Tomato Octopus: everything about growing a tomato tree
Recently, you can increasingly hear about the Octopus F1 tomato, which is also called the tomato tree. Many gardeners dream of growing this crop and getting 1000 kg of tomatoes from a bush. What is special about this miracle tomato?
Content:
- Features of the Octopus tomato
- What you need to grow
- Agricultural technology of tomato tree
- Seasonal cultivation of tomato Octopus
Features of the Octopus tomato
The appearance of the Octopus hybrid aroused genuine interest and desire to grow a miracle of selection among farmers and gardeners around the world. The characteristics of the variety depend on the method of cultivation.
There are 2 growing methods.
Regular, seasonal. For this, traditional planting in a greenhouse or open ground is used (depending on the strip). During the season, you can get about 10 kg of fruit from a tall tomato.
Cultivation using special technology provided by the variety. The plant, which is unlimited in growth, forms in the form of a spreading tree and produces 1000 -1500 kg of fruits per bush. It will take about 1.5 years to grow it and therefore requires special conditions.
The first option is not bad, but the second is much more interesting. One tomato tree can replace an entire plantation. Crown of an adult plant spreads over a diameter of up to 50 square meters. Interestingly, this variety does not require pinching and removing excess color brushes. All shoots are given full fruiting. The brushes are tied every 3 leaves and form 4-6 fruits, weighing from 100 to 200 grams each.A full-fledged adult plant can produce from 8 to 14 thousand fruits per year of fruiting.
Octopus is a mysterious tomato that can become the real pride of any gardener (if the desired results can be achieved). Its agricultural technology is fundamentally different from the standard one and requires its own approach. How to grow this miracle and what is needed for this?
What you need to grow
Tomato tree needed grow hydroponically. This is a prerequisite to save it from diseases and pests that can attack in 1.5 years of life. Genetic predisposition to growth and branching requires proper care, adequate nutrition and lighting. Otherwise, the plant will not reach the height of the tree.
What you need to grow a wonderful tomato:
- Greenhouse heated all year round with fluorescent lamps.
- Container for planting, size from 1 to 1.5 square meters. The height must be at least 0.5 meters. Often an old bathtub is used for this purpose.
- Container lid with a hole in the center for tomato. It can be made from sheet foam. The lid is necessary to protect the nutritional composition from overheating in the summer.
- Container in which solutions will be diluted.
- Aquarium compressors that will enrich the nutrient solution with air.
- Special fertilizers for making hydroponic solution. The composition of Chesnokova and Bazyrena is suitable.
- Glass wool for making planting cubes.
Hydroponic method cultivation is considered the most successful, as it allows you not to worry about drying out or contaminating the soil. The only thing you need to worry about is the temperature of the solution. In summer it should not exceed 25 degrees, and in winter it should drop below 18. To reduce the likelihood of overheating, it is recommended to paint the container white.When everything is prepared, you can start planting.
Agricultural technology of tomato tree
To prepare a hydroponic solution, it is recommended to make a stock solution; for this, dilute the following in 10 liters of water:
- Ammonium nitrate 0.2 kg
- Potassium 0.5 kg
- Iron citrate 0.009 kg
- Superphosphate 0.55 kg
- Boric acid 0.003
- Magnesium 0.3 kg
- Manganese sulfate 0.002 kg
For 1 liter of solution, take 100 liters of water and mix. To get a good tree you need grow the plant in the fall. For this purpose, seeds are sown in August. Cubes measuring 20 by 20 cm are cut out of glass wool, and a hole is made in the middle for the seeds.
Each workpiece is moistened with a nutrient composition and placed in a container for growth. The surface of the cube is moistened several times a day. 60 days after germination, the plant is placed in a larger glass wool cube, air supply tubes are inserted into it, and placed in a container. The top of the bath is covered with a prepared lid.
Throughout the cold period, artificial lighting is provided, thereby creating a 12-hour daylight hours. Illumination continues until the end of February. If flower shoots appear during this period, they are broken off. This will allow you to form a beautiful and dense crown. The plant should not bear fruit until 8 months of age. Fruiting should begin no earlier than May.
If agricultural practices are followed and the temperature is maintained, the plant will grow rapidly. To support it you will need a trellis. At a height of 2.5 meters you need to stretch the mesh on which the branches of the tomato tree will be placed.
Seasonal cultivation of tomato Octopus
If it is not possible to grow a full-fledged tomato tree, then you can use the seeds for seasonal purposes. After all, the promised 10 kg of fruits from a bush is also not bad. And if you consider that this variety bears fruit almost until frost, the tomatoes lie well, then you can provide yourself with fresh tomatoes for 8-10 months.
What is the peculiarity of seasonal cultivation of Sprut tomato:
- Sowing seeds for seedlings no later than mid-February.
- Diving is a must.
- Bushes should be planted at a distance of 1.5 meters from each other.
- There is no need to break off the stepsons.
- For full growth, regular feeding is required at least once every 3 weeks.
The seasonal plant can reach 4-5 meters in height. To prevent this from happening, you must remember to pinch off the central stem when it reaches the desired size.
The Octopus tomato is a real miracle of selection. With successful cultivation, any gardener can be proud of his work and diligence. But even if the tree does not live up to its expectations, you can get a wonderful harvest of tomatoes that other varieties cannot always produce.
Video about the incredible tomato tree:
Interesting information about the vegetable garden
Comments
Growing tomatoes hydroponically is not accessible to everyone for a number of reasons, and without this you cannot get a super harvest. Under normal conditions, i.e. I grew the hybrid "Octopus" in the garden for 2 years without pinching, I harvested a lot of fruits, the last ones at the end of November, and finished them in January. Yes, it is stored well due to the thick crust, the taste is average.