Tomato "Aphrodite f1" loved by gardeners in all regions of the country: reviews, advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Tomatoes are rightfully considered one of the most beloved crops of Russian gardeners. Every year, new varieties and hybrids with improved characteristics appear, and the ripe fruits themselves on the bush look even elegant and literally become a decoration of the beds on the site. The taste qualities of tomatoes are also excellent in salads, and in pickles, and when preparing all kinds of sauces. But there is no limit to perfection.

Recently, Ural breeders have bred a new hybrid Aphrodite f1, which the gardeners immediately fell in love with for the beautiful type of fruit (hence the name), unpretentiousness and early ripening even in the Urals and Siberia.

F1 hybrid description

Tomato Aphrodite belongs to determinant, that is, they have limitations in the growth of the bush. Usually in this tomato they do not exceed 70-75 cm, however, in greenhouses and in favorable climatic conditions, the bushes sometimes grow up to one and a half meters.

The hybrid belongs to the early ripening, from the time of planting seedlings to full ripening of the fruits, 70-80 days pass. These plants take root well not only in the greenhouse and in the open field.

Some enthusiasts successfully grow Aphrodite even on the balcony, however, the fruits there turn out to be a little smaller.

Fruit characteristics and yield

On each inflorescence 5-6 tomatoes ripen, their average weight reaches 100 g. In greenhouse conditions, a yield of 17 kg per 1 sq m is recorded, in areas with open ground it is slightly less, on average - about 10 kg, but it is still considered high ...

The distinctive qualities of the fruit are as follows:

• they ripen amicably and quickly;
• the shape of the fruit is correct and round
• the pulp has good meatiness;
• fruit color is uniform, saturated;
• the skin of the fruit is strong, almost never cracked;
• there are no foreign yellow spots near the stalk, the fruits always look great;
• contains many useful vitamins and minerals, but is practically devoid of acids, which makes it suitable for dietary nutrition;
• the taste of tomatoes is sweet and attractive;
• the resulting tomatoes can be used in cooking in any form.

How to grow strong seedlings

Before planting seeds in the soil for growing seedlings, it is recommended to carry out certain activities.

Seed preparation

First, put them in a mild saline solution, where you can add a little potassium permanganate for disinfection. After 10-15 minutes, some of them will float up, and the rest will remain on the bottom of the container. Those that have surfaced for landing are unsuitable.

Now let's check the seeds for germination, this procedure is also very important. This is done like this:

• put some seeds on a piece of paper;
• roll a piece of paper;
• place the roll in a very small amount of water so that it only wets the bottom;
• after about a week, signs of seedlings will already appear;
• if the germination rate is less than 50%, it is better to refuse such seed.

Next, pelleting of planting material is carried out. There are special nutritional mixtures with which the seeds are recommended to be coated.

The easiest way to mix: the necessary mineral fertilizers and other components are added to the solution of polyacrylamide and mullein to enhance growth. She is treated with planting material.

Before direct planting in the ground, the seeds are slightly warmed up.

Capacity and soil

Practice shows that for planting tomato seeds for seedlings, a mixture of earth, humus and compost, which are mixed in equal proportions, is best suited. Potassium sulfate, superphosphate and ash can be added as nutritional supplements.

Important! It is necessary to prepare such a soil composition in the fall. If you are going to plant seeds in special boxes, they should be put out in the yard or at least on the balcony for the winter period. There the soil will freeze and microorganisms harmful to plants will die.

The acidity of this composition is of great importance. Tomatoes grow very poorly on acidic soil.

As for the containers for planting, most often they use special boxes for growing seedlings. They can be purchased from the store or made by yourself. There are plastic and wooden boxes. At first glance, wood should be preferable - after all, a natural material. But the porosity of the tree helps not only the seedlings develop well, these properties are also favorable for various microorganisms, including those harmful to plants.

Today, some gardeners plant seeds in special peat cups, where each plant develops separately. The advantages of this method include, first of all, the absence of a picking procedure. Plus, the pots are planted together with the plant at the set time right in the open ground, where the peat shell of the cup gradually dissolves under the influence of moisture, and the root system of the plant develops without hindrance.

If it is not possible to purchase peat cups, plastic ones with a volume of 0.5 ml are quite suitable for tomatoes. Naturally, the cups are not planted in the open ground with this method, and the seedling sprouts are sent into a depression in the garden bed together with a lump of earth into which they began to develop.

However, growing in cups requires constant monitoring of soil moisture. Seedlings sometimes dry out from lack of moisture if the soil in the cups is heavily compacted, or the root system begins to rot from overly active watering.

