm.

Soil and seed treatment

To prevent plants from being affected by diseases, they must be treated with potassium permanganate. Seed dressing using this method is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Prepare a 1% solution of potassium permanganate in clean water at room temperature.

2. Soak the seeds in the solution for 15 - 20 minutes.

3. Rinse the seeds with running water and then dry at a temperature of 30 degrees.

Each plant will require at least 10 kg of soil mixture. Soil purchased in a store or prepared independently must be enriched with mineral fertilizers in the following quantities:

1. Nitroammofoska – 15 g.

2. Urea – 10 g.

After thorough mixing, the mixture is placed in a container for growing cucumbers.

Care

In order for the Balcony F1 variety to develop correctly and produce a rich harvest, it is necessary to observe temperature conditions, apply fertilizers and provide them with constant access to light.

Watering

Watering is carried out by irrigation. This procedure should be done 2 times a day. To water, you need to let the water sit and keep it at room temperature. When watering, it is important not to allow moisture to accumulate in large quantities. This is how the roots of the Balcony cucumber will rot. Watering rate is 2 liters per bush. The water should be settled and at room temperature.

Garter and bush formation

The vine of the Balcony F1 cucumber grows very quickly and needs to be tied up in a timely manner. A wire is pulled over the cucumbers at a height of 1 m 70 cm. When there are about 5 leaves on the lash, wrap twine and tie it to a wire. There is no need to tie the cucumbers tightly. But you need to wrap the rope around the shoot several times.

To form a bush of the Balkonny variety, you need to remove the side shoots, leaving only the central branch. When the main stem reaches the wire, its end is plucked off.

Top dressing

After the Balkonny cucumber seedlings have been transplanted to their permanent location and the fruiting period has begun, it is necessary to regularly fertilize them with fertilizers. It is carried out at intervals of two weeks, alternating the application of mineral and nitrogen complexes. You can also add an infusion of egg shells to the soil, or simply add raw eggs, wood ash, or tea.

You need to feed the Balcony cucumber so that the prepared solution is applied to the root and does not get on the leaves. Without additional nutrition, the cucumber will not be able to produce a good harvest. It is also a good support for culture at home. Thanks to this, the development of the Balkonny variety will be optimal.

Hilling

When the Balkonny variety grows on a balcony, there is no need to hill it. In this case, you only need to regularly loosen the soil. When planting in open ground, in order to strengthen the root system, prevent certain diseases, and get rid of weeds, regular hilling is carried out.

The first time it is carried out two weeks after planting Balcony F1 seedlings. This procedure is then carried out regularly, every 14 days. Hilling also helps cucumbers absorb fertilizers much better, because this way nutrients flow more freely to the roots.

Growing seedlings

For seedlings it is necessary to create a certain thermal regime. The optimal temperature is 25 C. Plants are sensitive to the length of daylight hours. If the day lasts less than 16 hours, then it is necessary to adjust the lighting. Use a fluorescent lamp.

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Plants are watered once a week. The temperature of water and soil should be approximately the same. Watering is carried out at the root. One plant requires 500 ml of water.

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As the seedlings grow, the amount of water is increased to 2 liters. Once every 10 days it is recommended to spray plants with growth stimulants or mineral complexes; use “Potassium humates”, “Rossa”, 20 g/10 l.

Seedlings are planted in the ground at a permanent growing site when 4 leaves appear on the bush. You need to wait about 40 days.

Diseases and parasites

The Balcony cucumber variety is a hybrid. And it is resistant to diseases such as:

1. Viral cucumber mosaic;
2. Powdery mildew;
3. Olive spot.

But just like a regular variety of cucumbers, it can be susceptible to some diseases.

White rot

The disease is also known as sclerotinia. It affects all parts of the cucumber plant. The leaf becomes covered with a white coating, loses its natural color and becomes watery. A little later, black spots begin to appear. The plant begins to wither and dies. The disease can occur when there is high humidity, low ambient temperature and infection by fungal spores, which can enter the cucumber through the air and soil.

A preventive measure is proper irrigation of plants without excess moisture accumulation. Treating seeds and soil with antifungal solutions before planting. Calcination of soil and seeds. Cucumbers of the Balkonny variety should be sprayed with urea, copper sulfate, and zinc sulfate. Remove the affected parts of the plants, and isolate the diseased plant from others.

