Cucumber Asterix is ​​a hybrid, medium-ripening bee-pollinated variety. It was created by the specialists of the Dutch company Bejo Zaden B.V., or rather, the seed growers V.I. Putyatin, N.A. Ilyin and V.S. Ilyin. The first seeds were obtained in 1995. In Russia, Asterix was included in the state register in 1998 for the Central and Central Black Earth Regions.

Characteristics, features and description

The peculiarity of the variety is that the main bundles of ovaries are concentrated on the main lash. The lateral ones are poorly developed, experienced gardeners prefer to pinch them altogether. The ripening dates of the fruits are highly dependent on what the weather conditions will be this year. The average time is 48 - 54 days.

The lashes are medium in size, strong and well developed. The root system is powerful. The leaves are not very large, slightly wrinkled, normally they are dark green in color, with a slightly wavy edge. The fruit is cylindrical, slightly lumpy, 10-12 cm long (this parameter is very stable), with white spines and well-defined ribs. The cut is round. The average weight of a cucumber is 66-87 g. The maximum yield is 4.2 kg per 1 m2.

Cucumber Aseriks

The taste of the cucumber is pleasant. Can be used for salads and salting. The plant is resistant to drought and disease. Practice has shown that up to 95% of the harvested crop is of excellent commercial quality.

How to grow

African cucumber

The cultivation method is chosen at its discretion: sowing in open ground or for seedlings. If we are talking about seedlings, the sowing time is the beginning of May. They sow into the soil 2 weeks later, when at night the soil does not cool below + 8 ° C.

Important! It is worth carefully monitoring the weather, if a sudden cold snap occurs, cover the beds with foil so as not to lose the harvest.

Sowing

If the seeds are sown in seedling pots, their diameter should be at least 8 cm. The planting depth is 2 cm. Preliminary soaking of the seed in a weak solution (1%) of manganese or humate fertilizer will significantly accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

Boxes with seedlings need additional lighting, since the optimal daylight hours are at least 10 hours. At the same time, hardening for 2-3 hours in the afternoon should be started 7 days before planting in the ground, since a sharp transition from room conditions to the scorching sun will lead to burns on the leaves. At night, the boxes are taken to the house.

Planting seedlings in the beds is performed at the age of 20-25 days, when it has 3-5 true leaves. Pattern: 30 cm between plants and 50 cm between rows.

Important: you cannot plant cucumbers in the land where cabbage, potatoes and peas were grown last year.

Care

The first feeding with organic fertilizer is performed in stage 1 of a true leaf. Watering is required every 3-4 days. Moreover, the water consumption is up to 30 liters per 1 m2. Plants need regular loosening to a shallow depth, feeding alternately with humate and complex mineral fertilizers (1-2 times a month). A good result is given by mulching with peat or sawdust between rows. The cucumber will not get very dirty on the ground, and the soil will not dry out too quickly.

Advice: plantings should be regularly inspected to identify plants affected by the fungus. Due to waterlogging, downy mildew may appear. If affected lashes are identified, they are removed and burned.

Harvesting

The collection should be done frequently - with a maximum break of 2 days. If you delay picking, cucumbers outgrow and lose their taste, and the vine tends to dry out, believing that it has fulfilled its reproductive function.

Cucumber Asterix

Advantages and disadvantages

Cucumber Crew

Among the important advantages of this hybrid:

  • High and stable yield.
  • Drought and disease resistant.
  • Excellent taste of cucumbers and their keeping quality.

Disadvantages:

  • Poorly tolerates even a short-term cold snap.
  • Self-collected seeds are not suitable for sowing.

All these circumstances ensured a high demand for Asterix seeds not only among gardeners, but also among agricultural firms specializing in the commercial production of cucumbers. Everyone can grow a good harvest.