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It would seem that nothing can surprise experienced gardeners and summer residents. However, breeders do not sleep and try to impress not only with tasty, but also with original varieties of vegetables. And what lovers of homemade tomatoes prefer time shows.
Variety description
Zhigalo became such an extraordinary tomato. Fruits of irregular shape look like exotic overseas vegetables and have a muted red color.
The taste of tomatoes can be described as sweet, but not sugary. In shape, the fruits resemble a sausage and weigh modestly – 100-125 g. Therefore, we can say that high yields are ensured not by weight, but by the number of ripe tomatoes. On one brush, 5-7 pieces are tied (as in the photo).
The ripe fruit does not differ in dense pulp, has few seeds, and housewives successfully use it for stuffing. Zhigalo belongs to mid-season tomato varieties, and therefore the first ripe fruits appear no earlier than 98-104 days.
The standard tomato bushes of the Zhigalo variety have a rather compact appearance and grow 40-46 cm high. Zhigalo belongs to the determinant varieties of tomatoes. That is, the bush practically does not branch and independently stops growing in height, without the help of a gardener.
Advantages of Zhigalo tomatoes:
- abundant fruiting, from one bush you can harvest twice as much as from tomatoes of other varieties;
- the bush practically does not need pinching;
- can be grown in a greenhouse and outdoors;
- unpretentious in care;
- saves area.
Among the shortcomings of the Zhigalo variety, it is worth noting the susceptibility to nightshade diseases. Some gardeners note an increased density of the peel, which is not very pleasant when eating fresh fruits.
Rules of landing and care
There are no special secrets for growing the Zhigalo variety. When breeding tomatoes, seedling and seedless methods are used.
Growing seedlings
- To obtain sprouts, seeds are planted in special containers. Fertile soil is best prepared in advance. A great option is to buy a ready-made soil mixture for tomato seedlings in a specialized store.
- To further protect plants from diseases, it is advisable to pre-treat the seeds: it is enough to hold them in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for twenty minutes. Then they are washed in clean water.
- The soil in the box is loosened, moistened. Zhigalo seeds are laid out in specially prepared shallow grooves and sprinkled with earth (about a half-centimeter layer). The containers are tightly covered with a film and placed in a warm place, with an air temperature of at least 21˚ C.
- As soon as the first sprouts with leaves appear, it becomes possible to plant the seedlings in separate containers-glasses. In the future, the seedlings are slightly hardened before planting in open ground – they lower the air temperature by 5-7 ˚ С.
Seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse or open ground as soon as warm weather sets in, excluding unexpected frosts.
Planting seeds in open ground
With this technology of growing tomatoes, seeds are first germinated. Thus, it is possible to achieve earlier germination of tomato seedlings of the Zhigalo variety. To germinate seeds, they are placed in a linen bag and dipped in warm water for about 12 hours. So that the seeds do not cool down, the water is periodically changed. Germinated seeds are buried in holes dug in a specially prepared area.
It is possible to plant seedlings according to two schemes: linear and chess.
- With the linear method, the distance between the bushes in a row is 25-30 cm, and between two rows a distance of 60-70 cm is kept.
- With a chess method, the distance in a row between bushes is 50-55 cm, between rows – 70-75 cm (as in the photo).
As soon as the seeds germinate and two leaves appear on the seedlings, the seedlings are thinned out – a stronger plant is left in the hole, and the weak sprout is not pulled out, but cut off so as not to damage the neighbor.
Tomato tying
Since the Zhigalo variety is undersized, there is an opinion that it is not required to tie it up. It is believed that a strong stem and a developed root system are formed in a tomato already in the process of sprout formation. However, when a large number of fruits ripen, the Zhigalo bush can break / fall down during strong gusts of winds. Therefore, it is desirable to provide each bush with support even during the preparation of beds and holes.
In warm areas, you can do without supports. Zhigalo bushes will be laid on the ground, protecting the soil from drying out. It is advisable only to pre-mulch the soil.
Watering tomatoes
The tomato variety Zhigalo does not need close attention and care. Since the root system of the plant is located close to the soil surface, it is necessary to be wary of excessive soil moisture. It is worth navigating along the soil – when it dries, water it.
The soil after watering must be loosened to ensure good air exchange.
Top dressing of tomato bushes
3-4 days after thinning the seedlings, you can carry out the first feeding of Zhigalo tomatoes. A suitable fertilizer option is a solution of ammonium nitrate (15 g per 10 liters of water). Under each bush, it is desirable to pour a liter of solution. After top dressing, it is recommended to mulch the soil.
As soon as fruits begin to set on the bushes, the second feeding of Zhigalo tomatoes is carried out. A mineral mixture is used as a fertilizer (20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium chloride per square meter). Fertilizers are buried in moist soil. To do this, shallow grooves (4-6 cm) are made along the rows of bushes at a distance of 17-20 cm from the plants.
When fertilizing the soil, it is recommended to carefully apply nitrogen fertilizers. Their excessive use leads to increased growth of the bush and abundant growth of green mass.
If there are no ready-made mineral fertilizers, then it is quite possible to use organic fertilizers. To prepare a solution of mullein, a bucket of manure and 10 buckets of water are used. Tomatoes are fertilized with an infused (10-12 days) solution. Moreover, a liter of infusion is still pre-diluted with ten liters of water. Feeding rule: a liter of diluted infusion is poured under each bush.
The standard variety Zhigalo does not create problems with pinching. Therefore, there are no difficulties with caring for the bush and its formation.
Diseases and pests
The tomato variety Zhigalo cannot boast of special immunity to diseases. However, timely prophylaxis helps to prevent infection.
Late blight is a fungal disease that affects not only the plant, but also the fruits. It is known that favorable conditions for the spread of the disease are low temperatures and high humidity. Therefore, when weather conditions worsen, it is recommended to spray tomatoes with Bordeaux liquid, fungicides (Ridomil Gold, Quadris).
As a regular preventive measure, it is recommended to mulch the soil, timely removal of old and yellowed leaves.
Growing the Zhigalo standard variety is suitable for beginner gardeners and summer residents who are not burning with breeding exquisite and rare tomatoes.
