Cucumber Rodnichok is one of the most popular varieties among domestic summer residents. This is a mid-season variety. Due to its pleasant taste and high nutritional value, the fruit is often used for home preservation.

This is a hybrid variety created during the Soviet era. Due to its simplicity, Rodnichok cucumbers can be grown in almost all regions of Russia, with the exception of the Far North. This variety is also widespread in the neighboring countries: in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan.

Frost resistance

The plant tolerates frost well, has a high degree of resistance to adverse weather conditions. But you need to plant the Spring no earlier than June, when there will definitely be no frost at night.

Rodnichok cucumbers

The first time, when young plants are just adapting to new conditions, with any threat of night frosts, they should be covered with a film. In the morning, the film is removed so that the cucumbers "breathe" freely.

Yield

Cucumbers Rodnichok, if properly cared for, usually yield a good harvest. From the moment of planting to harvest of this mid-season variety, approximately 52 days pass.

Cucumber Christina

If the plants are planted in open ground, you should expect a yield of 5 to 7 kg per square meter. If cucumbers are grown in a greenhouse, on special trellises, the yield will be much higher: 15 - 23 kg per square meter.

Important! To increase productivity, plants need regular feeding with organic fertilizers.

The most effective feeding is considered to be a solution of fresh mullein. It is also necessary to ensure that the plants get enough water and sunlight.

Bloom

Cucumber Pretty

The fontanelle is pollinated by bees. The plant is dominated by female flowers. It blooms about two weeks after planting. With insufficient watering, gardeners often face such a problem as "barren flowers": flowers do not form ovaries and fall off. To solve this problem, you can do the following:

  • water the cucumbers more often;
  • regularly feed;
  • cut off some of the leaves so that the plant spends energy on the formation of fruits. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the fragile lashes;
  • spray the plants with the "ovary" agent so that fruits appear faster instead of flowers.

Flowering cucumber

Towards the end of flowering, watering should be reduced and carried out about once every two days.

Plant parameters

Cucumber Porthos

The Rodnichok variety can be easily recognized by the following parameters:

  • Plant height - up to 3 meters.
  • Fruit sizes are 10 - 12 cm in length.
  • Fruit weight - 110 - 110 g.
  • The shape of the fruit is cylindrical.
  • Leaf size is medium.
  • The shape of the leaves is heart-shaped.
  • The leaves are light green in color.

The ovaries are formed in bunches, approximately 2 to 3 bunches per node. One plant can form 3 - 5 shoots. The light green fruits are covered with black thorns and have white stripes on the side. When the fruit is cut, there are no voids inside. Flowers are dark yellow, large. Seeds are small, oval, white.

When growing, lashes can be placed horizontally (on the ground) or vertically (on wooden supports, trellises).

Fruits of the Rodnichok variety

Landing

Seeds of the Rodnichok and Graceful varieties can be purchased in any market, in any shop for gardeners and gardeners. They are always on sale.It is advisable that a brief description of the variety and recommendations for care should be presented on the seed bag.

Important! Good germination will only be with large seeds of the correct shape.

Before planting, the seeds should be treated with growth stimulants. They also need to be hardened by putting them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

You can plant both seeds and seedlings. In the second case, the fruits will ripen faster. The seed method is more suitable for the southern regions and for growing in a greenhouse, the seedling method is for the northern regions and open ground.

In order for the seedlings to take root and the seeds to sprout safely, the soil must warm up to at least 20 degrees. To obtain this temperature, the ground is specially heated for several days using black plastic wrap.

Seeds are planted to a depth of 2 cm. Seedlings should be treated with special growth stimulants. For example, fertilizer "Narcissus" is suitable for this purpose.

Planting cucumbers in open ground

Seedlings, like seeds, are hardened before planting. It is necessary to start hardening activities about a week before planting plants in open ground, so that young shoots can adapt to temperature changes. The main thing in hardening is gradualness. It is very simple to carry out it: every day the plants are taken out into fresh air, first for two to three minutes, and then this time gradually increases.

Care

Spring is a moisture-loving variety. If the plant lacks water, the fruit will taste unpleasantly bitter. Only warm water can be used for irrigation. If the water is cold, it should stand for a while and warm up.

Important! When watering from a watering can, do not keep it too low so as not to damage the whips lying on the ground.

Young seedlings need regular weeding, as well as loosening. If the seeds have been planted too often, the plants can be thinned out. To protect against weeds, experienced gardeners use mulching using straw or humus.

Harvesting

Fruits of the Rodnichok variety do not ripen well, therefore the fruiting period is usually extended for a long time. Experienced gardeners say: the more often cucumbers of this variety are harvested, the faster new fruits grow.

Harvest

During harvesting, you need to gently push the whips. Noticing the fruit, you need to gently press on the stalk so that it breaks. In no case should you pull the stalk towards yourself, as you can damage the leaves and stems. When the fruiting period is completely over, the plants are to be burned, as they can be dangerous diseases and pests.

Disease and pest control

During a rainy, windy summer, gardeners often face a serious problem: cucumber leaves become covered with a white or yellowish bloom, turn yellow and dry out. This fungal disease is called powdery mildew. When the first signs of powdery mildew appear, it is necessary to reduce watering and sprinkle the affected plants with powdered sulfur.

Cucumber disease

If the leaves are covered with a grayish cobweb, it means that a dangerous pest has started - a spider mite. This insect is dangerous because it destroys not only leaves, but also flowers and ovaries. To combat the tick, spraying with industrial insecticidal agents is used.

Advantages of the variety

Among the main advantages of the Rodnichok variety are the following:

  • High productivity in the greenhouse and in the open field.
  • Frost resistance and unpretentiousness.
  • Resistance to fungal, viral, bacterial diseases.
  • High taste and beautiful appearance of the fruit.

It should also be noted that the Rodnichok fruits are well stored and do not deteriorate during transportation. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. All cucumbers have approximately the same shape and length. It is this variety that is most often grown for sale by experienced gardeners.

Also, the undoubted advantages include the fact that this variety responds well to organic and mineral dressings.

Yielding variety

Disadvantages of the variety

  • Among the negative characteristics of the variety, the following can be noted:
  • The difficulty of caring for cucumbers during dry or, conversely, rainy summers.
  • Plants are very demanding on the watering regime, on the temperature of water and soil.
  • When planting, if the soil is not warmed up enough, the seeds will have poor germination.
  • When the lashes are on the ground, they often rot.

Also, the disadvantages include the fact that this particular variety is most often affected by spider mites. To prevent damage by a pest, cucumbers must be weeded and loosened regularly so that the soil “breathes” and moisture does not stagnate in it. Hard, clumped earth covered with weeds creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of a dangerous pest.

If the gardener decided to grow cucumbers F 1 Spring and Graceful, they will feel great both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Of course, when planted in a greenhouse, the plants will gain strength faster, and the yield will be greater.

Cucumber Rodnichok is also loved by domestic gardeners, as is the Graceful variety, also known from Soviet times. But in order for the plant to delight gardeners with delicious crunchy fruits, you should be careful about the care and create the necessary conditions for cucumbers for proper growth, development, flowering and fruiting. In different regions, these conditions will differ depending on the climate.