Many experienced gardeners are already familiar with Cardinal tomatoes. Reviews about this variety say that it is quite unpretentious in care and has amazing taste. In this article, you will learn all about planting and caring for these tomatoes, as well as about methods of preventing and combating various diseases and harmful insects.
Characterization and description of the variety
Tomato Cardinal is a self-pollinated variety whose bushes reach a height of one and a half meters in open ground and two meters in a greenhouse. The fruits of these tomatoes have a strong aroma and a sweet taste. As can be seen in the photo, the Cardinal tomatoes have a dense skin of bright pink color. It hides under itself a juicy pulp without veins. In the early years of fruiting, mature tomatoes reach a weight of almost 900 grams, but the weight of tomatoes decreases every year. The first crop can be harvested in July and used both for fresh consumption and for canning.
The main advantages of the variety are:
- resistance to many diseases;
- excellent taste and appearance of tomatoes;
- preservation of taste and presentation in transportation;
- fast germination of planting material;
- short ripening period;
- resistance to frost;
- universality of use.
However, along with the advantages, there are some disadvantages. For example, mandatory stepsoning and the need for a garter.
Sowing
Cardinal tomato seeds are best sown in the first half of March. This variety is particularly frost resistant, and therefore you can not worry about the fact that the plant will die under severe climatic conditions.
You can plant seeds both in a common box, and in separate containers. It is optimal to use peat pots that are transported to the open ground with a bush. Planting material is buried two centimeters into the prepared soil. The nutrient substrate for planting should consist of garden and turf land, as well as a small amount of humus. Pretty fertile soil after growing legumes and cabbage. To increase the nutritional properties, wood ash and superphosphate preparations are added to the soil.
Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 12 hours in a growth stimulator, after which they are disinfected with a potassium permanganate solution and washed under running water. Several seeds are sown at once in the container, after which the plantings are moistened and covered with a film. Seedlings are placed in a warm and bright place.
Seedling Care
According to the description of the Cardinal tomato, this variety is very light and heat-loving, and therefore it is important to provide it with sufficient lighting, especially in cloudy weather. If there is a lack of sunlight, organize an artificial light source. The air temperature in the room where the boxes with seedlings are located should not be lower than +25 ° .
It is undesirable to water young shoots from a watering can, it is best to water using a sprayer. Water the plants in the early morning or evening, after which the sprouts are mulched. To accelerate the growth of green mass, use high-nitrogen fertilizer. In addition, you can fertilize the soil with complex mineral preparations.
Before moving the tomatoes to a permanent place, be sure to conduct hardening. To do this, take out boxes with seedlings in the fresh air, daily increasing the time the sprouts stay on the street. Organize a well-lit and draft-free place where hardening is planned.
Open transplant
Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place is carried out in the first half of June. A place for growing tomatoes Cardinal should be well lit. The soil requirements are the simplest - the earth must be fertilized with peat and humus.
Seedlings are planted according to the scheme of 70 x 80 centimeters. After transplanting, the seedlings are well watered with warm water and covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect. It is best to plant tomatoes in areas where cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, onions and garlic were previously grown. But after pepper, potatoes and eggplant, tomatoes should not be grown due to common diseases of these plants.
Tomato Care
After transferring the tomatoes to a permanent place, they should be given proper care. Cardinal tomatoes are watered as necessary, using warm and well-maintained water. For the entire growing season, at least four top dressings are required. Mineral and organic fertilizers alternate with each other.
Weeding and loosening the soil every two weeks is a necessary measure, ensuring a normal regime of soil temperature and humidity. The first hilling is carried out 2-3 weeks after the plant is transplanted into the open ground.
If you do not have enough time to carefully care for the plant, you can simply arrange for mulching. As a mulch, straw is most often used, which protects the roots from frost, bacteria and pests, and also eliminates the processes of weeding and loosening. Also, mulch retains moisture for a longer period.
Be sure to tie the Cardinal tomato bushes. The design can be made absolutely from any materials, whether it is wood, iron or plastic. In addition, stepsoning is a mandatory procedure, ensuring the normal formation of fruits.
Protection against diseases and pests
Tomatoes Cardinal, like any other cultivated plants, are exposed to various harmful insects and diseases. Prevention of these ailments is the constant removal of weeds, airing the greenhouse, as well as mulching the area around the bush with peat or humus.
Before sowing seeds for seedlings, it is advisable to calcine the soil in the oven. This measure will help get rid of the possible presence of aphid larvae, slugs and thrips in the soil. At the initial stages of cultivation, it is permissible to spray the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Manual collection and processing of leaves with liquid ammonia helps to get rid of adult slugs. If aphids get on the plants, treat it with a soapy solution. And from the spider mite only insecticidal drugs will save. It is forbidden to use chemicals only during the formation of the fruit.