Blackleg

This is a fungal disease. As a result of its defeat, Balkonny cucumber seedlings begin to die off very quickly. Also, this disease is very quickly transmitted to neighboring bushes and this fungus is very tenacious. Its sign is that at the beginning of the growing season, the stem near the root of cucumbers begins to turn yellow, then it becomes brown and at the final stage turns black. As a result, it breaks, which leads to death.

The disease develops if watering is done too much, due to a lack of fertilizer in the soil, as well as due to large temperature changes; the spread of the disease is greatly influenced by poor lighting of the cucumber.

To prevent disease, Balcony cucumber seeds must be treated with disinfection solutions before planting, Balcony cucumber seeds and the soil. Observe watering conditions and do not create excessive humidity. Regularly loosen the soil. Spray the seedlings with a solution of soda, an infusion of onion peels, a solution of laundry soap, or the drug Fitosporin. Constantly add wood ash to the soil.

Gray rot

It occurs due to a phytopathogen and affects all parts of the cucumber plant that are above the ground. Often appears during the growing season of the variety on the surface of damage when harvesting fruits. Large spots with a gray coating appear on the leaves of the plant. They are surrounded by yellowed areas.

The internodes of the Balkonny cucumber variety are rarely affected, but when the disease occurs, suppuration occurs in these places, as a result of which the plant begins to dry out, wither and ultimately die. Fruits are affected in conditions of high air humidity. And when they are stored, stains with a grayish tint may form on them. They are necrotic.

First of all, you need to immediately remove the affected leaves and inflorescences of the cucumber. Dust the plant with tobacco, chalk powder, or a solution of wood ash. Treat the soil and seeds, spray with herbicides. It is also important to create optimal humidity and provide access to good lighting.

Sowing

You can plant seeds directly into a container for growing plants, but in this case you will have to wait too long for the first shoots. To speed up the process of growing cucumbers, you should plant the seeds in small disposable cups, which are then placed in a warm place for several days. After emergence of seedlings, the temperature should be reduced and additional lighting with a phytolamp should be turned on. When 3–4 leaves appear, the cucumbers must be transplanted into large containers.

Cucumber seedlings F 1 in plastic cups

Harvesting and storage

The Balcony F1 variety begins to bear fruit after 45 days from the date of planting. During the season, with good care, it is possible to harvest up to 11 kg from one cucumber bush. The fruits need to be collected regularly every other day. Overripe cucumbers greatly deplete the plant and reduce its ability to bear fruit.

If it was not possible to collect it on time, then the greens on top will not change, they will remain the same, but the taste will deteriorate. In an overripe cucumber, the amount of organic acids increases and the sugar content decreases. The pulp of the Balkonny cucumber variety itself ceases to be crispy. When overripe, there is also an effect such as the resorption of tubercles on the fruit.

The fruits of the variety are best cut. There is no need to pull, tug or twist the Balkonny variety of lashes too much. The optimal time for collection is morning or evening. The harvest should be immediately placed in the shade so that it does not deteriorate in the sun. The harvest should be stored in a cool place with low humidity in boxes. Their shelf life is several days. Then they lose their freshness and presentation.

Main characteristics of cucumbers for balconies

The table shows the most popular parthenocarpic varieties. You can easily make your choice based on deadlines and other parameters.

We grow on our own

The gardener takes a metal pan or a wooden box to use for growing. If you don’t have anything similar at hand, you should pay attention to a plastic container. The main thing is that they are dark in color. Soil can be purchased at a gardening supply store. The seed material is pre-sorted and then, as mentioned earlier, soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The duration of water procedures is 20 minutes.

The next stage is to lay out the seeds in 1 row and place them on the sunny side of the window. Thermal baths last about 2-3 hours. Further procedure:

• the place for placing the pots is chosen on the south side of the apartment;
• you cannot place other green spaces next to the crispy vegetable;
• the temperature range must be stable throughout the growing season: from + 18 C (daytime), from + 14 C (at night);
• the gardener regularly monitors the soil moisture level;
• Irrigation and aeration are carried out as needed.

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Seeds are planted at the end of February. The active use of agrotechnical methods begins in March-April. The specified period may be shifted in one direction or another, taking into account the climatic characteristics of the region. The starting point will be the night temperature. The summer resident begins work immediately after the thermometer is consistently above + 12 C + 13 C.

Soil preparation for balcony varieties

The next stage is working with the ground. It is carried out in parallel with the processing of cucumber seeds. The soil should warm up and “settle,” as gardeners say, to rest before active work that will last all summer.

Soil composition for balcony varieties:

• humus;
• turf;
• sawdust or wood shavings;
• peat.

