Cucumber Marketmore

Marketmore Cucumber

Saqueta Individual

€1,50

A benchmark cucumber: dark green fruits, no bitterness, firm flesh, few seeds and intense aroma.

About the variety. Fruits of 150–200 g, semi-determinate habit and plant height up to 60 cm. Resistant to several cucumber diseases and very productive outdoors. When the skin begins to show white stripes, the fruit is already past its ideal point — harvest before then. Good companions: celery, lettuce, beetroot, borage, onion and bean.

€1,50

Itinerário técnico

Como cultivar marketmore cucumber?

Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.

pH ideal 6.5 and 7.0Temperatura ideal 22 to 24°C

Sementeira

Usually done in trays, with transplanting carried out 3 to 4 weeks later when the plants have 2 to 4 true leaves.

Solo

The crop prefers clayey, fertile and well-drained soils, with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0.

Clima

Prefers warm weather, with daytime temperatures of at least 22 to 24°C and 20°C at night; otherwise, malformations in the pollen tube may occur. Soil temperature at planting time should be at least 16 to 18°C.

Fertilização

Not being among the most demanding crops, it is nonetheless advisable to incorporate some compost before planting.

Rega

Due to varying needs throughout the growing cycle, drip irrigation may be the most suitable option. Proper watering leads to a staggered harvest, which can be very rewarding.

Controlo de Infestantes

Mulching is a good option, whether with plastic or organic materials, reducing weed competition with the crop and the contact of cucumbers with the soil, which can lead to rot.

Controlo de Pragas

Mites, aphids, cutworms, leafminer larvae, whitefly, root-knot nematodes and thrips. For mite control, biological control with predatory mites should be carried out and, if necessary, the use of azadirachtin or sulphur powder (if temperature <28°C). Aphids are controlled through moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, natural limitation with border hedgerows to favour beneficial insects, biological control with parasitoid or predatory hymenoptera, and if necessary, potassium soap or azadirachtin may also be used. Cutworms can be controlled by avoiding the use of poorly matured compost, baiting with bran + molasses + Bacillus thuringiensis on the ground near the crop, the use of Bacillus thuringiensis as a spray, or biological control with Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes. Leafminer larva control can be achieved through biological control with parasitoid hymenoptera, natural limitation with hedgerows and other nectar plants that feed beneficial insects, and if necessary, by the use of azadirachtin. Whitefly is controlled through moderate fertilisation (without excess nitrogen), avoiding transplanting already infested plants, placing yellow sticky traps for detection, biological control with parasitoid hymenoptera and predatory mites, and if necessary, by applying azadirachtin. Root-knot nematodes are controlled through crop rotation, biofumigation and soil solarisation. Thrips should be controlled through the use of border plants favourable to anthocorid beneficial insects (such as marigolds and other composites) and biological control with predatory mites and anthocorids.

Doenças

Powdery mildew and grey mould are important diseases of this crop. To control powdery mildew, wide plant spacing, moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen and, if necessary, application of wettable sulphur powder or sulphur combined with lithothamne (1:1) as a dust should be used, as this is less phytotoxic than pure sulphur. Regarding grey mould, diseased plant debris should be removed, excess vigour and water on the plants avoided, and bentonite clay applied.