- Name synonyms: Black Pineapple, Ananas Noire
- Category: grade
- Appointment: fresh consumption
- Ripening period: mid-early
- Ripening time, days: in the greenhouse - 95-100, in the open field - 105-110
- Growing conditions: for open ground, for film greenhouses, for greenhouses
- Bush size: medium-sized
- Bush height, cm: outdoors - 120-130, protected - 150-180 cm
- Bush characteristic: durable
- Foliage: weak
Black pineapple is an exotic tomato variety. In another way, it is also called Black Pineapple or Ananas Noire. The variety is very interesting both in appearance and in taste, so most gardeners plant it repeatedly. You can grow Black Pineapple anywhere in the country.
Description of the variety
The height of the bushes of the Black Pineapple variety depends on the place where the culture grows. So, in greenhouses the bush grows up to 1.2-1.3 m, and in open ground - up to 1.5-1.8 m. Medium-sized specimens are indeterminate in the type of growth. Shoots stand upright and necessarily require a garter as they grow, since the ovaries form large tomatoes. There are not many foliage on the bushes, but the branching is strong.
Main benefits of Black Pineapple:
the possibility of transportation for sale;
good yield indicators;
spectacular color and good taste;
early maturation;
large-fruited.
Main disadvantages:
poor keeping quality;
the quantity and quality of the crop depends on the weather;
tomatoes may crack;
good care is needed;
plants often get sick.
The main qualities of the fruit
The ripened fruits of the Black Pineapple are rather large - the minimum weight of the fruit is 300 grams. Some fruits weigh 0.4, 0.5 and even 0.7 kg. The diameter of the berry is about 10 cm. The color is very unusual - yellow-green, diluted with purple spots.
There are several brushes on the Black Pineapple bush at the same time. Each of them contains from 3 to 5 flat-round tomatoes. On the cut of the fruit, many seed chambers are visible, they almost completely fill the edges of the berry. The peel of tomatoes is thin, and the flesh under it has different colors, and a mixture of colors is not uncommon.
Taste characteristics
Black pineapple gets its name not only from the dark spots, but also from the sweet taste, in which you can distinguish notes of fresh tropical fruits. The taste is extraordinary, so the tomato can greatly diversify the summer table. The pulp of the fruit is very rich in vitamins, so it is recommended to eat tomatoes from a bush. They are also suitable for harvesting, but not for whole-fruit preservation.
Ripening and fruiting
Berries of Black Pineapple ripen for 95-100 days if grown in a greenhouse. In the open air terms will be 105-110 days. The mid-early variety is ready to be harvested in July, but the berries can be removed from the bushes until the end of September.
Yield
The average yield per square meter is 14-17 kg. However, the indicators can be increased if you wait for the first brush to bloom, and then start pruning. Leaving 5 brushes on the bushes, the smallest fruits are obtained. But if there are 2 of them, then the tomatoes will grow gigantic.
The timing of planting seedlings and planting in the ground
Sowing for this variety can begin even in January, if the tomatoes subsequently grow in the greenhouse. For open ground, you should choose the very end of February or March. The main thing is to calculate the time so that at the time of transfer the seedlings are at least 60-70 days old.
It is recommended to grow this variety without picking. To do this, the grains will need to be placed on peat tablets.Having finished planting, the tablets are placed in a transparent container, closed and placed where it is warm. In this case, the temperature should be at least 25 degrees Celsius. Seedlings are watered in a timely manner and provided with artificial light.
After a couple of leaves open, the sprouted seedlings are placed in cups. The growing substrate must be fertile. The temperature is gradually reduced, bringing it to room temperature. 14 days before planting, the seedlings can be taken out to the balcony or street for hardening. Until May 15, grown seedlings should be planted in a greenhouse. If planting is carried out in cool regions, then the dates are postponed to the second half of May. They are planted in open ground towards the end of the month, fully making sure that the cold will not return.
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
A week before planting, the bushes are treated with a solution of boric acid (a gram of funds is taken per liter of water). This will improve the plant's immunity and the quality of the future harvest. The soil in which the bushes are to grow must be dug up. Two handfuls of humus are placed in each well, as well as 15 grams of double superphosphate. The holes should be arranged according to the 50 by 50 cm scheme.After planting, each bush is watered abundantly.
Growing and care
Black pineapple bushes are quite tall, so they always require close attention from gardeners. They must be formed, but they do it in 1 or 2 trunks. Every 10 days, the plants are stepchild, and it will also be necessary to remove the foliage located below in a timely manner. The growth point is also pinched so that the plant does not stretch too much. Large brushes are tied up, otherwise the severity of the fruit will lead to a branch break.
Watering is carried out once every 10 days, during drought it is possible and more often. Too much water should not be poured. Loosening is best done before feeding the liquid. To keep it longer in the soil, the surface of the soil can be mulched. Weeding is done as needed, the weeds should be uprooted. Black pineapple is fed with mineral complex mixtures, as well as organics. It is applied only in liquid and non-concentrated form.
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
Black pineapple resists various ailments rather poorly. So, with improper care, the plant can pick up the following diseases:
blackleg;
top rot;
streakiness;
fruit rot.
In view of such poor resistance, preventive measures must be taken without fail. Do not allow thickening of the plantings, an increase in the level of humidity in the air and soil. Greenhouses must be ventilated daily. After determining in the wells, the tomatoes are also sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or any other strong fungicide.
If insects appear, then in the early stages of the growing season it is permissible to fight with them with insecticides. However, at the time of fruit formation, such funds are prohibited for use. Here you will have to use a variety of herbal infusions, tobacco dust and other folk remedies.
Black pineapple is a delicious tomato variety with uniquely colored berries. However, it is not easy to grow it, as many summer residents were able to see. The culture requires close care and attention, therefore it is categorically not suitable for those who devote little time to the beds.