What is the famous “ox heart” tomato variety and how to grow it correctly?

It happens that breeders, in order to attract the attention of summer residents to a new variety, give it a name that is consonant with their beloved old one. The "oxheart" tomato is an example of this. By the time he was included in the State Register (2000), his half-dog "Bull heart" became truly popular, it was grown on every site.

Description and characteristics of the variety

"Volovye Heart" is a large-fruited variety that is divided into two groups according to the ripening time - mid-ripening and late-ripening. Late-ripening fruits reach table maturity on the 120th day from germination. Mid-ripening subspecies - "Minusinskiy", "striped heart" - ripen 2-3 weeks earlier, their fruits are inferior in size to the main variety.

The plant is indeterminate - growing and bearing fruit throughout the vegetative period. For a number of reasons, including climatic ones, its growth is stopped at the 2-meter mark during greenhouse cultivation, on unprotected beds - at the level of 1.2–1.5 m. Requires a garter, regular pinching.

The stem is medium foliage, the leaves at first glance may seem thin, especially in comparison with the same "bovine heart". However, this is a varietal feature of tomato.

Although the variety was bred as a typical southern one for open ground, it has proven itself well in greenhouse cultivation, and therefore gives excellent yields in the middle zone, Siberia, and the Urals.

In the regions located north of the North Caucasus Federal District and the Southern Federal District, summer residents recommend this variety. grow in greenhouses or greenhouses - he does not tolerate the frequent vagaries of the weather.

The tomato forms its first fruitful cluster above the 9-11th leaf, ie flowering begins quite late. The average number of fruits per cluster is 5 pieces.

Although the variety has complex resistance to many diseases of the nightshade, growing it, it is taken into account that the beginning of fruiting occurs at the peak of phytophthora rampant. Also, there are frequent cases of defeat apical rot.

The variety is recommended for small private and private farms.

Fruit characteristics:

• heart-shaped, on the upper hands - closer to oval;
• the average weight is about 300 g, individual tomatoes, usually on the lower brushes, can reach a kilogram weight;
• dry matter - 4.7%, sugars - 2.2%;
• deep raspberry-pink color with a dark green spot in the area of ​​the stalk;
• the pulp is juicy, loose;
• the skin is thin;
• keeping quality is low;
• transportability is average.

Appointment - salad. For the future, it is harvested in the form of juice, pasta, sauce, cut into assorted vegetables.

The advantages of the variety include yield up to 7 kg / m², excellent taste, the ability to collect your own seeds.

Disadvantages:

• ripening dates (late);
• the need for garter and pinching;
• low cold resistance;
• insufficient immunity to late blight, apical rot;
• fruits are not subject to long-term storage, transportation over long distances.

It is important to know that pink tomatoes contain an increased amount of selenium, which strengthens the immune system and actively counteracts neoplasms.

Features of agricultural technology

Due to the long wait for the first fruitful brush, the seedless method is not used. For seedlings, seeds are sown in the last decade of February. Until the first shoots, the crops are kept under a film at a temperature of + 25 ° C. Seedlings are provided with bright illumination with additional lighting up to 14 hours a day, the temperature of the content is + 15-17 ° С.

When the first two true leaves are formed, the seedlings are seated in separate pots with a capacity of 0.5 to 1 liter in order to avoid re-transplanting.

Seedling care is carried out according to the following rules:

• Watering is only moderate. This will help avoid black leg diseases.
• They start feeding in April. Liquid organic matter is added every 15 days. During the growth period, it is also desirable to have time to spray with micronutrient fertilizers in a chelated form, for example, "Tomato" ("Reacom" line), "Siliplant", "Plantafol", etc.
• Hardening of seedlings begins at the stage of 3 true leaves.

The disembarkation is carried out:

• to heated greenhouses - in the last decade of April;
• in unheated ones - in May (with additional protection from possible cold snaps from film or agrotextile);
• on open beds - at a daytime temperature of 22-25 ° C.

Planting scheme - 40-50 x 50-60 cm Seedlings are watered abundantly, soil is mulched 10 cm organic layer or black linen. The support is installed simultaneously with the landing.

Further care

The bushes are usually formed into one stem, but in the fertile lands of the southern region, the crop is also harvested from two stems. With single-stem cultivation, all stepsons that have grown to 3-5 cm are removed at a frequency of once a week. To form the second stem, the stepson growing above the first fruit cluster is left, the rest are also regularly broken out. The lower leaves are harvested one at a time every 2-3 days after the formation of the first brush.

Pinching the top is carried out:

• with greenhouse cultivation - over 7 brushes;
• in the open field - above the 5th.

Water it every 3-4 days with settled warm water, adjusting the frequency of irrigation taking into account weather conditions. Usually, moderate moisture supply is reduced in cloudy weather, and canceled out during rains. The best irrigation method is drip or ditch.

"Cow's Heart" is very sensitive to compliance watering regime... With excess moisture, the fruits crack.

Fertilizers are applied every 2-3 weeks using mineral complexes with a small amount of nitrogen.

Summer residents who like to experiment with new varieties often use "Volovye Heart" as material for experiments on breeding their own varieties and hybrids.

Features of subspecies

Minusinsk "ox heart" is a folk variety that enjoys special success among Siberian summer residents. It differs from the "parent" in earlier terms of maturity, fruit size - up to 400 g maximum. The Minusinsk bush is formed into 2-3 stems.

The striped "ox-heart" is distinguished by the color of the fruit - golden-pink, on which longitudinal green stripes with a yellowish tint are clearly distinguished. The maximum weight of the fruit is 200–250 g. Usually grown only in sheltered beds.

Although this variety, like all indeterminants, requires increased attention, summer residents willingly grow it on their plots. Even late fruiting times become a plus, by this time - by August - most of the usual inhabitants of tomato beds have already borne fruit. Demanding, judging by the description of the variety, but responsive to care, the "oxheart" tomato is among the top ten popular tall varieties.