- Authors: Ognev V.V., Tereshonkova T.A., Klimenko N.N., Chernova T.V.
- Year of approval: 2015
- Category: grade
- Growth type: determinant
- Appointment: universal
- Ripening period: mid-season
- Ripening time, days: 90-105
- Growing conditions: for open ground, for film greenhouses
- Marketability: excellent
- Transportability: excellent
Pink agate are bright, medium-sized tomatoes, indeed, very similar to a scattering of precious stones. The variety is officially recommended for cultivation in Russia in 2015. The originators are the well-known agrofirm "Poisk" and the Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing. Not to be confused with the Pink Agate F1 hybrid, which has round fruits.
Description of the variety
Determinate, compact bush 45-50 cm tall. The foliage is medium, green, openwork. The structure of the bush is thin, graceful, with long stems, not prone to overgrowth.
The main qualities of the fruit
Fruits are medium in size, 120-150 grams, oval, like olives, in shape, similar to even barrels, without expansion and contraction. They look weighty, there are 6-7 tomatoes in one brush, it does not fit in the palm of your hand. Unripe fruits are green, without a dark spot at the stalk, ripe fruits are deep pink. The skin is thin, but elastic and firm, the pulp is tender, capacious, firm and juicy.
Taste characteristics
Diet fruits, sugar. The taste is sweet, delicate, bright, without acid and harshness. Due to its shape, size and consistency, the variety is ideal for harvesting - barrels look great in whole-fruit canning, do not burst, flawless on the bite, dense, tender. Best suited for seaming in transparent marinades. Agrofirm "Poisk" included the variety in the "Home Procurement" series. But the area of their application is not limited by anything: they are consumed fresh, they make winter salads, lecho, ketchups, sauces. Pink tomatoes are considered more beneficial to health than red ones, they contain more vitamin C, selenium, lycopene. They are used to prepare cocktails, smoothies, desserts. Perfect for curing.
Ripening and fruiting
The variety is mid-season, the first fruits are removed 90-105 days after germination. The recoil is long lasting. The crop is harvested from July to August.
Yield
The yield is excellent - 5.5 kg per 1 sq. m. The tomato looks representative in the garden - rich, powerful brushes of even, as if calibrated fruits. The yield is reliable, the variety is stable, the characteristics are stable.
The timing of planting seedlings and planting in the ground
Seedlings are sown at standard dates - in March, transplanted into open ground in May. In cold regions (Ural, Siberia), the plant is planted in a permanent place in the first week of June.
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
In row spacings 70 cm are kept, between plants - 60 cm.
Growing and care
Planted in a sunny place, partial shade is acceptable, the variety is tenacious and hardy. Sometimes tomato is grown on a balcony or on a windowsill due to its relatively small size.
In this case, it is better to choose the sunniest place, and immediately plant the plant in a large container, otherwise there will be no more than 3-4 fruits in the brush.
The bush is formed into 2-3 stems. Garter is required, otherwise the stems will not survive the harvest.
If the summer is cloudy, the tomato is grown in a greenhouse or according to extended turnover schemes, the flowering time falls on the bumblebee-free period. The formation of ovaries should be helped.
Monitor the temperature. If it is below + 13 ... 15 ° С, the anthers are deformed, if it is above + 30 ° С, the pollen sticks together, at + 35 ° С it becomes sterile. Even short-term intense heat will cause the flowers to fall off.
When the air humidity is above 70%, pollen sticks together. Excessively dry air is also undesirable. In the open ground in the conditions of the Russian Federation, the humidity is always suitable, and in the greenhouse the issue is solved with the help of a ventilation system. If the gardener does not have the opportunity to independently monitor the vents, you can install automatic ones - they react to the temperature and open themselves when necessary.
The pollination process is helped by: providing sufficient air movement in the greenhouse by opening doors or installing fans, planting or arranging honey plants in pots that attract bees and bumblebees, shaking the brushes, or pollinating flowers with a brush.
You can determine that the flower is successfully pollinated by the petals. In a flower with a fertilized pistil, the petals are bent back.
Stimulates flowering and formation of ovaries by spraying with boric acid, special preparations "Tomaton", "Ovary".
The tomato is undersized, there are few foliage, the variety practically does not need to break off excess leaves during the ripening period. However, the lower leaves are still removed. By the middle of summer, they get dirty, damaged, they can become a gateway for infections, moreover, they take away nutrition from the fruits directly above them (and the first brush is the earliest and largest-fruited).
Due to the high sugar content, pink-fruited tomatoes are more demanding on the composition of the soil and for top dressing. A place for planting is harvested in the fall, for 1 sq. m add a bucket of compost, potash and phosphorus fertilizers. The soil should be loose, moisture-absorbing, air-permeable, this will further solve a lot of issues with watering.
Watering is desirable even, attentive, as needed. Tomatoes love a regular and plentiful supply of water, but so that the soil dries out between waterings, reaching a moisture saturation of 60%. If the gardener does not have time in a dry and hot summer to water the tomatoes every other day, it is better to mulch the soil. Use clean straw, tomato tops, pine needles or sawdust. They retain moisture, give air access, and protect against some pests. All these types of mulch are plowed into the soil in autumn, which improves and enriches its composition.
Top dressing - 2-3 times per growing season, the last top dressing is carried out 1 week before harvesting. Too frequent feeding is undesirable, especially if the soil was initially well prepared. An excess of fertilizers slows down the absorption of some important elements, for example, calcium, the fruits become smaller, become less sweet and plentiful.
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.
Review overview
There are not many reviews, the variety is a novelty, but all are positive. The variety is luxurious for pink-fruited, which, on average, are quite capricious. Not too large, but weighty fruits of the variety are very attractive. They are soft, firm, with delicate dietary sugar pulp. Fits perfectly in cans for seaming. The variety is convenient for both individual and commercial cultivation. The yield seems to be outstanding due to the habitus of the bush and its reliability. In whatever conditions the bush grows, it will tie up powerful, pleasant to the touch barrels. The variety can be planted in the shady areas of the greenhouse or in a not very profitable garden.