Among the many varieties of tomatoes grown in domestic climatic conditions, the most popular are high-yielding varieties. These include the tomato Black Elephant.
Characteristic tomato Black elephant
The characteristics of this variety deserve special attention. With proper care from 1 square. You can get up to 9 kg of vegetables. The weight of each fruit can reach 350 g.
Grade description
Description of tomato The black elephant has much in common with the characteristics of its closest relatives: Pink, Orange and Sugar elephants. However, there are a number of features that distinguish the "black" variety. This is partly true for fruits. They are large, ribbed, slightly flattened down, with a distinctly dark spot on the stalk. Special attention should be paid to the color of the vegetable: the fruits of the plant are green or red-brown.
The leaves of the plant are dark green, "potato". The number of shoots is large (requires molding).
The variety is precocious. The fruits ripen in just 110-115 days from planting. By harvest, the bush of the Black Elephant reaches about 1.6 m in height.
Advantages and disadvantages
The most significant advantages of the variety, as described, are:
- meatiness of the fruit;
- disease resistance;
- taste of vegetables;
- wide range of applications.
This annual culture has its drawbacks. So, tomatoes Black elephant, need frequent watering. Without constant replenishment, the bush dries quickly. The disadvantages of the variety also include sensitivity to climatic conditions and type of fertilizer.
Fruits of this variety are best consumed fresh.
Growing seedlings
When planting seeds for seedlings, it is important to go through a number of stages:
- Soak the seeds in potassium permanganate. This procedure allows you to remove the "empty" seeds (they will pop up) and leave only healthy planting material capable of germination.
- Moisten the soil before sowing.
- Cover with polyethylene and put small pots or cups with seeds in a warm place. Such greenhouse conditions stimulate germination.
- As soon as the sprouts appear, remove the film, and put the containers in a cool, well-lit place for several days.
While the seeds germinate in the greenhouse, once a day polyethylene is removed from the pot, giving the soil access to oxygen. Also, gardeners recommend periodically removing condensate droplets formed on the inside of the film.
It is important not to let the soil dry out. Water for irrigation should not be cold. Before biting the sprouts, it is sprayed onto the ground.
As soon as 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, it is dived. It is better to do this in a container with peat. Hurry up with landing in open ground is not worth it. Young seedlings are very demanding on climatic conditions, they need gradual hardening, so after diving the seedlings are taken out to the balcony or to the street for 1-2 hours a day. Already in April, it can be planted in a greenhouse, but planting in open ground begins no earlier than the first days of June.
Features of agricultural technology
Planting seedlings in the calf is made in the spring, in April-May. It is best to plant 2 bushes per 1 sq. Km. m, but if the formation of plants is made in 1 stalk, it is permissible to plant 3 bushes. The black elephant is characterized by high growth rates, so its stems are tied to reliable supports. When fruits appear on the bush, they are tied up.
Feeding is best during the flowering period. For this, nitrogen fertilizer is used. When the first ovaries appear, make:
- organic fertilizers;
- magnesium sulfate;
- superphosphate.
It is important to carry out preventive measures against diseases and pests. For these purposes, potassium permanganate and copper sulfate are best suited.
When growing in a greenhouse, it is important that the plants receive clean air, so greenhouses should be aired once every 2-3 days. During this period, it is important to systematically loosen the soil, so that oxygen gets to the tomato root system faster. It is also permissible to transplant the bushes into the open ground, taking care of the fertility of the soil in advance on the site. This is only worth doing if warm, dry, sunny weather has settled on the street. Watering seedlings is produced with warm, well-maintained water. Tomatoes love moisture, but do not tolerate its excess. Frequent watering destroys plants.
Conclusion
The black elephant has an exotic appearance and good fertility.
Before growing, you should study in advance all the features of caring for such tomatoes. The plant is capricious and requires help in garter, molding, pinching, as well as top dressing.
Tomatoes The black elephant is known for its gigantic size and unusual color.
