Among gardeners and gardeners, a new variety of tomatoes is gaining popularity , bearing the name of the fabulous princess Rapunzel, famous for her luxurious hair.
This name was not given to this hybrid by chance, because the falling brushes dotted with bright glossy tomatoes resemble this charming cartoon character. We offer to get acquainted with the basic properties of a new country culture, called tomato Rapunzel.
History of the variety
The recently bred product of the English selection tomato Rapunzel is an indeterminate plant, i.e., with unlimited stalk growth. Its scourges reach an impressive length of 1.8-2.4 meters. This breeding novelty became known only at the end of 2014, when it was first introduced to the audience of the American exhibition, where crops were tested for the characteristics declared by experts. It is still very difficult to acquire Rapunzel tomato seeds . Reviews of ordinary gardeners on this occasion confirm the difficulties of such a purchase.
Although already in 2015 some foreign online stores sold this seed, in Russia today the culture is extremely rare. It is hoped that soon a hybrid variety with the name of a fairy-tale princess will appear in domestic greenhouses.
Grade characteristics
So, this tomato is unusual with long fruiting brushes, or rather branches, on both sides of which there are a number of fruits. This is an early ripe hybrid, the time of vegetation (i.e., the period from germination of seedlings to mass ripening of fruits) which takes only 75-80 days. The fruits are medium-sized, one-dimensional, dense and glossy, with an excellent sweet taste. Rapunzel tomatoes are suitable for cultivation in greenhouses, but the hybrid is also successfully grown on balconies, in special containers. True, in this case it is necessary to control the growth of the lashes. The producers of the variety assure that it is possible to grow a new hybrid culture in all climatic zones, which means that domestic gardeners of the most extreme latitudes will be able to cultivate this interesting plant.
Fruit
The Rapunzel tomato variety is remarkably prolific. On each of the long brushes grows up to 40 fruits - small, elastic, rounded. A compact, neat opposite arrangement of fruits on a branch is another quality of the plant. Juicy sweet pulp has already been appreciated by gardeners who grow a new hybrid and notice a small number of chambers in tomatoes. Tomato Rapunzel as a salad variety is excellent for raw consumption, but good for canning. Impossible only its long-term storage.
The composition of the fruits is distinguished by increased sugar content, the presence of pectins, starches and a variety of mineral substances, the compounds of which endow them with excellent dietary and nutritional properties.
Culture requirements
Tomato Rapunzel is very demanding. For the quality development of the culture and the maximum yield of the crop, it is necessary:
• a lot of sunlight and heat;
• slightly acid soil reaction;
• mandatory presence of support and timely garter of the lashes as they grow;
• regular top dressing.
Advantages and disadvantages of tomato
Breeders, whose research product was Rapunzel tomato, positioned it on the market as a culture with very high quality characteristics. So, these tomatoes possess:
• enviable resistance to diseases traditional for nightshade plants;
• excellent fruit setting;
• good productivity;
• a good level of transportability;
• superior palatability.
The disadvantages, by the way, are very conditional, can be the impossibility of long-term storage of fruits, as well as noticeable, but, hopefully, temporary difficulties in acquiring seeds at the present time.
Tomato Rapunzel: reviews
The yield of culture, as already mentioned, is very high. It is noted by gardeners that Rapunzel is a culture with a long and thin stem, as well as a highly developed root system of the rod type. Well-branched subordinate roots quickly grow in the horizontal plane, but not deep. Good nutrition and adequate watering stimulate the formation of additional roots.
Rapunzel tomatoes, the description of which is presented in the publication, are very light and heat-loving. In addition, they are sensitive to excessive humidity in the greenhouse. Lack of light and waterlogging are the main enemies of culture, capable of nullifying all the efforts of a gardener. Comfortable air temperature for successful plant development ranges from 22-28 ˚.
All of these factors are crucial for obtaining a full crop, and therefore must be strictly observed. Neglect of any of them will result in a noticeable decrease in yield.
Agricultural regulations
The basics of agronomic cultivation of Rapunzel tomato cultivation are practically no different from any other tomato variety. Recall the algorithm of actions necessary for growing a tomato:
• sowing for seedlings is carried out in March-April, the seeds are sown in light loose soil;
• seedlings are installed in improvised mini-greenhouses, which open during germination of seedlings:
• after 3-4 weeks, seedlings dive, planting in separate containers;
• planting in a prepared greenhouse is carried out when the threat of frost has passed. Since the timing of establishing acceptable weather varies widely in different regions, gardeners have to be guided by the peculiarities of territorial weather conditions.
Dressing and care
And Rapunzel tomatoes are sensitive to maintaining a normal feeding regime. The reviews of gardeners emphasize the obligatory introduction of high-quality organics for digging and planting, as well as the regular feeding of crops with complex mineral fertilizers with microelements.
Experienced gardeners recommend feeding balcony specimens with mineral fertilizers every two weeks, greenhouse plants - weekly with green infusions of grass, and from mid-July - mineral complexes.
Since tomatoes are very tall, they need support and fixing of stems. Be sure to form a bush in one or two lashes. Watering (strictly under the root) is carried out by drying the upper soil layer.
So, the selection novelty Rapunzel tomato will soon appear in Russian estates and summer cottages. Seed-producing companies will open the mass sale of seed, and it will certainly be an affordable product both in the foreign and domestic markets.