Gardeners who grow cucumbers of the White Angel variety are attracted by the unusual appearance and juiciness of the fruits. In the article you will read about the description and main characteristics of this variety, the features of its cultivation, care and harvest, as well as what preventive measures should be taken to protect cucumbers from pests and diseases.

Characterization and description of the variety

Find out in more detail what the bushes and fruits of this variety look like, what are the ripening and flowering periods of cucumbers, as well as the level of fruitfulness of the White Angel.

Appearance of the bush and fruits

The bush is vigorous and strongly branched, flowering mixed. It forms many shoots on the sides. The leaves on the bush are medium in size and dark green in color. In the node of the leaf sinuses 1-2 ovaries are formed. Fruits are oval-cylindrical, coarse, creamy white. Their length is 15–18 cm, weight is from 90 to 110 g. They have a thin peel, juicy aromatic pulp without bitterness. The seeds are small, the thorns are not prickly, white.

Ripening and flowering periods

The planting period of cucumbers of this variety is April and May. White Angel is a hybrid mid-season cultivar; 45-50 days pass from germination to fruiting.

Variety Fertility

The fruitiness of the variety is high, up to 4 kg of cucumbers can be collected from one bush. They can be consumed fresh, as well as make pickles and pickles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main difference between the White Angel cucumbers from other varieties is the originality of the color. White cucumbers look original both on the table and in glass jars. Also, the absence of coloring pigment in fruits is a positive factor for people with allergies.

• In addition, the White Angel variety has the following advantages:
• excellent taste;
• high productivity;
• good portability of transportation;
• resistance to changes in climatic and weather conditions.

• Cons of the variety are:
• low resistance to disease;
• fruits longer than 6 cm coarsen, their flesh becomes thin;
• in the second wave of the crop, watery pachyderms of pear-shaped fruit may appear.

Features of growing cucumbers

White Angel can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. Breathable, medium loamy soil is suitable for cucumber. Good precursors for the White Angel are onions, potatoes, peppers, cabbage.

Important! To protect seeds from pests, they must be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours.

Features of growing cucumbers in open ground:

1. It is necessary to choose a solar heated area, protected from the wind.
2. Germinated seeds need to be sown, but for safety, sowing should be done with a mixture of dry and germinated seeds.
3. Seeds are sown along or across the bed when the soil temperature is at least +14 ... + 15 ° С.
4. Along the bed you need to stretch the cord and draw two grooves at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, the depth should be 6-8 cm. The distance between the seeds should be 2-3 cm.

Features of growing cucumbers in a greenhouse:

1. Seedlings for the greenhouse are planted with a two-line ribbon, row spacing should be 16–20 cm. The holes in the rows should be staggered, depth 10–12 cm.
2. Before planting, a mixture of humus, peat or compost should be placed in each well, after adding 5-10 g of superphosphate and potassium salt there.
3. Pour 0.5–1 L of water into each well.
4. Place seedlings in the hole and cover with soil.

Care Features

Cucumber care consists of watering and top dressing, forming a bush, as well as taking care of the soil.

Watering and fertilizer

Insufficient amount of moisture affects the fruits badly, deforming them, making them bitter and soft, so you should pay special attention to watering. Water for irrigation should be warm and settled. Watering should be done every day after sunset, especially in dry weather. During the rainy season, watering the beds is necessary when the soil becomes dry.

Important! You need to water only the soil near the roots, without touching the fruits and leaves. They are allowed to spray only once a week with warm water.

Fertilizing the White Angel is necessary to enhance its growth and improve the quality of the fruit. During the growing season, it is recommended to carry out 2-3 feeding. For this variety, it is recommended to use a complex of organic and mineral fertilizers.

Nitrofoska, which is a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, is used as mineral fertilizer. Among organic fertilizers, mullein and bird droppings are popular. To 10 liters of water make 1 tsp. sulfate and 500 ml of mullein and let it brew for 2 hours. For 1 m² of cucumbers, 5-6 liters of solution are enough.

Bush formation

The White Angel does not need to form a bush, since fruiting occurs both on the central stem and on the side branches. However, some gardeners recommend timely removal of lateral shoots if there are too many of them.

Soil care

Weeding is an important procedure, as it allows not only to remove weeds, but also to help oxygen penetrate the roots of the plant, which contributes to the growth of the crop. Loosening is necessary when a dense crust appears on the ground. Thanks to loosening, weeds are prevented and oxygen is accessed by the roots.

Mulching has a positive effect on the White Angel variety. At the same time, the surface of the beds is covered with a layer of mulch (mowed grass or peat). Mulching helps attract earthworms to the beds that enrich the soil with humus.

Prevention and control of diseases and pests

The disadvantage of the White Angel variety is its low resistance to diseases and pests. However, with proper care, the likelihood of infection is extremely low.

To reduce the likelihood of pests and diseases, the following preventive measures must be observed:

• inspect the soil before planting seedlings or seeds to make sure there are no ants;
• regularly wipe the leaves of cucumbers with a damp cloth;
• to prevent overmoistening of the soil, this can cause rotting of the root system.

Did you know? The cucumber fruit is 95% water, and the potato tuber is 80%.

The White Angel variety may be susceptible to the following diseases:

1. Brown spotting. It is characterized by the appearance on the leaves of spots with a grayish-olive coating, which can pass on to the fruits. This can lead to plant death and large crop losses. In this case, in greenhouses it is necessary to do fumigation with sulfur dioxide, and in open ground - spray cucumbers with 1% Bordeaux liquid.
2. Mosaic virus. When this virus is affected, the leaves of the cucumber become mottled, they are deformed and curled downwards. This negatively affects the growth and development of culture. To combat this virus, weeds must be destroyed, deep plowing of plant debris should be carried out, and infected plants should be removed from the site.
3. Powdery mildew. It is characterized by the appearance of white plaque on the plant, as a result of which the leaves dry out and fruiting stops. Having noticed the first signs of this disease on cucumbers, they need to be sprayed immediately with Topsin or Bayleton fungicides.

Among the pests, the main ones for the White Angel are:

1. Aphid. These are insects 1.5–2 mm long of green or black color, which feed on the sap of the plant. Because of this, the leaves wither, and the flowers and ovaries fall off. With a large number of aphids, the plant may die. To combat this pest, it is necessary to treat cucumbers with tobacco infusion with the addition of laundry soap.
2. Spider mite. These insects attach to the bottom of the leaves and drink the juice of the plant. The leaves are covered with cobwebs, as a result of which they die. If this pest is found, it is necessary to treat the leaves with a soapy solution or spray the plant with Actellik.

Harvesting and storage

Harvesting should be carried out in July - August, without waiting for the fruit to outgrow. You need to take the fruits at least every 2 days, you can every other day. Tardiness leads to the appearance of coarse and large fruits, as well as to a decrease in the rate of their development.

Did you know? The longest cucumber was grown by Alf Cobb in the UK, in 2008, the length of the vegetable was 91.7 cm.

It is best to harvest in the early morning or late evening. Fruits should be separated without tearing by hand, but by cutting with a knife or secateurs so that the stalks remain on the lashes. Harvested fruits must be protected from the wind and the sun, placed in a cool place or covered with burlap.

To save fresh cucumbers for 1-2 weeks is possible in one of the following ways:

• wrap them in polyethylene;
• put in the pan with water legs down. In this case, water must be changed after 2-3 days;
• brush on washed fruit with egg white and let dry.

So, the cucumber White Angel is characterized by unpretentiousness, unusual color of fruits and high productivity. Now, knowing all the intricacies of caring for this variety, you can grow it in your garden without much hassle.