The Octopus tomato variety has for some time become a real find for gardeners who are accustomed to daring experiments. I must say that this hybrid has an unusual size and appearance, and it grows quite quickly. Usually, people call the Octopus tomatoes not a tomato, but a tomato tree. And the reason for this is obvious, because if you grow this tomato for at least a year and a half, you can really grow a "tomato" tree. Although those gardeners who cultivated this variety of tomatoes for only one season were able to achieve success.
At its genetic level, the Octopus tomato variety differs from other similar varieties in its perfectly developed root system and powerful leaves. The fruits of this variety can be harvested, starting in July and ending in September, which is already nonsense for harvesting tomatoes. And the fruits are really heroic, because the mass of one such tomato is 250 g. At the same time, they can be stored for quite some time - until the middle of winter. The high fecundity of this variety is also associated with the fact that it is very resistant to various diseases that often affect tomatoes. Especially the peak of such diseases occurs in hot and dry years.
Bushes of this variety can reach a height of 2.5-3 meters, and the crown of such a plant grows so much that it can capture all 0.5 acres of the garden. The lifespan of such a tomato tree is at least 2 years, therefore, in the temperate climate of our country, "Octopus" tomatoes are best grown not in open ground, but in greenhouse conditions.
In this case, the optimal method for growing such tomatoes is the so-called hydroponic method, in which the root system of the tomato tree receives a sufficient amount of oxygen. As a result, the plant will not suffer from overdrying the soil, nor from its overmoistening, which equally adversely affects the development of tomatoes. However, this method requires additional nutrition, which consists in frequent and abundant top dressing with solutions of mineral salts.
Typically, Octopus tomatoes are planted in seedlings. In principle, the cultivation of seedlings is carried out similarly to the cultivation of seedlings of other varieties, but there is a slight difference, which consists in an increased temperature regime of cultivation, which should be at least 25 degrees Celsius.
Octopus tomatoes do not require that they have lateral shoots and stepsons cut off during growth. However, all this should be offset by regular fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. On average, top dressing should be done every 7 days.
Nevertheless, if there is a need or desire to form a real tomato tree, then for 6-8 months it is not necessary to allow the fruit to appear on the plant. If you try to withstand this period, then the tree will form a thick and beautiful crown, which will allow you to get large fruits.
I must say that the mere acquisition of seeds of this variety is not the key to obtaining a full-grown tall tomato tree. This form may not work, however, the benefit of growing such tomatoes in greenhouse conditions will be visible even to the naked eye. For tomatoes "Octopus" are considered the best and most prolific cultivar for growing indoors. In principle, this variety can also be successfully cultivated on the open ground, but in this case you can not hope that a really big tomato tree will grow.
So, if there is everything for growing such tomatoes, then you can safely begin experiments on growing these giant tomatoes. As a result, you can get not only a rich harvest, but also an unusual decoration of the site.