How to grow a fragrant and tasty Pink Unicum tomato: a guide to action for beginners and experienced gardeners

Tomato Pink Unicum is a Dutch breeding hybrid that has absorbed the best qualities of its predecessors. The crop is easy to grow indoors and outdoors and produces excellent results. The taste and aroma of the fruit are significantly superior to similar hybrids.

In this article, we will talk about the pros and cons of tomato, agricultural techniques that allow you to get a high yield.

Characteristics and description of the hybrid

The mid-season tomato Pink Unicum f1 was developed by biologists from the Dutch company Monsanto, the world leader in plant biotechnology. Initially, the crop was intended for growing in greenhouses for sale, but over time, amateur gardeners became interested in tomatoes. Now the hybrid is cultivated both indoors and outdoors.

The plant is indeterminate, reaching 2–2.5 m in height. It is characterized by strong immunity and resistance to adverse weather. Ovaries form even under stressful conditions.

Photo - tomato Pink Unicum f1.

The table summarizes the distinctive features of the hybrid.

Growing seedlings

As a rule, there are no problems with growing seedlings of hybrid tomatoes. The seed germination rate is close to 100%. The sprouts appear at the same time, the seedlings develop strong and healthy.

Soil preparation and sowing seeds

At home, the seeds are not soaked in disinfecting solutions and growth stimulants, since they are treated with special compounds in production.

Sowing work begins in the second decade of March, 2 months before the transfer of seedlings to a permanent place. This requires a light and nutritious soil. In horticultural shops for sale there is a ready-made substrate in bags marked "universal". It is suitable for growing tomato seedlings. You can also prepare the soil yourself from turf, humus and peat mixed in equal parts.

The soil is disinfected in an oven at a temperature of 110 ° C, steamed in a double boiler or poured with a hot concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

Advice... Use "Fitosporin-M" preparation for soil disinfection. The product helps to protect the seedlings from most nightshade diseases.

The seedling boxes are filled with a damp substrate and the seeds are spread to a depth of 2 cm, leaving 2-3 cm between them. A cling film is pulled from above to create a greenhouse effect.

The containers are placed in a warm place, inaccessible to direct sunlight. Seedlings will appear in 4-6 days at an air temperature of 23 ° С. The film is lifted daily to ventilate the soil and prevent mold.

Seedling care

After germination, the film cover is removed, and the boxes are taken out into the sunlight. The ideal place is a windowsill on the south side.

The sprouts are not watered for the first week.As soon as 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings dive into individual pots.

Water the seedlings sparingly, as the top layer of the soil dries out.

In 14 days after the picking, ready-made complex formulations ("Effecton", "Agricola") or home remedies are applied as fertilizers.

Recipe for foliar and root feeding of tomato seedlings:

• superphosphate - 20 g;
• potassium sulfate - 10 g;
• urea - 5 g.

Saplings are fed once every 14 days.

Seedling pots need to be spacious to accommodate a strong root system. Otherwise, after transferring to a permanent place, the roots will begin to actively develop. This will lead to inhibition of the growth of the bushes, yellowing of the lower leaves and the absence of ovaries.

It is important to observe the daylight hours when growing seedlings. Optimally 16 hours. If there is not enough sunlight, phytolamps are installed, otherwise the seedlings will stretch up.

The comfortable air temperature is 22-24 ° С.

Cultivation of tomatoes

The agricultural technology of the Dutch hybrid is standard and provides for pinching, shaping bushes and tying stalks, installing drip irrigation, loosening and weeding or mulching, applying organic and mineral fertilizers.

Landing

The transfer of seedlings to the ground begins in mid-May. In heated greenhouses, it is permissible to sow and plant earlier. It is important to do this before the flower brush appears. But if it did not work out, the brush is removed, giving the plant the opportunity to go into active growth.

Greenhouses are prepared in the fall, treated with sulfur bombs from bacteria and pests. The soil is dug up and fertilized with humus - 1 bucket per 1 m².

In the spring, the soil is loosened and fertilized with humus - 10 liters per 1 m².

Add 1 tbsp to the pits for seedlings with a depth of 20 cm. l. superphosphate, pour in warm water and transfer the seedlings along with a clod of earth.

The soil mulch peat, hay, sawdust, straw or cover with black agrofibre. This helps to retain moisture in the soil, prevents the formation of a dense crust on its surface, the growth of weeds and the spread of bacteria and fungi.

Care

Pink Unicum hybrid is formed in 1-2 stems, removing lateral shoots. The stems are tied to trellises or wooden stakes. After the fruit appears, all the leaves are cut off until the first flower cluster, and then the rest, as soon as the flowers begin to set. The foliage is left only at the top.

In the regions of the middle lane in early August, the tip is pinched, underdeveloped brushes are removed. In the south, a similar procedure is carried out in the last days of August. All the energy will go to the formation of the remaining fruits.

When watering tomatoes adhere to the principle: it is better to underfill than to pour. Plants love moderately moist soil, so drip irrigation would be the best solution.

You can save money on equipment using a homemade plastic bottle system. You will need to take containers of 2 and 5 liters. 2L bottles are cut in two. Settled water is poured into the lower part of the container, placed in a small depression in the ground and dripped a little for stability. For large five-liter bottles, the bottom is cut (about 5 cm) and placed on top of smaller containers of water.

