Tomato Grotto - description and characteristics of the variety

Tomatoes or tomatoes - Solanaceae family berries, possessing not only a unique taste, but also useful properties. It contains a powerful antioxidant - lycopene, which fights against free radicals and along with tumor processes. That is why there is a constant search, selective selection in order to obtain varieties with the best organoleptic and at the same time commercial qualities.

The tomato variety Grotto has been successfully grown for two decades. It was first bred by selection in Russia in the early 90s of the 20th century. This variety is good in that it can be grown even in apartment conditions, it is not demanding on the sown area. The plant itself is stunted, reaches a height of 30-40 cm, almost like a houseplant on a balcony, loggia, window sill. But this does not mean that it can not be grown in greenhouse-greenhouse conditions. This tomato does not take up much space and is wide, since the crown is not sprawling and not dense.

Characteristic

The fruits have a round shape, smooth surface. The color of the still unripe tomatoes is green, closer to the stalk there is a characteristic dark spot; already matured have a pleasant bright red color. The mass of one tomato can reach 50 grams, and grown in greenhouse conditions - a little more, by 20-30 grams.

Productivity is quite high, and from one square meter of the site you can get about 5-7 kilograms of production; one bush gives about 3 kilograms. By taste, these tomatoes are sweet with a sour taste. Due to the dense peel, the period of safe storage and transportation is long.

The Grotto tomato variety is great for home canning, adding fresh to salads; on an industrial scale goes to preservation, drying, production of ketchups and sauces.

Cultivation and care

Cultivation consists in the following activities:

1. In order to get the crop as soon as possible, you need to prepare seedlings first. Sprouting seeds is best in turf soil mixed with leaves, compost and sand. From fungi and other pathogenic agents, the soil is disinfected with a one percent solution of potassium permanganate, as well as boiling water. Planting seeds should not be very deep, a maximum of one centimeter from the surface of the soil. Then it is covered with peat and watered. After the appearance of a pair of leaves, the shoots are divided into separate plastic cups or pots.
2. Seedlings at the age of one and a half months are planted in the spring, in March. Before planting in open ground, you need to harden the sprouts, periodically ventilating the room with them. It is this season that natural sunlight contributes to the rapid growth process and the appearance of fruits in April-May.
3. Stepsoning. A characteristic feature of the "Grotto" is to stop the growth of stems after the fruits appear. All energy focuses on their maturation. To strengthen this process, you need to remove additional shoots. Then the tomatoes will become even larger, fleshy.
4. Tying up. Short stature is not a guarantee that the stem will not break and the fruits will not be in the ground. Therefore, in any case, you need to tie it to pegs, trellis.
5. Top dressing. Mandatory phase of care.Watering should be done sparingly to avoid rotting of the roots.
6. Loosening the soil is necessary for normal root growth and oxygen access to them. During fasting, the stem must be spudded.

Diseases

Unfortunately, the Grotto variety, like most others, is unstable to diseases such as:

1. Phytophthora is a fungal infection of stems, leaves, fruits.
2. Septoria - manifests itself in the form of white spots on the leaves, fungal in nature.
3. Macrosporiosis - the fungus affects all parts of the plant, characterized by large brown spots.
4. Black bacterial spotting.

How consumers evaluate a grade

Summer residents and tenants evaluate the grotto tomatoes positively. According to their reviews, the yield is quite decent, fruit formation lasts 3-4 months, the taste is good. According to housewives, the simultaneous ripening of fruits is very convenient for harvesting. It is important that caring for it is not difficult.

Video: 10 mistakes when growing tomatoes