All components are mixed in equal parts. Some gardeners prefer a layered arrangement, while others prepare a mixture. In addition to the basic composition, additives such as:

• ash, 1 cup per 1 square meter;
• urea, tablespoon per sq. meter of land;
• phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen fertilizers 5 g each;
• lime, 50 g.
• nitrophoska, tablespoon per sq. meter.

Even a container cleaned from last season can become a carrier of infection during the winter period. Therefore, before using again, the entire cleaning procedure is repeated: rinse with a solution of potassium permanganate, hold over steam for several minutes.

The earth is mixed and distributed into containers, pots or cups. The remaining soil is left in a plastic bag nearby so that it can be added as it shrinks. The main requirement for the soil of balcony varieties of cucumbers is looseness and airiness. When grown on a window, the top layer quickly becomes dense, and if you use a clay composition, the roots will not be able to settle comfortably and will begin to hurt.

It is very important to choose the right cucumber variety. On the packaging you can see all the features of the appearance of the hybrid. Balcony varieties of cucumbers usually do not require pollination. Another important characteristic is shade tolerance. Another indicator is the female type of flowering. If all conditions are met, the harvest on the window will delight the household and surprise neighbors and friends.

How to care for cucumbers

If sowing cucumbers for growing on a windowsill differs little from sowing for traditional cultivation, then caring for “homemade” cucumbers has its own characteristics.

Lighting

For normal development, cucumbers need a lot of daylight, at least 12-15 hours of lighting per day. This duration can be achieved in winter using special phytolamps for illumination or ordinary LED lamps.

Place them above the seedlings at a distance of 20-40 cm from the tops and lift them upward as the cucumbers grow. To increase the efficiency of the lamps, attach foil to the sides of the plants to reflect the light.

Set a “day” for cucumbers, for example, from 8 to 22 hours. To do this, turn on the lamps in the morning, at 8 o’clock, and then in the evening, when the room begins to get dark.

In addition to light, cucumbers also need warmth and the absence of drafts. Cover containers with cucumbers from cold air using polystyrene foam and insulate the frames if necessary, because... the cold coming from the window can not only slow down the development of plants, but also completely destroy them.

Watering

Cucumbers are a moisture-loving crop. This is especially important to remember when growing them in dry air conditions: in autumn-winter, during the heating season, the level of humidity in the room is greatly reduced. For this reason, spraying should also be added to traditional watering, which is carried out in the morning.

Also water cucumbers growing on the window in the morning so that the soil has time to dry out by evening. Water for irrigation should be slightly warm or room temperature. Cold water, as well as temperature changes, negatively affects the development of cucumbers.

While the plants are small, use a spray bottle or syringe for watering so that the stream of water does not expose the roots of the seedlings.

Feeding

Due to the small volume of soil, nutrients are consumed very quickly, so cucumbers growing in an apartment must be fed regularly.

The first feeding is carried out 2 weeks after the appearance of the first shoots. Its goal is to help seedlings grow green mass. To do this they need nitrogen. As nitrogen fertilizing, you can use both mineral fertilizers (urea, ammonium nitrate) and organic ones - diluted mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:15).

The second fertilizing is applied during flowering. Here the cucumbers need to be given complete mineral fertilizer, preferably with an increased dose of potassium, for example Fertika Universal or Agricola. You can also feed the cucumbers with wood ash at this time: dilute 100 g of ash in 1 liter of water and pour the solution over the soil with the cucumbers.

The third feeding is carried out during the period of fruit ripening. At this time, plants especially need phosphorus and potassium, so add superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (15 g) to the soil.

You can buy small packages of fertilizer for indoor plants and feed the cucumbers with it. Make sure that the NPK fertilizer is in the proportion 16:16:16, and the complex also contains microelements.

Forming cucumbers

Another procedure that is necessary for cucumbers growing in an apartment is the formation of lashes. Parthenocarpic cucumbers, unlike bee-pollinated varieties, form differently. They are not pinched to cause bushiness, but are led into one stem, tied to a trellis as they grow. Only when the cucumber reaches the ceiling, remove the top. Also remove any whiskers that appear, because... they take away nutrients that should go towards plant development and fruit growth.

For good ventilation, the lower part of the bush needs to be “blinded” - freed from excess green mass. To do this, remove all shoots and flowers that appear there in the axils of the five lower leaves.

If you wish, even without a greenhouse and a vegetable garden, you can enjoy your own cucumbers all year round. We hope our tips will help you with this.