Cucumbers are grown everywhere, and each mistress has her favorites, who each year occupy an honorable place in the garden. Often one of the "favorites" in the garden stands cucumber varieties "Elegant" - quite popular and sought-after variety, which has been grown since 1971, so in this article we will look at its detailed characteristics and description, we will clarify whether it belongs to a variety or a hybrid, highlight features of planting and care in the home.
Appearance and description of the variety
It is worth noting that the "Elegant" is definitely a variety and has nothing to do with hybrids, as many think.
Cucumber shoots are medium-length, capable of forming five side branches, and the fruits appear within a month or two after sowing, which characterizes the variety as early ripe.
Did you know? Cucumbers come from the Himalayas, there to this day the plant grows in the wild. It is authentically known that a cucumber, as a domesticated vegetable, is more than 6 thousand years old.
Fruit characteristics
When describing cucumber varieties "Graceful" it should be noted that the fruits have an elliptical shape and reach about 150 g in weight. In length, greens can grow up to an average of 12 cm. Often beautiful, even and of the same size cucumbers. Fruit pulp has a pleasant crunch, density, lack of bitterness. Peel Zelentsov different small bumps that have small white spikes. 
Check out the most popular cucumber varieties: Siberian Festoon, Hector, Crispina, Taganay, Lukhovitsky, Real Colonel, Masha, Competitor, Zozulya, Paltchik, Nezhinsky "and" Courage ".
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of the variety "Elegant" can be identified:
- excellent taste of Zelentsov;
- resistance to diseases and pests, not exposed to olive blotch;
- the ability to be a pollinator for other varieties of cucumbers;
- resistance to low temperatures;
- fresh, canned and salted, with equally good taste;
- quick adaptation to a variety of weather conditions.
The main disadvantage of this variety is considered to be a thick rind of cucumbers, which can be seen when eating fresh fruit. 
Agrotechnology
In order for the "Graceful" cucumbers to bear fruit well, it is necessary to follow the recommendations in order to ensure favorable growing conditions and plant care tips.
Landing
Of course, the fruits of the “Graceful” cucumber grown in a greenhouse ripen faster, but in order to facilitate their work, they recommend planting cucumber seeds immediately in open ground, provided that the soil is heated not less than 15 degrees.
Planting material should be soaked in any stimulating growth medium before sowing. 
Sowing of seeds should be carried out to a depth of about 2 cm.
It is recommended to sow in the previously treated soil, which has been prepared since the autumn period. These activities are necessary to the soil was loose and fertile, with a high content of humus. In order for the soil to have such characteristics, it is necessary to embed organic matter into the excavated soil to a depth of about 15 cm in the autumn period. Before spring, it will decompose, generate heat, as well as nutrients that will contribute to the rapid and active growth of seedlings.
Did you know? The greenhouses, which for the first time in history were built to grow plants all year round, were designed specifically for cucumber - the favorite vegetable of the ancient Roman emperor Tiberius.
Before the seedlings sprout, you should water the soil regularly as it dries. It will not be superfluous to also carry out the shelter of the bed with any covering material in order to retain heat and humidity.
When the first shoots appear, it is necessary to establish supports so that the shoots of cucumbers grow vertically. Such manipulation is necessary in order to save space and provide the plant with the normal formation of bushes, as well as to simplify the care of them.
Watering rules
"Elegant" loves frequent and regular watering. Important is the fact that watering should be carried out with warmer water than room water.
Water the bushes in the evening. Approximately 1 square. m should use about 5 liters of water. 
Important! In rainy and cloudy weather, watering should be reduced.
The formation of the bush - the key to excellent harvest
In order for the harvest to be of high quality, it is necessary to provide the plant with an artificial bush formation. The roots of the culture are weak, so they cannot fully provide the green stuff with liquid and necessary substances, which can provoke their withering and loss of color. To facilitate the growth of shoots, it is necessary to remove some of their parts. This procedure is carried out at the stage of early development.
Shrub formation occurs by pinching. To carry out this procedure correctly, it is necessary to count the third sheet from the soil and remove the rest. If the culture is weakened, the procedure must be performed, counting out the sixth sheet. After this manipulation, the bush should consist of about 6 lashes.
