Cucumber Bjorn F1: planting and care, reviews on growing

History of hybrid breeding

The seed growing company Enza Zaden from the Netherlands is well known outside its country thanks to the varieties and hybrids of vegetable crops bred by the specialists of this company.

All of them are resistant to diseases and pest attacks, as well as sudden changes in weather conditions. Also, the vegetable crops they bred are characterized by high yields, and the beautiful appearance and taste of the harvested fruits.

Photo of cucumber Bjorn

All of the above also applies to the cucumber hybrid Bjorn F1, which was released in 2014. This cucumber quickly became popular among amateur farmers; it is also grown on an industrial scale in many European countries, including Russia, where it was entered into the State Register the very next year after its cultivation.

In Ukraine it was officially recognized in 2016, and in Belarus in 2017.

In Russia, this cucumber is grown in almost all regions in greenhouse conditions, where two rotations of this crop are provided in one season - in the spring-summer and summer-autumn mode.

In the southern regions and other areas with favorable weather conditions, summer residents successfully grow Bjorn F1 cucumber in open ground.

Cucumber Bjorn f1 - the best greenhouse cucumber

Reviews from summer residents

The overwhelming majority of reviews about the variety are positive; vegetable growers note the high yield and unpretentiousness of the variety; in addition, the following recommendations stand out among the reviews:

• There is no need to plant the variety too often, otherwise it will feel bad and develop worse.
• You need to fertilize quite often (no more than 5-6 times per season), but in moderation, otherwise it will also negatively affect the condition of the plant.
• Do not forget to periodically ventilate the greenhouse, otherwise the plants may get sick, and in the summer heat they may simply die immediately.

Cucumber Bjorn F1 is an excellent choice for a summer house or vegetable garden. Beautiful, strong cucumbers will be able to please both you and your loved ones with their taste, while the variety is completely unpretentious in cultivation, and the yield is simply at its best!

Gardeners really like this variety because of its characteristics. Manufacturers position Bjorn F1 as a salad variety, but experienced summer residents claim that these cucumbers are ideal for preserving for the winter.

They have a marketable appearance, high resistance to different weather conditions, excellent transportability and a long shelf life, which is why they are chosen by gardeners. The Björn cucumber is delicious both fresh and processed, and the yield if grown correctly will please everyone.

Summer residents appreciate this hybrid for a long list of advantages. Cucumbers are actively grown in the vast majority of regions of the country. The opinions of some gardeners are below.

Ruslan, Voronezh: “A neighbor at the dacha advised me to grow Bjorn F1 cucumbers. The hybrid was cultivated in seedlings and then planted in a greenhouse. I liked the early fruiting. Caring for plants is not difficult, but you need to feed the crop regularly. The vegetables look beautiful, as in the photo of the package with seeds.

The cucumbers are the same size, so you want to preserve them for the winter. The vegetables taste sweet and have no bitterness. The pulp is dense and elastic, salts well, remains crispy and without voids. Next time I plan to grow this hybrid in a greenhouse in two stages – in early spring and early summer.”

Anna, Rostov: “I tried to grow many different varietal and hybrid cucumbers on my plot, until I came across Bjorn F1 in a gardening store. Now I plant only this cucumber for salads and always in seedlings. Planting and care does not require much time and effort. The crop bears fruit for a long time.

Ruslan, 30 years old

Björn planted for the first time last year. I liked its early fruiting. Caring for the crop is not difficult, but fertilizing needs to be done regularly. The harvest is rich. During the period of active fruiting, greens must be collected at least once every 3 days, otherwise the bush will have too much load. The vegetables grow beautiful, just like in a picture. The pulp is dense and crispy, without voids. Next time, following the example of a neighbor, I will grow Bjorn in a greenhouse twice a season: in early spring and early summer.

