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One might think that the “Japanese crab” is a new type of crustacean animal. In fact, this name hides one of the best varieties of tomato. It was relatively recently brought out by Siberian breeders. The salad variety has a lot of advantages and quickly fell in love with many farmers. Its seeds are available to everyone, however, for the successful cultivation of a crop, you need to know some of the features of agricultural technology. For those who are interested in the variety, we suggest that you get acquainted with the characteristics and description of the Japanese Crab tomato variety, as well as the features of its cultivation.
Description of vegetables
Tomato “Japanese Crab” can be called the best among many other varieties. It differs, first of all, in an interesting, bright taste and aroma. The grade is ideally suited for preparation of salads, sandwiches and other cold appetizers. Large vegetables are very fleshy and contain little free juice. Their average weight is 300 g, but some especially large fruits reach a mass of 800-900 g. The giants of the Japanese Crab variety can be seen in the photo below:
Tomatoes of the “Japanese crab” variety are flattened, their surface is ribbed. Inside the tomato there are 5-6 small seed chambers. The color of vegetables changes as they ripen from green to bright red or crimson. At the stalk of a tomato, you can see a dark spot, characteristic of this variety.
Tomatoes have a dense skin that prevents the fruit from cracking. It is able to preserve the integrity of even the largest tomatoes. But despite its strength, the skin of the “Japanese Crab” tomato is quite tender, uniform. It is almost invisible when eating fresh vegetables.
Comments and reviews of the agrarian taster about tomatoes of this variety can be found by watching the video:
The video perfectly demonstrates the external qualities of Japanese Crab tomatoes grown in a greenhouse.
The purpose of tomatoes is universal. They can be used for preparing snacks, various culinary dishes or preserving winter preparations. Large vegetables are difficult to fit into jars, so they should be divided into pieces before harvesting. Meaty tomatoes are great for making ketchup or pasta. The juice from the Japanese Crab tomatoes is quite thick.
Features of the plant
Speaking about the characteristics and description of the Japanese Crab tomato variety, it is worth mentioning not only the quality of the vegetables themselves, but also the bushes that will have to be grown in order to get a good harvest of tasty fruits. So, the bushes of the “Japanese Crab” variety are indeterminate, tall. Their height in favorable greenhouse conditions reaches 2 m. To increase the yield, these giants must be correctly and timely formed into one or two stems. It is worth noting that the proposed variety can be cultivated not only in a greenhouse or greenhouse, but also in an open garden. In unprotected conditions, tomatoes must be carefully tied to a reliable support.
Indeterminate bushes form fruiting brushes throughout the growing season. The first inflorescence appears, as a rule, above the 7-8th leaf of the plant. Each brush contains about 6-10 simple flowers. To get larger fruits, experienced gardeners pinch the brushes, leaving only 4-5 flowers.
The plant forms numerous stepchildren, which must be removed in accordance with the chosen scheme for the formation of tomatoes. It is also recommended to pinch the main shoot about a month before the end of fruiting. This measure will speed up the ripening process of existing fruits.
Tomato leaves of the proposed variety are medium in size, light green in color. It is customary to remove the lower leaves of indeterminate tomatoes so that the plant can correctly distribute nutrients.
Measures for removing stepsons and leaves for all indeterminate tomatoes are similar and must be carried out according to certain rules, which can be found in detail in the video:
Fruit ripening period and variety yield
Breeders of Siberia, creating tomatoes “Japanese crab”, first of all, took into account the peculiarities of the climate existing in the region. Thus, the proposed variety of tomatoes has a medium early fruit ripening period. From the day of sowing the seed to the day of harvesting, about 110-115 days should pass. This duration of ripening allows you to grow tomatoes not only in seedlings, but also in a seedless way.
