Description of the Athos cucumber variety, features of cultivation and care
There are different varieties of cucumbers on the market that are adapted to the Russian climate and soils. The cucumber under the simple but sonorous name of Atos was relatively recently bred by domestic Michurins for cultivation in their private plots in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. This is the so-called parthenocarpic hybrid, both for open ground and protected with foil. What is parthenocarpic? This is a plant that does not need pollination by bees. Despite all this, the fruitfulness of the Athos cucumber hybrid is high, as is the quality of its fruits.
Characteristic of Athos
From the beginning of germination to fruiting, the hybrid ripens in about a month or more. Already in the middle of summer, many ripening fruits are formed on the plants.
What are the advantages of the variety:
- early fruiting period;
- excellent germination;
- compact size of a cucumber.
The plant survives sudden temperature changes, heat and even drought without any problems. In other words, cucumbers Athos F1 are able to survive where others simply die. The crop safety is high, up to two weeks under normal conditions.
What makes the bush so special?
The tomato bush stretches up to one and a half to two meters in height. The number of flowers per node reaches 3–5. At the same time, up to two dozen fruits can ripen on one bush. These are the wonderful characteristics.
In addition, the bushes are capable of growing decently, when planting, you need to provide for their distance from each other - 70-80 centimeters. Plants have medium branching, and the leaves are of a normal shape, dark green in color.
Description of fruits
We will begin the description of the Athos cucumbers with the fact that they bear fruit in a bouquet. Fruits have an even green color, inside - solid, without voids. When biting off a cucumber, a typical mouth-watering crunch is emitted, it tastes without bitterness, even at the ends of the fruit.
Zelentsy reach a weight of 70 to 100 grams and a length of about 10 centimeters. The bumps on the surface of the fruit are barely noticeable. If you want to eat plenty of cucumbers, then Athos is a great option. Such hybrids are suitable for fresh consumption, and for preparing salads and for canning. The yield level is 10-12 kilos per square of land.
Plant care
A hybrid requires the following operations to be performed regularly:
- pinching (this is when shoots above the fourth leaf are removed);
- loosening and weeding the soil;
- evening or morning watering with warm water (not lower than 20 degrees and with a frequency of 1-2 days);
- top dressing with organic matter (mullein, bird droppings) and mineral fertilizers (superphosphates, nitrogenous substances);
- timely tying.
Tinkering with this type of cucumber is preferable in the greenhouse.
Hybrids of the Athos series are grown either directly by sowing seeds in the ground, or using seedlings, which are transplanted to the beds after the end of the night frosts in the spring. Planting depth of cucumber seeds - up to two centimeters.
Fighting disease
Parthenocarpic plants are resistant to many dangerous diseases. In our case, the cucumber Athos F1 easily copes with aggression from the side cucumber mosaic and powdery mildew. Also, the variety perfectly resists root rot, downy mildew. In this case, it is necessary to adhere to a 90% humidity regime and normal temperature values of 20-22 degrees inside the greenhouse.
For prevention, you should ventilate the greenhouse a couple of times a week. If the structure is made of glass, then regularly wash it from contamination with warm soapy water. When growing a hybrid in unprotected soil, make sure that the soil does not become waterlogged or, conversely, does not dry out.
In conclusion…
Taking care of and growing cucumbers is not such an easy task as it might seem from the outside. However, it's worth it! This is evidenced by the reviews of citizens of gardeners. If you do everything in a timely manner and correctly, then the cucumber Athos will present a good harvest as a reward for your efforts. You just need to not be lazy to water the plants at the root in a timely manner, mulch them, weed the soil, fertilize generously, identify diseases, properly ventilate and close the greenhouse.
