Tomatoes "De Barao": characteristics and types
Most Russian summer residents are well acquainted with the De Barao tomato variety, which appeared back in the 90s of the last century. It immediately gained popularity due to its fruiting period, which lasts throughout the planting season, and resistance to most types of pests and diseases of plants of the tomato family.
Peculiarities
"De Barao" is a vegetable crop with a strong stem and a large number of pointed dark green leaves. The plant is indeterminate, so the height of the bush in rare cases can even reach 4 meters. The total number of fruiting brushes is about 10, while each gives 5-8 fruits.
Fruiting lasts throughout the whole season and ends only with the onset of the first frost.
Tomatoes of this variety are cultivated both in closed greenhouses and in open ground. Mass fruiting begins approximately from the 110th day after sowing the seeds; under greenhouse conditions, the crop ripens 10-15 days earlier.
The vegetable bushes are medium-sized, they form rather strong shoots and have elongated internodes.
The inflorescences are very compact and have a simple structure, usually the first one grows at about the level of 9, 10 or 11 leaves, however slight variations may occur depending on the variety.
Each subsequent inflorescence is formed towards the top with a step of about 2-3 leaves.
The fruits are strong, have an elongated oval shape.The skin is smooth, and its color largely depends on the varietal variety. The most common among gardeners are black, red, as well as orange and yellow varieties of "De Barao". The weight of each fruit varies from 50 to 85 g. Tomatoes have an original sweet and sour taste, each has two chambers and an impressive number of seeds. Tomatoes of this species contain a lot of dry matter, the fruits are characterized by high density and resistance to cracking, so the culture tolerates transportation well and can be stored for up to 2 months.
At the end of the season, all unripe fruits must be removed and placed in a dark, cool place - they ripen quite quickly and can be eaten. "De Barao" is distinguished by resistance to most garden pests and diseases of vegetable crops, including late blight.
The variety belongs to the category of frost-resistant. The yield is at a fairly high level; in greenhouse or greenhouse conditions, up to 40 kg of tomato can be harvested from 1 m2 of sown area per season, although in open ground this figure is slightly lower, since natural and climatic factors largely influence the formation of the fruit ovary and ripening .
Tomatoes of these varieties are most often consumed raw, due to the fleshy structure, the fruits are included in salads, sandwiches and cold snacks. They are used for hot dishes, as well as for winter preservation.
However, "De Barao" cannot be used for juice, since its content in fruits is low.
Advantages
For several decades, domestic breeders have been constantly developing new hybrid varieties that are distinguished by exceptional taste characteristics and resistance to various natural influences.However, despite the constant emergence of new products, "De Barao" stably keeps its leading positions due to the exceptional taste of its fruits and the simple agricultural technology of their cultivation.
The variety is characterized by a large number of advantages compared to other types familiar to our consumer:
- versatility of using the harvested tomato crop;
- high rates of harvesting vegetables from 1 square. m area;
- disease resistance;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- external attractiveness of a tomato;
- balanced amount of pulp and juice;
- exquisite taste.
Flaws
This crop does not have any fundamental shortcomings, however, some consumers point out some difficulties with growing these bushes.
Despite resistance to the vast majority of diseases, the plant is susceptible to infection with blossom end rot and black bacterial spot, especially the black De Barao varieties.
The plant is not able to resist slugs, and in addition, bushes often become the object of attack by the Colorado potato beetle.
A vegetable crop can not be grown in all regions of Russia, since planting this variety is not recommended in areas of risky farming due to late ripening.
The plant has no growth point limit, during the season the bushes grow by 3-4 meters, so they need to be tied up. The height of the variety also dictates its requirements for greenhouses and greenhouses - the lights must be high so that the tomatoes can grow and develop normally.
The description of the variety indicates that the plant has some difficulties in forming - it must have a single stem, in a rare case two, and everything else is stepchildren and leaves that should be removed regularly, otherwise the plant will "work" for the growth of shoots instead of focusing all their energies on the formation and maintenance of fruit ripening.
Well, besides, experts recommend planting tomatoes of all types of the De Barao variety separately from other tomatoes.
Varieties
"De Barao" is presented in our gardens in several versions, which differ in color and individual yield parameters. However, they all have a number of common varietal characteristics, namely indeterminacy, tall stature and a long fruiting period.
The black variety is especially popular on private plots and small farms that use film shelters. This is a late-ripening variety, which is characterized by increased branching and growth - the size of the bush often reaches 2 m.
The very first inflorescence appears above the 10-11th leaf. The fruits are oval in shape and have a rich purple-brown color. Each tomato weighs approximately 60 grams. Taste is pretty good.
From 1 sq. m of sown area, you can get up to 8 kg of crop.
Red "De Barao" is another mid-season variety, its fruits are widely used for canning for the winter and long-term storage, as well as raw for vegetable salads.
The main advantage of the variety can be called its resistance to cool temperatures and high yields even in shade and partial shade. Fruiting is long. The pulp of the tomato is quite fleshy, the weight of each fruit is 60-70 grams.
Tomatoes are very strong, do not crack during transportation and retain their taste properties during storage for a long time.
