Rio Grande Tomato

Tomato Rio Grande is recommended for cultivation primarily for those who are taking their first steps in gardening. The culture is unpretentious in its care, willingly tolerates minor agrotechnical mistakes, withstands hot days, moisture deficit and weak soil acidification. The bushes of the variety are compact, do not take up much space in greenhouses or in the beds and, with a high degree of probability, will delight you with abundant harvests.

The culture is suitable for cultivation in both open and closed soils; it is cultivated in many regions of Russia. One of its main positive qualities is a high degree of adaptation to a wide variety of climatic and weather conditions, giving stable yields.

The plant is determinate, medium-sized (70-100 cm). The bushes are compact, neat, do not need a garter or pinching. Stems are thick, vigorously developed, with leaves of a typical tomato configuration, green, small in size. The degree of foliage is not intense.

Long-term fruiting culture (June - September). 8-10 ovaries are formed on the shoots. Aging times are average. The fruits are versatile as intended.

A culture with a high level of immunity to viral and fungal diseases, tolerates abrupt weather changes.

In areas with cold summers, it is recommended to cultivate a culture under cover for the quality development of ovaries. They also practice planting it in flowerpots or pots, installing them on verandas and in closed loggias.

Fruits of bright red shades, cuboid configuration, average weight 100-110 g, with a thick peel. The consistency is dense, juicy, fragrant, with a small amount of seeds. Tomatoes with a high concentration of dry matter (4.8-5.0%).

The fruits are harvested both at the technical stage and at the stage of physiological maturity. Green - ripen well indoors. It is advisable to keep the harvested fruits in the sun for about 1 hour, which has a positive effect on the duration of their storage (shelf life up to 2-3 months). When transported over long distances, the fruits are perfectly preserved.

The taste of the fruit is sweetish, with an unobtrusive sourness.

The culture is late-ripening (ripening period - 125-130 days), bears fruit from June to September (for a long time).

The yield level is 6.0-7.0 kg / sq. m

The variety is planted for seedlings around mid-March. The transfer of seedlings to greenhouses is carried out from the second decade of April to the second decade of May. Young plants are planted in open soil from the 20th of May to mid-June. In warm areas, they practice sowing seeds directly into open soil.

The standard crop planting scheme is 5 plants per 1 m2.

The soil for sowing seeds is selected light, loose and nutritious - sod land with humus is perfect. To prevent the appearance of pests or parasites, it is disinfected with folk remedies (manganese solution or calcined in the oven). We recommend buying seeds in specialized stores, this is guaranteed to save you from many troubles. Such seeds do not require processing, they receive it earlier.

The seeds are sown in small containers at a shallow depth, and sprinkled with peat on top. Then the containers are covered with plastic wrap. The optimum temperature for growing is +25 degrees.

In no case should the plants be poured, but it is worth slightly moistening from a spray bottle. After the seedlings germinate, they are put on the windowsills, and they give more light. The picking process begins with the appearance of the first leaves. Then the bushes are watered with an aqueous solution with mineral fertilizers.

The next addition of fertilizers is organized when the bushes are planted in open ground in early summer. If you plan to land in a greenhouse, then in the spring, in April.

The post-transplant care process consists of irrigation, weeding, loosening and feeding. Weed the culture 3-4 times during the season.

It is necessary to irrigate tomatoes moderately and systematically, under the roots, and after a day, loosen the soil.

Two weeks after planting the seedlings, fertilizing with phosphorus fertilizer is necessary, and when flowers appear, potassium fertilizer.

The best predecessors for the culture are considered: herbs, legumes, cabbage, lettuce.

Basic agrotechnical rules for crop care.

1. Do not overmoisten the soil when growing crops, this often leads to the development of fungal diseases. Irrigation of seedlings should be done every 7 days (the frequency of irrigation increases in dry climatic conditions). The bush should take about 5 liters. We do not recommend pouring the foliage, otherwise it begins to turn yellow.

2. The culture needs loose soil, therefore aeration is carried out systematically (about once every two weeks). At the same time weeding is carried out with loosening. In this case, the depth of weeding should be at least 5-7 cm.

3. After weeding, it is advisable to huddle the bushes to increase yields.

After planting seedlings in open soil, we carry out planned fertilizing:

• for the first time, the soil is enriched with mullein (solution 1: 5) or bird droppings (1: 15);

• the second addition is carried out after 2 weeks (for 10 liters of water 25 g of ammonium nitrate, 15 g of potassium salt, 60 g of superphosphate and 1 g of boric acid);

• after another 2 weeks, a third additive is added (for 10 liters of water, 30 g of nitrate, 70 g of potassium salt, 40 g of superphosphate).

Immediately after planting the seedlings, the beds are mulched, which helps to retain moisture in the soil, do without frequent irrigation, and reduce the number of weeding.

It is necessary to avoid a number of typical mistakes:

• oversaturation with nitrogen fertilizers leads to intensive growth of tops, which is at the expense of increased yields;

• the thickening of the beds provokes the development of fungal diseases;

• we strongly do not recommend planting a crop near peas or potatoes.

Rules for caring for a crop in greenhouse conditions:

• the soil in greenhouses should be changed annually;

• due to the high humidity of the greenhouse, it is important to regularly and completely ventilate (the humidity makes the pollen heavier, which leads to a decrease in yield);

• irrigation and fertilizing in greenhouses is carried out less frequently than in open soil.

The culture is not threatened by diseases typical of nightshades (white and gray rot, late blight). However, prophylactically before planting, it is worth treating the soil with a solution of manganese or copper sulfate. Regular ventilation of greenhouses and moderate irrigation will help here. The development of fungal diseases can be prevented by mulching the beds with humus and straw. And also the bushes are sprayed with "Fitosporin".

Of insects, aphids and naked slugs are dangerous for culture. Aphids are destroyed with soapy water. Slugs are removed by treatment with a solution of ammonia.

The crop has a high degree of resistance to extreme weather conditions - the variety is drought-resistant.