- Authors: N. V. Nastenko, V. G. Kachainik, M. N. Gulkin (AGROFIRMA AELITA LLC)
- Year of approval: 2012
- Category: grade
- Growth type: determinant
- Appointment: fresh consumption, for canning in wedges, for juice
- Ripening period: mid-season
- Ripening time, days: 120-130
- Growing conditions: for open ground, for film greenhouses
- Bush size: medium-sized
- Bush height, cm: 150
Tomato Bovine Heart is perhaps the most favorite variety of gardeners in our country. It was popular with the grandparents of modern summer residents. Many varieties have been bred on the basis of this variety. There is currently an orange, black, yellow, pink, peach, cream, chocolate Bull Heart. In this article, we will analyze one of these varieties - Pink Bull Heart.
Breeding history
The tomato was registered in the State Register in 2012 by the breeders of Agrofirma Aelita LLC N. V. Nastenko, M. N. Gulkin and V. G. Kachainik. The variety has gained wide popularity. Many hobby gardeners plant it every year.
Description of the variety
Bovine heart pink refers to the determinant varieties of tomatoes. The plant is medium-sized, with a long fruiting period, high yield. When grown in a greenhouse, it reaches a height of 1.8 m, in open ground - up to 1.3 m. A powerful root system partially spreads over the surface, partially grows deep into the ground.
The stem is thin and rather fragile, requiring a garter to support it. The foliage is weak, the leaves are large dark green. 3-4 tomatoes grow on each brush. The inflorescence is complex, the peduncle is without articulation.
The main qualities of the fruit
The average weight of the fruit is 250-350 g. The first fruits are larger, later they become smaller. Their shape is different. Some fruits, quite in accordance with the name of the variety, look like a heart, with a sharp point at the top. Others are flattened-conical.
Fruits are pink or crimson-pink. Their surface is slightly ribbed. The skin is quite dense.
Rose heart variety is suitable for various culinary treatments. Very good for making summer salads. It is used for canning with slices, juice, making sauces.
The fruits are not stored for a long time. It is advisable to use fully ripe tomatoes within 3 days after removal from the branch. It is also better not to store slightly immature ones for more than 2 weeks.
Taste characteristics
The tomatoes taste wonderful - sweet, with a slight sourness. In the section, you can see many small nests - starting from 6 pieces, containing very few seeds. The pulp is juicy and fleshy, aromatic, bright pink in color.
Ripening and fruiting
In terms of ripening, the variety is mid-season. From the germination of the first shoots to the ripening of the first fruits, 120-130 days pass.
Yield
Variety Bovine Heart Pink belongs to high-yielding varieties - on average, they get 7.5-8 kg / sq. m.
The timing of planting seedlings and planting in the ground
In order for the tomatoes to grow and ripen, they are sown for seedlings in the first half of March. It is important to disinfect the seeds - hold them for 20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or treat them with Bravo. Such prevention will lead to the fact that there will be no cladosporiosis and apical rot on the grown bush, which often infect tomatoes of this variety.
In open ground, seedlings are planted May 15 - June 5. If it is possible to return frosts, she needs to organize a temporary shelter. If the greenhouse is heated, the seedlings can be planted in April. She always quickly takes root and grows.
Growing tomato seedlings is an extremely important process, because it largely depends on whether the gardener will be able to harvest at all. All aspects must be taken into account, from seedbed preparation to planting in the ground.
Landing scheme
The optimal planting scheme is 40x60 cm. Next to each seedling, a support is immediately placed, to which it will subsequently be necessary to tie the trunk as it grows.
Growing and care
To get a good harvest, the bush must be properly formed. There are 3 options for forming a bush.
- Only one shoot is left on the bush, 6-7 fruit brushes on it.
- Leave the main trunk and the shoot that has grown from the first lower stepson. All other stepsons are removed, as are the lower leaves.
- It is for this variety of tomatoes that it is good to use this method of forming a bush. Leave one main escape. After 3 flower brushes are formed on it, the tip of this shoot is pinched and the stepson, located under the uppermost flower brush, is allowed to grow. This stepson will form a new main trunk. When, in turn, 3 flower brushes appear on it, the operation is repeated. With this agrotechnical method, more large tomatoes are obtained from each bush.
It is necessary to step as sons every 10-14 days.
Plants need regular watering 2-3 times a week. Like all tomatoes, they need to be watered only at the root, so as not to provoke the appearance of diseases. Until the ovaries appear and the tomatoes are poured, the bushes are fed with complex mineral fertilizers. When the ripening of the fruits has already begun, they are fed with chicken droppings infused with water. In order not to burn the bushes, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 20 (half a liter of infusion per 10 liters of water). The frequency of feeding is 2 times a month.
During the active ripening of the fruits, watering is necessary less often - a maximum of once a week. Otherwise, the fruit will start to crack and taste watery.
Harvesting begins in July and continues until the end of August.
Attention! The gradual removal of the leaves helps the fruit to ripen together.
In prolonged rainy weather, it is better to pick tomatoes when they are just starting to turn pink to avoid cracking the fruit. This is also true when it is necessary to transport them or in order to extend the shelf life.
A plant needs different micronutrients at each stage of growth. All fertilizers can be divided into two groups: mineral and organic. Folk remedies are often used: iodine, yeast, bird droppings, eggshells.
It is important to observe the rate and period of feeding. This also applies to folk remedies and organic fertilizers.
Disease and pest resistance
Variety Bovine Heart Pink is susceptible to late blight. It is better to immediately apply "Fitosporin" for its prevention. Spray them both the bushes and the ground, preferably three times per season.
Often, pink bovine heart tomato is attacked by fungal rot.
- Gray rot. Brown spots appear on the leaves, which are covered with a fluffy bloom of gray. In this case, all affected areas must be cut off immediately, leaving only healthy tissue. The bushes are sprayed with fungicides (Fundazol, Skor, Ordan, Previkur) or copper preparations.
- Cladosporium (brown spot). Yellow spots appear on the leaves. They gradually grow and the leaves fall off. If you do not take action, then flowers and fruits begin to dry out. Infected plants are treated with copper preparations. To avoid this disease, seeds are treated with "Bravo" before sowing.
- Top rot. On healthy plants, foci of rot appear on the tops of the fruits. Gradually growing, the rot destroys all the fruit, turning it into a shapeless mass. A weekly spraying of 10 g / 10 l of water with calcium nitrate and root watering - up to 2 l per bush can help.
Now about the pests. First of all, it is aphid. It settles on the inside of the leaves and slows down growth. To get rid of it, the plant is treated with insecticides ("Confidor", "Akarin", "Decis").
If you see that the leaves are actively eating caterpillars, know that this is a tomato scoop. Subsequently, they turn into nondescript butterflies. In the fight against them will help "Decis Profi", "Zolon", "Karate".
In conclusion, let's say that growing this variety of tomatoes is not the easiest thing to do, a lot of fiddling with it. But everything pays off with a high yield, excellent taste and beauty of tomatoes.