Ekol cucumbers belong to mid-early varieties and have remained popular among gardeners for many years due to a large list of advantages. This review offers a detailed description of the variety for educational purposes, as well as the characteristics of planting and care at home.

Characteristics and Description

Ekol cucumbers are medium-braided and tall plants, but at the same time quite compact, as they have short internodes. A small amount of lateral shoots develops in the bush, but the main stem grows throughout the entire growing season. The leaves are medium sized dark green in color.

Flowers of the same sex are female, gathered in bunches, therefore several fruits appear on one node at once. The plant is able to self-pollinate, so there are no problems with yield. Cucumbers grow up to 10 cm in length, usually 5–6 cm, their mass reaches 70–90 g.

Cucumbers have a light green color, diluted with a small amount of light short stripes and spots.

Zelentsy are even and beautiful, the peel is covered with small tubercles with dense spikes. The taste of greens is very good, thanks to a thin peel, sweetish, crisp pulp. Cucumber has a pleasant aroma, is not bitter, has no voids inside, unlike other early varieties.

The mid-early ripening period allows you to get the crop on the 45th day after sowing. The yield of the variety is high, at least 15 kg per 1 m², for example, a similar variety Aist has a yield much lower - up to 10 kg per 1 m².

Did you know? People first began to grow cucumbers 4.5 thousand years ago in India.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• The Ekol cucumber variety has a large number of positive features that attract gardeners, pluses are presented:
• long fruiting period, which lasts from mid-July to early September;
• undemanding to growing conditions - can grow without problems in open and closed soil;
• consistently excellent taste (no bitterness), which does not depend on an excess of sunlight, watering and sudden changes in weather;
• resistance to common diseases of cucumbers (cucumber mosaic, powdery mildew, olive spotting);
• consistently high productivity;
• the possibility of self-pollination, which is very important when growing in a greenhouse;
• universality of greens (can be used both fresh and for salting, canning, pickling);
• good crop safety, the ability to transport over long distances;
• attractive appearance, so the variety is often grown for sale.

• Even such a seemingly perfect variety has some weaknesses:
• prickly thorns on the fruit;
• deterioration in taste when overgrown;
• barreling (changing the shape of the fetus);
• unsuitability for planting independently harvested seeds, as parental qualities are not preserved.

When can a variety be planted?

Approximately the planting of cucumbers in a non-seedling way is carried out at the end of May, when the air temperature reaches + 22 ° C during the day and does not fall below + 15 ° C at night. You can also focus on soil temperature: if at a depth of 10 cm the temperature is + 15 ° C, you can sow.

Important! If you plant cucumbers too early, there is a chance of freezing or poor painful development of bushes with poor fruiting.

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in early April, so that before the time of planting in the open ground, the plants have already grown a little and build up a strong root system.

Planting and growing cucumbers

Depending on the method of cultivation you have chosen (seedlings or seedlings), the features of sowing and care will differ, so we will consider the information in more detail.

Seedling method

Tanks and soil are prepared in advance for sowing seedlings. Since cucumbers are painfully transplanting, it is better to sow immediately in separate containers, it is better to peat cups or tablets that can be planted in open ground without destroying the earthen lump.

As a substrate for planting, purchased universal soil is suitable. The substrate can be prepared independently, for this you should mix peat (2 parts), humus (2 parts), turfy soil (1 part), sand (0.5 parts).

Acquired seeds are recommended to be planted without pre-treatment, as they go on sale already prepared. For better germination, it is possible to treat with Zircon stimulant.

The solution for processing is prepared and used in accordance with the instructions for the drug. After processing, the seeds should be left for 2 days in a humid environment. To do this, a cotton pad moistened with water is suitable, which should be regularly moistened. When the seeds swell and germinate, they can be planted in the soil.

Landing is done in prepared cups filled with substrate. Sowing depth - 2 cm, 2 seeds must be placed in 1 glass. After sowing, the seeds are covered with a substrate and moistened with warm water from the spray gun.

To maintain the required humidity level and rapid germination, the glasses are covered with transparent polyethylene and placed on a warm, well-lit window sill. The temperature of cultivation for the first time should be + 25 ° C. Daily film is removed for ventilation for 1 hour.

After emergence, the film is no longer used, the temperature in the room is reduced to + 19 ° C in the daytime and + 15 ° C in the night. This temperature should be maintained for 5 days, then rises again to + 25 ° C.

Watering the seedlings is necessary 2 times a week. In addition to regular watering, seedlings need fertilizing for better growth and rooting. Mineral and organic fertilizers are used as top dressing, depending on the age of the seedlings. When the first leaves appear on the plants, they are fed with liquid mullein (100 g of manure per 1 liter of water).

Top dressing is applied under the root of each plant in the amount of 100 ml in one tank. A week after the first feeding, mineral fertilizers are applied - a solution of nitrophosphate (prepared and used according to the instructions) and wood ash (15 g per 3 l of water).

It is necessary to grow seedlings in glasses no more than 1 month, then plant in open ground. If overexposed seedlings, it will not take root well after planting, it can often hurt and bear fruit poorly. Planting seedlings can be performed in the middle or at the end of May, when the soil temperature is at least + 15 ° С. 4 days before the date of the planned planting seedlings, it is recommended to begin to temper it.

The plants should be accustomed to fresh air gradually, on the first day they are taken out to the garden for 3 hours, on the second day - at 6 hours, on the third day - for the whole day, on the fourth - for a day.

