Characteristics and description of Tsifomandra tomato, how to plant and grow
Is Tsifomandra: a tomato variety or another type of plant? Confusion arises because on sale you can find both tomato seeds with this name and seeds of the exotic tomato tree Tsifomandra.
Tomato tree - South American exotic
A native tomato tree from the tropics. Various types of this plant are found in South America. In Russia, this exotic, perennial plant has gained popularity due to the original taste of the fruits and their beneficial properties.
Description of the tomato tree
Tsifomandra, or tamarillo, grows and bears fruit for 3 years. This beautiful plant is covered with pubescent leaves (20 cm long), emitting a light specific aroma. The flowers are fragrant, pale pink or lavender in color. The diameter of the flower is up to 2 cm. The value is tomatoes, or rather their fruits resembling them. They are up to 10 cm long, smooth, regular ovoid, weigh about 200 g.
The seeds can be dark, almost black in color. Their taste is bitter, so they are cleaned during cooking. The orange-red or yellow pulp can be used in dishes like regular tomatoes. The skin is harsh, so it is usually removed. It can be removed easily.
Tomato trees require a high room, they can reach a height of 2.5 meters. When the plant is provided with 10-12 hour daylight hours, up to 20 kg of useful fruits are harvested from the tree. This is a good yield.
Reproduction
An exotic plant is propagated in two ways:
- cuttings;
- seeds.
During seed reproduction, the tree (bush) does not bear fruit for the first year, the flowers, if they appear, are removed. A tree grown from a cuttings bears fruit in the first year. Saplings obtained from seeds retain their varietal characteristics better. Trees grow from cuttings compact, bushy, from seeds - taller ones.
Choosing a cutting
Growing exotic from cuttings is an exciting activity. It is necessary to take ripe one-year or two-year shoots from the upper part of the crown for cutting. The length of the handle is 40 cm, the thickness is about 10 mm. You can root the planting material in perlite or water. The method is both good.
Types and varieties
Types of plants that are most often found among Russian summer residents:
- C. beetroot.
- C. tree-like.
Variety C. beetroot
A greenhouse plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. Can be grown in an apartment. In winter, pots with a tomato tree are placed near the south window and organize illumination, in summer they are taken out to the loggia or garden.
Stems grow rapidly, woody.Leaves are even, oval in shape, up to 20 cm long. Fruits are formed in 5-6 pieces in one cluster. They have an elongated, oval shape, small size. Seeds are flattened, large.
Variety C. treelike
The trunk and branches are like a tree. The leaves are heart-shaped. The plate is 12 cm long. The inflorescences look like potato flowers. The fruits are not large, oval, ripening, turn orange. When ripe, they easily fall off the tree.
Care features
Lovers of the exotic use the method of growing indoors. The container for the tree needs a shallow, wide one. Roots are formed in the upper soil layer. There should be many drainage holes. You need a deep pallet. It is better to water through it.
Planting substrate requires a fertile, lightweight. Fertilize the tomato tree during growth. Both liquid fertilizers and granules are used.
The tree is especially responsive to fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. The soil around the trunk must be mulched.
Reviews suggest that you can grow an exotic plant at home, in a greenhouse or in a heated greenhouse. In winter, he needs lighting and a room temperature of about 18 ° C. To maintain the desired humidity, irrigate the trunk and leaves with warm water at least once a day.
Diseases and pests
The cultivation of an exotic plant can be overshadowed by pests that affect ordinary tomatoes:
- Thrips.
- Aphid.
- Whitefly.
- Spider mite.
It is worth fighting with them when the first signs appear. At the initial stage, you can do with a soap-ash solution. In a neglected form, when pests have formed large colonies, insecticides will have to be applied.
When using soil contaminated with fungus, fungal disease is possible. Prevention saves:
- Disinfection of soil before planting (potassium permanganate, fungicidal preparation).
- Loosening the soil and using mulch.
- Maintaining the desired temperature and soil moisture.
- Regular fertilization.
Characteristics of the variety
Of interest for summer residents may be the seeds of the Tsifomandra tomato from the Siberian Garden firm. This is another successful early maturing variety from Siberia. Fruit characteristics may interest amateurs large tomatoes... The weight of tomatoes can reach 800 g, which is a lot.
Tomato Tsifomandra can be grown under temporary shelter and in the ground. Bushes grow up to 1.2 m in height. Description of the variety from the manufacturer: recommends forming a bush. When deleting stepsons, choose one of the schemes:
- In one stem - remove all stepchildren in the axils of the leaves of the central stem.
- In two stems - leave one stepson under the first flower brush. Delete everything above.
The tomato variety will delight you with harvests. Up to 6 kg of tomato can be removed from one bush. Tomatoes spice early; to improve pollination, the bushes need to be shaken during flowering and treated with a fruit formation stimulator.
Planting is not recommended to be compacted; no more than 3 roots should be planted per 1 m². Throughout the season, the tomato plant needs watering and combined fertilizing with organic matter and mineral fertilizers, both root and foliar.
Reproduction
March is coming - time to sow tomato seeds for seedlings. Seedlings at the age of 50-60 days can be planted in a greenhouse, so by the beginning of March you need to prepare:
- seeds;
- boxes;
- priming.
Planting substrate is best purchased at a store. Give preference to universal soil with the following composition:
- 2 types of peat;
- sand;
- vermiculite;
- mineral fertilizer.
For reliability, 7 days before sowing, treat the soil with phytosporin. Where is the guarantee that the purchased soil does not contain fungal spores.
Seed treatment is an important point before planting. Pour them into a glass of water. Those that surfaced, reject, they are not viable. Soak seeds that have settled to the bottom for 15-20 minutes in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, dry and start sowing.
In wet soil, you need to mark grooves no deeper than 1.5 cm.Place the treated seeds in them. You can stick to the 5 * 5 cm scheme. To make it convenient to dive seedlings in the future, this distance is enough. Cover the boxes with seedlings with foil, you get a miniature greenhouse.
Conclusion
You can buy the seeds of an exotic plant, grow a tomato tree and have fun. Summer residents will get no less pleasure, planting a large-fruited tomato from the Siberian Garden with the exotic name "Tsifomanra".