From each grown bush, you can easily collect up to 4 kg of tomatoes.
Pink is a variety that, as the name implies, has a characteristic pink coloration of egg-shaped fruits. The weight of each fruit can be 70 g.
The plant is especially resistant to late blight, the bushes are indeterminate, tall and highly branched.
From 1 m2 of area, from 5 to 7 kg of tomatoes are harvested, which are distinguished by their density, strength and resistance to cracking during transportation.
"Royal De Barao" is a variety whose fruits have exceptional taste characteristics. Such tomatoes are grown for conservation, as well as fresh consumption. The plant is distinguished by versatility, endurance to shade and the adverse effects of low temperatures.
The fruits have an oblong oval shape and crimson color. The pulp is fleshy and firm. The fruits are small - their weight varies from 10 to 15 g, but in general, up to 10-15 kg of vegetables are harvested from 1 bush.
Yellow (Golden) is a plant that has a somewhat extended growing season, during which rather tall bushes are formed.
The fruits are large, the weight of each approaches 80 g. The tomatoes are elongated and colored yellow. From each bush collect from 5 to 7 kg of fruit.
The Giant variety is also popular among summer residents, the bushes of which reach 4 meters, and the fruits are 190 grams.
How to plant?
Before you start growing seedlings, you need to prepare the purchased seeds for planting. First you need to check them for germination. It is necessary to dissolve in a glass of plain water 1 tbsp. l. salt and stir.Pour the seeds into the prepared composition. Those that float to the surface are discarded - they lack life and are unsuitable for germination.
The rest of the seed material is dipped briefly in a light solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes, only after this treatment can they be planted.
Seeds are planted in pre-prepared land in the last decade of February, In order to get high-quality seedlings, you need to follow a few rules:
- the container must have drainage outlets to remove excess moisture;
- the container should be taken high - optimally, so that its size is at least 10-12 cm.
The earth for seed germination should be used loose and saturated with minerals. It is better to buy ready-made in a specialized store or make it yourself, for this you need to mix peat, compost soil and ordinary garden soil in equal amounts.
Seeds are laid in recesses at a distance of 1.5-2 cm, then sprinkled with a thin layer of earth, sprayed with a drip method and covered with plastic wrap or glass.
Usually shoots appear 3-6 days after planting. After most of the seeds sprout, the glass and film must be removed, and the seedlings should be grown on the south or southeast side, constantly turning it to the sun in different directions. A pick is made only after the sprouts have 2 true leaves. Seedlings are transferred to peat cups, where they "reach" the desired state and size.
Please note that the cups should also be tall, since the determinant variety and seedlings have the appropriate dimensions. Shortly before planting in open ground, it makes sense to harden off young crops. To this end, they are taken out into the open air daily, gradually increasing the duration of exposure to fresh air from 15 minutes to 2 hours, or intensive ventilation of the room in which the seedlings are located is carried out.
Care
In May, after the threat of night frost has finally passed, you can transfer the seedlings to open soil. You need to plant it together with a peat cup. On the one hand, this will avoid the stress that plants experience during transplantation, and on the other hand, it will enrich the soil with additional nutrients.
In general, caring for De Barao tomatoes is quite simple, it does not require much effort and time. However, the sprouts should be monitored, properly watered, loosened and periodically fed.
Seedlings are planted in open areas or in greenhouses / hotbeds. Depending on the regional climatic parameters, "De Barao" is planted either in mid-May under film shelters, or at the very beginning of summer in the ground without a film.
High-quality seedlings should have at least 5 true leaves by the time of planting, and its age should not be less than 2 months. The bushes are planted in a checkerboard pattern with a step of 50x55 cm. Stakes should be placed for each, which will later be useful for tying them up.
A phosphorus-containing fertilizer can be added to each well. After planting, the young plant should be plentifully watered with warm water.
Tomatoes "De Barao" need regular and very plentiful watering. Such tomatoes require 2-3 liters of moisture daily, while watering the plant must be strictly under the root, so that the leaves and stems remain unsoaked.After watering, the earth must be loosened.
During the sowing period, De Barao tomatoes need to be fed 3-4 times, the best for this is the universal formulations from the Baikal-EM-1 series.
The formation of a bush should be carried out in one stem, in the most extreme case - in two. Pasynkovanie is very important for varieties of tall type, which is "De Barao". All unnecessary stepchildren must be removed in a timely manner, and after the appearance of the very first tomatoes, the lowest leaves must also be cut off so that no more than eight remain on top. Throughout the summer and early autumn, it is necessary to remove all old leaves as young ones grow.
Feedback from experienced gardeners suggests that the technology for growing De Barao tomatoes is slightly different from the methods for cultivating other varieties, but at the same time, full compliance with all the requirements of agricultural technology allows you to get a fairly high bright crop with fleshy fruits of the highest quality.
It is especially appreciated among housewives that, regardless of the color of De Barao, all tomatoes can be used both raw and as part of hot dishes and, of course, for harvesting for the winter.
The stepsoning of tomatoes of the "De Barao" variety is described in the next video.