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Perhaps, any person in one way or another related to gardening, could not help but hear about the tomato miracle tree Octopus. For several decades, a wide variety of rumors about this amazing tomato have been haunting the minds of gardeners. Over the years, many have already managed to try to grow the Octopus tomato in their plots, and sometimes the most controversial reviews about it leave.
Many are disappointed that they didn’t manage to grow even something similar to the unique plant from the picture, sprawling in all directions, while others are quite satisfied with the growth capacity of their planted bushes and consider the Octopus to be a quite good indeterminate hybrid, which, both in taste and in yield, can compete with many other tomatoes. To some extent, both of them are right, the Octopus tomato itself is an ordinary hybrid, differing only in its enormous growth force.
The popularity of the Octopus tomato has played a good service – it has a few more brothers and now gardeners can choose from a whole family of octopuses:
- Octopus cream F1;
- Raspberry cream F1;
- Orange Cream F1;
- Chocolate cream F1;
- Cherry octopus F1;
- Octopus raspberry cherry F1.
In the article, you can get acquainted with both the different ways of growing the Sprut tomato hybrid, and the features of its new varieties.
Description
The Sprut tomato was supposedly bred by Japanese breeders in the 70-80s of the last century. At least all the initial experiments with the cultivation of tomato trees took place in Japan, which is famous for its unexpected discoveries and inventions.
At the beginning of the XNUMXst century, this hybrid was entered in the State Register of Our Country. The agricultural company “Sedek” became the patent holder, whose specialists developed their own technology for growing tomato trees. Tomato Octopus has the following characteristics:
- The hybrid belongs to indeterminate tomatoes and is characterized by a strong growth energy of lateral shoots;
- In terms of ripening, it can be attributed to late-ripening tomatoes, that is, at least 120-130 days pass from the appearance of full shoots to the ripening of tomatoes;
- The yield when grown under normal conditions in open ground is about 6-8 kg of tomatoes per bush;
- The hybrid belongs to the carpal type, 5-6 fruits are formed in the brush, the brushes themselves appear every three leaves.
- The octopus is characterized by increased heat resistance and is resistant to most common diseases. Among them are top and root rots, tobacco mosaic virus, verticillium and powdery mildew;
- The fruits of this tomato have an excellent taste, they are dense, juicy and fleshy. The average weight of one tomato is 120-130 grams;
- The shape of the tomatoes is round, slightly flattened. The color is bright, red;
- Octopus tomatoes are distinguished by their ability to long-term storage.
If we keep in mind only the characteristics listed above, then you will see only an ordinary indeterminate mid-late hybrid with good yields.
Special growing technologies
Кроме вышеуказанных характеристик, производители указывают на возможность выращивания этого гибрида в виде томатного дерева. И тут же приводятся совершенно невероятные цифры, от которых у любого огородника пойдет кругом голова от восторга. О том, что высота дерева составит до 5 метров, что его нужно выращивать в течение, как минимум года или даже двух, и что площадь его кроны может распространиться до 50 квадратных метров. Ну и самое главное, что с одного такого дерева можно собрать до 1500 кг вкусных помидоров.
The most interesting thing is that all these figures are not an exaggeration, just as the tomato trees themselves cannot be called a myth or fiction. They do exist, but in order to obtain such results, special conditions and compliance with a special cultivation technology are required.
Firstly, such tomato trees cannot be grown in one summer season, even in the southernmost regions of Our Country. Therefore, it is necessary to have a greenhouse that will be heated during the cold period. In addition to heating, additional lighting is also required in winter.
Secondly, such trees cannot be grown on ordinary soils. Hydroponics is required. In Japan, they went even further and applied technology that made it possible to fully automate the process of supplying oxygen and nutrients to the root system of tomatoes using a computer.
Specialists of the agricultural company “Sedek” developed their own technology, which allows, in principle, to obtain the same result, but all measurements and control of solutions will have to be carried out manually, which increases the complexity of the process. The standard hydroponic growing technology is used, which can only be carried out in industrial conditions, so it is unlikely to be of interest to the vast majority of summer residents and gardeners.
