Cucumber variety Picnic F1: characteristics, features, growing rules

It’s worth starting the description of the Picnic f1 cucumber variety with the fact that this hybrid is a mid-season hybrid. The cucumber fully ripens in 43-45 days. It is intended mostly for growing in a greenhouse, or under film. The variety is relatively resistant to temperature changes, but loves warmth and water. The plant does not tolerate drought very well. Immunity is average, resistant to the most common diseases.

Brief description of the variety

Cucumber Picnic f1 is a domestic parthenocarpic variety developed by Gavrish. The fruits ripen together, due to the large number of ovaries in the node - about 8. Main characteristics of the Picnic plant:

• The bush is indeterminate, powerful, medium branched, heavily leafy.
• The leaf is dark green, small, slightly wavy, smooth, round in shape.
• Cucumber – 11-12 cm long, weighing 100-110 g, diameter 3.4-3.5 cm, shape – a cylinder thickened towards the bottom.
• The skin is rich green with light stripes of color, thin, highly lumpy.
• The pulp is refreshing, dense, but juicy, without voids or bitterness.

Picnic f1 is considered a universal vegetable, equally well suited for fresh salads and various types of canned food.

Description of the hybrid

The cucumber cannot be called a new product; it has been known to gardeners since 2003. The plant is available for cultivation in any region of the country, but depending on climatic conditions, the conditions of the garden beds may change. Closer to the south, unprotected planting of cucumbers is available, while garden owners in the central or northern regions will need greenhouses.

Main characteristics:

• the stems are tall, on average exceeding 1 m;
• branching is insignificant;
• the foliage is rich, the leaves are smooth with a carved wavy edge;
• bouquet ovary, on average from 3 fruits;
• at the same time the bush can produce up to 10 ovaries;
• the maturation is regular, but the return is friendly.

Attention! The Picnic cucumber is of the gherkin type, so it is suitable for any preparation. The taste also sounds good in fresh salads.

Picnic f1: advantages and disadvantages

In general, Picnic manifests itself as a persistent, demanding, but not too capricious variety. It can be successfully cultivated both in large farms and in small gardens. The cucumber is moisture-loving, afraid of shade and needs fertile soils, but it is fertile and has high taste.

Advantages

The cucumber in question is known for its productivity, good germination and good immunity. The main positive qualities of the variety:

1. yield - in fertile soils and with good care, up to 13-14 kg are harvested from 1 m²;
2. good immunity – Picnic f1 is not affected by powdery mildew and cladosporiosis.
3. excellent germination (up to 95-98%) and smooth ripening of greens;
4. transportability – the hybrid successfully withstands long transportation without being damaged or drying out. The greens also do not outgrow and do not turn yellow if you are late with collection.

Flaws

Picnic f1 does not demonstrate many disadvantages. Among the main negative characteristics of the variety:

1. high need for moisture - cucumber loves generous and frequent watering;
2. parthenocarpicity - the hybrid does not produce full-fledged seeds, they are purchased again every season;

The cucumber is vulnerable to parasites, it requires a lot of sun and perfectly clean weeding.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of cucumber include:

1. Precocity. Under the most unfavorable conditions, cucumbers will appear within 48 days.
2. Productivity. You can harvest up to 8 kg of cucumbers from a bush.
3. There is no need for insect pollination.
4. Immunity to diseases.
5. You can transport cucumbers without the risk of damaging the skin or pulp.
6. Keeps for up to a week.
7. Cucumbers don't barrel.

The hybrid has few disadvantages, but gardeners still mention the demanding nature of cucumbers when it comes to soil.

Landing rules

Picnic f1 lands quite late - it needs a lot of light and warmth. The variety prefers light sandy loam or rich chernozem soils. The ideal landing site is a hill from which water drains easily. In order for such a cucumber to germinate well, the seeds are treated with a growth stimulant.

Disembarkation time

In greenhouses and greenhouses, Picnic is planted in late April. In the southern region - in early May. In colder climates, cucumber is introduced no earlier than the middle of the above month. In any case, the bushes of the variety will grow only at a soil temperature of 14°-15°.

Soil preparation

This variety prefers crumbly, enriched soil. In the fall, it is dug up deeply, treated with a fungicide, and fertilized with mullein. 3 days before planting the hybrid, the area is weeded, loosened, fertilized with humus, sawdust, or wood ash - the latter also acts on the cucumber as a disinfectant.

Germination of seeds

Seed material is planted in peat tablets - 2-3 seeds each, followed by removal of weak ones. The seeds are buried 1.5-2 cm. Before the variety emerges, the temperature is maintained at about 25°, after which it is reduced to 23°. Water the cucumber every evening, at the root, through a spray bottle so as not to burn the leaves.

