Not a single garden is complete without beds with tomatoes. There are many varieties of these healthy vegetables. And their choice can be dictated by both the maturity and the future appointment. As a salad variety, the Pink Elephant tomato with large and fleshy fruits will be an excellent choice.
Material Content:
Description and characteristics of tomato "Pink elephant"
The variety is mid-early, so that after 110-150 days the gardener can not only see the result of his labors, but also enjoy the taste of dense pulp. On one plant, up to 8 fruits can ripen. The height of the bush is about 1.5 m - the variety is considered medium-tall and most suitable for cultivation in the greenhouse.
The name of the variety is due to the raspberry-pink color of tomatoes, the weight of which varies between 200-300 g. The yield from one bush is 4 kg. Most appreciated for fresh consumption, as the fruits are too large to be used for preservation.
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety "Pink Elephant" has the following advantages:
- large fruits;
- excellent taste;
- fleshy flesh with a wonderful aroma;
- high tomato yield;
- long-term storage;
- resistance to diseases, including late blight, and pests.
Among the minuses can be identified the need for careful care and fertilizers. And also the large size of the fruit can be considered a minus if the gardener is looking for a universal variety suitable for both food and preservation.
Cultivation agricultural
The characteristics and description of the variety indicated on the package will become a reality only with the proper cultivation of tomatoes, implying strict adherence to agrotechnical requirements.
The main ones are as follows:
- systematic top dressing and cultivation;
- timely watering;
- the right choice of soil;
- compliance with the scheme of planting seedlings on the site;
- Mandatory garter to the support.
One cannot call the care of the Pink Elephant variety too painstaking, but it must be systematic, which is not suitable for cottagers visiting the country from time to time.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Representatives of the Solanaceae family of this variety are not sown immediately in open ground. First you need to drive out the seedlings or purchase it. Professionals in their field prefer to grow seedlings with their own hands, for which seeds are sown in boxes filled with fertile soil. The latter is preliminarily made up of peat and sand in equal parts, and then calcined. Humidification is carried out using a spray gun. Mandatory picking of tomatoes, as this culture better survives if it was transplanted.
For tomatoes of this variety, it is recommended to choose sunny areas protected from the wind. The soil should be fertile and light.
When the soil temperature reaches stable values, and there is no longer any threat of return frosts, you can proceed to planting seedlings in open ground as follows:
- Wells are prepared at the rate of not more than 3 per 1 sq. m
- If necessary (if the soil is sufficiently dense) a little sand is poured onto the bottom.
- Next, seedlings are placed, dug in.
- The soil in the near-stem circle is slightly compacted so that the roots are not affected by rot due to air holes.
- Landings are watered abundantly.
If peat or sawdust is available, it is better to mulch the beds.
Tomato Care
Tomatoes "Pink Elephant" need to provide moderate watering, in which the soil will remain slightly moist. The most preferred method is drip. If you have to water with a watering can, you should make sure that the water is always warm.
After heavy rainfall or watering, it is recommended to loosen the beds. This will provide an appropriate level of aeration. In addition, moisture will not stagnate in the surface layer - the cause of the development of a fungal disease will be prevented.
During the growing season should enrich the soil, nourishing the vegetable crop. Before the ovary begins, it is better to opt for nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Further, it is recommended to introduce phosphorus and potassium into the top dressing, which will contribute to abundant ovary and fruitful growth.
The formation of a single, more powerful stem is recommended. For this, stepsoning of tomatoes is carried out, in which the side shoots are removed. This is an important event, without which it is impossible to get a normal crop.
How to increase productivity
The average yield of tomato is 4 kg per bush, as stated in the characteristics of the variety.
However, even this indicator can be increased if you do the following:
- To regularly loosen aisles, it is recommended that each bush be spudded.
- It is imperative to enrich the soil with nutrients that are responsible for the formation of the ovary and the growth of the fruit.
- Timely weeding, removing weeds, which take food from cultivated plants.
In addition, it is important to plant seedlings in sunny areas.
Pest and Disease Control
The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
However, even the most tolerant plants can be affected by harmful organisms. To protect tomatoes from disease, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment with copper-containing preparations.
Of the pests, Colorado beetles, whiteflies and wireworms can cause crop shortages.The latter is a phytophage, leading an underground lifestyle, with which the spill of soil will cope with insecticides, as well as presowing treatment of seed. It is easy to get rid of all other insects with the help of insecticidal solutions. A large selection is presented at specialized points of sale, where specialist consultants will help in each case.
Tomatoes "Pink Elephant" is an excellent choice for summer residents who are not afraid of work, because they want to enjoy the fragrant and tasty pulp of tomatoes grown personally.
