Tomato Lark F1: reviews + photos

Among tomatoes, ultra-early varieties and hybrids occupy a special place. It is they who provide the gardener with such a desired early harvest. How nice it is to pick ripe tomatoes, while at the neighbors they are still in bloom. To make this possible, it is necessary not only to grow seedlings on time, but also to choose the right variety, or better, a hybrid.

Why a hybrid? They have a number of undeniable advantages.

Why are hybrids good?

To get a hybrid tomato, breeders choose parents with certain traits, which form the main characteristics of the hatched tomato:

• Productivity – hybrids are usually 1,5-2 times more productive than varieties;
• Disease resistance – it increases due to the effect of heterosis;
• The evenness of the fruits and the friendly return of the crop;
• Good preservation and transportability.

If the first tomato hybrids differed in taste from varieties for the worse, now breeders have learned to cope with this shortcoming – the taste of a modern hybrid tomato is no worse than a varietal one.

The range of hybrids is quite wide and allows the gardener to choose a tomato, taking into account all his own requirements. To make it easier to make a choice, we will help the gardener and present him with one of the promising ultra-early hybrids Lark F1, giving him a full description and characteristics and showing him a photo.

Description and characteristics

The tomato hybrid Zhavoronok F1 was bred at the Pridnestrovian Research Institute of Agriculture and distributed by the seed company Aelita. It has not yet been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, but this does not prevent gardeners from growing it, their reviews of this tomato hybrid are mostly positive.

Hybrid features:

• tomato hybrid Lark F1 belongs to the determinant type of tomato bush, having tied 3-4 brushes on the main stem, it stops its growth, in the future the crop is formed already on stepchildren;
• for the determinant variety, the height of the bush in the tomato hybrid Lark F1 is quite large – up to 90 cm, under not very favorable growing conditions, it does not grow above 75 cm;
• the first flower brush can form after 5 true leaves, the rest – every 2 leaves;
• the ripening time of the tomato hybrid Lark F1 makes it possible to attribute it to ultra-early tomatoes, since the beginning of fruit ripening occurs already 80 days after germination – when planting ready-made seedlings in the ground in early June, already at the beginning of the next month, you can collect more than a dozen delicious tomatoes;

  

• the brush of the Lark tomato is simple, up to 6 fruits can be tied in it;
• each tomato of the Lark F1 hybrid weighs from 110 to 120 g, they have a rounded shape and a rich bright red color, there is no green spot on the stalk;
• the fruits of the Lark have an excellent taste, since the sugars in these tomatoes are up to 3,5%;
• they have a lot of pulp, which has a dense texture; tomatoes of the Lark F1 hybrid are excellent not only for making salads, but also for any preparations; they produce high quality tomato paste – the dry matter content in tomatoes reaches 6,5%. Thanks to the dense skin, the F1 Lark tomato is stored well and transported well.

  

• hybrid Lark F1 is distinguished by the ability to adapt to any growing conditions and set fruits even in adverse conditions;
• the yield of this tomato hybrid is high – up to 12 kg per 1 sq. m.

It has one positive quality that cannot be ignored, otherwise the description and characterization of the Lark F1 tomato hybrid will be incomplete – excellent resistance to many diseases of nightshade crops, including such a dangerous disease as late blight.

In order for this tomato to completely give up the entire harvest declared by the manufacturer and not get sick, you need to properly care for it.

Basic methods of agricultural technology

In a seedless way, the Lark F1 tomato hybrid can only be grown in the south. In the conditions of a long summer under the hot southern sun, this heat-loving crop will yield a full crop, all the fruits will have time to ripen on the bushes. Where the climate is colder, growing seedlings is indispensable.

How to determine the timing of sowing? Seedlings of ultra-early varieties, including the tomato hybrid Zhavoronok F1, are ready for planting already at the age of 45-55 days. It grows quickly, by this time it has time to form up to 7 leaves, the flowers on the first brush can bloom. To plant it in the first decade of June, and by this time the soil is already warming up to 15 degrees and the return frosts are over, you need to sow the seeds in early April.

