Armenian cucumber: reviews, cultivation, photos

Brief information about the variety

Fruits : unusual shape, very long (up to 50 cm), color from green to white, some specimens have stripes. It tastes like melon.
Planting : seedlings in greenhouses and open ground at the end of May, it is necessary to change the place annually, alternating with potatoes and tomatoes.
Fruiting : from mid-June to mid-September.
Soil : you need to choose a soil that is light in composition.
Watering : daily, more abundant during the fruiting period.
Feeding : mineral, organic, complex, once every 2 weeks.
Pests : aphids, Colorado potato beetles, mole crickets;
Diseases : powdery mildew, spotting.

Diseases and pests

According to the experts who conducted the studies, Armenian cucumbers are not susceptible to various fungal infections. That is, diseases such as spotting or powdery mildew cannot affect the plant. However, the problem is that these diseases are ready to affect the bush if you do not adhere to all the growing rules. For example, it is important that a greenhouse plant receives the required amount of air, therefore ventilation is a necessity.

Powdery mildew

The Colorado potato beetle, mole cricket, aphids or slugs also need to be fought. To completely get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, you should use the insecticides “Regent” or “Confidor”. In the fight against mole crickets, Fofatox will come to the rescue. Copper-containing substances or a lime solution will help against aphids. In the fight against slugs, it is allowed to use traditional methods. For example, use a solution of hot red pepper.

Sources used:

https://zelenj.ru/armyanskij-ogurec.html
https://prodachnika.com/ovoshi/ogurtsy/armyanskij.html
https://zemeljka.ru/armyanskij-ogurec.html
https://ogorod-bez-hlopot.ru/armyanskij-ogurec-so-vkusom-dyni-opisanie-i-xarakteristika-otzyvy.html
https://dachamechty.ru/ogurtsy/armyanskij.html
https://pro100ogorod.ru/ogurcy/armyanskij.html

general description

Armenian cucumbers are sometimes called silver or snake melon. The variety appeared in central Russia relatively recently, although the history of their cultivation goes back many centuries.

It is believed that at first no one was involved in its selection and the plant appeared as a result of natural crossing of pumpkin and cucumber crops. Hence its original appearance.

Main varietal characteristics

The Armenian cucumber is characterized by:

large fruit sizes;
powerful root system;
long lashes with a large number of ovaries;
short growing season;
lack of bitter taste in the skin;
cucumber flavor with a slight sweetish undertone:
melon aroma;
high resistance to pests and fungal infections.

The abundance of the harvest and a long fruiting period are also characteristic qualities of the hybrid.

Appearance of fruits

The color of the fruit depends on the variety and degree of ripening: it ranges from rich green to almost white with a silvery tint.

The surface is slightly ribbed, the peel is thin, it becomes coarser as the cucumber grows.

The root system is sensitive to transplants because it has multiple fine root hairs that provide nutrition to the plant.

The peculiarity of the structure of the fruit is the absence of an internal cavity, the pulp is dense, the seeds are located in the middle.

Cucumbers are consumed fresh and canned.

Beneficial features

Silver melon has taken the most striking properties of both cultures, therefore it has a powerful diuretic effect and is able to normalize intestinal motility, preventing stagnation and excessive gas formation.

The fruits are rich in vitamins, micro and macroelements, which stimulate brain function, concentration, improve memory, stabilize heart function, and increase vascular elasticity.

Like the classic cucumber, the fruit consists of almost 80% water, so it has a very low calorie content and is perfect for dietary nutrition and is included in the menu of weight control programs.

The high content of dietary fiber quickly saturates the body without overloading it.

Productivity

The number of ovaries and the size of the fruit depends on compliance with agricultural technology.

You can get a good harvest from the bush

The first fruits appear 70-80 days after planting, and fruiting continues until mid-September, until the temperature drops to 14°, so the volume of harvest from one bush is impressive.

During the season, 8-11 kg of fruits are collected from one plant.

Area of application of fruits

Armenian cucumber is consumed fresh. For this purpose, they choose the so-called greens - young fruits of small size. They ideally exhibit their taste in salads and chopped vegetables.

Pickled fruits acquire an interesting taste, and you can experiment and add cloves, lemon or hot pepper to the classic cucumber marinade. The result will be several unique dishes that will become the pride of any housewife.

Overripe fruits have skin that becomes hard and unsuitable for food. Such fruits are peeled and used for stewing in vegetable stews, and added to zucchini caviar.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Initially, plants have high resistance to fungal infections. But this is in established dry, hot weather.

In the conditions of central Russia, there are often rainy summers, when the soil is oversaturated with moisture, constant evaporation occurs and ideal conditions are created for the proliferation of harmful fungi and bacteria.

The first signs of powdery mildew and spotting are changes in leaf color. In order to cope with the disease, the affected castings are removed, the rest are treated with Skor, Oksikhom, Fitosporit, Cumulus.