In a reckless way

For good growth and fruiting, cucumbers need a properly selected area for planting. First of all, pay attention to previous cultures that grow earlier in the selected territory. Cucumbers can be planted at the place where tomatoes, onions or potatoes grew in the previous year. The place where pumpkin or beets previously grew was not suitable for planting.

In addition to the predecessor cultures, they pay attention to illumination. The landing site should be well lit, the shade of cucumbers is poorly tolerated. The planting area is better protected by hedges from drafts and cold north winds, for example, plant several rows of corn.

Particular attention is paid to preparing the beds for planting cucumbers. The territory is dug up, all weeds are removed, large earthen lumps are loosened. The landing site is pre-fertilized with humus in the amount of 10 liters per 1 m².

Sowing seeds should be done as follows:

1. On the prepared site make holes 3 cm deep.
2. Each well is well watered with water at room temperature.
3. 4 seeds are laid out in a hole, keeping a distance between them of 5 cm, sprinkled with soil on top.
4. To avoid freezing of seeds, until they germinate, it is recommended to cover the territory with film at night.

Cucumber care after planting

After planting, cucumbers need regular quality care, so we will consider in more detail what it consists of and how to properly carry it out.

Bush garter and shaping

Ekol cucumbers have an average branching power of lateral shoots, so the constant growth of green mass can distract the plant from the fruit ovary, and the crop will be scarce. To avoid this situation, it is recommended to carry out the formation of bushes.

After the appearance of the 6-7th leaf on the central shoot, pinch it to stop further growth, thereby stimulating the growth of additional shoots. A large number of lateral shoots can also not be left, optimally - 2-3 of the strongest, pinch all the others at the beginning of growth, leaving a “tail” of 3 cm.

After the first pinching procedure, you can begin to garter the plant. The tied cucumbers are less likely to get sick, bear fruit better, the harvesting process is simplified, time for caring for bushes is saved. Strong cords stretched on tapestries are used as a support for cucumbers, a wire to which grown shoots are tied.

Top dressing and watering

The root system of cucumbers is located in the upper layers of the soil, so regular watering is a necessity for the normal existence of plants. Before flowering, the bushes are watered every 5 days, when the first ovary begins to form, watering begins every 3 days, after the fruiting begins watering is increased up to 1 time in 2 days.

Watering is carried out with water at room temperature, using a spray method (watering can). Watering is best done in the evening or in the morning so that the roots absorb water well. Daytime watering can cause burns on the leaves.

Regular top dressing will allow you to get a good crop, so start to make nutrients as soon as 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings. At the beginning of bush growth, fertilizing based on mineral components (ammonium nitrate, potassium salt, superphosphate - 10 g of each component per 10 liters of water) is suitable.

After 15 days after the first top dressing, the second is added, the composition remains unchanged, but the amount of mineral substances doubles. As soon as the bush begins to bear fruit, it is recommended to add a solution of potassium sulfate (10 g of water per 10 l of water) every week.

Soil care

As a result of irrigation, the soil around the bushes of cucumbers is compacted and begins to crack, which has a detrimental effect on the root system of the plant, so regular loosening of the soil avoids such a situation.

Loosen the soil with a pitchfork, carefully digging them into the soil by 10 cm, trying not to touch the upper roots of the plant. In addition to loosening, they resort to mulching, which helps to prevent cracking and quick drying of the soil after watering.

Important! During rains, watering is reduced to avoid rotting of the root system.

As mulch, wood sawdust, straw, rotted grass are used. The mulch layer should be 5 cm. Mulch also prevents the rapid growth of weed vegetation and saves weeding time.

It is recommended to remove the weeds as they grow, it is advisable to regularly tear them directly near the growth point of the central shoot so that they do not interfere with the normal nutrition and water absorption of the root system of the plant.

Weeding is not the best way to remove weeds, it is better to dig them out manually with the root. Sharp blade blades often injure the roots of cucumbers, and instead of developing the ground part, the plant directs forces to restore the underground.

Diseases and pests of the variety

The main disadvantage of the Ekol variety is its susceptibility to diseases and pests, so care must be taken to combat the problems encountered in a timely manner.

Cucumbers can be affected:

The pests that infect Ekol cucumbers include:

• aphids - provokes twisting and wilting of leaves. In case of damage to the plants, the treatment with Fitoverm is considered an effective method of control;
• spider mite - the appearance of a thin web on leaves and shoots, bright dots form on the leaves, which darken over time, the leaves dry. Processing “Vertimecom” according to the instructions helps.

Harvesting and storage rules

Harvesting is possible when Zelentsy has reached a size of 5–7 cm. It is allowed to collect 3 cm pickles for pickling. Harvesting should take place daily in the morning and in the evening, as the greenhouses ripen very quickly. It is better to cut cucumbers with a pruner or knife, leaving the stalks on the plant.

Did you know? In the wild, uncultivated forms of cucumbers were first discovered in the Himalayas, this place is considered the birthplace of the plant. Fruiting bushes at the foot of the mountains are still found.

Since cucumbers can shake hands during the collection process, it is better to protect the skin with gloves. The first crop can be obtained already in mid-June, the fruiting of the variety continues until the beginning of September. Keep harvested in a cool place, it is better in the refrigerator or cellar. Shelf life is 10-15 days.

Thus, Ekol cucumbers can be grown on your plot without much difficulty and get a large quality crop. To make the growing process as clear and simple as possible, it is recommended to adhere to the tips that are described in detail in the article.