Iskander F1 is just that sort of zucchini, acquaintance with which can be a pleasant surprise in the new garden season. He was very hasty, harvested, undemanding in care, and his taste is just great.
Description of the variety Iskander, its characteristics, region of cultivation
Zucchini of the Iskander F1 variety is a hybrid of the Dutch selection that has recently appeared in Russia. It was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation in 2006 as a parthenocarpic hybrid of the first generation. It is allowed for cultivation in the Northwest, Volga-Vyatka, Lower Volga, Ural, West Siberian and Far Eastern regions. Iskander belongs to the early ripening varieties of zucchini. It is recommended not only for private, but also for industrial production, which is associated with its undemanding care, tolerance of adverse weather conditions and high productivity. One hectare can be removed, according to the State Register, - 916 c / ha.
Appearance
The plant is powerful, compact, straight-growing. Leaves of medium dissection have a dark green color with pronounced spotting. The fruits are light green in color with light specks and veins and snow-white pulp. The length of the fruit averages 18-20 cm. Commercial mass - 500-650 grams. From each bush on the site you can collect up to 15-17 kg of ripe fruit.
Distinctive features of the variety
One of the distinguishing features of the Iskander variety is its early ripeness - the formed fruits can already be removed 35-40 days after the seeds are planted in the soil. The variety is able to set fruits even at relatively low temperatures. If you grow zucchini under the film - the result can be obtained even earlier.
The peel of Iskander zucchini is very thin and delicate.
Another important advantage of the Iskander variety is its high productivity. That is why the variety is recommended for industrial cultivation. According to the State Register, the maximum yield is higher than the Gribovsky 37 standard by 501 kg / ha and is 916 kg / ha, for the first two harvests - 139 kg / ha.
A plus of the variety is its resistance to diseases with powdery mildew and anthracnose.
Features of planting and growing
The best predecessors for zucchini:
- potatoes;
- bow;
- early cabbage and cauliflower;
- legumes;
- roots.
It is possible to grow zucchini of the Iskander variety both in a seedling-free way and with the help of seedlings.
Seedling method of growing
Sowing seeds is necessary a month before transplanting seedlings in open ground, i.e. in the last decade of April. If it is planned to plant seedlings under the film, you can start preparing it in mid-April.
Seed preparation
In order for the seeds to sprout faster, and the shoots are strong and friendly, you need to prepare them. There are several methods, but most often the seeds are soaked in warm water for a day, and then they are kept in moist tissue for several days at a temperature of about 25aboutC, preventing the fabric from drying out.
It is preliminarily useful to harden the seeds, putting them for 2-3 days in the lower compartment of the refrigerator.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
You can grow seedlings on the sunny windowsill in the apartment or in the greenhouse.
Nutrient mixture for seedlings of squash can have the following composition:
- 5 parts of peat,
- 4 parts of humus,
- 1 part sawdust,
- half a glass of wood ash and 6-5 g of ammonium nitrate per bucket of mixture.
The mixture is filled with cups without a bottom (10 × 10 cm), watered with warm water and sealed in them to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Seedling Care
For the proper growth and development of plants, temperature conditions are important. Optimum temperature conditions are as follows:
- before emergence - 18-25 ° C;
- after emergence within 4-5 days at night 12-15 ° C, daytime 15-20 ° C;
- Further, before disembarkation into the ground, it is necessary to maintain 13-17 ° С at night, and 17-22 ° С during the day.
Watering
Watering is carried out only with warm water (+ 25 ° C) - 1l / 8 plants after 5 days.
Top dressing
The first feeding is carried out a week after emergence: 0.5 tsp. urea / 1l of water, consumption - half a glass / plant.
2nd feeding - after another week: 1 tsp nitrophoski / 1 l of water, flow rate - a glass / plant.
Planting seedlings in the ground
Seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of frost passes. It is better if it is a prepared steam bed or steam heap.
Steam ridges are arranged as deepened, insulated ridges, with a deeper pit, in which, changing biofuel annually, early vegetables are grown for several years.
When the size of the area under the steam ridges is insignificant, all the preparation and their work is done manually. For the construction of steam ridges in large areas often use a plow. The ridges are made in lengths of 20 m and not more than 30 m. The width of the pit is 1-1.1 m, the width of the finally prepared beds is 1.2 m, the width between the ridges is 50-60 cm. The rows are located from north to south.
It is advisable to make steam and dung ridges only 1.20 m wide, since biofuel is better used at this width, and secondly, it is easier to care for plants and, in case of cooling, you can use free greenhouse frames by placing them on slabs, poles and other supports along the ridge.I.P. Popov
"Growing early vegetables" Gorky Publishing House, 1953
Seedlings at this point should be well developed 2-3 true leaves. Before planting, you should well pour the seedlings and wells with warm water. A plant with a lump of earth is lowered into the hole below the ground by 2-3 cm and tightly squeezed with earth to cotyledon leaves.
It is better to cover the surface of the bed with a dark film to preserve heat, and put wire arches with a film stretched over them, which will make it possible to plant seedlings 2-3 weeks earlier.