Anna, 41 years old

Since purchasing a summer cottage, I have grown many different varietal and hybrid cucumbers until I came across Bjorn F1. Now I only cultivate it using seedlings. Caring for the plant does not require much time. Thanks to the trellis growing method, the crop is easy to harvest. Cucumbers are not bitter and are tasty in any form. Last year I started moistening the soil using a drip irrigation system. This saved water consumption and increased productivity.

Thus, Bjorn has the following advantages: beautiful appearance and pleasant taste of fruits, high yield, parthenocarpy, good phytoimmunity and ease of care. Among the disadvantages are the inability to use independently prepared seeds and the high cost of purchased seeds. There are no disappointed people who planted this hybrid, so every year it becomes more and more popular.

Variety Bjorn F1 is one of the best hybrids. It is disease resistant and undemanding in care.

Description of the cucumber hybrid Bjorn F1

This cucumber hybrid is characterized by super-early ripening of greens

– from the moment of emergence of seedlings to the harvesting of the first cucumbers, up to 40 days pass.

Bushes

Hybrid Bjorn F1 is a parthenocarpic type, which means that the plant does not need pollinating insects to form ovaries, and ovaries can form in any weather conditions.

The root system of these cucumbers is very powerful and well branched. The formation of shoots is average, the stems are not overloaded with foliage.

And branching is regulated by the plant itself - the resulting lateral shoots are not too long, and their active growth and the formation of ovaries on them begins when fruiting stops on the central stem.

The foliage is medium in size, slightly wrinkled, with clearly visible veins, with small sparse jagged edges. Leaf blades have a characteristic shine, light emerald color.

On a note!

On the bushes of Bjorn F1 cucumbers, only female flowers are formed, so there are no empty flowers on the vines - ovaries form all of them.

The formation of ovaries is of a bouquet type, up to 4 pieces are formed in each node, and the fruits in them ripen consistently and quickly.

Cucumber vines of this variety should be tied to trellises in a fan-like manner, then they will be easy to care for and also to harvest the ripening harvest. In this case, it is not necessary to blind the lower leaf sinuses, nor to carry out the pinching procedure.

The best early varieties of self-pollinating cucumbers for growing in a greenhouse

Fruit

Vegetable growers note that ripening greens are distinguished by the same size and standard appearance, as well as a wonderful taste.

Another advantage of this variety is that the fruits remain the same in size throughout the entire fruiting period; the greens do not overgrow, do not barrel, or turn yellow.

On a note!

On the cucumber vines of the Bjorn variety, gherkin-type fruits are formed, cylindrical in shape, smooth, 10-12 cm long, with an average weight of about 100 g.

Greens look quite attractive: with dark green smooth skin, many small tubercles and small dark spines. There are no stripes or spots on the surface of the cucumbers.

Cucumber Bjorn F1. Bouquet type of flowering. Very productive greenhouse cucumber

The pulp is tender and sufficiently juicy, compacted, with an excellent taste, in which bitterness is absent at the genetic level.

There are no voids in the pulp. The seeds in the pulp are underdeveloped, small, and practically not noticeable in food.

The harvested crop can be transported to any distance without losing its attractive appearance. The keeping quality of greens is quite high.

Features of planting and growing

Cucumber Bjorn F1 (description, reviews indicate its excellent growth in greenhouses, greenhouses and open ground) can be planted by seedlings or by planting the seeds directly into the prepared soil. Seeds do not require pre-treatment. When planting using the ground method, they are buried in the soil after the threat of morning frosts has ended and the earth has warmed to +10-13° C.

There is no point in planting them in cold soil: they will not sprout.

If we talk about proper crop rotation, then the best place to plant is where they grew before:

• peas;
• salad;
• kale.

You should not use a site where last year there were:

• zucchini;
• carrot;
• beans.

They may leave behind pathogenic spores that affect cucumbers. In addition, it is not worth growing this crop in one place for more than 5 years. This will lead to a sharp decrease in its yield. Despite the fact that cucumbers love full sun, this hybrid can also grow in the shade. But it is better to lay the beds from north to south in unshaded places with good access to the sun.