Transplanting

Seedlings of the variety are considered mature on the 28-30th day, when 3 leaves bloom on each sprout. 10 days before planting, the Picnic begins to harden, increasing the time spent in the air by 10 minutes every day. The cucumber is brought in on a calm day, along with a peat container, or a large lump of earth, trying not to damage the thin roots.

Planting scheme

Picnic f1 is a powerful and spreading plant that requires space, so only 3 bushes can fit on 1 m². The ideal distance between adjacent rows of the variety is 60-65 cm. The recommended width of the distance between the bushes is about 35-40 cm. The cucumber is buried 4 cm into the soil. Immediately after planting, the Picnic must be watered and sprinkled with soil up to the top leaf.

Agrotechnical techniques

Seed selection and preparation

Due to the fact that the Picnic cucumber variety is a hybrid, it is almost impossible to grow seeds yourself.

Planting material must be of high quality. Before sowing, it is recommended to place the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes. This will disinfect and make them more resistant to diseases.

For rapid growth and development of plants, the seeds are placed in a damp cloth and a warm place for 1-2 days, and after swelling they are placed in the ground.

Sowing methods

Cucumbers can be grown in two ways:

• through seedlings;
• through planting seeds in open ground.

Preference is often given to the first method, because the harvest can be obtained 1.5-2 weeks earlier.

It is better to sow seeds in specially prepared containers in April. This will make it possible to transplant the seedlings into open ground in May, after 3-4 leaves appear.

Soil and planting scheme

You cannot plant cucumbers in the same place several times.

Planting of seedlings in a permanent place should be carried out in fertile soil rich in useful microelements.

It is not recommended to plant a crop in the same place for several years in a row. Bad predecessors are zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, etc. (these plants become infected with similar diseases, and bacteria can remain in the soil).

Planting scheme: 2-3 plants per m². It is better to tie greenhouse plants to a support - this will reduce the growing area. In open space, the crop can be left branching on the ground.

Features of care

The presented variety will require a lot of effort, time and patience from the gardener. Picnic f1 needs to be regularly fertilized, loosened and hilled; it loves frequent, generous watering and is picky about water quality. The cucumber also needs difficult bush formation and protection from pests.

Watering

Picnic f1 is one of the most moisture-loving varieties; it needs to be watered every day. It does not tolerate drought very well, unlike hybrids such as Berendey f1. Water for irrigation should be settled and warm - room temperature. Water the cucumber late in the evening, using the drip method, at the root, without touching the foliage. During prolonged drought, it is better to water the cucumber in the morning and evening.

Bush formation: garter and blinding

The Picnic hybrid bush requires painstaking work on its shape. The sequence of manipulations with the plant is as follows:

1. When the bush reaches a height of 15-20 cm, it is tied to trellises, preferably vertically.
2. As soon as the central lash outgrows 1.5-1.7 cm, the crown of the bush is pinched.
3. In the greenhouse, the cucumber is blinded up to the 4th leaf.
4. Most of the side branches are removed, leaving only 2-3 branches 10 cm long.

In open ground, Picnic f1 can also trudge horizontally, but in this case it will become easy prey for parasites.

Fertilizer

Cucumber prefers mineral fertilizers. During the season, Picnic f1 is fed 3 times: once with organic matter, twice with mineral mixtures. The first fertilizing of the variety is superphosphate. The second is chicken droppings, or rotted sawdust. The third is sodium sulfate, or potassium salt. Fertilize Picnic every 10 days, starting from the 3rd day after transplanting the seedlings.

Loosening and hilling

The soil for the variety must be regularly loosened to prevent crust formation. Picnic f1 is loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm every 3-4 days, combining the procedure with weeding. Hill up the cucumber every week, covering the bush with soil a little less than 1/3 of its height. In rainy weather, the described procedures are carried out every 2 days.

Agricultural technology

It is recommended to plant Picnic seedlings. To do this, the seeds are sown in mid or late April. Seedlings ready for transplanting must have at least three true leaves. The time for planting seedlings in the ground is May. The planting pattern is the same as for all indents, the main thing is not to create crowding. Usually up to 3 plants are placed on one square meter. After transplantation, the bush is tied to a trellis. Form the plant into one trunk, removing growing side shoots. Be sure to control watering (the soil should not dry out, but the cucumber will not tolerate waterlogging) and fertilization. Nutrition is perhaps one of the main requirements of a hybrid. If it is deficient, the plant will begin to shed part of the ovary to allow the remaining greens to ripen. When growing in open ground, some vegetable growers do not tie up the bush, but allow the stem to spread freely along the ground. True, in this case you need to put a layer of mulch under the stem.