Growing in greenhouses
For most gardeners in Our Country, it will be more interesting to grow the Sprut tomato in ordinary polycarbonate or film greenhouses. Indeed, for the climatic conditions of the open ground of central Our Country, this hybrid is not suitable, like any late-ripening tomato. But in a greenhouse from one bush it is quite possible to grow about 12-15 buckets of Octopus tomatoes for the entire warm season.
To obtain such results, the seeds of this hybrid for seedlings must be sown no later than January, optimally in the second half of the month. It is good to use disinfected soil with a high content of vermiculite and biohumus for sowing. Maintain temperature conditions from the moment of germination within + 20 ° + 25 ° С. But the most important thing is the light. There must be a lot of it. Therefore, additional lighting for the entire period before planting seedlings in the greenhouse should function 14-15 hours a day.
Three weeks after germination, Octopus plants dive into separate containers, the volume of which should be at least 1 liter. This is necessary for the full development of the root system.
Watering at this stage should be moderate, but once every 10 days, seedlings must be fed with vermicompost. It is possible to combine this procedure with watering.
Already in mid-April, Sprut tomato seedlings must be planted in a greenhouse in ridges raised and insulated with compost. Before transplanting, it is advisable to remove two pairs of lower leaves and bury the plants 15 cm into the ground. A handful of humus and wood ash is added to the planting hole.
Before the onset of consistently warm weather, it is advisable to cover the planted seedlings of Octopus tomatoes with non-woven material on arcs.
The main secret of obtaining large yields lies in the fact that Octopus plants do not stepchild at all. On the contrary, all the resulting stepchildren with tassels and ovaries are tied to rows of wire stretched under the ceiling of the greenhouse. Thus, by the middle of summer, a real tomato tree Octopus is formed up to two meters high and with a crown spreading in width about the same distance.
In addition, with the onset of hot weather in summer, the tomato tree needs to be provided with a good flow of air, due to vents and open doors.
Fertilizing with organic matter or biohumus is also carried out regularly, at least once a week.
If everything was done correctly, the first tomatoes will begin to ripen in mid-June. And fruiting will last until autumn, until frost on the street.
Growth of a hybrid in the open field
In principle, for open ground, all the main points of growing the Octopus tomato remain the same as for the greenhouse. It should only be noted that it is possible to reveal all the possibilities of this hybrid only in the open ground of the southern regions, at a latitude south of Rostov-on-Don or at least Voronezh.
Otherwise, in the beds it is very important to build a strong and voluminous trellis for these tomatoes, to which you will regularly tie all the growing shoots. With early planting, it is necessary to provide for the protection of Sprut’s tomato seedlings from possible night cold snaps. Some attention should be paid to the prevention of diseases and pests, since in the open field the likelihood of their occurrence is usually greater than in greenhouses. Although the Octopus shows high resistance to various problems and, as a rule, copes with them even without outside help.
Other Octopuses and reviews of gardeners
In recent years, other hybrids with the same name have appeared on the market and have become even more popular.
The main reason for their popularity among the people is their earlier maturation. Tomato Octopus Cream F1 can be safely attributed to mid-early tomatoes, its mature fruits appear already 100-110 days after germination. In addition, it is characterized by very beautiful, almost the same shape and size fruits, with a glossy skin, which look very attractive on the bushes. Multi-colored Octopus cream retain all the same characteristics, differing only in the color of the fruit.
Tomato Octopus Cherry F1 was even in 2012 listed in the State Register of Our Country. It also differs in earlier terms of maturing. In addition, it is even more productive than the usual Octopus. At least, when grown under normal greenhouse conditions, up to 9 kg of tomatoes can be obtained from one bush.
Since, in recent years, gardeners have apparently come to terms with the fact that it is too difficult to grow a tomato tree from an Octopus, reviews of these hybrids have become more optimistic. Many still appreciate the yield, taste and great growth strength of tomato bushes.
Conclusion
The Octopus tomato will remain a mystery to many gardeners for a long time, and its image of a tomato tree will help some of them to constantly experiment and achieve unusual results. In general, this hybrid deserves attention, if only because of its yield and resistance to diseases and pests.