The seedling method of growing allows you to slightly increase the yield. Fruits appear on plants 2 weeks after planting in a permanent place, and this means that with proper care, the fruiting period will be extended. If seedlings are grown for a greenhouse, then the seeds should be planted in pots in early April, in open ground this is done on the 1st of May.

1. The seeds are not soaked. They are buried flat by 2-3 cm, at small intervals. For 1 sq. m there should be no more than 7 bushes.
2. Before planting, water the soil.
3. It is better to sprinkle the seeds with light soil made from humus or sawdust mixture.
4. Cucumbers are planted in the greenhouse in the 2nd half of May. It is not recommended to do this later, because the oncoming heat will not allow the plants to fully develop.

To make the seeds germinate faster, the beds are watered daily with warm water. Unlike the soil, here it is better to do it in the afternoon. After germination, watering occurs every other day.

For the seedling method, you need to prepare separate peat containers and plant 2 seeds in each. The first shoots will appear by the end of the 1st week. As soon as the seedlings grow, they are planted in a prepared greenhouse or greenhouse.

Soil and planting algorithm

The requirements for the soil in which the seeds will be planted are simple:

• the soil should be light and fertile;
• the soil should not have high acidity;
• the soil should not have a dense structure.

It is best to prepare the beds in early spring or late autumn. At the same time, organic fertilizer is added in the form of humus or manure. It will be required for 1 sq. m no less than a bucket.

In the spring, all that remains is to loosen the soil and apply complex fertilizers containing:

• saltpeter;
• potassium sulfate;
• superphosphate.

If the soil has high acidity, then dolomite flour and lime (fluff) are added to it to deoxidize it. It is not recommended to use wood ash for this purpose.

Trimming

To get a good harvest, shoots are pinched. This variety does not require removing shoots or trimming the stem. These cucumbers are grown using a trellis method. The number and length of side shoots is regulated by the plant independently.

Care

Agrotechnical measures for caring for the Bjorn variety are simple.

The following must be done in a timely manner:

It is equally important to collect ripe fruits on time. Then they will have excellent external characteristics and high taste quality.

Diseases and pests

Despite the fact that the variety has a high degree of protection from diseases and pests, in some cases it is impossible to avoid infection. As a rule, this happens with the greenhouse growing method.

Among the pests to be combated are the following:

• whitefly This harmful insect feeds on juice sucked from the stems of cucumbers. Colonies of pests are located on the back side of the leaves and are capable of destroying a plant in a short time, which withers from their actions;
• aphid. Pests multiply quickly and, thanks to their gluttony, destroy cucumbers, ruining the crop. They, like the whitefly, feed on plant sap;
• slugs These pests are nocturnal. They climb onto the leaves and leave their secret there. Slime has a detrimental effect on the plant and if there are a lot of slugs in the area, then there will not be a large harvest;
• spider mites. These insects like to live in humid and hot places, such as greenhouses or greenhouses. They spread webs on the undersides of plant leaves and feed on their sap. After this, the foliage is covered with a specific marble mesh and gradually dies.

To get rid of pests in greenhouses and greenhouses, you need to take the following measures:

• after removal, remove the covering material from it;
• take out trash and last year's grass residues;
• pull out weeds if necessary.

Pests should be destroyed using special chemicals, such as sulfur bombs and Ataru. These and other protective measures help preserve the harvest.

In addition, you can use traditional methods of combating such pests:

• spraying with garlic infused in water is recommended against aphids and whiteflies;
• a solution of ash and liquid soap helps get rid of aphids. To do this, dissolve 200 g of ash and 1 tbsp in a bucket of water. l. grated or liquid soap. After the composition has stood for several hours, it can be used;
• special traps or manual collection from the area is carried out in the fight against slugs;
• water spraying, especially when it is very hot, helps against spider mites.

