A fairy tale on your site - tomato "Princess frog": reviews and recommendations for proper cultivation
Most people are used to seeing red, pink and yellow tomatoes on their tables. They are available on the site of almost every gardener and are presented in abundance on store shelves. At the same time, not everyone knows that breeders have bred many varieties and hybrids that are distinguished by more exotic fruits.
The seeds of black, purple and striped tomatoes are on sale. Perhaps the most unusual of them are the specimens, the berries of which remain green even at the stage of maturity. These include the tomato Frog Princess. Whether this variety attracts gardeners only with color - read on.
The content of the article
General description of the variety
The tomato Princess Frog was bred by domestic breeders. The variety is relatively young, therefore it has not yet been entered in the register.
It is interesting! The Frog Princess is often compared to a tomato Malachite box. This tomato variety is also green at maturity, but it has larger fruits.
Distinctive features
The main feature of the Frog Princess tomatoes is the unusual color of the berries. At the stage of maturity, they are green with a yellowish tinge. Therefore, it is difficult to determine when they are ripe.
These tomatoes taste sweet, with a fruity aftertaste. The sourness is poorly expressed. Contrary to expectations, green fruits are soft. In addition to the fact that the berries of the Frog Princess are unusual and tasty, they are also extremely useful.
Tomatoes contain a large amount of chlorophyll, which has a beneficial effect on the body:
- lowers cholesterol and other harmful substances;
- activates metabolic processes;
- improves regeneration processes;
- enhances immunity;
- saturates the body with oxygen.
Thermophilicity is considered a negative feature of the Frog Princess. Plants are not resistant to cold snaps, therefore, even in central Russia, they are recommended to be planted in greenhouses.
Main characteristics
It will be difficult for an inexperienced gardener to grow Princess frog tomatoes, since the variety is capricious and demanding in care. It is because of its characteristics that many gardeners are afraid to grow exotic tomatoes.
Description of the Frog Princess:
| Parameter | Indicators |
| Bush type | Reaches 1.5 m in height. The stems are powerful, thick and firm. The bushes are well leafy, form a large number of stepchildren. The leaves are bright green, large in size. The inflorescences are simple. The first is formed in the axil of 7 leaves, the next - after 1-2 leaves. |
| Growing method | Heat-loving. In the northern regions, it is cultivated only in heated greenhouses. In the middle lane, they are grown in greenhouses without additional heating. In the southern part of Russia, planting in open ground is possible. |
| Yield | Average. From 1 sq. m receive up to 7 kg of fruit. |
| Fruit | Average. The weight of one fruit varies in the range of 160-260 g. There is information about the berries of this variety, which reached 400 g. In the stage of maturity, the tomatoes are green-yellow, pink and yellow spots may appear. Orange inside, pink in the center. The pulp is green, with yellowish fragments along the edge and dark green seed chambers. There is a lot of pulp and juiciness in the fruits.They are soft to the touch, sweet on the palate, with a fruity aftertaste and slight acidity. There are 4 chambers with seeds inside each fruit. |
| Transportability | Low. The tomatoes are soft, with a thin skin. They are stored for no more than a week and are not suitable for transportation. |
| Ripening terms | Mid-season variety. The first crop is obtained 110-115 days after germination. Fruiting continues until cold snaps. |
| Disease resistance | It has an average immunity to the main diseases of tomatoes, but is susceptible to late blight. |
Growing seedlings
Tomato seeds Princess Frog are sown for seedlings in March. In all regions, they are planted at about the same time, since the cultivation of this variety in cool climates is possible only in greenhouses.
Preparing seeds for planting
It is important to properly prepare the planting material. This will help the seeds germinate faster and protect them from disease.
Check the expiration dates before buying. To check the quality of the already purchased planting material, it is soaked in salted water. Only those specimens that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting. After half an hour of soaking, the selected seeds are washed.
Most producers produce already treated seeds and indicate this on the packaging. This is evidenced by the color of the disinfected planting material, which is painted orange or green.
To pickle the planting material yourself, it is soaked in a special solution. The list contains options that are easy to prepare from available tools:
- Potassium permanganate solution (1 g per 100 ml of water). In this composition, seeds are soaked for half an hour. After that, they are washed with running water.
- Soda solution (1 teaspoon of soda per 200 ml of water). The seeds are soaked for 12 hours. This composition not only disinfects the seeds, but also stimulates growth.
- Aloe juice is diluted with the same amount of boiled water... Planting material is soaked in the mixture for 12 hours. Aloe juice also stimulates plant growth.
There are also special preparations for seed dressing. The most popular of them is Fitosporin.
