The tomato Duckling got its interesting name due to the fact that he loves moisture. It was bred by Russian breeders. Distinctive features of the variety are low bushes and juicy fruits with a therapeutic effect.
The fruits of this tomato variety contain beta-carotene in large quantities, which brings many benefits to our body. That is why the duckling is often used for baby food.
Characteristics of tomato duckling
Bushes of a standard form, undersized. In height, the plant reaches 55-70 cm. If plants are grown in film or polycarbonate greenhouses, then the height of the bushes can reach up to 1 meter. There are not many leaves on the bushes, the leaves themselves are of a saturated green hue. Plants do not need garter and pinching.
This tomato variety is not particularly capricious and demanding to care for, and also tolerates temperature extremes. Therefore, it can be grown in regions where the climate is quite cold.
Tomato Duckling is suitable for growing both in greenhouses and in open ground. The variety is practically not exposed to late blight, and is also resistant to other diseases of tomatoes. At the same time, the Duckling is demanding on the soil, it needs to be grown in high-fertile soil.
Fruit characterization
The fruits of the variety Duckling have an oval shape and a small nose at the edge. The color of the fruit is yellow. From a distance, they are a bit like a heart. Tomatoes are not large, the average weight of one piece is 60-80 grams. Their scope is wide - and fresh use, and canning, and whole salting.
This variety is well transported, even over long distances, while the appearance of the fruits does not deteriorate. Also, these tomatoes are well stored.
Advantages and disadvantages
Yellow tomato duckling has many advantages, while it has virtually no shortcomings.
Pros:
- The compactness of the bushes, which means that the duckling does not take up much space, but will definitely please the crop.
- The fruits ripen together.
- These tomatoes contain many vitamins and nutrients, which means that it can also be used for medicinal purposes.
- The variety has excellent immunity, which means that it is resistant to major tomato diseases.
- Plants do not require special care, only plentiful and frequent watering, which means that beginners can also grow it.
As mentioned above, the variety has practically no shortcomings, we can only note a not too high yield from one bush.
Sowing seeds
Seeds for seedlings are sown at the very beginning of April. This procedure begins with soil preparation. You can buy in the store a special soil mixture, it does not need to be additionally prepared. If the soil is taken from the garden, it must first be fertilized.
Seeds are planted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, then the box must be covered with a film and put in a warm place until the first shoots appear.
After the shoots appear, the film from the box needs to be removed, and the box itself put on a bright windowsill. If there is not enough light in the house, then you have to light up with a lamp.
At this time, you need to monitor the temperature regime, and especially drafts. Drafts can destroy delicate, not yet fully grown sprouts, as the soil quickly cools down.
You also need to monitor soil moisture - do not allow waterlogging. The topsoil in the drawers can dry very quickly, while inside it can still be wet. Even if the sun shines strongly during the day, there is no need to moisten the earth additionally, since there will be no sun in the evening, and seedlings will remain all night in damp and cold soil.
Watering seedlings should be moderate, after germination the first time watered after about a week. It is also important that drainage holes are present at the bottom of the container. Watering is carried out using warm sludge water.
When the first true leaves appear on plants, seedlings can be dived, that is, transplanted into a more spacious container. It is good if each plant will be in a separate container. Here the plants will become strong and gain strength.
Growing seedlings and subsequent care
Two to three weeks after seed germination, seedlings need to be fed for the first time, subsequent feeding is carried out every 7-10 days. The frequency of fertilizing will depend on the quality of the soil mixture.
Instead of top dressing, you can use a peat tablet - it will add nutrients to the soil and additionally add air permeability to the soil, which is very important for the correct formation of the root system.
If you care for seedlings correctly, then after two weeks the eyes of the gardener will be pleased with strong stocky plants of bright green color. This is confirmed by reviews of tomato duckling.
Planting in open ground is carried out in mid-June, you can plant in the greenhouse before.
Further care for the duckling is a timely and plentiful watering, cultivation, weeding and processing from pests.
The variety is not susceptible to various tomato diseases, but, despite this, before planting, the soil can be treated with a weak solution of manganese.
Tomato Duckling is an early ripe variety, the first crop can be obtained already 100 days after seed germination. It is important to water plants abundantly, especially during flowering, lack of moisture leads to a decrease in yield.
Possible variety problems
Despite the fact that the tomato duckling has many positive characteristics, gardeners may encounter some difficulties when growing it. This is because growing conditions are different everywhere.
One of the problems is that plants and flowers can fall off. If tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse, then this problem may be due to insufficient ventilation. To fix the problem, you need to open the doors and windows in the greenhouse after watering.
The variety is practically not ill with tomato diseases, but for prevention, plants can be treated for late blight, the most common disease.
As a result, we can say that this variety has proved to be excellent, therefore it has become quite popular among gardeners. Due to their taste and beautiful yellow color, these tomatoes are very popular with children, and they also look great in winter in banks. The duckling took all the best from good varieties of tomatoes for the greenhouse, and reviews of the variety confirm this.