Some types of dwarf tomato varieties are available to the consumer, among which many gardeners have received great recognition for the “Balcony Miracle” hybrid. He, like cherry, does not take up much space and bears fruit with juicy and appetizing berries. Consider the intricacies of growing a variety, its description and characteristics.
How to grow tomatoes Balcony miracle
All varieties of tomatoes, including dwarf varieties, need sunlight for full development, at least 6-8 hours a day.
Growing tomatoes at home
It is recommended to use unglazed pots to grow the variety at home and properly care for it. They breathe well, with good drainage holes.
After transplanting seedlings into a stationary container, the tomatoes are fed with phosphorus fertilizer (bone meal) and continue to do this every two to three weeks throughout the growing season.
How to grow indoors
Plant in the house placed in a warm and sunny place... This is usually a south or southwest facing window. In winter, artificial lighting will have to be added so that the plant is guaranteed to receive the necessary portion of light. The preferred room temperature is 18-25 ° C.
It is believed that the "Balcony Miracle" does not need to be tied up, but an effective support structure will not prevent the plant from bending under its own weight. It will provide good air circulation in the interior of the plant.
A metal lattice, a simple trellis or elastic wire is used, directed vertically from the top down and fixed to the soil surface with a short wooden peg.
Home care
The garden soil is too heavy for growing potted tomatoes - overly compact and potentially containing disease-causing organisms. Tomatoes are very susceptible to soil pests.
Priming
For best results, fill the pots with high-quality bio-soil or potting soil, purchased from a specialist store or prepared yourself, which will provide good air and moisture circulation, much needed by the plant, will stimulate vigorous root development.
The topsoil should be about 3cm below the edge of the pot so you can add mulch to keep it moist. Traditional mulching materials are used: straw, chopped bark, leaves or newspaper. The layer is renewed as needed during the growing season.
Watering
Proper watering is the key to success in growing the Balcony Miracle. The soil must be persistently moist, but not oversaturated... How much water the plant needs is checked by touch every two days. If the topsoil is dry, it's time to water.
A tray is placed under the pot to drain water through the soil and drainage holes; the plant absorbs this additional moisture during the day. When growing multiple potted tomatoes, a drip irrigation system helps to reduce watering time.
Top dressing
Tomatoes grown in containers are fed with organic fertilizers every two weeks. You can do this more often, especially during the flowering period, as nutrients are flushed out of the pot with each watering.
Tomatoes outdoors pollinated by wind... At home, a desktop fan aimed at the plant will help achieve the same effect. Alternatively, pollination is carried out with a cotton swab.
Outdoor cultivation
Tomatoes are a risky crop for open ground, but the Balkonnoe Miracle variety, which ripens faster than many other varieties, is a suitable option in this regard. It can be cultivated in almost any region, taking into account the climatic characteristics.
Seedling preparation takes six to eight weeks... Before transplanting it into open ground, you need to wait until the threat of frost has passed, and then start hardening, gradually, within 10 days, introducing tomatoes into nature.
Acclimatization of seedlings to external conditions helps them to adapt well. Saplings are put outside for several hours a day in a calm and shaded place. If necessary, a covering material is pulled over the seedlings from the windward side.
Each time they are left for a while longer and gradually increase the insolation, pushing the plants out of the shade. After five or six days, the seedlings are left overnight. and in the following days they are not brought into the room (if the danger of frost has passed).
Tomatoes are ready for transplanting outdoors when night temperatures are consistently above 10 ℃.
How to grow outdoors
The culture requires a planting site in an open, well-lit area with 8 hours or more direct sunlight, adequate protection from strong winds.
The ideal soil acidity level for growing "Balcony Miracle" is between 6 and 6.8. If you need to adjust the pH, it will take several months, and you need to start well in advance, in the fall.
With excessive acidity resort to the method of liming (application of lime fertilizers: wood ash, dolomite flour, slaked lime, etc.). Strong alkalinity, which has an adverse effect on plant development, is neutralized with a weak solution of sulfuric acid.