There is increased resistance of the hybrid to diseases such as:

• powdery mildew. It is provoked by fungal spores, causing the ovaries to fall off and the leaves to dry out;
• cladosporiosis. It appears on the leaves in the form of brownish-green spots;
• viral mosaic. This disease leads to the death of cucumber shoots;
• viral infection of veins. It manifests itself as yellowness along the network of the plant’s vessels and causes their gradual death. As a result, the plant itself dies.

In cold summers and failure to follow the rules of watering and fertilizing, other diseases may appear, which can be treated by spraying with active drugs and removing the affected leaves.

Harvesting

It is recommended to collect fruits from Bjorn's branches daily. This will improve the quality of the greens and ensure the establishment of new ovaries.

The collected cucumbers are sorted by size:

• For pickling, fruits 8-12 cm long are selected;
• Larger cucumbers are used for preparing salads and other dishes.

When fruiting is in full swing, cucumbers should not be harvested later than 2 days later. They will outgrow and lose some of their taste. Collection is best done early in the morning or in the evening before sunset. Such fruits store much better.

When collecting, you need to carefully separate them from the main lash so as not to damage the bush. Experts recommend taking a knife with you and carefully cutting the fruits. It is better to immediately discard defective cucumbers and send them to feed livestock or throw them away from the site.

Storage

After harvesting, the cucumbers are transferred to a cool place. Hybrid varieties are well preserved and can be transported over long distances without problems. At home, fruits are not stored for long in tightly closed bags placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator or in a drawer if you have a cellar.

The storage temperature should be between 10-15 ° C. If it is too low, the fruits will turn yellow and become covered with mucus. If the temperature is too high, the cucumbers will lose moisture and become limp.

Main characteristics

Cucumber Bjorn F1 is a highly stable hybrid that is resistant to stressful situations

. It actively forms ovaries that do not fall off even with sudden changes in temperature, or if the plant does not have enough light.

Drought resistance

Björn F1 cucumbers are quite resistant to short periods of drought. Even if the top layer of soil dries out, cucumber vines do not shed flowers and ovaries. But it’s still better not to risk the harvest, but to water as the top layer of soil dries.

Productivity of cucumber variety Björn

After the start of fruiting, ripe fruits can be picked from the bushes of this cucumber for up to two months. And many vegetable growers in greenhouse conditions grow Bjorn F1 cucumbers twice per season.

The yield of Bjorn cucumbers is up to 12 kg of greens per square area.

Varieties of cucumbers for the greenhouse: self-pollinating, early, gherkins, for pickling

Area of ​​application of fruits

Ripe greens of this cucumber hybrid are universally used. They can be used to prepare summer salads. Also, these cucumbers can be the main or additional ingredients in winter canning.

Features of agricultural technology

The Burn cucumber is planted in seedlings and without seedlings. Principles to be followed when growing crops:

• seedlings are germinated at a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees;
• seeds are sown when the soil warms up to 13 degrees;
• seedlings are planted in beds after the formation of 4–5 leaves;
• Trellis are prepared for each bush;
• between plants leave a distance of 30 - 35 cm, between rows - 150 cm;
• The top of the crop is pinched when the maximum height of the trellis is reached.

Advice. To replant vegetables in one season, it is better to choose a greenhouse cultivation method. Growing in an open garden bed in hot summer is not recommended.

Advantages and disadvantages

The cucumber hybrid Bjorn of Dutch selection has many advantages, the main of which are:

• high yield;
• excellent taste of greens;
• fruiting is friendly, stable;
• cucumbers of this variety do not require special care;
• immunity to diseases and attacks of harmful insects;
• good commercial quality.

No disadvantages have been identified in the Bjorn hybrid

. Vegetable growers talk about only one thing - since this cucumber is a hybrid, its seeds have to be purchased annually in specialized stores. There is also a fairly high cost of seed material. But it quickly pays off due to the high yield of this cucumber hybrid.

Cucumbers Bjorn: planting

The hybrid of this cucumber is grown in much the same way as other varieties of this vegetable crop, but there are some nuances that vegetable growers should be aware of.

Since seeds for planting are purchased only in specialized stores, there is no need to carry out pre-sowing treatment.

