Cucumber variety Libelle (F1)
Libelle, or Libella, is an old, but still in demand cucumber hybrid bred by Friedrich Kampe, a leading breeder of the German agricultural firm Satimex QUEDLINBURG GMBH. The variety was introduced into the state register of the Russian Federation back in 1976. Approved for use in the North-West (Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Kaliningrad, Tver, Vologda regions) and Central (Moscow, Tula, Bryansk, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Ryazan, Smolensk, Vladimir regions) regions.
The variety is bee-pollinated, mid-season - from the emergence of shoots to the collection of the first fruits, it takes 49 - 52 days. Designed for growing in open ground and under film shelters. And some gardeners grow it at home - on a balcony or windowsill.
Plants are long-leaved. Zelentsy are elongated-elliptical, smooth, ribbed, covered with small tubercles, dark green in color, with a whitish top and white stripes. Fruit length 12 - 14 cm, weight - 100 - 150 grams. The skin is thin. Spikes are white. The pulp is tender, juicy, sweetish, crunchy. The seeds are small. Marketable yield - 5 - 10 kg / square meter.
This hybrid is characterized by disease resistance (brown spot, downy mildew), as well as increased productivity in late summer. Thanks to this, you will get a good harvest right by the very season of autumn harvesting. In dry periods, abundant watering is required, otherwise the fruits begin to taste bitter.
A universal variety - suitable for fresh salads and canning.
Pros of Libelle cucumber: excellent appearance and taste of the fruit.
The disadvantages include: rapid overgrowth and a large number of white-sided fruits, which look ugly in blanks.
Many gardeners, despite the abundance of modern varieties, prefer to plant this cucumber, which they have loved since childhood. It was for them that German breeders bred an improved La Bella hybrid, which looks like Libella, but is distinguished by the absence of bitterness in the fruits, resistance to powdery mildew and the cucumber mosaic virus, as well as increased yields.
I like this variety very much for its appearance: the presence of a large number of small tubercles, a dark green color. I never noticed any bitterness or white-sided fruits. The variety is quite unpretentious. I grow it outdoors, do not tie or form a whip. I try to feed it once a week with nettle infusion, water it as needed. Harvest in a good warm summer 10 - 15 cucumbers from a bush every other day.