Today it is difficult to surprise gardeners with an unusual culture, since there are many different varieties and hybrids of plants, the possibility of which no one had ever imagined. Each vegetable has hundreds, if not thousands of varieties. Cucumber does not lag behind the "colleagues" in the garden and pleases with a variety of forms. But the Chupa-Shchups variety is still surprising - at least in appearance.
Description of Chupa-Shchups cucumbers
Partenocarpic hybrid cucumber variety bred by the Russian agricultural company Gavrish. These plants are attracted by unusual shape fruits - small rounded barrels.
Ease of cultivation, productivity and taste are the undoubted advantages of the culture. The use for fruits can be diverse - from eating directly on the garden to canning according to classic or original recipes.
Features of growth and flowering
The plant, like other representatives of the species, forms a branched vine, which must be looked after so that it does not grow to enormous size. In this case, all the forces of the plant will not go to the fruits, but to maintain a network of shoots.
Given the fact that the culture is hybrid, there is no need for pollination for it, since almost all the flowers are female. For the growth of Chupa-Shchupsu, it is enough to create good conditions and after 45 days you can try the first Zelentsy.
Variety Productivity
Due to the small size of the fruits, the average yield is even with a large number of cucumbers on the bush, which often hang in clusters. Usually, about 10 kg is collected from 1 m² of plantations (4–5 seedlings). In terms of one plant, the yield will be 2–2.5 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages
- The positive properties of the variety are as follows:
- unusual and attractive fetal shape;
- precocity
- cold resistance;
- excellent taste;
- good yield;
- lack of bitterness in the fruit;
- variety in application.
Important! Timely unchecked greenbacks age for a short period of time and become worthless, losing their taste and appearance.
- Negative features of Chup-Shchups are also available:
- rapid aging of the fruit;
- requires quality care for the bush;
- soil selective.
Planting and growing varieties
Given the small size of the fruit, the culture can be grown in almost any place suitable for this: in a greenhouse, in the garden, on the balcony. You can plant in the classical way in the ground or pre-grow seedlings in a greenhouse or on the windowsill.
Seed directly into the ground
Careful preparation should precede the planting of seeds in the soil:
- digging of the soil (in the fall or in the spring);
- cleaning soil from debris (residues of roots, sticks, pebbles);
- preparation for laying (formation of beds, watering, primary fertilizers).
Seeds are prepared for planting - soaked in potassium permanganate or in growth stimulants. Then they are placed in wet gauze, cotton or torn pieces of paper until they are pecked. Hatching seeds are planted on a bed. For the Chupa-Shchups variety, the square or checkerboard method of arranging seedlings with a distance of 40 × 40 cm between the bushes is suitable.
Growing seedlings
In a seedling method, any plant can be grown if only the conditions are suitable for it.
The considered variety of cucumbers is suitable for cultivation not only in the field or in the garden, but also on the balcony, so the plants are resistant to changing growth conditions. By the seedling method, these cucumbers are not only possible to grow, but also necessary.
You can get seedlings using this technology:
- The seeds treated with the growth accelerator at the end of April are laid in plastic or peat glasses with light, moderately moistened loose soil, 2 each.
- During the growing season, the sprouts are covered from direct light and moisten the soil under a still immature stem.
- In a glass, the plant lives until 3-4 true leaves appear, after which it is transplanted into the open ground. This usually occurs in mid-late May.
Important! Any type of cucumber painfully transfers the transplant to the main place of growth. To minimize stress for the plant, it will be mixed into the ground by transshipment along with a lump of earth.
Variety Care Features
Caring for a plant does not require any special actions - as the Chupa-Shchups hybrid is undemanding and suffers from a complication of conditions.
Watering and fertilizing
It is necessary to check the soil for drying in depth. If 2 cm below the surface is already dry, the culture needs to be watered abundantly. When watering, do not spray on the leaves, but produce radical hydration. In this case, the bush will receive the maximum amount of moisture, and its leaves will not burn in the sun.
It is better to water before dusk, when the sun is already above the horizon. In summer cottages, warm water in the pipelines settled for a day. Morning watering is carried out at dawn, taking into account the temperature of the water. If the water is too cold, it is better to postpone watering in the evening.
Top dressing for a variety is common, as for all cucumbers:
- a mixture of nitrate and mullein - 2 times a month;
- potash and phosphorus fertilizers are used at the beginning of flowering;
- Organic fertilizing is applied during the formation of fruits.
Garter and bush formation
Shoots of the variety can spread throughout the site, so it is necessary to form a bush.
The technique is as follows:
- Pinch 4–5 lower nodes, remove lateral shoots, and leave 5–6 nodes for vegetation;
- sprouts above 1 m pinch on 1 sheet, and those that grow on the trellis, on 3 leaves;
- the main shoot is wrapped around the trellis, bent down and cut at a height of 1 m from the soil surface.
Such measures will allow the plant to spend energy not on the distribution of shoots in all directions, but on the formation of fruits. Tie the shoots to the trellis is necessary for the direction of their growth. This is done carefully so as not to damage the delicate stems.Did you know? Most early varieties of cucumbers give the entire crop within 20 days after the start of fruiting. This "trick" allows them to manage to get away from infection with pests and diseases.
Soil care
Loose and light soil suits the plant and helps it give good crops. The crop rotation rules developed over centuries suggest that the cucumber can be planted next year in the ground, where legumes, onions, garlic, and corn previously grew. After changing the "user", the soil is ready for a different type of culture.
When growing the Chupa-Shchups variety, you need to carefully remove all weeds, loosen the soil after watering or rain, and, if possible, mulch the area near the stem. Mulching is carried out with the help of improvised materials - shavings of freshly ground weeds, field hay.
It is possible to cover the ground with agrofibre, but here every gardener proceeds from his financial capabilities.
Possible difficulties growing cucumbers
Given that the variety is hybrid, it is not susceptible to attack by pests and diseases. Like other hybrids, the main problem is the desire of the owner to make the plant better - once again water or fertilize. In this case, the degeneration of the root system or its decay may begin.
Insects bypass hybrids, therefore, inspection of the plantation once a week will be a sufficient measure of prevention. If “uninvited guests” are found that usually appear on the underside of the foliage, the plant should be sprayed with soapy water or washed with a soft cloth.
Features of harvesting and storage of crops
It is necessary to collect the Chupa-Shchups immediately after maturation, until it has time to outgrow and lose its qualities. The fruit is taken by hand and gently twisted from the stem.
Such beautiful cucumbers should not be stored for a long time - they must either be eaten immediately or prepared for the winter. Children are very fond of these fruits, as they are not like any “adult” cucumbers. But on a candy or a toy - very much so.
If the need or desire arose to keep these small barrels for a long time, you can keep them in the vegetable section of the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Did you know? “Cucumbers in a Russian shirt” is the name for pimpled fruits in Europe. This opinion is based on the myth that in Russia cucumbers with tubercles are preferred rather than smooth ones.
The Chupa-Shchups cucumber variety is an excellent representative of this vegetable, combining taste and ease of cultivation. And the appearance of the fruit will delight everyone who is treated with these green semblances of the famous children's sweetness.