Growing Bjorn cucumbers in seedlings

Bjorn F1 cucumber seeds are planted for seedlings about a month before the intended transplantation of seedlings to a permanent place

.

On a note!

When further grown in greenhouse conditions, Björn cucumber seeds are planted as seedlings in early April, and when grown in open ground - in the first ten days of May.

Stages of planting Bjorn cucumber for seedlings:

• Seeds are planted one at a time in peat pots or plastic cups. The volume of such containers should be 500 ml.
• Until sprouts appear, the room temperature should be maintained at about 25 degrees Celsius. After the seeds have sprouted, the temperature must be lowered by 4-5 degrees so that the seedlings do not stretch.
• You need to water the seedlings with filtered water with a temperature of at least 20 degrees.
• Seedlings of these cucumbers should be watered and fed in the same way as seedlings of other varieties.

Before transplanting plants to a permanent place, it should be hardened off for a week, gradually accustoming them to outdoor conditions. The seedlings are transferred to a new place when at least 5 true leaves appear on them.

The best varieties of gherkin cucumbers, according to reviews of those who planted and grew them

Since the branching of Bjorn F1 cucumber bushes is weak, they can be planted quite densely - up to 4 plants on each square of area. Planting pattern – 0.7*0.35 m.

After the plants are planted in the beds, you should immediately install supports and stretch the trellises.

Growing a hybrid without seedlings

Björn cucumber seeds are planted directly into the ground, focusing on weather conditions - there will be spring return frosts, and the soil temperature will be above 13 degrees Celsius.

Important!

If the seed material is planted in unheated soil, it will not sprout.

When growing cucumber in greenhouses, seeds are planted in mid-May.

Before planting seed material, you should prepare the beds:

remove remnants of vegetation, add organic matter, dig and spill soil.

Cucumber "Bjorn F1" at the beginning of fruiting - 45 days after germination

The seeds do not require soaking before planting; they are simply placed in prepared holes one at a time and covered with rotted manure. A distance of 0.4 m is maintained between the pits.

Since cucumbers are a heat-loving and light-loving crop, the place for planting them should be well illuminated by sunlight.

Growing cucumbers Björn

Björn cucumbers are cultivated both using seedlings and without seedlings. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Landing dates

Seeds for seedlings of the variety begin to be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse in the first half of April. Cucumbers begin to be introduced into open ground (in the southern region) in the last days of this month. The recommended temperature for germination is 23°-25°. In open ground, Bjorn f1 plantings are covered with film at night so that they are not destroyed by nighttime temperature changes.

They try to plant the variety after the heaviest spring frosts have passed.

Site preparation

They begin to prepare the soil for planting the Björn hybrid in September. The area is thoroughly cleaned of debris and weeds (down to small roots), after which it is dug deep to 40-50 cm. Then the soil for the cucumber is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate and fertilized with organic matter - mullein, humus, or urea solution. With the onset of spring, 3-4 days before planting the seedlings, the soil is once again loosened, weeded, holes are cut into which wood ash and rotted sawdust are placed - cucumber loves organic matter.

Planting seedlings

When using this planting method, the yield of ripe fruits increases, they ripen earlier, and the fruiting period is extended. Seeds are sown depending on where the seedlings will grow in the future: for greenhouses - April, open ground - May. To do this, you need to prepare peat pots; plant two seeds in each container. Water with warm water and repeat this procedure daily. After 4-5 days sunrises appear. After the formation of 3-4 full leaves, the plant is replanted, leaving at least 160 cm of distance between the rows, and about 30 cm between the plants themselves.

Did you know? Cucumbers contain the glycoside cucurbitacin, which inhibits the growth and development of cancer cells.

Planting scheme

Despite the small size and modest foliage of the Bjorn f1 bushes, they require a spacious area. The maximum number of plants of the variety per 1 m² is no more than 4. The ideal distance between neighboring bushes is 40 cm. But the row spacing for planting Bjorn is left very wide - 1.5 m. This is done to prevent the rapid spread of viruses and parasitic insects between adjacent rows of the variety. Finally, the depth of cucumber holes recommended in the description is 4-5 cm in loam and 6 cm in black earth soil.

