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Many enthusiastic gardeners exchange seeds with tomato lovers like themselves. Every serious tomato grower has his own website where you can buy seeds of the variety you like. As a rule, regrading, which many seed companies suffer from, does not happen to amateurs. All plants fully correspond to the varietal characteristics declared in the description. But they present themselves differently. And the point is the dishonesty of the seller. The composition of the soil and climatic conditions are different for everyone. That tomato, which successfully grew and bore fruit at the seller, may behave in a completely different way in your garden. Experienced farmers always take this circumstance into account. Therefore, the purchased seeds are tested for several years. With success, they move into the category of permanent inhabitants of tomato beds.
Among the sellers of tomato seeds there are many people who are passionate about their business. They search for new varieties around the world, test them, propagate them and help spread the novelty throughout the country. One of these varieties is the Kiss of the Geranium. The tomato with the original name is also distinguished by unusual characteristics that are rarely found in other varieties of tomatoes. To understand what distinguishes the Geranium Kiss tomato variety, we will compile its detailed description and characteristics, especially since the reviews about this tomato are very good.
Description and characteristics
Geranium Kiss Tomato or Geranium Kiss was bred in 2008 by American farmer Alan Capuler, who lives in Origon in the western United States.
Features of the tomato variety Geranium Kiss:
- It belongs to the varieties of early ripening. Harvest can be harvested as early as 3 months after sowing.
- It has a compact bush, in open ground not higher than 0,5 m, in a greenhouse – up to 1 m. The tomato is determinant, it does not need pinching. It grows well on the balcony in a 5 liter container.
- A plant with thick, dark green foliage.
- Forms huge complex brushes, in which there can be up to 100 fruits.
- Bright red oval-shaped tomatoes with a small spout. The weight of each can reach 40 g. This variety is a variety of cherry tomatoes and belongs to the cocktail.
- The taste of the fruits of the tomato variety Kiss of Geranium is good, few seeds are formed in it.
- The purpose of the fruits is universal – they are tasty fresh, well marinated and salted.
This variety has a younger brother called Geranium Little Kiss. They differ only in the height of the bush. In the Little Geraniums Kiss Tomato variety, it does not exceed 30 cm, as it belongs to the superdeterminant varieties. This baby is just perfect for growing on the balcony.
To complete the full characterization and description of the Geranium Kiss tomato variety, which already has positive reviews, we mention that it is resistant to the main diseases of nightshade crops.
In the southern regions, the tomato variety Kiss of Geranium can be sown with seeds in warm soil. In all the rest – it is sown for seedlings.
Sowing in open ground
You can carry it out with dry seeds, then shoots will appear in 8-10 days. If the seeds are pre-germinated, they will sprout already on the fourth day.
On the prepared bed, holes are marked according to the standard sowing scheme: 60 cm between rows and 40 cm in a row. The seeds are immersed to a depth of about 1 cm and the ground is pressed with the palm of the hand so that contact with it is better. The ground must be moist. It cannot be watered before germination, so that a crust does not form, which is difficult for the sprouts to overcome. Place 3 seeds in each hole.
The long and warm southern summer will allow the seeds of the Geranium Kiss tomato variety to fully realize their yield. You can experiment with sowing in open ground and in the middle lane, but only on a warm bed prepared in the fall. Immediately after the snow melts, it is covered with a film so that the earth warms up well. Crops should also be kept under cover, providing protection from recurrent frosts and cold snaps. If you are not a supporter of experiments, you will have to grow seedlings.
We grow seedlings
Determinate tomatoes are planted in the ground after the return of spring frosts. Therefore, they are sown for seedlings at the end of March and even at the beginning of April. How to do it?
- Seeds are etched in potassium permanganate 1% concentration or heated to 43 degrees 2% hydrogen peroxide solution. The exposure time in the first case is 20 minutes, in the second – only 8.
- Soaking in a growth stimulator solution. Their range is quite large: Zircon, Epin, Immunocytophyte, etc. It is carried out in accordance with the instructions on the package.
- Germination. It is convenient to do this in cotton pads moistened with warm water. To create a greenhouse effect, a plastic bag is put on the dishes with disks, which must be removed at least once a day for a short time to air the seeds. Sow the seeds as soon as some of them hatch. The length of the roots should not be more than 1-2 mm, so that they do not break off during sowing.
- Sow seeds in a container with soil for growing tomatoes. It is better to do this with tweezers so as not to damage the roots. Sowing scheme: 2×2 cm. To create the effect of a greenhouse, the container is wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a warm place. According to gardeners, tomato seeds of the Geranium Kiss variety germinate for a long time, so be patient.
- With the appearance of the first shoots, the package is removed, the container with the seeds is placed on a bright windowsill, reducing the temperature by 4-5 degrees for 2-3 days.
- In the future, a comfortable temperature for the development of tomato seedlings will be 18 degrees at night and about 22 during the day.
- When the seedlings have grown 2 true leaves, they dive into separate containers with a volume of about 0,5 liters. Dive seedlings of tomatoes are protected from direct sunlight for several days.
- Watering with warm water is carried out when the soil surface dries.
- Top dressing of tomatoes of the Kiss of Geranium variety is done twice. For this, a weak solution of a complete mineral fertilizer with an obligatory content of trace elements is suitable. Before planting, tomato seedlings are hardened, gradually accustoming them to open ground conditions.
Planting seedlings and care
It is customary to relocate tomato seedlings to open ground after the earth warms up to 15 degrees. By this time, there is no longer a threat of return frosts. When planting seedlings, temporary film shelters should be provided. Even with high daytime temperatures, nights can be cold. If at night it is less than 14 degrees, this is stress for tomatoes. It will inevitably slow down the growth of tomato bushes. Therefore, at night it is better to cover them with a film stretched over arcs. In damp and cool weather, which often happens in the middle lane in summer, they can not be opened during the day. Such a measure will help protect the tomatoes Kiss of the geranium from late blight disease. Under what conditions do plants grow best?
- With constant light throughout the day.
- With weekly watering with warm water until flowering and twice a week from the beginning of flowering. You need enough water to wet the entire root layer of the soil. Watering is carried out only under the root, the leaves should remain dry. If it rains, watering should be adjusted according to precipitation.
- With a sufficient amount of top dressing. The root system of dived tomatoes The kiss of a geranium does not penetrate deeper than half a meter, but it spreads underground over the entire area of u1bu0,5bthe garden. Therefore, when top dressing, it is necessary to water its entire surface with a solution of fertilizer. You need to feed the tomatoes of the Kiss of Geranium variety once a decade. At the stage of growth of the vegetative mass, tomatoes of this variety require more nitrogen. With the beginning of flowering, and especially fruiting, the need for potassium increases. A lot of it is also needed when tomatoes ripen. In general, the ratio of nutrients for tomatoes of the Kiss of Geranium variety should be as follows; N:P:K – 1,8:XNUMX:XNUMX. In addition to macronutrients, they also need calcium, magnesium, boron, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. A complex mineral fertilizer intended for fertilizing tomatoes must contain all these elements in the required amount.
- A necessary measure is the mulching of beds with tomatoes Geranium Kiss. Hay, straw, withered mowed grass without seeds, laid in a layer of 10 cm, will protect the soil from overheating, keep it moist and prevent weeds from growing.
With proper care, a gardener will definitely receive a good tomato crop A kiss of geranium. This means that not only delicious summer salads will be on the table, but also high-quality preparations for the winter.