How to grow seedlings

First of all, we prepare for sowing the seeds of the tomato hybrid Lark F1. Of course, they can be sown without preparation. But then there will be no certainty that pathogens of various tomato diseases did not get into the soil with them. Unawakened seeds germinate longer, and without the boost of energy that biostimulants give them, sprouts will be weaker. Therefore, we act according to all the rules:

• we select for sowing only the largest seeds of the correct form of the tomato Lark F1, they should not be damaged;
• we pickle them in Fitosporin solution for 2 hours, in the usual 1% potassium permanganate – 20 minutes, in 40% hydrogen peroxide heated to a temperature of about 2 degrees – 5 minutes; in the last two cases, we wash the treated seeds;
• soak in any growth stimulator – in Zircon, Immunocytophyte, Epin – according to the instructions for the drug, in an ash solution prepared from 1 tbsp. spoons of ash and a glass of water – for 12 hours, in melted water – from 6 to 18 hours.

To germinate tomato seeds Lark F1 or not – the decision is made by each gardener independently. It must be remembered that such seeds have certain advantages:

• germinated seeds germinate faster.
• they can be immediately sown in separate pots and grow tomatoes without picking.

This will not only allow the seedlings to grow faster, as each transplant inhibits the development of F1 Lark tomatoes for a week. In non-dive plants, the central root grows to a greater depth after planting, making them less sensitive to lack of moisture.

If you decide to germinate, spread the swollen seeds on moistened cotton pads and cover with a film or put on a plastic bag. You need to keep them warm until pecking, from time to time opening them for ventilation so that they do not suffocate without air access.

We sow the sown seeds in loose, breathable soil to a depth of about 1 cm.

Under what conditions it is necessary to contain tomato seedlings Lark F1:

• In the first week, maximum lighting and temperature are not higher than 16 degrees during the day and 14 at night. Watering at this time is needed only if the soil is very dry.
• After the stalk has grown stronger, but not stretched out, and the roots have grown, they need warmth – about 25 degrees during the day and at least 18 – at night. Lighting should remain maximum.
• We water the seedlings only when the earth in the pots dries up, but without allowing it to wither. Water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer.
• Nutrition for tomatoes of the hybrid Zhavoronok F1 consists of two dressings with a soluble mineral fertilizer with a full range of macro- and micronutrient fertilizers, but in a low concentration. The first dressing – in the phase of 2 true leaves, the second – 2 weeks after the first.
• Only hardened seedlings of the Lark F1 tomato should be planted in the ground, so we begin to take it out into the street 2 weeks before moving to the garden, accustoming it to street conditions gradually.

Post disembarkation care

Seedlings of the tomato hybrid Lark F1 are planted with a distance between rows of 60-70 cm and between plants – from 30 to 40 cm.

Plants not only do not have enough food area. A thickened planting is a sure way to the occurrence of diseases.

What do Lark F1 tomatoes need in the open field:

• Well lit garden.
• Mulching the soil after planting seedlings.
• Watering with warm water in the morning. It should be weekly before fruit formation and 2 times a week – after. The weather can make its own adjustments. In extreme heat, water more often, in the rain – do not water at all.
• Top dressing 3-4 times per season with fertilizer intended for tomatoes. Breeding and watering rates are indicated on the package. If the weather is rainy, Lark F1 tomato plants are fed more often, but with less fertilizer. Rains quickly wash nutrients into the lower soil horizons.
• Formation. Low-growing determinant varieties are formed into 1 stem only for the purpose of obtaining an early harvest. For the rest, you can only cut off stepchildren growing below the first flower brush, and in hot summer you can do without formation at all. Usually the F1 Lark tomato is not formed.

For more information about growing tomatoes in open ground conditions, see the video:

Conclusion

If you want an early harvest of delicious tomatoes, the F1 Lark tomato is a great choice. This unpretentious hybrid will not require much care and will give the gardener an excellent harvest.

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