Growing cucumbers using the seedless method

Björn cucumbers are also planted directly in open ground, without first growing seedlings. The end of May is ideal for this, when the soil has warmed up to +13°C. The soil is pre-watered, the seeds are lowered to a depth of 2-3 cm so that there are up to 7 bushes per 1 m², after which they are covered with a mixture of earth and humus.

Further care for Bjorn cucumbers

In the future, Bjorn cucumbers do not require special care - they need to be watered in a timely manner, loosen the soil after rains or watering, feed them, and remove weeds.

Feeding cucumbers with folk remedies in open ground

Cucumbers require regular watering, especially during the period of formation and ripening of greens. But watering must be carried out strictly at the root, so that drops of moisture do not fall on the leaf plates.

During flowering, watering is done once every 3-4 days, during fruiting - every 1-2 days in the evening.

Caring for cucumber Bjorn F1

The Björn F1 cucumber is fertilized several times a season, alternating the application of organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers.

The first time, fertilizing is applied at the stage of 2 true leaves, the next time - when at least 4 leaves appear on the shoots, the last - at the stage of bud opening.

Collection and storage

Cucumbers are harvested as soon as they reach the desired size:

• 8-12 cm for pickling;
• 8-10 cm for canning;
• From 10 cm for salad.

During the period of abundant fruiting, cucumbers are harvested at least once every two days, otherwise the fruits will overgrow.

The fruits are collected early in the morning or late in the evening - this way they are better preserved. Cucumbers are picked carefully so as not to damage the vine. It is best to cut them with a knife. Unsuccessful fruits are immediately removed: “hooks”, “bumps”, cucumbers with scratches and spots.

The collected fruits are immediately placed in a cool place. Hybrids are distinguished by keeping quality and transportability. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the cellar or in the refrigerator.

Diseases and pests

Another undoubted advantage of this hybrid is its high resistance to diseases.

Therefore, the Bjorn F1 cucumber is practically not affected by the following diseases:

• viral mosaic;
• cladosporiosis;
• powdery mildew;
• viral yellowing of foliage.

Downy mildew of cucumbers: description of the disease and methods of control

Also, at the genetic level, this hybrid has resistance to stress.

– it develops and bears fruit even under unfavorable weather conditions: during the rainy season, with insufficient lighting in cloudy weather, with sharp fluctuations in air temperature.

It is also noted that due to high immunity, pests rarely appear on cucumber vines.

This resistance to pathogenic infections and attacks by harmful insects greatly facilitates the care of Bjorn F1 cucumber bushes.

Cucumber Bjorn F1: reviews from those who planted

Larisa, 48 years old, Rtishchevo Every year I try to plant some new variety of cucumbers or tomatoes in my garden. This year I planted the cucumber hybrid Bjorn F1 and was right. The cucumbers turned out to be unpretentious, did not require careful care, and the yield was high. The collected fruits were enough for both food and twists. I will continue to plant in the future.

Nikolay, 55 years old, Novokubansk I have a fairly large plot on which I grow tomatoes and cucumbers for further sale of the products. For a long time I was looking for an early ripening variety of cucumbers with excellent product and taste qualities. As a result, I chose the Dutch cucumber hybrid Bjorn F1. There were no problems with these cucumbers - they did not suffer from anything, grew by leaps and bounds, and bore excellent fruit. And the harvested crop sold out very quickly at the market. As a result, I have been growing this hybrid for the seventh season.

Gardeners are attracted to the Björn cucumber hybrid by its ease of care, resistance to stressful situations and diseases, as well as high yield.

. Therefore, those summer residents who have not yet decided on the choice of cucumber variety to grow on their plot are recommended to pay attention to the Dutch cucumber hybrid Bjorn F1.