Red Mikado tomato

Mikado is a group of varieties of different colors: pink, red, golden, black. The variety is well-known, popular, has long been grown by gardeners, it is believed that it was bred in 1974 in Russia. Prized for royal, imperial power. Mikado is a word that once meant the imperial title in Japan. In the official State Register in 2021, the variety is absent, but it is still grown with pleasure.

Indeterminate variety, unlimited growth, well suited for various extended growing schemes (January to November). The bush is up to 1.5-2 m high, powerful, strong, potato-shaped foliage, medium. It is not a hybrid, so you can grow your own plants from your own seeds.

The fruits are very large, 300-600 grams, collected in abundant clusters of 7-8 pieces, which is rare for a large-fruited variety. The shape is beautiful, flat-round, with slight folds, harmonious. The color of ripe fruits is red. Ripen gradually, from below, unevenly, unripe fruits often have dark green cheeks on top, near the stalk. The pulp is fleshy, watermelon, juicy. The seed chambers are noticeable, but not empty, but full, gradually flowing into a dense, shiny pulp. The skin is resistant to cracking.

Tomato belongs to the category of sugar. Very sweet, almost no acid. Very aromatic, has a bright mouth-watering scent. The variety is good for fresh consumption: sandwiches, salads, fresh tomato juice, cocktails, exotic dishes. It is not suitable for salting in general because of its huge size, but it is very convenient for preparing chopped or mashed blanks: lecho, adjika, winter salad, sauces, tomato paste, pickles, ketchups.

The variety is mid-season, ripens 100-110 days after sowing, but the fruits can be removed after 90 days. In the greenhouse it will bear fruit a little earlier, in the open field it can bear fruit in 115-120 days. Some sources indicate that the variety will bear fruit outdoors in 130-140 days.

Average yield - up to 11 kg per 1 sq. m. There are tomatoes that are potentially capable of producing up to 18 kg of transportable and dense tomatoes, but even 15 are considered a record figure. In industrial conditions, on high agricultural technology, you can get 40 kg per 1 sq. m.

Seeds for seedlings are sown in March. They are planted in a permanent place in May-June, depending on the cultivation method and the region. In the Moscow region, it can be planted in open ground at the end of May, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory - only in the first week of June.

The bushes of the Mikado red variety are powerful, strong, they are planted, maintaining a distance between rows of 70 cm, between plants - 70 cm.

The variety is suitable for various types of cultivation, both outdoors and indoors.

Step-by-step and garter to the supports are required. The bush is formed into 1-2 stems.

Traditional methods are used to increase yields.

1. Hilling. This procedure, which is useful for tomatoes, has its own subtleties. The culture is actively rooting on the stems, but you need to choose the right moment. Hilling is carried out in the period after the set of the main green mass, but before flowering and fruit setting. It was during this period that the tomato root system is ready to grow actively again. In other periods, hilling can also be carried out, but the growth of additional roots will be slower. You can determine the period of hilling by the appearance of small bulges on the stems. Spud with damp earth.

2. Mulching. Can increase yields by 25%. This procedure is especially useful for those gardeners who do not have the opportunity to monitor the plantings on a daily basis. But in other cases, this is a beneficial technique. Tomatoes are sensitive to fluctuations in moisture intake, and mulch allows you to make the regime smoother. In addition, mulch inhibits the growth of weeds and the formation of soil crust. The roots breathe. Mulch with compost, grass, healthy tomato tops, chopped bark, peat, pine needles.

3. A fish. This technique is often used by amateur fishermen. Small river fish are not always suitable for food, but they can be an excellent fertilizer. Fish remains are also used: heads, tails, fins, etc. Fish contains a lot of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen in an accessible form. The fish is placed on the bottom of a pit, deeper than usual, the layer must be sprinkled with sawdust so that the appetizing fishy smell does not attract animals. Only then are the seedlings planted. Fish and sawdust during the growing season are re-heated, feeding the plant at all stages of its development.

Of course, it is not necessary to use exotic feedings. Tomatoes are fertilized with ash, organic matter, industrial complex fertilizers, under the root or by spraying. The culture responds gratefully to everything, it is only important to carefully follow the instructions, avoiding overfeeding.

To increase the set, the plants are sprayed with boric acid at the rate of 10 g of powder per 10 liters of water.

All tomatoes are useful techniques that contribute to the formation of more ovaries, including Mikado: gardeners manually pollinate flowers with a brush, shake the bush, tap on the brushes. All this helps to avoid the situation when there are flowers, but no fruits.

The Mikado variety often produces double flowers, and the tomatoes are very large, but ugly. Gardeners have different attitudes towards this: someone removes double flowers, someone only cares about the volume of the tomato mass, and not their beauty.

More delicious, aromatic tomatoes ripen outdoors.

The varieties of the Mikado group are loved for their nostalgic mood - "taste like from childhood." Some gardeners call the taste unique, very bright, others note that the taste is good, but ordinary, without zest. The very sweet taste of the tomato is not unique today, nor is the gigantic size, but the variety is still interesting. The fruits are very beautiful, tasty, ripen with impressive clusters. If you are lucky enough to buy a successful cultivar, you can get your own seeds from it in order to plant plants more adapted to your own conditions next year. The variety tolerates temperature extremes well, is hardy, "extreme", but does not like high humidity or heat.

In terms of yield, the variety today also does not make a stunning impression, but it is reliable - it will provide a decent harvest. It is very resistant to diseases, one preventive treatment per season is enough.

Some gardeners call the tomato too demanding for agricultural technology, the yield will very much depend on the sun, growing conditions for seedlings, and the site. Inconsistency is one of the most serious drawbacks. The Mikado variety does not have an official originator, so different growers may offer plant seeds with slightly different qualities.