Every gardener dreams of a rich harvest of tomatoes. Moreover, tomatoes should not only be many, they should grow large. For an agronomist, such a culture is a reason for pride.
The article will tell you in detail about how to get large-sized tomatoes on your plot. What difficulties may arise in the process of cultivation, which varieties will produce the largest fruits, how to choose the soil, capacity and how to prepare the seeds, as well as how to plant and grow such tomatoes.
Difficulties and features of growing large tomatoes
To achieve a good harvest of tomatoes, the weight of which exceeds 300 grams, is very difficult. To succeed, It is important to consider some features.:
- in central Russia, large tomatoes in the open field will not have time to ripen, so they should be planted only in greenhouse conditions. In the south of the country, this crop can be planted in an open area (for cultivation of tomatoes in the open field, read here);
- Tomatoes need a special formation, which we describe below;
- you will also need to take care of good props, because the fruit can break all the shoots;
- for growing such large tomatoes will require good and long-lasting lighting and high air temperature;
- this crop is suitable for fresh use, as well as for the preparation of tomatoes and ketchups, but not pickling;
- the frequency of dressings increases as these tomatoes require more nutrients;
- the storage time of such fruits is longer due to their thick skin;
- tomatoes need additional wind protection;
- the term of ripening is later compared to small-fruited varieties;
- demanding care.
Sorta
Miracle of the earth.- Alsou.
- Black elephant
- Delicious.
- King of Siberia.
- Koenigsberg.
- The Tsar Bell.
- Grandee
- A great warrior.
- Bull forehead.
- Pride of Siberia.
- Pink honey
- Favorite holiday.
- Altai miracle.
- Abakansky pink.
Miracle of the earth.How to choose the right varieties of tomatoes, we wrote here.
Preparatory activities
The soil
The soil for planting seedlings should include the following components:
- sod or vegetable land;
- peat with acidity not higher than pH 6.5;
- large river sand;
- humus or compost;
- and wood ash.
All components must be taken in approximately equal amounts.
In addition to all listed in the substrate, you need to add 10 grams of urea, 30-40 grams of superphosphate and 10-15 grams of potash fertilizer. All this can be replaced by one complex fertilizer, in which potassium and phosphorus will be present in the greater part and nitrogen in a smaller part.
The entire mixture for growing seedlings must be disinfected. To do this, you need to hold it in an oven heated to 200 degrees for about 40-60 minutes. This procedure should be carried out a week before planting in order for beneficial bacteria to reappear in the substrate.
The soil for tomatoes should be light, breathable, but at the same time, in which moisture will linger. To improve air circulation, sphagnum moss can be added to the soil in small quantities.
Seed preparation
Before sowing, seeds must be soaked in a weak solution of manganese. It is best to do this in gauze, so that later you don’t have to catch the seeds. The processing time of tomato seeds is one third of an hour. After that, the seed is washed under running water and dried.- Also for large varieties of tomatoes it is necessary to carry out more and the procedure of drinking. For this, the seeds must be soaked for 12 hours in the following solution: stir 20 grams of wood ash in a liter of water. Again, it is better to immediately wrap the seeds in a gauze bag. After the specified time, the seed is placed in clean water for a day. The container with water should be in a warm place (approximate temperature - 24-25 degrees above zero).
- Then proceed to the process of hardening. Immediately after removing the seeds from the water, they are transferred to the refrigerator for 48 hours. Periodically gauze bag must be sprayed so that it does not dry out.
Before sowing, seeds must be soaked in a weak solution of manganese. It is best to do this in gauze, so that later you don’t have to catch the seeds. The processing time of tomato seeds is one third of an hour. After that, the seed is washed under running water and dried.After all these procedures, seeds are immediately planted in the ground.
We offer you to watch a video about the preparation of tomato seeds:
Capacity Selection
Capacities for planting seedlings can be very diverse. Special cassettes, crates and peat cups are available. (about how to grow tomato seedlings in peat cups, we wrote in our material). And you can replace the usual plastic cups, which make holes for air and water circulation.
How to plant: diagrams and instructions
Holes for large-fruited tomatoes need to dig to a depth of 25 centimeters.- Almost all large-sized tomatoes are grown in one stem. Therefore, the distance between the bushes in a row should be 70 centimeters, and between the rows themselves - about half a meter. Such distances will help each tomato get enough light and nutrients.
