Early cucumbers Artist F1 - variety features, cultivation

A selection variety bred by specialists from a Dutch company Bejo Zaden B.V., is a versatile hybrid characterized by very early ripening of fruits, good yields and many other advantages. Early maturing cucumbers Artist F1 are perfect for growing in greenhouses and on balconies, they can also be planted in open ground.

Providing the bushes with optimal conditions, you will get a high yield of cucumbers with excellent taste, suitable even for commercial purposes.

Variety characteristics

The F1 artist seems to hold the record for yield, early maturity and other features, but in comparison with other Dutch hybrids, he has average performance.

Description of the variety:

1. There is no type of pollination, the variety is parthenocarpic. This allows it to be successfully grown in any conditions, even on the balcony.
2. Fruit ripening period. Zelentsy are filled after the emergence of sprouts in 35-40 days.
3. Features of the bush. The plant has strong roots, medium branching, vigorous. The flowers are predominantly female. The leaves are large, dark green in color. The F1 artist belongs to the indeterminate type of development, i.e. the growth of the main stem is not limited. Therefore, the bushes need to be formed, to build supports for them (trellis, grids, etc.)
4. Productivity. If you follow all the necessary growing conditions, then from 1 sq. m you get up to 9 kg of cucumbers.
5. Fruit. Zelentsi of this variety have an even cylindrical shape, their length is up to 12 cm, average weight is 100 g. The skin is deep green in color, densely covered with large tubercles. The pulp is dense, crispy, aromatic, without bitterness.
6. Application. This variety is universal, it is allowed to cook fresh, canned, and salted. Due to its high yield, good presentation, taste, it is suitable for commercial cultivation.

Important! The designation “F1” means that Artist's cucumbers are a hybrid, and their seeds are not suitable for planting, since they do not repeat the qualities of the parent plant and do not give fruitful shoots.

Landing

First of all, you need to properly prepare the garden bed, preferably in the fall. Everything is done in the same way as for other varieties of cucumbers. The place should be well warmed up by the sun, there should be no drafts on it.

If the groundwater is close to the site, then the earth will be cold, and therefore you need to create a warm bed:

• from below, prepare a drainage layer of branches and grass;
• then apply organic fertilizers;
• pour a layer of fertile soil on top;
• before sowing, cover the bed with a black film for 2 weeks.

Like other varieties, the Artist is planted either by seedlings or by sowing in the ground. If you plan to move to the site, it is important to take care of the favorable neighborhood of the plantings. Dill, garlic, cabbage, onions, beets develop favorably nearby. Tomatoes and potatoes, on the other hand, oppress cucumbers and reduce their yield.

Important! Do not plant Artist F1 next to pollinated cucumber varieties, otherwise the fruit may become bitter.

Seed preparation

Before sowing, you need to process the seeds:

• pour them into salt water to discard empty ones - only those that remain at the bottom are suitable for sowing;
• disinfect in a solution of potassium permanganate;
• then dry and temper by placing in a cold place (lower shelf of the refrigerator);
• then germinate on a damp cloth, foam sponge or between layers of toilet paper, some of which are placed in water (while the seeds should be above the water level).

Growing seedlings

Containers or special pots (cassettes) are prepared for seedlings. They are filled with fertile soil (a mixture of peat, humus, sawdust, fertilizers). Then the seeds are planted with tweezers so as not to damage the sprouted roots.

The seedlings will be ready for planting in a permanent place in a month, when 3-4 real leaves appear. And before that, you need to properly care for it, provide a suitable temperature regime (+ 23-28 ° C), sufficient lighting, and take it out for a while in the conditions where it will be transplanted for hardening.

This variety is distinguished by good stress resistance during transplantation, it is easily adaptable, but nevertheless, care must be taken not to damage the stems and roots of the plant.

Advice! Growing in seedlings allows you to get the first crop much earlier.

Sowing in the ground

To plant seeds in the ground, you need to wait for stable warm weather, because this is a heat-loving vegetable crop. The minimum soil temperature should be from + 15 ° С, and the air temperature - from +22.

The seeds are planted to a depth of 2 cm every 10 cm in a row, and the width between the rows should be 60 cm. The bed should be watered abundantly, and at night and when the weather is cold during the day, cover with foil.

Advice! If the seeds are planted with their spouts down, the first shoots will appear in 5-8 days.

Care features

When the first 2 true leaves appear, the plants are thinned out, leaving the strongest ones. The soil must be regularly hilled and weeds removed. When the sixth leaf grows on the main whip, then above it it must be cut off so that the lateral processes begin to grow. It is imperative to make a support in order to facilitate the care of the plant, increase productivity, and protect against diseases.

Watering

It is necessary to moisten the soil as it dries, taking into account the weather conditions. For the plant, both drying out and too abundant watering are harmful. Most of all, cucumbers need moisture when setting fruits. You need to water it with warm water and only the soil, without touching the leaves, so as not to create favorable conditions for gray rot.

Fertilizer

Top dressing begins when the first true leaves have already formed. Mineral fertilizers are used: 10 g of potassium salt, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate per bucket of water. At the next feeding, organic matter is introduced (mullein, bird droppings). It is good to sprinkle the beds with ash, just so that it does not fall on the leaves. Then mineral fertilizers and organic fertilizers are alternated again. In total, up to 5 dressings are carried out for the entire growing season.

Reviews

Many who grow Artist F1 cucumbers leave positive reviews about this variety, the variety has many advantages with a minimum of disadvantages.

Positive properties:

1. Excellent seed germination. If quality seed is planted and all the necessary conditions are met.
2. It is very convenient that pollination is not required. The plant can be grown in greenhouses, closed loggias, etc.
3. An early variety, the first cucumbers ripen quickly, and then the stems bear fruit steadily all summer.
4. Bushes quickly recover after drought, easily tolerate lack of light.
5. Resistant to diseases: powdery mildew, cladosporiosis, ordinary mosaic.
6. Beautiful appearance of the fruits: they are even, of the same shape, do not turn yellow.
7. Excellent taste. They are good fresh and canned.

There are few shortcomings, they are all characteristic of other varieties of cucumbers:

1. Demanding temperature conditions, feeding schedule, watering.
2. They do not like drafts.
3. As with all hybrids, seeds are produced by plants on which ovaries do not appear, all flowers are empty.

These problems can be easily solved with proper growing conditions.

In practice, many gardeners have verified that Artist F1 cucumbers are an excellent option for growing on private household plots and on farms. Its main advantages are parthenocarpicity and very early maturation. There are much fewer drawbacks, and they are common to all cucumber hybrids.