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Among the wide variety of tomatoes, the gardener chooses those that suit him best. Everyone has their own selection criteria. For some, the main thing is productivity, for others, the taste of fruits comes first. There is a considerable group of fans to grow exotic varieties. They have at their disposal not only a large assortment of seeds sold by various companies, but also a collection of enthusiastic tomato growers who are not averse to sharing seeds of rare varieties.
Where did dark-colored tomatoes come from?
Many gardeners believe that black tomatoes are the fruit of genetic engineering and are a transgenic product. In fact, this is not true. Indeed, in nature, plants practically do not have a gene responsible for the black color of fruits. But there are 6 other genes that form the color of tomatoes. Working together, they produce substances that determine their color:
- chlorophyll – present in any green fruit;
- lycopene – it is he who gives the tomatoes a red color;
- carotenoids, most of them in carrots and pumpkins, but a lot in tomatoes;
- anthocyanins – give the appropriate color to beets and other purple-colored vegetables. It is they, together with the rest, that give the tomatoes their original dark color.
The benefits of dark-colored tomatoes
Red tomatoes, familiar to most people, are being replaced by varieties that are colored “not according to the rules”. Among them are brown, blue and even black. How are they better than traditionally colored tomatoes? The color of a tomato is due to the content of coloring pigments in it, which have many useful properties. If useful lycopene and carotenoids are found in all varieties, then only black and purple tomatoes can boast of anthocyanin content.
Why are anthocyanins valuable?
- are immunostimulants;
- have bactericidal properties;
- strengthen the walls of blood vessels, especially capillaries;
- have anti-edematous action;
- are antioxidants, that is, they are able to bind free radicals, helping to avoid cancer.
In the human body, they are not synthesized, but they are very necessary for it, especially during illness. Therefore, products that help eliminate the deficiency of this irreplaceable substance are so valuable.
There are not so many truly black tomatoes. The darkest of them is deservedly considered the Indigo rose variety. He shares the palm with another original tomato, which is called Blueberry.
To understand what an Indigo rose tomato variety is, we will draw up a detailed description and description of this curiosity, but for now let’s admire the photo.
Characteristic and description
The Indigo Rose tomato variety was bred recently. In 2015, Jim Myers, professor of horticulture at the American University of Oregon, crossed purple cultivars with wild tomato plants native to the Galapagos Islands and Chile. The result was an amazing variety with a black color.
Its features:
- ripening period – early, the first fruits can be tasted after 100 days, and in hot summer and a little earlier;
- the Indigo rose tomato variety can be grown in open ground, where it grows up to 1 m and in a greenhouse, where its height is somewhat larger, according to gardeners, it can grow up to one and a half meters;
- the bush is not very leafy, the leaves are of the usual type. Sometimes they can curl – this is a feature of the variety;
- tomato variety Indigo rose forms a simple brush, the number of fruits in it is from 6 to 8;
- the color of the skin is black, but not always: if the fruit is covered with leaves from the sun, part of it remains pink – hence its name;
- the skin is quite dense, which allows the use of Indigo rose tomatoes not only in salads, but also in marinades and pickles;
- tomatoes of this variety are well stored, their taste is interesting, very rich, inside the fruit has a red color;
- Indigo rose tomatoes have a very strong aroma that can be felt at a distance of several meters;
- the size of the fruit is highly dependent on care, most manufacturers position it as a cocktail variety, but gardeners say that the fruit can be larger – up to 100 g;
- the originator of the variety claims that the plants of this tomato can withstand frosts down to -5 degrees, but the feedback from gardeners on this matter is ambiguous.
To give a complete characterization and description of the Indigo rose tomato variety, it must be said that it is characterized by increased resistance to late blight.
Until recently, indigo rose tomato seeds could only be found with collectors. Now they are also distributed by the company Biotechnica.
The yield of this variety is average, but it is valued not for it, but for the excellent dessert taste of the fruit.
Agrotechnics of black-fruited tomatoes
Breeders are still arguing about whether the acquisition of such an unusual color benefited the plants. Among some of them, there is an opinion about the low germination of seeds of this variety, slow growth, a long ripening period and poor resistance to diseases, although gardeners often say the opposite.
But first you have to grow seedlings.
Growing seedlings
Growing seedlings of these tomatoes has no special features.
- We prepare the seeds: we treat them with a disinfectant – potassium permanganate at a concentration of 1% or a solution of phytosporin. In order not to worry about seedlings, it is best to germinate the seeds of the Indigo rose variety of tomatoes. We do this after soaking in a growth stimulator, which we carry out according to the instructions for the selected drug.
- Germination is best done in damp cotton pads.
For successful germination, greenhouse conditions are needed: constant high temperature and high humidity.
- We sow the nipped seeds in the soil for tomatoes and keep warm until germination, not allowing the soil to dry out. So that the plants do not waste time adapting after picking, it is better to plant them immediately in separate cups.
- The hatched loops are a signal that the seedlings need light. We transfer them to the brightest place so that the seedlings do not stretch.
- We keep seedlings at a temperature of 18 degrees at night and about 22 degrees during the day.
- Watering is needed rare, but sufficient to completely wet the soil in the pot.
- For better growth, we feed the sprouts 2 times with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers: in the phase of 2-3 true leaves and after another 2 weeks.
Post disembarkation care
The planting pattern for this variety is usual: 40-50×60 cm. Further care is as follows.
- Watering. Indigo rose tomato is considered a drought-resistant variety, so watering once a week with warm water is enough for him. But this is subject to soil mulching with organic materials.
- Top dressing. They are standard: the first one is carried out 2 weeks after the rooting of the seedlings, the subsequent ones – once a decade. A complete mineral fertilizer is used, adding ash to it during the fruiting period as a source of potassium. Blossom end rot disease on tomatoes of this variety was not noticed, but on sandy loam and sandy soils it is better to carry out a single top dressing with calcium nitrate at the time of formation of ovaries on the second brush. It will help to increase the yield and spraying with a solution of boric acid at the time of flowering of tomatoes. They are carried out 2 times.
- Formation. Both in the open field and in the greenhouse, the Indigo rose tomato needs pinching and garter. In the south, you can remove the stepsons to the first brush, to the north – the tomato is formed into 2 stems, removing all the other stepchildren.
A few words about harvesting. Indigo rose tomatoes become fully ripe when they have acquired the color characteristic of this variety and become a little soft. Many gardeners pick tomatoes before they are fully ripe and are disappointed with the taste.
Here’s how you can grow tomatoes of this variety without pinching:
If there is a desire not only to eat a delicious vegetable, but also to be treated with it, the Indigo rose tomato variety is the best choice.