If the crop is grown in a greenhouse, then for preventive purposes, regular ventilation and loosening of the soil is carried out to prevent diseases and root rotting.

Not a single plant is immune from pests, and if there is a Colorado potato beetle in the area, it will definitely get to the silver melon. Spraying with Regent, Tabu, Aktara will save you from it.

After treatment, it is necessary to wait a certain time to neutralize the effect of the active substance.

Slugs love moisture and often settle on the underside of leaves. To detect them in time, it is recommended to regularly inspect the lashes. Solutions of red pepper, ash and dusting with tobacco dust will help in the fight against them. To prevent the sprayed solution from rolling off the leaves, liquid soap is added to it.

The mole cricket causes great harm, gnawing the roots and literally destroying the plant. It is recommended to use Fofatox. Fufanon, a lime solution, is effective for treating aphids.

Useful properties of the plant

Armenian cucumber has beneficial properties:

Its use is beneficial for brain function. Armenian cucumber contains the flavonoid fisetin. Scientists have found that it strengthens human memory and intelligence.
Polyphenols (also called lignins) are an effective preventive agent that prevents the development of ovarian, prostate and breast cancer. It also contains phytonutrients - substances that have an anti-cancer effect.
The fruits are rich in antioxidants as well as flavonoids. Examples include kaempferol, luteolin, apigenin and vitamin C. These substances provide great benefits to the human body. For example, kaempferol helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
B vitamins contained in fruits help reduce anxiety. They are useful for those who have experienced the destructive effects of stress.

How to plant correctly

Plants need to be watered every day

To get an early harvest, it is better to plant Armenian cucumber seeds as seedlings; this is done in mid-April in cassettes or peat pots.

Seeds do not require disinfection, because... they have no outer shell.

The seed planting depth is 4-5 cm. When planting in the ground, row spacing is maintained at least 50 cm, and there must be at least 1 m between bushes.

This is required by the characteristics of the plant, since free space is necessary for good fruit setting and ripening, otherwise the lashes will get tangled and shade neighboring bushes.

Characteristics

The fruits are large.
The culture has a powerful root system.
Armenian cucumbers form a large number of ovaries with long vines.
A plant with a short growing season.
The fruit does not have a bitter taste in the skin.
Fruits with melon aroma.
The culture resists fungal infections and pests.
Armenian cucumbers produce a large harvest and bear fruit for a long time.

Yandex pictures

How to care for cucumbers

Watering

To ensure the required degree of moisture, you will have to water the cucumbers every day.

The peculiarity is to water only with warm water, avoiding contact with the leaves and stems, otherwise they will develop sunburn.

Watering should be plentiful at the rate of 4-5 liters of water per m². After the fruit begins to form, the rate is increased by 2 times.

It is important to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged and to regularly loosen the space between the rows to improve root ventilation.

Feeding

The plant is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, but is sensitive to a lack of nutrients, reacting to this with deformation of the fruits and a decrease in yield.

Feeding is carried out several times per season. The easiest way is to water with diluted slurry - once every 2 weeks.

The following supplements:

after planting in open ground, a mixture of equal parts of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt;
during the flowering period, add urea, superphosphate, potassium sulfate in the form of a solution (3 tsp mixture per 1 bucket of water);
Between complex feedings, watering is carried out with an infusion of mullein with ash.

Care

The usual care for the Armenian cucumber is:

Watering should be carried out only with water at room temperature and preferably in the evening. It will probably allow the root system to stay longer in a humidified environment and obtain the required amount of water.
Loosening the soil is necessary so that high-calorie preparations and moisture can better pass to the root system, especially since crust on the ground can lead to rotting of the roots.
When weeding the beds, it is necessary to eliminate all weeds that can interfere with the correct formation of the bush or fruit.

Armenian cucumbers require proper feeding with mineral fertilizers:

It is preferable to use only phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen compounds.
Nitrogen will allow the plant to form faster, and as a result, the fruits will ripen faster.
Potassium and phosphorus will help the fruits gain the desired weight and shape, and will also fully reveal the mind-blowing taste of vegetables.
Feeding with these drugs should be carried out alternately, with an interval of 10 days. It is better to only apply fertilizer a certain number of days before watering.

Choosing a suitable variety of cucumbers for growing in open soil in the country or at home on the balcony is very difficult. In this article you can learn how to choose the right variety for growing and which cucumbers are easier to care for.

Features of harvesting

The fruits grow continuously and if not collected, they grow more than 1 meter. They are no longer suitable for fresh consumption, as they become tough, and the skin becomes lighter and becomes more dense.

The most delicious fruits are usually no more than 20-30 cm. Cucumbers grow quickly, with sufficient watering they quickly gain weight, so on the 75-80th day from planting you need to keep an eye on the appearance of the first harvest.

They harvest throughout the summer, at least once every 2-3 days.