How it works? The water gradually evaporates, and condensate accumulates inside the large container and flows into the ground along the walls. The root system receives a sufficient amount of moisture.

Important! Seedlings after disembarkation are left to take root in a new place. Watering is postponed for a week, fertilization begins after 14 days.

For top dressing, organic and mineral fertilizers are used.

2 weeks after planting, tomato bushes are fertilized with nitrogen:

• mullein infusion - 1 l;
• infusion of green fertilizers - 1 l;
• wood ash - 1 l;
• water - 10 liters.

The mixture is infused for 48 hours and used for watering under the root, 1 liter per bush.

To prepare liquid green fertilizer, a ¾ barrel is filled with green mass (cut grass, tops, weeds, stepchildren) and filled to the brim with water. The container is covered with a lid with holes and the mixture is infused for 7-10 days. The finished fertilizer becomes cloudy yellow-green in color and takes on the smell of fermented grass.

When flowers appear, the bushes are irrigated with boric acid to speed up the formation of ovaries and improve the taste of the fruit. Ratio: 5 g of substance per 5 l of water. The frequency of treatment is once every 2 weeks.

After the appearance of the ovaries, they proceed to processing with a vitamin composition:

• water - 5 l;
• baking soda - 1 tbsp l .;
• potassium permanganate - on the tip of a knife;
• iodine - 5 drops.

The finished solution is sprayed with bushes 1 time in 7 days. Instead of water, you can use whey to protect plants from fungal diseases.

The hybrid needs potassium-phosphorus dressing... Gardeners prefer ready-made mineral compositions: "Kemira Lux", "Calcium nitrate", "Solution", ammophos, nitrophoska, nitroammophos.

Features of cultivation in closed and open ground

A prerequisite for the cultivation of tomatoes in greenhouses is the control of temperature and air humidity. The room temperature should not be lower than 16 ° C. The optimum moisture level is 70–80%.

In the southern regions, it is permissible to grow a hybrid in the open field if there are no sharp changes in the average daily temperature. The culture reacts painfully to stressful conditions: growth stops, the number of ovaries decreases.

But the plant is resistant to drought, if you provide it with abundant watering.

Diseases and pests

Hybrid Pink Unicum is endowed with strong immunity at the genetic level.

Culture is not afraid of nightshade diseases:

• cladospirosis (brown spot);
• fusarium;
• verticillosis;
• tobacco mosaic virus.

For safety net, preventive treatments against phytophthora with "Fitosporin" and solutions with whey or kefir (100 ml of fermented milk product per 1 liter of water) are used.

In autumn, greenhouses are disinfected with sulfur bombs, and in spring the soil is treated with a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water, 2 liters per 1 m²).

Correct care helps prevent late blight infection: mulching and frequent weeding of the soil with the removal of weeds, control of moisture levels, and removal of lower leaves.

To combat aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, bear are used:

• insecticides: "Aktara", "Vertimek", "Decis Profi", "Mospilan", "Sirocco", "Borey";
• biological products: Fitoverm, Nemabakt, Bitoxibacillin, Fitosporin-M.

Harvesting and application of the crop

Harvesting begins approximately 110-115 days after germination. Tomatoes are harvested at the stage of full or milky ripeness. Green fruits are stored until December without losing their presentation and ripen together. But the palatability deteriorates significantly - there is no characteristic tomato smell and taste.

Fully ripe fruits have a pleasant, sweet taste that is superior to similar hybrids. Suitable for fresh consumption and canning for the winter.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of Pink Unicum tomato:

• excellent taste and aroma of fruits;
• the possibility of ripening outside the bushes;
• versatility in cooking;
• long shelf life;
• strong immunity;
• ease of care.

Disadvantages:

• the need for pinching and the formation of bushes with a garter of heavy stems;
• deterioration of taste during ripening.

Farmers reviews

The Pink Unicum hybrid has won deserved popularity among large farmers and amateur gardeners due to its simplicity in care, resistance to most diseases and excellent taste.

Veronika, Dubna, Tula region: “I grow Dutch hybrids in a greenhouse for sale. Tomato Pink Unicum is on my favorites list. This is a unique culture that is easy to care for.Resistance to various tomato diseases allows her to survive even with a massive infection with cladosporiosis or late blight (as I had last year). Tomatoes are almost the same size, with excellent taste. "

Igor, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Krasnoyarsk Territory: "I grow Pink Unicum in a greenhouse, although the conditions of our climate allow it to be done in the open field. It is my deep conviction that tall tomatoes should only be grown in this way if you want to get a rich harvest and reduce labor costs for maintenance. The culture is more than unpretentious in its care, it rarely gets sick. Tomatoes are large, sweet, and can be picked green. They are kept in this form until winter, although the taste is lost. "

Conclusion

"Dutchman" Pink Unicum has a number of unique characteristics that allow it to remain at the peak of popularity: strong immunity to viruses, bacteria and fungi, high yield with minimal labor costs, excellent tomato taste, long shelf life and high level of transportation.

The culture feels great in protected and unprotected soil, subject to the rules of agricultural technology: moderate watering, fertilizing with minerals and organic matter, pinching and shaping the bush into 1-2 stems.