Temperature regime
When planting outdoors, the air temperature should be above 10 ℃ at night, but the soil always stays colder. The warmer the soil, the faster the tomatoes will grow!
One way to keep her warm is to cover the area with plastic black wrap for several weeks before planting after preparing the beds. It absorbs heat from the sun during the day and directs it into the soil at night.
In cold climates with a short growing season, the film is left for several weeks after the tomatoes are planted by placing the seedlings in the ground through small incisions in it.
Weeds
The soil is cleared of weeds, loosened to a depth of at least 20 centimeters using a cultivator (or a pitchfork). A 5-cm layer of compost is spread on the surface and thoroughly mixed with the soil.
Fertilizers
Composting with the addition of an adequate amount of fertilizer or rotted manure is a prerequisite for giving tomatoes a good start for healthy development. Dig a hole a few centimeters deeper than the size of the pot with a seedling and distribute the dressing.
Bone flour with a high phosphorus content - one of the best remedies for strengthening the roots. Three weeks after planting, a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content (blood meal, fish emulsion) is added to the surface to support vegetative growth.
Landing frequency
It is often tempting to plant tiny dwarf hybrid seedlings as close together as possible. The recommended spacing for good air flow between bushes is 50 centimeters. Crowding contributes to the spread of fungal diseases.
Increasing drought tolerance
Each seedling is removed from the container by gently loosening the roots. Seedlings are planted as deep as possible, leaving only the upper leaves above the surface. Technique that death sentence for many plants, real help for tomatoes largely.
It increases drought resistance, wind resistance, stimulates the strengthening of the root system. The soil is compacted around the seedlings with hands and watered.
Planting tomatoes in open ground after the last frost is considered the standard rule. Biodynamic advocatestuned to space impacts in agriculture and crop production, grown according to the lunar calendar, which indicates favorable and unfavorable times for planting tomatoes.
Outdoor care requirements
In general, the culture has a low need for water, and waterlogging stimulates the development of diseases. After that, the fruits will begin to form, water the tomatoes only when the soil dries up 2-3 centimeters below the surface. On hot days, when the leaves become lethargic, you may need to do this daily.
Water the soil around the plant (leaves and stems do not tolerate getting wet) in the morning, which will allow excess moisture to evaporate during the day, but at the same time deliver the amount that the roots need.
After three or four weeks of growth the beds are mulched with a thick layer of straw or dry leaves to retain moisture in the soil and prevent fungal spores and weed growth.
Tomatoes are a thermophilic culture. Temperatures of 25-30 ствуют promote better growth and faster flowering. In the open field, tomatoes are fed with phosphorus fertilizer every three weeks.
Tomatoes grow thicker than their immune systems can handle. New shoots growing from the main stems, which draw valuable energy from the developing fruit, need to be pruned, helping to form an open and spreading plant shape.
A great a way to protect the plant from insect peststhat weaken it and make it more susceptible to disease - planting companion plants. Basil, garlic, nasturtium, sown nearby, works as a victim for white flies, marigolds scare away aphids.
Seedling Balcony Miracle
It is possible to save the seeds from the ripe fruit for future seedlings, but given that the "Balcony Miracle" is a hybrid variety, like most other varieties of cultivated tomatoes, it is unlikely that it will be possible to grow a plant identical to the original.
It's easier to buy ready-made packaged seeds in the store and drop them off indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost.
How to choose seeds for seedlings
The small print on the sachet usually says “deterministic”. This is an important aspect to understand the type of growth. Indicates that the plant will grow to a genetically defined size and then stop (size must be indicated on the bag).
Indeterminate varieties grow indefinitely until cold temperatures or other natural phenomena stop them.
Correct soil preparation
For seeds, prepare any containers that hold the soil well and have drainage holes. A good option is plastic strawberry containers or other berries.
They are deep enough, perforated, and have lids that will help keep the seeds moist. It is convenient to use moistened peat (biodegradable) pots.
