Zucchini hybrids are always in demand among summer residents due to their qualities enhanced by selection. Read about one of the most common varieties in our article.
Variety of squash Iskander
Leaves of squash Iskander spotted
The fruits of zucchini pale green
Description and characteristics of Iskander F1 variety
In recent years, the Dutch hybrid Iskander F1 has been gaining more and more popularity. Excellent productivity, unpretentiousness and early ripening puts him among the leaders among zucchini.
Growing region
The result of modern selection expands the geography of planting zucchini. Iskander will feel great both in the central part of Russia and in the Far Eastern region, will not be afraid of the short Siberian summer and will delight the Urals and the Volga region with his fruits. It was originally included in the State Register of selection achievements of Russia in the Lower Volga region for open ground.
Appearance
The plant is compact, powerful and bushy. Green leaves with pronounced spotting are large, of medium dissection.
The fruits of Iskander F1 are pale green in a small bright speck. They are small, club-shaped, tapering at the peduncle. The marketable weight varies between 500-700 g, the zucchini rarely reaches more than 20 cm in length. A thin peel with a barely noticeable wax coating is easily removed with a knife.
Productivity and field of application of fruits
Iskander F1 is famous for its high productivity: the maximum harvest reaches 916 kg / ha or up to 17 kg from one bush.
Productivity of a grade is higher than the standard of a vegetable marrow Gribovsky 37 almost 2 times!
The early ripeness of the variety allows you to collect excellent crops already 40-50 days after planting. Greenhouses and sheltered beds will allow vegetables to ripen even faster. The end of fruiting comes only with the first frost. Due to its excellent productivity and unpretentiousness, zucchini is recommended for industrial cultivation.
The unsurpassed taste of Iskander is preserved throughout the season. The pulp is creamy white, dense and tender. The variety is used for table purposes, does not lose its properties when frozen and preserved.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The variety is characterized by good resistance to common diseases of squash. To maintain resistance to disease, prevention is best suited: maintaining crop rotation, maintaining optimal moisture levels, regular weeding and loosening. Repeated planting and planting in the ground after or near the representatives of pumpkin are not allowed.
Planting and growing zucchini Iskander F1
There are two main ways to plant zucchini:
- seedling;
- planting seeds in the ground.
Let's consider each of them in more detail.
Seedling method
Seedlings are more time-consuming and expensive, but the first harvest will please 2-3 weeks earlier. Sowing seedlings begins about a month before active work in the garden.
Seed preparation
Preparation of seeds for seedlings is carried out in the following order:
- soaking in a solution stimulating growth of up to 24 hours;
- storage of seeds in wet tissue for 24-48 hours at a temperature of 22-24 degrees.
In hybrid varieties, independent seed collection is not possible. It is better to buy high-quality sowing material from trusted suppliers.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For active plant growth, it is advisable to use fertilized soil. As additives, peat, manure, humus are suitable.
You can independently prepare a breeding ground for seedlings. To do this, you will need:
- sawdust 1 part;
- peat 5 parts;
- humus 5 parts;
- 0.5 cups of ash and 5 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 l of the mixture.
It is best to plant seeds in peat molds, because young zucchini do not like transplanting. Or, when planting in open ground, transfer plants along with the ground so as not to injure the roots.
Tanks for planting are filled with prepared soil and watered, seeds are laid to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Seedling Care
Seedling care includes watering, top dressing and maintaining a favorable temperature regime. Before the shoots appear, the ideal temperature will be 18-25 degrees, after 17-20 degrees during the day and 13-15 at night. Watering seedlings is carried out exclusively with warm water every 5-7 days.
During the growth of the plant, you can carry out 2 dressings - a week after germination, then another after the same period of time. For the first time, a solution is prepared at the rate of 0.5 tsp. urea per liter of water with a flow rate of 0.5 cups per plant. The second time - 1 tsp. nitrophoski per liter, flow rate - 200-250 ml per sprout.
Transplanting seedlings into the soil occurs after the end of the frost, when 2-3 real leaflets have already grown in the plant.
Planting seeds in the ground
Prepared seeds are planted immediately in the soil, but strictly in well-warmed-up temperature at a depth of 5-6 cm not lower than 8-10 degrees. Germination will largely depend on the location and quality of the soil.
Seat selection
The main factor in choosing a landing site is the quality of the land. An ideal option would be light soil with neutral acidity on the sunny side. Groundwater should not be too close, and the soil needs good warming throughout the entire period of plant growth.
Ideally, if the sowing takes place after potatoes, onions, solanaceous or legumes.
Soil preparation
Zucchini, like any vegetables, love fertile land, so top dressing is extremely important for a high harvest. But before conducting it, it is important to consider the type of soil. For example, acidic soil should be alkalinized, and neutral fertilizer should be sufficient.
For maximum effect, alkalization is carried out in autumn.
Options for fertilizing the soil in the table:
Soil type | Type of fertilizer per 1 square. m |
Sandy | Peat or turf 10 kg and 2 kg of sawdust or compost, a handful of ash |
Clay / loam | 2-3 kg of peat or turf and compost or sawdust, a handful of ash |
Peaty | 10 kg of turf or compost, a handful of ash, 15-20 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate |
Landing pattern
To ensure proper nutrition of plants, it is recommended to observe the planting scheme of 150-200 × 60-70 cm.