If a disinfectant is used that does not have the ability to stimulate seed germination, they are additionally treated with a growth promoter. To do this, use "Epin" and other purchased preparations or a solution of honey, aloe juice, etc.
What containers are used and how to prepare the soil
As a rule, seeds are sown in one large container. It should be shallow but wide. Stores sell special wooden boxes and plastic trays. Many gardeners use improvised means to plant seeds.
Separate containers are used for picking tomatoes. There are many variations of special pots. Disposable tableware and cut bottles are often used for these purposes. The volume of the container for picking seedlings should be at least 300 ml.
note! Often, exotic tomato varieties are planted in small quantities. Therefore, it is beneficial to use peat tablets for the Princess Frog tomatoes. They allow minimizing trauma to plant roots during transplantation and create ideal conditions for their growth.
For tomatoes, the composition of the soil is important. It should be light, nutritious, and slightly acidic. These mixtures are sold in specialized stores.
Prepare a soil mixture for growing tomato seedlings and independently. The basis of such a soil is black soil and humus, taken in equal proportions. It is useful to add one part of the peat to the composition. To provide the soil with lightness, it is mixed with half a portion of river sand, sawdust or crushed coconut substrate. To reduce acidity, ash or lime is added to the ground.
The soil must be disinfected. To do this, it is calcined in an oven at a temperature above 80 degrees, poured with boiling water, pickled with potassium permanganate.
For disinfection, containers for planting plants are soaked for an hour in a strong solution of potassium permanganate. You can pour boiling water over the container.
Sowing seeds in the usual way and in peat tablets
When sowing seeds in one large container, grooves are made in the soil with a depth of 1 cm.The distance between the grooves should be at least 2 cm.
Seeds are placed in the grooves at a distance of at least 2 cm from each other and covered with a layer of earth, which is moistened with a spray bottle. The containers with seeds are covered with foil or glass and placed in a warm place, for example, near a battery.
Planting seeds in peat tablets has a slightly different technology:
- The tablets are placed in a container of hot water with the opening facing down. This not only soaks the substrate, but also disinfects it.
- When the water is absorbed, and the peat blanks increase in size, more boiling water is poured into the container.
- When the tablets are swollen, they are removed from the container. They are allowed to cool if necessary.
- Make a depression in the peat with a toothpick. Seed material is placed in it.
- All peat tablets with seeds are placed in one deep container, covered with foil and removed to a warm place.
Seedling care
Planting seedlings correctly is not all. It is important to provide her with proper care:
- Before the seeds germinate, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle. When sprouts appear, they are watered with a syringe. After picking the plants, the soil is moistened from a watering can or bottle. In this case, it is important that water does not get on the tomato greens. The liquid temperature must be at least room temperature.
After the seeds germinate, the containers with the seedlings are placed in a well-lit place. Lack of light is compensated by fluorescent lamps.- The film is removed one week after seed germination.
- Seedlings are fed with complex fertilizers or biohumus. For one plant, take half the portion indicated on the package. Make three dressings.
- After the appearance of real leaves, the plants dive into separate containers. For 10 days after this procedure, the seedlings are not watered. Tomatoes are fed for the first time 14 days after the pick.
- Two weeks before planting in a permanent place, the tomatoes begin to harden. The first time the seedlings are taken out into the street for half an hour. Then this time is doubled. So the duration of hardening is gradually brought to a whole day.
- Three days before disembarking in a permanent place, the seedlings are watered and fed for the last time.
How to grow tomatoes
Tomatoes Princess Frog are planted in open ground when the soil warms up. In the southern regions this happens in early May.
In the north and in central Russia, tomatoes of this variety are grown exclusively in greenhouses. The timing depends on the temperature outside and whether the greenhouse is heated.
Planting seedlings to a permanent place
The beds for growing tomatoes are prepared in the fall. First of all, choose a suitable place for this culture. The tomato site should be in the sunniest part of the garden.
It is important that nightshades have not grown in the beds for the past three years. You also need to take care of your neighbors. Potatoes are not planted near tomato beds.
The selected area is dug up and cleaned of plant residues. Then the soil is enriched with manure, evil and lime.
In the spring, the tomato beds are dug up again and treated with a disinfecting solution.
In the selected area, holes are dug in rows using a 50 × 60 scheme. For 1 sq. m no more than 3 plants are planted. Tomato grooves are staggered.
A tablespoon of ash is poured into each hole. Many gardeners also add long-acting granular mineral fertilizer there.
Seedlings are carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth and placed in prepared holes, forming a root towards the center. Warm water is poured into the pits with tomatoes and covered with soil.