Harvesting
Collection of ripe greenberries should be carried out every day. This will help activate the growth of the ovary and the formation of a new one.
It is necessary to collect cucumbers by pinching off or unscrewing the fruit from escaping, in order to prevent the loss of juice from greens.
The first formed fruit on each bush should be plucked in its immature state. It is not recommended during the fruiting period to allow the fruits to outgrow. 
Conditions for maximum fruiting
In order for the “Graceful” variety of cucumbers to be distinguished by high yields, it is necessary to regularly feed the plants with ready-made fertilizers, which alternate with dry, mullein or poultry manure.
If cucumbers grow in a poorly lit place, they should be regularly fed with potassium.
A prerequisite for the normal development of bushes is loosening the soil in the garden.
Do not forget about the prevention of diseases and pests and conduct regular spraying. For example, to prevent the development of powdery mildew on plants, it is recommended to carry out the treatment with Topaz according to the instructions. In order to prevent the occurrence of root rot, it is recommended to use the Previcur solution according to the instructions. Other diseases and pest damage do not imply prophylactic treatment, they should be dealt with at the first sign of occurrence.
The best predecessors for cucumbers are: all types of cabbage, solanaceous: (tomatoes, potatoes), dill, parsley, carrots, beets and rhubarb.
High Yield: Fruit Processing Tips
Fresh cucumbers can quickly lose moisture, fade and poorly stored, so when they are still fresh, they should be processed. They can be salted, pickled or canned.
During pickles their taste will depend on the taste characteristics of the variety, as well as the correct preparation of fruits for pickling, the selected container, as well as maintaining a normal storage temperature of about 18 degrees. If the storage temperature is below 15 degrees, then lactic acid bacteria will develop very slowly, which will slow down the ripening of the product. If the air temperature is above 22 degrees, then the fermentation process will occur with lightning speed, which will contribute to the release of gases, which are associated with the active development of bacteria, worsening the quality of the product. It is very important to use spices and salt in sufficient quantities in order to inhibit the development of putrefactive and buty acid bacteria, as well as harmful microorganisms. 
It is recommended to make the process of pickling cucumbers in wooden or glass containers. Wooden containers should be thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water. Also during pickling at home, such containers should be rubbed with garlic. Glass container is recommended to thoroughly wash with hot water. To pickle cucumbers in barrels, you should purchase a wooden tank that will have a volume of no more than 100 liters, it is also desirable that it be made of hardwood trees.
Important! The finished product will be much tastier if you lay out the barrel with a plastic bag.
For processing in this way, not over-ripe cucumbers, which will be about 12 cm long, will be suitable. You should also select high-quality and healthy fruits, picked no more than a day ago. Selected fruits before salting should be thoroughly washed and soaked for 7 hours in cold water in order to seal the pulp.
Spices can be used any, depending on personal preferences. It is necessary to put cucumbers in layers, which are poured with spices, after which everything is poured with brine.
Marinut cucumbers by adding acetic acid. That is, the preservative effect of acids occurs. The difference between pickling and salting, where the acid is formed naturally, is the addition of acid in an artificial way. Choose the fruits for pickling should be the same way as for salting, only soaking in cold water takes 3 hours. 
For pickling choose a glass container about 3 liters. Before laying the fruit, the container should be well washed and steamed. Spices are used to taste and depend on personal preferences.
Cucumbers tightly placed in a glass jar, peppered with spices, then - pour marinade. It is possible to consume such cucumbers after 15 days.
Process conservation very similar to marinating. The only difference is that after the cucumbers are well marinated, the brine is poured, boiled, the liquid is added and the cucumbers are again poured with this brine and rolled up with a lid. We should not forget about the pasteurization of canned cucumbers, it should be carried out at a temperature of about 90 degrees. 
Thus, growing a variety of cucumbers "Graceful" at home is quite simple, the main thing is to follow the recommendations of planting and caring for plants, as well as to know some tricks on how to increase yields with the help of simple manipulations, which are described in detail in this article.
