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Every year, gardeners have a difficult task - to determine what type of cucumbers to plant. Today there are a large number of varieties, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most important pluses for each variety is resistance to various diseases, as well as high productivity. These qualities are possessed by a variety of cucumbers called Athlete.
The main characteristics of the "Athlete"
The cucumber of the Athlete F1 variety is a relatively new crop, which is a hybrid with an average ripening period. In this regard, if you plant it earlier than required, then it can ripen too early. The first mention of this variety was in 1999, it was at that time that it was created by Moscow breeders.
The athlete is fertile, only one bush can bring up to 10 kilograms of cucumbers. At the same time, the minimum yield is as much as 6 kilograms, and, under not very favorable conditions for ripening. In order to get a good harvest, it’s enough to just water the cucumber bushes regularly and use various fertilizers.
What do bushes look like?
Not less than 45 days and a maximum of 55 will pass between planting cucumbers and harvesting the first crop. Athlete's bushes can be attributed to tall plants, they reach 3 and even 3.5 meters in length, and at the same time they reach such sizes very quickly. Such cucumbers do not have a large number of branches, but the percentage of leafing is quite high. The type of flowering is mainly mixed, predominantly female.
The leaflets externally have rather large sizes, their surface is smooth, the edges are not even, serrate. The central stem can include from 9 to 16 knots, each of which will contain 1-2 ties. If you control the temperature at the place where the bushes grow, each one will stably form several ties.
What will the fruits be?
The resulting cucumbers are traditionally cylindrical, covered with small tubercles and have an average neck length. The appearance of this variety is very similar to the fruits of the Relay race, the difference is only in size - the Relay race cucumbers are noticeably shorter than the Athletes.
I must say, it is not without reason that this variety has the name Athlete, the fruits can reach a length of 25 centimeters. The average length of such cucumbers is 18 centimeters. The width of the fruits of this variety is also not small - their diameter is 4.5 centimeters. The average weight of the cucumber is 190 grams.
The color of cucumbers Athlete is traditionally green, sometimes on the skin you can also notice small white stripes. The omission for this variety is not peculiar, it is extremely rare. The thorns are white in color, the flesh is dense and crunchy in its structure. The productivity of the Athletes is quite high, about 26 kilograms per square meter, the maximum yield reaches 37 kilograms per square meter. The output is 89%. The Athlete variety is mainly referred to the salad type, therefore it is not recommended to use it for salting or pickling.
Pros and cons of the variety
Variety Athlete has many positive qualities, the main of which is excellent productivity. Even if the conditions in which the bushes grow are not very good, but the plants are watered and fed enough, the yield will still be good. The main advantages of the Athlete variety include:
- high productivity;
- good taste;
- average ripening time of the fruit;
- good appearance, making such cucumbers easy to sell;
- high degree of plant resistance to external conditions.
Landing process
Cucumbers Athlete can be planted in two ways: seedlings and non-seedlings. In the first case, the seeds are prepared about a month before planting - soaked until germination. In the second case, the seeds are planted immediately in the soil. At the same time, it is very important that the temperature of the soil is not lower than 12 degrees, otherwise the seeds will simply freeze and deteriorate. They should not be planted deeply, to a maximum depth of 2 centimeters. You should also not place a large number of plants on one square meter, 5-8 bushes will suffice.
Video: F1 Athletes
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