Seeds previously disinfected in a weak manganese solution (seeds purchased at the store have already been processed) are sown in a ready-made or self-prepared potting soil:
- 1/3 of the compost;
- 1/3 vermiculite;
- 1/3 peat moss.
Planting seeds for seedlings
Balcony Chudo tomatoes are grown throughout the year. Considering planning, the best time to plant seeds to get fruit for the New Year holidays is mid-September. In spring, fruiting will begin if the seedlings are prepared at the beginning of winter.
In each containerfilled with organic soil, plant two seeds (for insurance), to a depth of approximately 1.5 cm (or three times the size of the seed) and watered thoroughly.
It is important that they remain moist until germination begins, but not soggy, if they dry out, they will die. The containers are covered with plastic wrap (for greenhouse effect) and placed in a warm place that maintains a temperature of 21-27 ° C.
Seedling care
The seeds germinate after one to two weeks, after which they are moved to a warm, at least 18 ° C, and bright place. When four leaves appear on the seedlings, they are carefully transplanted into deeper containers.
Lay on the bottom 3 cm layer of soil substrate, on which the tip of the root is set and carefully fill the pot with soil, covering most of the stem of the plant: the leaves should be slightly above the soil surface.
Before transplanting into stationary containers or into open ground, when the seedlings reach a height of 15 cm, the new leaves are pinched off, leaving no more than three sets.
For optimal growth, seedlings need adequate lighting, 12 to 16 hours of light per day. Lack of light leads to stretching and thinning of the stems... In winter, fluorescent lamps work well as a source.
Possible problems when growing a variety
The dwarf hybrid is resistant to diseases, but in any case, one must remember that the causative agents of Alternaria, late blight and Septoria blight develop in a moist environment.
Watering is carried out approximately every ten days with water at room temperature, previously settled. Running water, saturated with chlorine, has a detrimental effect on the development of culture.
For the variety curling of leaves in the upper part is characteristic plants during the day. But this should not cause concern, by the evening they, as a rule, straighten up.
To increase the yield of tomatoes, the first fruits are removed at the initial stage, leaving to ripen in a dark place at a temperature of at least 13 ° C with a low level of humidity (in the basement or garage). This measure stimulates the emergence of new fruits.
Features of the variety
Variety "Balconnoe Miracle", bred by Russian breeders specifically for growing both in compact conditions, on windowsills, on balconies, and in the open field.
Characteristic
Dwarf hybrid characterized by ultra-early ripening, with a ripening period of 85-100 days after planting... Forms a compact bush up to 30-40 centimeters high. Small, rounded, intensely red berries, weighing about 20-30 g and measuring 3 cm in diameter, ripen in a short time (usually 2-3 weeks).
Description
Suitable for small pots, but the larger the container, the better the root system develops and, as a result, the more abundant fruiting and the larger the berries. “Balcony Miracle” is the quintessence of sweet-tart tomato flavor, perfect for salads and snacks, as well as for canning.
Defined as an active deterministic variety, this means that with careful care, the crop can bear fruit twice a year.
Tomatoes need a lot of space to develop a full-fledged root system. The ideal container size (for deterministic varieties) is 45 cm in diameter. holds enough soilwhich retains water and nutrients well, the most important elements for plant health and good yields.
Fruit
"Balcony Miracle" is adapted for growing in semi-shaded conditions, but it is better not to forget that all varieties of tomatoes prefer light and heat, which directly affect fruiting.
With proper care each bush is capable of bringing up to two kilograms of harvest.
Is it true that this is a variety for growing on the balcony
You can grow "Balcony Miracle" both on the balcony or indoors, and in the garden. Neither method is prioritized, although fruit size varies by location. In the open field, they form larger in size than indoors.
Indoor tomato cultivation removes the limitations that come with outdoor gardening. This means there is no concern in hard climates about the time to land.
but most types of tomatoes are tall or bulkyto grow comfortably at home. That is why the balcony miracle is so popular with vegetable growers.