Proper planting and characterization of tomatoes "Rapunzel"

Tomatoes have long been valued by farmers for their nutritional properties and relatively high yields. For many years, breeders have been struggling to develop special varieties of tomatoes that would be small in size, which would greatly facilitate their transportation and harvest, as well as being easily grown at home, while maintaining the organoleptic properties of their large-fruited relatives. In the end, breeders succeeded in this - the result of their labors became cherry tomatoes, one of the varieties of which is Rapunzel. In this article you will find information about tomato "Rapunzel", a description of the variety, as well as learn about the features of planting and caring for them.

Description and photos of the variety

This variety got its name because of the ability to form long, cascading down brushes strewn with fruits that resemble the braids of the heroine of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm Rapunzel. Each brush contains about 40 neatly arranged in a symmetrical manner fruits very small in size. The weight of an average tomato of this variety does not exceed 30 g. Tastes are similar to those of other varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes.

Characteristics of "Rapunzel"

This variety was first presented at one of the agricultural exhibitions held in the USA in 2014. It was derived by the English company "FloraNova". The relatively small age of this variety of cherry tomatoes makes it hard to reach for purchase in our area, as its seeds simply have not yet begun to massively import into the country. The plant reaches a height of 180-240 cm. The variety is indeterminate, which indicates its ability to unlimited growth. In such varieties of tomatoes, the main stem can produce up to 40-50 brushes of the crop per year, and it is recommended to remove all minor ones.

Tomato ripening period is about 75-80 days. It is recommended to plant this variety of tomatoes after the threat of frost has passed, with the beginning of the spring period.

How to plant tomatoes

This view great for growing in containersHowever, it is rather difficult to imagine that such a tall variety can be grown on balconies. In general, the technology of planting these tomatoes is not much different from that of their large-fruited counterparts.

Selection and preparation of seeds

Seeds for breeding this variety of tomatoes in no case can not be taken from the hands, this is due to the already mentioned above, the low prevalence of this variety in our area.

Therefore, you should order seeds only in specialized stores or on the Internet.

Immediately before the planting process, the seeds should be held in warm water for several hours, and then treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to protect against various diseases and pests.

Sowing and caring for seedlings

The best time for sowing is from mid-March to early April. Seeds are sown in shallow grooves, which are formed with a pencil, in transplanting containers. Next, you need to cover the planted seeds with a shallow (up to 4 mm) layer of fertile soil and pour plenty of warm water over the seeds.

It is necessary to create favorable conditions for the germination of seedlings, which consist in maintaining the ambient temperature in the area + 25-28 ° C and providing 10-12 hour daylight hours. When creating such conditions, the first shoots should appear after 5-7 days.

Seedlings need to be watered as the soil dries, but one should not be overly zealous with waterings, because an abundance of moisture can irreversibly damage the root system of the shrubs, which ultimately leads to the death of the plants.

Picking

The optimal period for the picking can be considered the period when your seedlings will have 3-4 leaves on each seedling. For picking, it is necessary to prepare in advance containers with a volume of 250-500 ml, which must be filled with fertile soil.

In this state, the seedlings must be kept throughout the entire period up to the time of the intended landing. At the same time it is necessary to water the plants regularly, but again you should not over-plant the young tomatoes - this can lead to their death.

During this period, tanks with seedlings can already be carried out to the balcony, but only if the air temperature already reaches + 16-18 ° С. But even if it is still cold enough outside, a week before the intended landing, you will need to start carrying them out into the open air with the purpose of hardening.

Planting tomatoes in open ground

Transplantation in open ground should be made no later than the second half of June. Later transplantation will slow down the vegetative growth of the plant, as a result of which an outcome is quite likely, at which you will get a poor harvest or you will not see it at all.

Place to grow

Absolutely any available piece of land or a pot filled with soil can serve as a place for cultivation. The only requirement for a pot is its sufficient depth.

For normal growth and development of this variety of tomatoes, a rather long day of light is required, and therefore it is recommended to plant on well-lit areas. This tomato, due to its unlimited growth, doesn’t survive well in places prone to excessive wind blowing: the main stem, which already has to withstand a substantial weight of fruits, can break under the influence of air currents.

Landing pattern

To plant this variety of tomatoes is necessary in separate pots, or if planting is carried out in open ground or long capacity, the distance between the individual bushes should be at least 40-50 cm.

The holes in which the planting will be made should be at least 10 cm deep. It is advisable to try not to damage the root system when transplanting seedlings. At the bottom of each pit should be placed a mixture consisting of sand, peat and fertile soil in the ratio of 1: 1: 2. Next to each young plant, it is recommended to install solid and lightweight backup, as the plant by its biological nature has a rather large growth.Excellent companions for the cultivation of these tomatoes will serve digitalis, basil, thyme, carrot, marigold, lemon balm and asparagus.

Grade Care

This variety needs regular feedingthat need to be done at intervals of every two weeks. Fertilizer should be alternately organic and mineral fertilizers. Organic fertilizer is best suited diluted slurry or fresh manure in the ratio of 1:10, and from mineral it is best to use special complex, which are brought to a state of readiness for use on the basis of the attached instructions.

These tomatoes must be constantly pasynkovat, retaining only 1-2 main stems and removing young shoots, because they will only slow down the vegetative development of the main stems, while not bringing absolutely no benefit and not giving even the minimum yield. As the stem grows, it is necessary to fix it carefully to the support in order to prevent its damage. Fruits as ripening is regularly collected, which will allow the growth and development of new fruits. Thus, if you keep the plant in a comfortable and suitable for fruiting conditions, you can collect 3-4 crops in one year.

Features growing on the balcony

Due to its rather big growth, this variety of tomatoes is not very suitable for growing in apartment conditions, but if you still intend to grow it in such conditions, put the pot with it on the floor, which will allow the plant to grow to its full potential and grow to its maximum size .

In the event that the ceiling of your balcony is low, you can grow these tomatoes in containers suspended from the edges of the window frames. However, to comfortably harvest the fruit, the top of a bush growing in this way will need to be constantly pruned until it reaches the size you need.

Strictly control the amount of moisture that gets into the pots with your plants on rainy days, if necessary, cover the soil under them with plastic covers or plastic bags, because an excess of moisture can cause damage to the plant's root system, which ultimately leads to it doom

We hope that now it will be easy for you to decide whether you need to grow Rapunzel tomatoes after reviewing the description of the variety and the characteristics of their cultivation. Remember that the seeds of this variety are still quite difficult to find in our area, but if you wish, you can pay attention to the more common and at the same time quite similar to this variety other varieties of cherry tomatoes: "Supersvit", "Aprikot Dreams", "Bead" and "Black Cherry".