- Authors: Alekseev Y.B. (LLC "Semko-Junior")
- Year of approval: 2006
- Category: hybrid
- Growth type: determinant
- Appointment: universal
- Ripening period: early
- Ripening time, days: 90–95
- Growing conditions: for open ground, for film greenhouses
- Marketability: high
- Transportability: high
Tomato Slot is the owner of classic red fruits, smooth, beautiful, friendly. It is ideal for those looking for a variety that can show itself.
Description of the variety
The variety was bred in 2006 and entered into the State Register of the Russian Federation. Determinate bush, compact, stocky, real robust. Height - up to 1 m. The internodes are short, the stems are powerful. The foliage is medium in size, light green, dense.
The main qualities of the fruit
Fruits are round, slightly flattened, with barely noticeable ribs, flawless even shape. Average size - 130-150 g, in a brush 5-6 pcs. even, calibrated tomatoes. All tomatoes in a brush are the same size. Unripe fruits are light green, ripe fruits are tomato red. The color is even, clean, the skin is smooth, radiant, firm and elastic. The seed chambers are clearly visible, indeed, they resemble slots or cells. The pulp is dense, glossy, bright red, very juicy. The fruits have excellent keeping quality, transportable, strong, do not crack, and are comfortable.
Taste characteristics
The taste is tomato, sweet and sour. Tomato Slot will taste better when removed from a bush at full maturity. Universal, suitable for fresh consumption (salads, juices, cocktails, sauces, soups) and for preparations. It has the ideal size and consistency for all types of preservation. Tomato Slot can be rolled up and salted as a whole, prepare winter salads, put it on adjika, lecho, marinades, juices, sauces and pastas.
Ripening and fruiting
The tomato is early, ripens in 90-95 days from the moment of sowing. The yield is very friendly.
Yield
The yield is excellent. Even outdoors from 1 sq. m of plantings are removed in 10 kg of fruits, in film you can get yields up to 18 kg from 1 sq. m.
The timing of planting seedlings and planting in the ground
Seeds are sown for seedlings in mid-March. Seedlings are ready for transplanting in 60-65 days. They are planted in open ground either at the end of May or at the beginning of June. They are planted under the film from mid-May.
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 they are kept at 50 cm, between plants - at 40 cm. Per 1 sq. m - 3-4 plants.
Growing and care
Tomato Slot is recommended to be grown in the southern regions of the Russian Federation in the open field, in the middle lane, Siberia, the Urals and the Far East, it will show itself better in film greenhouses. The tomato is very hardy, resistant to diseases, tolerant of heat.
However, for good early harvests, like all tomatoes, it will require quality care.
Preparing the soil for planting.
The site is dug into 2 bayonets of a shovel.
For 1 sq. m close up in the soil 1 bucket of humus, 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and 2 cups of ash.
Potassium sulfate can be replaced with crushed eggshells.
Greenhouse tomatoes are fed no more than 4 times per season. The last top dressing is 2 weeks before harvesting. 2 weeks after planting in open ground, a complex fertilizer is applied with an emphasis on nitrogen, after the tomatoes have bloomed, emphasis is placed on potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. It is on them that flowering, ovary formation and fruit quality, including taste, depend.
Variety Slot ties well, does not need shaking hands and hand pollination. However, in greenhouses where there are no bees, it will be useful to help the pollination process by lightly tapping on the brushes with a pencil.
Watering is attentive and accurate, without sudden jumps. Tomatoes should be watered at the root, avoiding water getting on the leaves, with warm, non-hard water. Frequency in hot summer - at least 1 time in 2 days. In rainy periods, watering is reduced. It is important that the soil dries out between waterings so that its moisture content is 60%. In high-quality soils, loose and moisture-consuming, there are no problems with this. If it was not possible to water on time, and the plantings are dry, you do not need to immediately fill the plants. It is necessary to accustom to the previous level of moisture supply gradually: first, half the portion is poured onto the bush, and only in the subsequent watering is full.
The Slot variety is relatively low, but still does not belong to the smallest, so a garter is necessary for it. The stems are fixed on supports using plastic clips, cotton fabric cuts, unnecessary nylon products.
They are formed into 1-4 trunks, depending on their own capabilities. The stronger the agricultural technique and the better the conditions, the more stems you can leave. The rest of the side shoots are removed.
During the ripening period, they begin to thin out the tops. The leaves are cut off only under the brushes, in which the tomatoes began to gain color. And also leaves that interfere with the fruits and ineffective leaves (under the fruits, turned to the north) are not needed. Remove all leaves under the first brush. After harvesting, all removed healthy leaves and tomato tops are put into compost - the tops of tomatoes actively accumulate useful substances, and a wonderful fertilizer is obtained from it.
Tomato Slot is a representative, classic variety for those who appreciate a high class of technical characteristics in tomatoes: firmness, yield, even size, friendly response, spectacular appearance of bushes and fruits.
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.