It is difficult to find a gardener who does not grow cucumbers. When choosing a particular crop variety, preference is given to those that have high yields and are unpretentious in care. April cucumber is one of them.

Characteristics and description of cucumber April F1

Refers to early maturing. This means that it can be grown not only outdoors or in a greenhouse, but also on a windowsill or balcony.

The length of the cylindrical fruit reaches 15 - 26 cm, and the weight of each cucumber ranges from 200 to 260 grams. The surface of its peel is covered with large tubercles, with sparse pubescence.

April cucumber

The popularity of this variety of cucumbers is due to the excellent taste of the fruit, juicy pulp, which is not bitter. They can be used not only fresh, but also for conservation or salting.

Note! On the plant, predominantly female flowers are formed, which have the ability to self-pollinate. This increases the yield of cucumbers several times.

Seedlings appear in the first 6 days after sowing seeds in the soil. The growing season lasts until the onset of frost. In the first phase of the period, up to 14 kg of fruits can be harvested from 1 m2 of land.

The April cucumbers have the following advantages:

  • Early maturity and ability to give high yields.
  • Excellent taste.
  • Friendly shoots and fruit development.
  • Resistance to disease development and pest infestation.
  • Self-pollination capability.
  • Simplicity of care.
  • Slight climbing of green mass.
  • The need for a minimum amount of fertilizer for feeding.
  • The versatility of the use of fruits.

These and other positive properties of April cucumbers contribute to their popularity among gardeners.

April cucumber

Growing features

The first thing you should pay attention to is that the planting density should not exceed 2 - 3 plants per 1 m2. Otherwise, the plants will shade each other, which will reduce the yield.

Cucumber Ant

Cucumbers can be planted both as seeds and seedlings as soon as the soil temperature reaches 12-14 degrees. This means that the plant will actively develop and give a high yield.

April can be grown in almost any type of soil. The main condition is to ensure its good aeration and drainage.

Important! Cucumbers grow much faster if, before planting seedlings or seedlings, organic fertilizers are applied to the soil, which help to improve its structure.

Experienced gardeners do not recommend growing cucumbers in the same place more often than once within 5 years. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the plants will be very sick.

The optimal soil for growing will be the one that previously grew corn, tomatoes or peas.

Growing seedlings

The seedling method of growing cucumbers ensures that the first fruits will appear approximately 1.5 - 2 weeks earlier. You can plant a plant on which 4 true leaves have already formed. As a rule, these are seedlings 2 - 3 weeks old.

Cucumber Shchedryk

It is important to choose the right seeds for growing seedlings. It is recommended to warm them up for 25 - 30 days on a sunny windowsill or near heating appliances. Such preliminary preparation of seeds promotes the appearance of early and friendly seedlings.

Important! With this preparation, a minimum number of barren flowers will form on adult plants.

After warming up, the seeds must be soaked for 1 hour in a solution of garlic pulp. To prepare a solution of 100 gr.water at room temperature must be dissolved 25 - 35 gr. pulp. This manipulation promotes seed disinfection.

After that, the seeds are placed in a bag made of natural fabric, which is soaked for 12 - 15 hours in a solution of ash (for 1 liter of water, 100 grams of ash).

After the specified time, the seeds are thoroughly washed in clean water and placed on a clean damp cloth. In this position, they should be for 2 - 3 days at a temperature of at least 20 degrees.

Important! The seeds should not fully germinate, but only swell well.

At the end of the preliminary preparation of the seeds, they must be placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

The prepared seeds are sown in a small container. For sowing, the soil is prepared in advance: sawdust, humus and peat are mixed in a ratio of 1: 2: 2 parts, respectively. In a well-mixed soil for 10 liters, 1 spoonful of ash and nitrophosphate is added. Only then can the seeds be sown to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm.

April cucumber

After the formation of the first 2 true sheets, it is recommended to fertilize the soil. To do this, you can use a solution that you prepare yourself (3 liters of warm water is mixed with 3 tablespoons of nitroammophoska).

Important! It is best to water the seedlings once every 7 days. This is enough to keep the plant from drying out. If the soil in the container is too wet, the root system of cucumber seedlings can rot.

It is recommended to water the prepared beds with a warm solution, which is prepared in this way: 1 liter of copper sulfate is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Leave the beds poured with this solution for 24 hours alone.

Cucumber seedlings are planted in holes. Their depth is not more than 4 cm, and the distance between them should reach 60 cm. The seedlings are planted vertically and covered with soil.

Sowing seeds in open ground

A good time for planting is April, at this time it is possible to plant in open ground in regions where there is no longer a threat of return frosts.

Cucumber Atlantis

You must first prepare the soil in the garden. When choosing a place, it is better to give preference to a well-lit area where pumpkin crops have not been grown before. Otherwise, the possibility of infection of seedlings with diseases or pests is not excluded.

It is enough to dig up the soil to a depth of 30 cm. The width between the beds should be at least 70 cm. Humus or peat, compost or any organic fertilizer should be added to the well-dug soil at the rate of no more than 4.5 kg per 1 m2. The surface of the beds can be coated with a thin layer of fertilizer such as Agricol for pumpkin crops. This will help disinfect the soil.

Note! The depth of one bed should not be more than 3 cm.

It is recommended to water each bed intensively with a hot solution of water, in which 2 capsules of a plant growth stimulator, for example, Energen, are dissolved.

Only then can you start sowing seeds. The distance between them in the garden bed is about 55 - 65 cm. This is enough so that adult plants do not shade each other. Cover each seed with approximately 1 - 1.5 liters of soil.

Experienced gardeners advise not to water the soil after this, but evenly spray a little black or red hot pepper on it. Such a technique will prevent the damage of seeds by ants, and young seedlings - by field mice.

April cucumber

The finished bed is covered with a layer of transparent film. This must be done in case of night frost.

Subtleties of care

The April cucumber variety does not require any special care. In order to get a good harvest, it is enough to adhere to these rules:

  • As weeds grow, they must be destroyed. To do this, it is enough to weed the beds no more than 1 time in 7 days.
  • Cucumbers need good watering with warm water. Before flowering, cucumbers should be watered every 7 to 9 days. When the fruits begin to form - 1 time in 3-4 days. When watering, you should pay special attention to the fact that the water should fall on the soil and not on the leaves of the plant. From this they can turn yellow.
  • If a hard crust has formed on the surface of the soil, you need to carefully make small punctures in it with a pitchfork. In this case, the depth of the punctures should be such as not to damage the plant's root system.
  • When growing cucumbers in a greenhouse during the season, they must be fed with organic and inorganic fertilizers at least 5 times. If the plants are grown outdoors, the first time you need to feed before the flowers appear. To do this, you can use the following solution: 10 liters of water, 1 liter of superphosphate, urea and sodium humanate. Another 4 times the plants need to be fed during the period of fruit development.

After the appearance of 6 leaves, it is recommended to pinch the plant. Thanks to this simple technique, the cucumbers will branch well, forming side shoots. This will help to increase the yield several times.

Compliance with these simple rules will help you get an excellent harvest of cucumbers soon, which are equally good both fresh and for canning.