Most gardeners consider the Picnic hybrid to be very promising, and, having grown it once, do not refuse it in the future. The crop is productive, and if agricultural practices are followed, all the ovaries in the bouquet can ripen. Good immunity of the variety allows you to reduce the number of treatments against diseases, thereby increasing the environmental friendliness of the crop. Consumers appreciate the excellent taste, and housewives are happy to use the harvest for various preservations. Over the years of cultivation, there were no complaints about our hero. But the cucumber still has a big disadvantage - you have to buy seeds every year.

Diseases and pests

Picnic resists viral diseases well, but, due to its love of moisture, it is often subject to rot. Protection against parasites is of particular importance for the variety. Cucumber is planted next to garlic, marigolds, or lupins to repel insects.

White rot

The fungus infects cucumbers in wet, waterlogged soil. The disease spreads from bottom to top, manifesting itself as a white coating, yellowing and softening of the leaves. If Piknik f1 is not seriously affected, the variety is treated by treating it with a solution of copper sulfate and whey. Severely developed disease is cured by imidazole fungicides.

Gray rot

It is transferred to cucumber from contaminated soil and plants. The disease can be identified by a gray rotting coating on the leaves of the variety. If rot is detected, infected Picnic plants are sprinkled with lime, rotting branches are cut off, and the sections are treated with copper sulfate mixed with tree resin.

Aphid

The pest infests cucumbers in hot, dry summers and in dense plantings. Aphids attach to the leaf of the variety on the reverse side, sucking out the juices. If there are few pests, Picnic f1 is sprayed with a solution of tar soap and wood ash. More effective remedies are a decoction of hot pepper or wormwood.

Benefits of bouquet cucumbers

The main and very significant advantage of such cucumber varieties is their unusually high yield. The number of ovaries in a bouquet also depends on where exactly it is located. So, in the lower beams it is too big. Whereas in the middle part of the plant (especially on the side shoots) there can be much more of them. Signs of the presence of a bouquet are visible during the period of abundant flowering and the beginning of fruiting, when the plant has not yet begun to age. Productivity during this period is usually the highest.

Flowers in bouquets do not bloom at the same time. This is an alternate process that lasts several days.

And since the ovary does not form at the same time, on one bush you can see cucumbers in different stages of their development. Thus, up to 20 fruits of different sizes can grow on one plant. However, it all depends on the variety.

Another important advantage of such a plant is that bouquet cucumbers will never leave gardeners without a harvest. Even if the first ovary may not develop for some reason, the next one will definitely begin to bear fruit.

Characteristics of the variety

Picnic is a parthenocarpic hybrid. It is resistant to diseases and pests and has high yields.

According to the description, the length of the bush is more than 1 m. The bush begins to bear fruit 44 days after the first shoots. The dominant type of flowering is female, the degree of branching is low. The main shoot can grow up to 9 ovaries.

The fruit reaches 11 cm in length and weighs up to 95 g. The fruit is covered with a thin skin with small tubercles and spines on it. The pulp of cucumbers is juicy, crispy, sweet and very tasty. The fruits are stored for a long time without losing their presentation.

Care is the most important stage of growing cucumbers.

Before landing

The hybrid is grown in open and closed ground, planting begins in the spring.

Before planting, the seeds are soaked in a solution of minerals. They should not be placed in the ground deeper than 2 cm. After deepening, the soil is watered to moisten it. The best temperature for growing the Picnic variety is 24-26⁰C.

After landing

After planting, all that remains is to observe the growth of the plant and maintain it.

When the bush reaches 1 m in length, it is tied to a trellis for additional stability. The area must always be cleaned: no weeds or dirt.

Cucumbers love water, so they should be watered daily. With the appearance of the first shoots, feeding is started.

It is best to use mineral fertilizers. Dosage of mineral fertilizer - 1-2 tbsp. l. fertilizers per 1 liter of water. They also make sure that the plants are not affected by parasites and diseases. The result of careful care is a lot of tasty and healthy fruits.

Reviews

Analyzing the reviews of gardeners who have been and are growing the Picnic variety, we can conclude that they are very popular. This is associated with abundant yields and high quality fruits.

The culture feels great not only in the greenhouse, but also in the open ground. In the northern regions, its fruiting period is significantly reduced, so in cold climate zones, gardeners recommend growing this variety in greenhouses or greenhouses.

• Author: Maria Sukhorukikh
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