Video: useful tricks when growing zucchini Iskander F1
Planting seeds directly in the ground
After the preliminary preparation of the seeds (see above), they are planted in the prepared soil. But you can plant and dry seeds. Planting depth depends on the quality of the soil: for light soils it can be 6-7 cm, for heavy soils - 3-4 cm. The distance between individual plants should be 1 m, between rows - 1.5 m. 2 seeds are planted in one hole to leave one more powerful plant in the future.
Zucchini love fertile soil, so it is also necessary to carry out its preliminary preparation:
- If the soil is sandy loamy, then you should add a bucket of peat, humus, sawdust and turf soil / m2 ;
- The same composition is required to improve loam - 2-3 kg / m2.
It is better if the soil is prepared well in advance so that the land leans out for at least a week. Place for zucchini should be sunny and warm.
Landing dates can vary from early May to early June. The main condition is well-warmed up soil. Otherwise, the seeds may not sprout or the plants will be sick for a long time.
Iskander seeds sprout quickly enough. At a temperature of 15-16aboutWith shoots appear on the fifth day.
Video: planting zucchini with nettle seeds
Zucchini Care
Zucchini care includes timely watering, top dressing, loosening and mulching the soil with the removal of weeds.
Watering
Watering the zucchini before flowering is enough once a week, and from the moment the ovaries appear it should be doubled: 5-10 liters of water / plant. Watering is carried out with warmed settled water directly under the root, so as not to cause rotting of the ovaries and leaves.
Top dressing
It is recommended to carry out 3 feeding for the whole season:
- in the phase of 3-4 real leaves, top dressing with the following composition: 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of potassium nitrate, 40 g of superphosphate / bucket of water; feed plants well with infusion of chicken flight (in a ratio of 1:20) or mullein (1:10) - 2 liters per plant;
- at the time of occurrence of ovaries: 50 g of superphosphate and potassium nitrate / 10 l of water;
- repetition of the previous feeding during the fruiting period.
Loosening and mulching
The complexity of this operation lies in the fact that in zucchini the roots are located very close to the soil surface. Therefore, loosening is carried out with caution, shallow. If you mulch the soil with a mixture of peat and humus, then loosening will be easier.
Over time, to improve the light regime, periodic removal of the lower leaves is required.
Video: how to get a lot of zucchini from one bush
Last year, this variety also attracted my attention, first of all with its unusual name (because our son is a rocket launcher who serves in the part where rocket launchers with the same name are in service). And in mid-May, I planted several Iskanders through seedlings, which beautifully suffered a transplant. In early June, a prolonged cold snap began, but Iskander stood it steadily, even the leaves did not turn yellow. The first fruits we were able to take off already in early July. Variety Iskander pleased us with abundant fruiting throughout the season, although the weather remained rainy and cold all summer. Now this hybrid will remain my favorite in the future.
Storage
Squash of Iskander variety is stored for up to six months, provided that for this purpose the fruits were torn off after the hardening of the skin. Otherwise, the fetus will begin to deteriorate much earlier.
Optimum storage temperature - not higher than +10aboutFROM. The room should be dry and dark.
Fruits can be stored in crushed frozen form.
Reviews
In 2015, I planted a row of zucchini, with Dutch seeds of the Iskander variety! This ultra-early hybrid zucchini, designed for mass production in open ground. The fruiting of this variety lasts more than two months! The fruits of zucchini are cylindrical in shape and 18-20 centimeters long, light green in color, and the flesh is simply snow-white! This variety is great for eating (very tasty when fried), and you can also make spins, I personally marinated, it turned out just super! A good variety, this year I’ll definitely plant a little more), which I advise you, you won’t regret it!
Matadork1 Ukraine, Sarata
//otzovik.com/review_4419671.html
Until I found a good grade of zucchini, I sow this hybrid. Although expensive seeds, but guaranteed as much as possible crop. Tasty, fruitful, do not go away for a long time. Sowed in 3 rows after 70 cm from each other, but it would not hurt to give more distance. From leaving - she only mulched with hay and often watered. Last year, from 15 seeds there were 13 bushes of squash. Planted in early May, a month later blossomed and tied, and on June 20 collected the first 9 kg of fruit, and fruiting continued until September 20 (after night they became too cold). Over the entire period I collected 60 kg, but this is not the limit: at the end of fruiting, I left large specimens on the bushes, which prevented new ovaries from developing. I didn’t need the young ones anymore, I wanted to prepare for the winter and check whether the old zucchini would lie in the house in winter like pumpkins, so I kept the last fruits on the bushes until the tails were dry. It turns out yes! The latter lay until March 1, as did the last pumpkin. Old fruits are delicious in vegetable stew.
Natalia, Kiev.
Source: //sortoved.ru/blog-post/sort-kabachka-iskander-f1
If you decide to get to know the Iskander zucchini closer, it's time to stock up on seeds. He will surely please a worthy crop if the conditions described in the article are met.