The first tomatoes of the proposed variety ripen in 2,5-3 months after sowing the seeds. They are characterized by a particularly large size and can weigh 500-600 g. The yield of the variety is generally quite high: with good care, it is possible to collect more than 5 kg of vegetables from each bush. Productivity from 1 m2 earth exceeds 15 kg. The fruiting process of the variety is limited, as a rule, by climatic conditions. In a greenhouse, indeterminate tomatoes can produce a crop until November.
Resistance to external factors
Often, gardeners, growing tomatoes in a greenhouse or on an unprotected garden bed, are faced with various diseases and pests that can significantly spoil the crop or completely destroy it. The variety “Japanese Crab” has a genetic resistance to many ailments. So, he is not afraid of top and root rot, tobacco mosaic. To other diseases, tomatoes do not have high immune protection, so it is worth remembering:
- Long rains and sharp cold snaps can provoke the development of late blight.
- Conditions with high temperature and high air humidity, which is typical for a greenhouse, can become a prerequisite for the development of cladosporiosis.
The development of late blight and cladosporiosis can be prevented by preventive measures. For example, treatment of plants with ash or Trichopolum 1 time in 3 days will not allow fungi and viruses to spread. If foci of the disease are detected, it is recommended to use special preparations. So, you can fight late blight with fungicides. Preparations containing copper can resist cladosporiosis.
Against insects, the variety has no genetic resistance. They must be fought with folk remedies in the form of infusion or decoction, as well as by setting traps.
Peculiarities of growing
“Japanese crab” is a very grateful variety, which, only with proper care, can give a good harvest of vegetables. The variety requires special care and attention from the first days of cultivation. So, before you start cultivating tomatoes, it is important to determine the time and place of planting seeds:
- tomato seeds can be sown in a heated greenhouse in early April;
- in an unheated greenhouse, favorable conditions are established by the beginning of May;
- it is recommended to sow grains in open ground in late May – early June;
- at home, it is customary to sow tomato seeds for seedlings in early April.
It is worth noting that tomato seeds are not afraid of the cold and can be sown in open ground early enough, but this will not speed up the process of fruit ripening, since the germination of grains will occur only after the establishment of favorable weather. When growing seedlings at home, it is also necessary to pay special attention to the date of planting seeds, because under favorable conditions, plants can quickly grow and exceed the recommended parameters by the time they are planted in the ground.
For different regions of the country, the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings may vary. It is recommended to sow seeds for seedlings 60 days before the day of the proposed planting of seedlings in the ground. At the time of planting, tomatoes should have 6 true leaves and a stem height of about 20-25 cm.
Seedlings should be placed in open ground or in a greenhouse in a two-row or staggered pattern. 1 m2 soil should have no more than 3 indeterminate plants. Caring for “Japanese crab” tomatoes is standard, includes watering, loosening and weeding the soil. Fertilizers should be applied regularly, at least 4-5 times during the entire growing season. At the same time, it is worth remembering that nitrates can accumulate in mature fruits, therefore, at the stage of active ripening of tomatoes with top dressing, you need to be more careful.
Advantages and disadvantages
Variety “Japanese crab” has a lot of advantages:
- amazing taste of fruits and their size;
- high yield;
- unpretentiousness of the variety, the ability to grow tomatoes in open and protected conditions;
- excellent external qualities of tomatoes;
- universal purpose of vegetables.
In addition to important advantages, the Japanese Crab variety also has some disadvantages that should be remembered:
- Poor fitness of tomatoes for storage.
- Vulnerability of ovaries to adverse conditions. Flowers and ovaries at a temperature of +2-+40C may fall off.
Results
Thus, we can say with confidence that the “Japanese Crab” is an excellent salad tomato variety, with excellent taste characteristics and high external qualities of the fruit. This is confirmed by numerous reviews and description of the variety. Cultivating tomatoes is quite simple if you know some of the features and rules of agricultural technology. We tried to talk about them in detail above in the article, so that every farmer who wishes has the opportunity to grow a good crop of delicious tomatoes with his own hands.