How to collect seeds of cucumbers for open ground and for a greenhouse

Everyone knows that the seeds of vegetables today are not too cheap. Especially it concerns elite manufacturers, the seed material of which is distinguished by good germination and resistance to various diseases. Another disadvantage is the amount of seeds in the pack. Sometimes you need to buy a dozen packages, enough to fill the garden. You can buy seeds of little-known agrofirms, there is more material in the pack, and the price is lower, but the germination is in question. That is why many gardeners prefer to harvest their seeds. Today we will talk about how to collect the seeds of cucumbers.

What kind of variety grows on your site

This should be remembered, because today are very common hybrid varieties. They are distinguished by their excellent germination and friendly fruit bearing, but they are not suitable for harvesting seeds. To distinguish them is simple enough: on bags with seeds there should be number F1. It is believed that if you plant them immediately, and not in a year, you can get a good harvest. This information is not verified, but seeding F1 seeds next spring is guaranteed to give a lot of tops and a void.

So, only non-hybrid, bee-dusted varieties are suitable for seed collection. Many summer residents note that the taste of such fruits is much better than hybrid, self-pollinated. But the varieties should be changed from time to time, because the culture is depleted and can not yield a good harvest.

Types of cucumbers

Before talking about how to collect the seeds of cucumbers, it should be noted that this plant produces fruits of two kinds. Externally, they are very similar, but if you take a closer look, you can see the difference. Leave a few cucumbers on the seeds. When they turn yellow and are covered with a brown mesh, carefully consider their shape. Fruits with three ribs, triangular in a cut are "male" cucumbers. Plants grown from these seeds give a lot of bloom or staminate flowers. The second view with four ribs, square in a cut. These are "female" fruits, and they should be left on seeds.

Another way to find differences is to take the green cucumbers and cut them across. In "male" fruits, the seeds are located in three segments, in the "female" - in four segments. Carefully looking at them, you can see the difference.

We continue to choose the testis

The location on the bush also plays a role. Since it is not possible to collect the seeds of cucumbers from green fruits, it is necessary to find the best fruit in advance, tie it with a colored ribbon, so that none of the households accidentally tore it off, and leave it to ripen. It should be the earliest cucumbers that formed from the sinus of the first or second leaf. The maturity period depends on the type of cucumber. For early ripening varieties, this is usually 35-40 days from the date of fruit formation.

Remove the testis from the bush in August, when it begins to turn yellow. If there is a rainy and cold weather, then do not allow rotting of the fetus. Tear it early and put it on the dry window sill, it is desirable that the window faces south.

Seed ripening and collection

We go directly to how to collect the seeds of cucumbers. The earlier the cucumbers are removed from the bed, the longer it takes to stand them on the windowsill. The maximum time that testes can stay on the bush is 50 days, it should not take longer, otherwise the germination of the fruits will worsen. Completely finished cucumber - brown-brown color with a grid of cracks or cream-yellow without a grid.

Since it is not difficult to collect the seeds of cucumbers, we will not describe the process itself, rather we will focus on the intricacies of which it is important to know. You need to cut the fruit when it becomes quite soft, and it should be done along, not across. Experts only take seeds from the half where the cucumber has a peduncle. They are larger here, with good germination. It is this seed that provides early and high yield.

Pay attention to such an interesting fact, as a perforation. If there are others near your site, on which bee-dusted varieties of cucumbers are also grown, there is a high probability of transfer of pollen from one plant to another by bees. As a result, by collecting the seeds, you do not get the purity of the variety and the characteristics inherent in it.

Preparation of seed

Having selected the flesh from the fruit together with the seeds, we performed only part of the work. Now we'll figure out how to properly collect the seeds of cucumbers. All the resulting material must be folded in enameled dishes (in the metal quality of the seeds will deteriorate). After 3-4 days in the process of fermentation the pulp will easily descend from the seeds and it can be separated. Next, it is necessary to rinse well and add water. In a few hours they will stand up, the remains of pulp and damaged seeds will float upward. The entire suspension must be drained, and the remaining seeds should be washed several more times.

All that is required of you still, is to spread them on a plywood or glass with a thin layer and dry it well. Now you know how to get the seeds of cucumbers. Accordingly, you can use this technique in your garden.

Dutch cucumber seeds

They have a number of advantages over the Russian ones. It is 100% germinating, they are hardened, processed from diseases and very high-yielding. Cons - high price and a small number of seeds in each pack, sometimes they are sold even individually. On the other hand, the high yield that you take off from each bush compensates for these shortcomings. Famous varieties such as "ajax", "darling" and self-pollinating hybrids "krisp".

Greenhouse varieties, their main differences

If you buy seeds of cucumbers for a greenhouse, you should know that you will be offered hybrids, collect seed from which it will not work. Greenhouse hybrids are most often self-pollinated, which is an ideal option for enclosed spaces. All varietal seeds pollinated by bees are best used for growing outdoors.

The most well-known seeds of cucumbers for the greenhouse are: "F1," "Dynamite F1", "Cupid F1", "Mother-in-law F1". They will grow well outside the greenhouse, in the open ground or even on the windowsill, in the apartment. The only point - when pollinated by bees, they will give curves, ugly fruits.

Growing of fruit plants

Well-dried seed is perfectly exposed all winter without the slightest signs of disease, but before sowing it is worthwhile to conduct additional testing. To do this, make a saline solution (2 teaspoons per liter of water) and dip the seeds into it. After 15 minutes, all the non-surfacing float to the surface, they should be removed, and the rest is transferred to a weak solution of potassium permanganate for another 15 minutes.

Now the seeds should be left for germination. Place the cotton napkin on a plate and soak it with a special solution. To do this, take 1 teaspoon of any complex fertilizer and a liter of water. Wrap the seeds in it and leave for a day. Now you need to make the plants hardened. Remove the plate with seeds on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for the night, or more precisely for 12-15 hours. After that you can get them and wait for them to get through. Once the seeds are slightly opened, they should be planted in prepared soil.

After about 30 days, they can be transferred to the open ground. With the appearance of the first ovary, note the ribbon of candidates for the testes. This will be your harvest for next year. Now you know how to grow cucumber seeds, and you can easily complete a full cycle. If you think that this process is too complicated or you do not have enough free time, then at your service there are always companies that are engaged in plant breeding. To date, the market is saturated with all kinds of seed material, among which everyone will find something that he likes.