Wells of 15-20 cm deep and about 30 cm wide are prepared for seedlings, the seeds are planted to a depth of 4-6 cm. They are abundantly watered and a mixture of humic fertilizer and azofoska is introduced.
Seedlings are transplanted into the open ground in the evening or in cloudy weather.
Features zucchini care Iskander F1
Iskander F1 is a very unpretentious variety, but due care and care will allow you to get the maximum harvest of excellent quality.
Watering
Zucchini tolerates dry weather well, but for full growth and development, watering about 20 liters per bush is required. It is especially important at the beginning of the growing season, when the plant is only gaining strength.
For irrigation, it is necessary to monitor the drying of the soil, on average 1-2 times a week will be enough. It is produced with warm water directly on the ground under the root to avoid rot on the leaves and ovary.
Top dressing
Regular application of fertilizers increases the yield by 40-50%. The optimal is 3 feeding per season:
- in the presence of 3-4 true leaflets;
- at the beginning of the appearance of the ovary:
- during fruiting.
The first addition of additives is carried out with the following mixture: 20 g of ammonia and potassium nitrate, 40 g of superphosphate per bucket of water. A good option would be to add a solution of chicken droppings (1 to 20) or mullein (1 to 10) in a volume of 2 liters per plant.
In the second and third feeding, the nutritional composition is prepared from 50 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium nitrate per bucket of water.
Zucchini does not like chlorine-based fertilizers.
Spraying
Spraying zucchini has 2 goals:
- increased resistance to pests and diseases;
- Attraction of insects for better pollination.
To increase the immunity of a plant for spraying, folk remedies can be used: infusions of onion and garlic husks, tobacco infusion or a solution of ash and soap.
To attract pollinators, a sweetened solution is used: 5 g of boric acid is dissolved in a bucket of water, sugar is added. This option is relevant for greenhouse zucchini.
Loosening, weeding and mulching
Loosening the soil will increase its throughput for moisture, air and heat. But it will require special care due to the roots of the vegetable marrow located close to the surface. Mulching with peat and humus will simplify this task.
Weeding is done as weeds grow. Particularly carefully monitor them during the period of active plant growth. After large leaves of zucchini begin to clog the growth of other plants, and the bed will remain almost clean.
Harvesting and storage
The early ripeness of Iskander makes it possible to collect the first vegetables within 40-45 days after germination. Remove zucchini from the bush in dry weather 2-3 times a week. An unusual feature of the variety is that the higher the fees, the more new the ovary.
Well-ripened vegetables can be stored in the basement for up to 6 months at temperatures up to +10 degrees. Maturity is easy to check: the peel becomes harder and does not lend itself to scratches, and the sound when tapped is dull.
Taste qualities of Iskander F1 are preserved during preservation and freezing.
Pests and diseases
Zucchini can be affected by disease or pests. The main signs of defeat and methods of control are given in the table:
Disease / pest | Signs of defeat | Treatment |
Anthracnose | Growing light spots on the leaves, the foliage turns brown and dries. | Removing diseased parts, spraying with Bordeaux fluid. |
Powdery mildew | Powdery white coating with a tendency to increase the area of damage. | Processing infusion of mullein or hay. |
Gray rot | Growing patches of decay on ovaries and flowers. | Soil replacement, phosphate fertilizers, removal of affected areas, reasonable crop rotation. |
Peronosporosis | Light spots on the leaves, leading to drilling and drying. | Removing diseased parts, spraying with Bordeaux fluid. |
Spider mite | Numerous bright spots, spots, the leaf turns yellow and dies. | Removing diseased leaves, spraying with tincture of hot pepper. |
Gourd aphids | Affected flowers, ovary and leaves dry up and die. | Removal and burning of diseased parts of the bush, treatment of karbofos. |
Whitefly | Infection with sooty mushrooms, leaves die. | Treatment with Confidor or Fosbecid. |
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The undoubted advantages of Iskander F1 include:
- early ripening;
- high productivity;
- long fruiting period;
- wide geography of landings;
- long-term storage;
- resistance to pests and diseases.
The only drawback is the impossibility of independent seed procurement due to the hybridity of the variety.
Reviews of zucchini Iskander F1
Mikhail, 35 years old, engineer, Voronezh. The variety accidentally came to hand when purchasing seeds. Planted only 2 seeds out of 5, both sprouted. The one that grew near the fireplace in the garden, pleased with a large harvest. Surprisingly, he did not succumb to garden ants. And how good sliced and fried in a pan! I definitely recommend it.
Nadezhda, 45 years old, housewife, Rostov-on-Don.I love Iskander for its early maturation, planting every year. We collect the last crop in late autumn. It tastes just wonderful, and even a friend losing weight! I recommend to everyone!
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High-yielding, early ripening, unpretentious, gentle, persistent - all this is about the Iskander F1 hybrid zucchini. Delight yourself with delicious vitamins from the garden, without making huge efforts.
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Russia. City: Bryansk
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