Basic rules of care
Despite the fact that the princess frog tomatoes have a strong and durable stem, they need garter... Therefore, a wooden support or trellis is installed near each bush. A bush is tied to a support as it grows.
Tomatoes of this variety need shaping. One or two stems are left on each plant. The fewer the stems, the later the harvest will ripen.
Stepping is carried out regularly. They remove not only extra stepsons, but also damaged and yellowed leaves in the lower part of the bush. Gardeners recommend getting rid of ugly inflorescences.
Tomato Princess Frog is picky about the composition of the soil. Plants need to be fed four times per season. It is best to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers.
Moisten the beds as the soil dries. Watering should be plentiful, but infrequent.
After each watering and rain, it is important to loosen the soil. This is necessary to destroy the earth crust that prevents air exchange.
The tomato beds must be weeded. Weeds not only interfere with the development of the tomato root system, but also contribute to their infection.
The nuances of growing
To grow healthy tomatoes, you need to know the basic nuances of caring for them.
This will provide a better harvest and save you from many mistakes:
- When watering tomatoes, it is important that the water does not get on the greens. This can cause leaf rot and lead to plant infection.
- The water that is poured over tomatoes should not be cold. Therefore, before use, it is defended for several days.
- Stepson plants in the morning and evening. On cloudy days, this procedure is not carried out. You cannot water the plants on the day of pinching.
- Water the plants in the evening or in the morning. In the midst of heat, soil moisture contributes to burns on the greenery.
How to protect tomatoes from diseases and pests
Despite the fact that the Princess Frog variety has immunity to plant diseases, prevention methods cannot be neglected. According to gardeners, this tomato is still sick.
Disinfection is an important part of disease prevention. It is necessary to disinfect not only the planting material itself, the soil and containers, but also the gardening tool with which the plants will interact.
Compliance with the rules of watering and pinching will also help to avoid plant contamination. Indeed, it is in waterlogged or overdried soil that it is easiest for pathogens to develop.
For prevention, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate or "Fitosporin". This method allows you to warn even late blight.
Attention! Pests carry pathogens and damage plants. To protect tomatoes from insects, the bushes are sprayed with a soap solution and celandine broth. Large beetles are removed by hand.
Features of cultivation in open ground and greenhouses
In most cities of Russia, the tomato princess frog is planted in greenhouses. In such conditions, this variety feels most comfortable. But remember that the room must be regularly ventilated. The hottest time of the day is chosen for airing.
In the open field, it is important to cover the plants with foil for the first two weeks, protecting them from night frosts. On cool days, it is also worth building film shelters.
Open field mulching is mandatory. Such protection will protect the beds from frost, diseases and pests.
Harvesting and application of the crop
Tomatoes Princess Frog ripen by the end of July or the beginning of August. They are harvested as they mature. When overripe, they crack and become too soft, and when unripe, they are tough and tasteless.
It is difficult to determine the ripeness of green tomatoes. To understand that the fruits are ready to be harvested, you need to pay attention to their shade. In ripe berries, it is green with a bronze tint. Such tomatoes are soft to the touch.
When picking tomatoes, the stalk is left. It increases their shelf life.
The frog princess is a salad variety.Its fruits are not suitable for canning. Some gardeners make original sauces and juices from it.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Benefits of the Frog Princess:
- exotic fruit appearance;
- excellent taste characteristics;
- immunity to plant diseases;
- high chlorophyll content.
This variety also has disadvantages:
- poor keeping quality;
- instability to cold snap;
- the need for garter and pinching.
Farmers reviews
Reviews of the Frog Princess tomatoes are very ambiguous. Most gardeners note their unusual appearance, but speak negatively about whimsical care.
Svetlana Manilkina, Lipetsk: «Last year I tried to plant the Frog Princess. Tomatoes, of course, look very unusual. If you tie them up, pinch them and fertilize them, then there will be no problems with growing. However, the result was disappointing. The yield is average, the fruits deteriorate very quickly. The taste is pleasant, but I like pink tomatoes more. "
Ksenia Ignatieva, Tula: “I have been growing the tomato Frog Princess for the second year. Of course, you have to tinker with him. But the result is worth it. Tomatoes have an unusual appearance and a sweet fruity taste. Looks great in salads along with regular tomatoes. "
Read also:
Unpretentious tomato "Marusya" with excellent taste.
Ultra-early, not capricious, undersized and very tasty tomato "Boni MM".
Conclusion
Tomatoes Princess Frog is an interesting variety, the fruits of which are green even when ripe. They look beautiful in salads and are good for the body.
Such tomatoes are difficult to grow. They are demanding on the composition of the soil, outside temperature and need to be pinned. Therefore, they are often chosen by experienced gardeners.