Sowing seeds

The sequence of actions here is as follows:

• drainage is poured into the bottom of the box; it can be expanded clay, small stones or even eggshell;
• then soil with a volume of 2/3 of the capacity is laid;
• the soil must be well watered with warm water;
• grooves are made in the ground with a depth of 0.5-1 cm;
• seeds are planted there at a distance of 1-2 cm;
• the grooves are carefully covered with earth and sprayed with water;
• the container is covered with glass or plastic wrap and placed in a warm place.

After 7-8 days, seedlings will appear, then the film or glass can be gradually removed, but not immediately, it is better to stretch the process for 5-7 days, first opening the crops only for a while.

Growing and caring for seedlings

After the first shoots appear (and they can be very active in Aphrodite), you need to be especially careful. If the soil is overdried, removing the film or glass too quickly, the plants will quickly die.

But if watering will be excessive, the result will also become negative, the root system will get sick with rot.

It is better to water the sprouts that have not yet formed at the very root, it is preferable to do this at first with a syringe. But the already strong sprout of this particular hybrid loves frequent watering, although not abundant.

After the first true leaves appear on the seedlings, a pick can be made.

From the very first shoots, you need to organize good lighting, if necessary, even artificial. The box with seedlings should be on the windowsill, be sure to make sure that it is not cold.

When the sprouts reach approximately 20 cm, their trunks and root system will get stronger, foliage will develop well and the first buds will appear, the seedlings can be planted in open ground.

If the weather conditions do not yet allow this, transplant the bushes into a greenhouse, where Aphrodite will develop faster and will finally get stronger.

How to grow tomatoes

Prepare the ground before planting seedlings in open ground. Hybrid Aphrodite F1 prefers neutral soils, try, if possible, to determine the acidity of the proposed planting site.

Good predecessors of tomato:

• cucumbers;
• zucchini,
• zucchini,
• dill.

But it is not recommended to plant this tomato next to potato plantings.

Before starting agrotechnical work, the soil must be thoroughly loosened.

Aphrodite tomatoes grow poorly if the garden is densely planted. 7-8 bushes are enough for 1 sq. M, the distance between seedlings should not be less than half a meter.

And do not forget to put stakes for anchoring at once - the plant develops rapidly.

Care

Agrotechnical requirements for the cultivation of this hybrid are not difficult, but they should be strictly observed:

• tomatoes need to be pinned about once a week;
• it is impractical to leave more than 3 stems on a bush;
• feeding should be carried out regularly and in the proper amount;
• in hot weather, plants are watered every other day;
• when it is cloudy, one watering per week is enough;
• weeds should be removed regularly, they interfere with the growth and proper nutrition of the crop.

Possible growing difficulties

The main mistake when cultivating this early tomato (in some reference books it is even called super early) can be haste when planting seedlings in open ground.

In some regions, soil frosts occur even at the end of May; it is better to keep seedlings in a greenhouse there to avoid losing all seedlings.

Another difficulty in growing this hybrid is that it needs to be constantly formed, tied up, etc. Otherwise, the rapid development of the green part of the seedling will stop ripening and, in general, the appearance of fruits.

Pests and diseases

The Aphrodite hybrid has high immunity, it is practically not affected by fungal pathologies. However, these tomatoes are often affected by root rot.

And the biggest nuisance - this tomato immediately began to attack the Colorado potato beetle in large numbers, so the bushes must be constantly examined and processed, for example, bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate.

Open ground and greenhouse

Although in the greenhouse these tomatoes grow taller and more active, bear fruit better, but the fruit is still tastier and denser in the open air.

In addition, if the greenhouses are not regularly ventilated, the hybrid tends to wilt prematurely.

Advantages and disadvantages

Aphrodite has much more advantages:

• early maturing;
• fruits have a good presentation;
• plants rarely get sick;
• the cultivation technique is quite simple;
• fruits are suitable for dietary nutrition.

The disadvantages include the following:

• sensitive to weather changes;
• requires constant garter and bush formation;
• susceptible to attacks by the Colorado potato beetle.

Collection and application of tomatoes

These tomatoes ripen almost simultaneously, already at the beginning of August, so it is convenient to pick them, as well as to harvest them. The fruits have a good presentation and, what is especially important, do not lose it during transportation.

Tomato is delicious both fresh and as marinades and pickles.

Reviews

Irina Antonovna, 45 years old, a greenhouse worker: “All our products go to retail chains, we depend on sales, so we immediately felt that Aphrodite tomatoes are in great demand because of their excellent presentation.”

Andrey, farmer: “In our region, we still plant early maturing varieties late because of the harsh climate. Therefore, for us, they are akin to ordinary varieties in warm climates. It attracts that they resist diseases very staunchly. "

Conclusion

Tomato varieties often bear fruit well, but often get sick, defenseless against pests. Aphrodite F1 hybrids are much more resilient.And at the same time they still have excellent taste and attractive appearance. It remains to thank the breeders for their work.