- To prepare the wells for planting seedlings need to be in advance. They need to dig for a week to the soil had time to warm up. In the excavated pits need to put fertilizer, which consists of humus and wood ash. (Calculation: a glass of ash is added to a bucket of humus.) Sand must be mixed in all the soil, since sandy soils are preferred by tomatoes.
- During the landing, the temperature of the entire well should not be less than 13 degrees Celsius. In order to obtain the desired result, the primer is covered with black film. If there is no suitable film, the wells can be warmed by pouring warm water into them. In each hole you need to pour at least a bucket. Thus, the agronomist will not only warm the soil, but also create a favorable microclimate throughout the greenhouse.
- Next, the seedlings are transferred to a permanent place with a lump of earth, in which it has grown before. So it will be easier for her to transfer this stress.
Holes for large-fruited tomatoes need to dig to a depth of 25 centimeters.More information about planting tomatoes is described here.
How to care?
Shaping
- In order to get a high yield of large-fruited tomatoes, the bushes need to be formed into one stem, a maximum of two.
- The first inflorescence must be removed.
- As soon as 3-4 inflorescences have formed, the growth of the main shoot must be stopped. For this you need to pinch the growth point.
- On each inflorescence should be no more than two ovaries.
- Above the last brush you need to leave a couple of leaves.
- During the entire vegetative period, you need to get rid of stepchildren. It is best to just break them off and do it in the morning. At the same time, it is necessary to leave hemp with a length of 2-3 centimeters.
If you follow these recommendations, you can get 3-4 large tomatoes from one bush. Do not forget that such bushes need additional support. And it is better to put it in advance, and not to wait until the branches break off. It is not recommended to use fishing lines or thin wires for this procedure. Because when the branches fall on them, they can cut themselves.
We invite you to watch a video about tomato formation:
Watering
Proper soil moisture should not be so frequent, but at the same time abundant. Tomatoes react negatively to frequent and poor watering.. It is best to fill the bushes to the formation of a small swamp. In conditions of extreme heat, such a bog will quickly go away and will not harm the root system.
You can not water the bushes on top, you need to pour only at the root. The optimal time for moistening the ground is in the evening when the sun is almost set. At night, tomatoes can be fed enough moisture.
Usually the frequency of watering is 1-2 times in seven days. In addition, each bush should get at least 5 liters of water. Before moistening, the water should be set aside for several days and add compost, manure and weeds. Such a manipulation will help make the water softer, similar to rainwater.
We invite you to watch a video about watering tomatoes:
Lighting
Speaking of tomatoes with large fruits, it should be clarified that such culture requires a lot of light. Otherwise, the fruits do not ripen even for three months. For planting such tomatoes you need to choose the area that is most open to the sun throughout the day. There should be no blackout.
Reference! And if tomatoes grow in greenhouse conditions, it is important to take care of good additional lighting. Here both fluorescent lamps and special fitolamps, which are optimally suitable for growing plants, can be suitable.
Top dressing
The first feed should occur within a week after the planting of tomatoes in the greenhouse or open ground. Suitable for this solution with bird droppings. To do this, dry litter is soaked in water for several hours in a ratio of 1:20.
The following feeding is made in two weeks.. To do this, you can use a special complex fertilizer, and you can dilute a teaspoon of nitrophoska to 5 liters of water. Water a liter under each bush.
Such feeding should be carried out every two weeks until the formation of full fruits.
The nuances and secrets of a good harvest
- In order to get a rich harvest, you need to timely remove the lower leaves, as well as yellowed ones and those that cover the fruits and brushes.
- To make tomatoes sweet, they need to be fed with iodine. To prepare the solution, you need to take 10 liters of water and add three drops of iodine there. This fertilizer is used once per season.
- Before the formation of the first fruits, tomatoes need to be watered with infusion of fermented grass.
- The period from the emergence of the first seedlings to their landing on a permanent place should last at least 50 days.
Growing large varieties of tomatoes is not easy. Therefore, not every agronomist undertakes this. However, in this case the most important thing is to follow all the rules and follow them in a timely manner. And then the vegetable grower will receive a rich harvest of large tomatoes.
