Tomato "Gulliver" is an early maturing, determinant tomato variety, according to its characteristics - for greenhouses and film greenhouses. In the southern regions of the country, it can be cultivated in beds. Although the tomato was recently developed by breeders, it is already popular among gardeners for its high yields and unpretentious care. The plant, according to the description, has a low bush up to 70 cm, it gets used to extreme conditions perfectly and has tasty, juicy fruits.
Description and characteristics of tomato Gulliver
It is recommended to form the plant into 2 or 3 stems. Due to carpal development, the branches become heavy during fruit ripening, so they need to be tied up.
Fruit formation occurs 80 days after the first shoots appear, and tomatoes bear fruit from July to October. With proper care from the bush, you can collect up to 7 kg a tomato.
Tomatoes on bushes are formed in clusters of 4-6 tomatoes in each cluster.
The fruits are red with a dense skin, fruit length 10-12 cm. Tomatoes of the "Gulliver" variety are cylindrical, with a rounded top, fleshy, large in size.
Weight can reach from 130 to 200 grams... The fruits retain their shape well, do not crack, and easily tolerate transportation. Delicate, juicy pulp has a pleasant, sweet taste. The fruits are perfect for preparations in the form of tomato paste, lecho, juice and simple salting.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The Gulliver variety was bred not so long ago, but it has already acquired a reputation among gardeners and, undoubtedly, it has its own advantages:
- It has high yield, from individual bushes up to 7 kg;
- Minimal care... The tomato is unpretentious during growth, is not susceptible to diseases, so it does not need to be further processed;
- Fruits are great for salads, juice, sauce, and at the same time are suitable for whole fruit canning;
- Due to early maturation, the plant manages to avoid damage by late blight.
The disadvantages include the fact that requires a constant garter of fruiting branches and weak pollination in greenhouses in inclement weather.
Soil and requirements for it when planting seeds
When planting seeds, gardeners usually buy ready-made soil for tomatoes in stores. But for various reasons, this is not always done this way: someone does not trust the purchased mixture in a store, someone lives far from stores.
When preparing a nutritional formula on your own, you must comply with certain requirements for it. It is advisable to prepare the soil from autumn... To do this, cook the ingredients, mix them and leave the earth in a cold place. By freezing the soil, we thereby disinfect it. You can also steam or pour boiling water for disinfection.
It is impossible to roast the land for planting seeds in the oven, as a result of which, all the life-giving flora in it disappears.
To plant seeds, the soil must be:
- Loose;
- Fertile... The optimal amount of organic matter and minerals must be added to it;
- With a neutral level of acidity and with live microflora;
There are many recipes for the composition of soil for planting seeds, here are a few of them:
- One part of the earth is mixed with the same amount of humus, sod land and mix everything. Then in 10 liters of water we dissolve 10 grams of carbamide, 30 grams of superphosphate and 25 grams of potassium sulfate and water the prepared soil to moisture.
- Mix two parts of sod land with one part of humus and add one part of river sand there. Then add half a liter of wood ash to this composition and mix everything, pouring water to moisture.
Planting seeds and features of growing seedlings
Due to the fact that the variety early ripe, the seeds must be sown 80-90 days before the fruits ripen. For the seedlings to sprout faster, you need to let the seeds hatch. To do this, put them on a damp cloth, then in a plastic bag and put in a warm place on the battery, periodically checking the humidity.
Seeds show sprouting usually in 4-5 days. After you have prepared the nutrient mixture and seeds, you need to start planting directly. To do this, we pour drainage in the form of expanded clay into a plastic container, then the earth and water it.
We sow seeds in each container two each for a guarantee. In this case, for convenience, pre-make recesses. We cover with foil and put on the windowsill, in a lighted place. As soon as the seedlings appear, the film must be removed.
When growing seedlings, it is important to observe three conditions: soil moisture, temperature (at first 23-24 degrees, then 17-19 degrees) and illumination for 12 hours.
Planting seedlings in the ground
The variety "Gulliver" is early maturing and it is intended mainly for for planting in greenhouses, so let's dwell on this in more detail. It is better to renew the land in the greenhouse and then process it with copper sulfate (30 grams per bucket of water). Ventilate the greenhouse, then dig up ridges of humus.
Fresh manure cannot be added to the soil in spring, since all the nutritional power will go to the tops. You can plant in an unheated greenhouse May 15-20when the temperature there will be about 25 degrees.
Seedlings before planting need temper... To do this, take it out for 4-5 days in the air, gradually increasing the time.
The optimal period for seedlings is a period of one and a half months, since during this time the root system has time to form well. Make holes according to the traditional scheme 45 × 50 cm... When planting, it is important not to deepen the growth point in the ground (approximately 15 cm). After transplanting, the plants must be watered abundantly, but not until damp.
Care
To get a good harvest of tomatoes, you need to follow certain agricultural techniques while doing this. This means:
- Hilling... You need to huddle the first time on the 10th day after planting, then do it every two weeks;
- Loosening... Constantly monitor the root system so that the soil around it is always loose;
- Stealing... Regularly carry out the removal of axillary inflorescences, having previously formed a bush into one, two or three branches;
- Watering... You need to water it as the soil dries up, in the evening, and with warm water (heated in a barrel).
Mineral elements effectively affect plant growth.
For the first time, fertilizing with phosphorus is done 2-3 weeks after planting the seedlings. The second time with ammonium nitrate, - during the formation of fruits.
Diseases and prevention of tomatoes
In greenhouses, when growing tomatoes, are especially dangerous caterpillar gnawing scoop... They can be collected by hand, or treated with an infusion of wormwood. There is also a lot of trouble from the whitefly. Its larvae stick to the bottom of the leaf.
To combat them, use the drug: 10 ml of the drug Phosbecid in 10 liters of water. Also affect plant growth and other diseases such as late blight and brown spot... They also need to be dealt with in a timely manner with certain formulations.
Growing a crop is not an easy task for a gardener. The main thing is to observe the necessary conditions for plant growth and to understand the patterns of their development. And the time will come, and you will certainly have a bountiful harvest.