Tomato "Sugar bison": advantages and features of planting
In 2004, domestic gardeners got acquainted with an unusual variety of tomato called "Sugar Bison", suitable for germination in greenhouses. A few years earlier, amateurs bred it, but the variety got into the State Register a little later. The plant quickly gained popularity - its excellent taste, pleasant appearance, and ability to resist numerous diseases played a role in this. Today "Sugar bison" is easy to find in many greenhouses in our country.
Variety characteristics
The Sugar Bison tomato is called an indeterminate vegetable. This means that the growth of the plant continues throughout the growing season, and it can only be stopped by intervention, for example, using pinching. The minimum planting height is 200 centimeters, and the maximum is as much as 1800 centimeters, so tomatoes cannot stand on their own, they have to be strengthened with supports. Such a crop does not have a large amount of foliage, so the tomatoes receive the required amount of sunlight without any problems and grow quickly. There are several varieties of this species: "Yellow Bison", "Black Bison", "Pink Bison" and "Orange Bison".
In general, "Sugar Buffalo" is an extremely attractive variety, which is a significant plus for many gardeners, because it is much more pleasant to watch tall, stately bushes and large, bright fruits on their beds.Tomatoes grow most often red, but there are also pink ones, quite large and with a ribbed surface. Their weight varies from 350 to 400 grams. However, the largest samples appear first, and then the decrease begins - you should be prepared for this.
In addition, tomatoes grown on top and bottom of the bush will also differ in size. The fruits will be smaller at the top and bigger at the bottom. Tomatoes traditionally smell and have a sugary aftertaste. The pulp is juicy, quite dense and sweetish, devoid of wateriness. The number of chambers in the fruit is from 4 to 5. The leaves are large, long and rich green in color, somewhat reminiscent of potato leaves.
After the emergence of shoots, you have to wait more than 100 days for the first fruits to appear. As for productivity, qualified gardeners are able to remove about 25 kilograms of tomatoes from one bush in a whole season, and this figure, fortunately, is stable. The first brush is formed after the seventh sheet, then - every two sheets.
"Sugar bison" is used for traditional purposes - making side dishes, salads, soups, drinks, pastas and other dishes. Fresh tomatoes are good too. The vegetable is salted and marinated without problems both in pieces and as a whole.
This variety is greenhouse, but with a strong desire, you can try to grow it in open ground. Of course, the yield will be lower, the fruits themselves will not be so large and appetizing, and insect invasions and constant diseases are to be expected.
But if the region is warm and there is a willingness to take good care of the plant, then perhaps everything will work out.
Advantages and disadvantages
In addition to great taste and decent yield (8-12 kilograms per square meter), the advantages of this mid-early variety also include the ability to withstand various diseases, such as late blight. In addition, it is resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. However, there is an exception to the rule - "Sugar bison" is not able to cope with brown rot. In this case, the plant may even die, so it is necessary to remove the affected tomatoes in a timely manner. Next, you will have to reduce fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers, as well as reduce watering. Consolidates the results of the use of solutions "Oxys" and "Hom".
In order to prevent the occurrence of trouble in advance, the greenhouse should be regularly ventilated, and the grown tomatoes should not be overexposed on the branches (according to the rules, the collection starts from the bottom).
Poor lighting is considered one of the causes of brown rot, so it is important to control how evenly the light is distributed in the greenhouse and evaluate how long the daylight hours last.
Reviews report that the harvested crop can be stored for a significant period of time, which is certainly a big plus for people who grow tomatoes in large quantities for sale. Transportation goes without problems. "Salesmen" are also pleased that the fruits ripen almost at the same time. Resistant "Bizon" and changes in temperature. Tomatoes are not afraid of drought, have an outstanding seed germination rate, grow densely and evenly.
The disadvantages of this species include the fact that it is grown, as a rule, in greenhouses and is not intended for open ground. In addition, "Sugar bison" requires a certain watering regime and sufficient lighting.
It is worth noting that this variety is not suitable for novice gardeners - the requirements for watering and feeding are too difficult.
Planting and plant care
Tomatoes of this variety grow in a greenhouse, therefore, in principle, it does not matter in which region they are planted. However, preference is still given to the southern and central regions. The whole procedure begins in March with the cultivation of seedlings. Land is purchased in advance, which has a nutritional composition and a pH level of 6.2 to 6.8, loose, permeable to air and moisture. For the best effect, it will have to be treated with potassium permanganate, warmed up and moistened a little. Pots must be thoroughly washed, disinfected and dried.
In addition, the seeds themselves have to go through some procedures. First, they can be treated with a special substance that ensures rapid growth. Secondly, it is checked whether all the samples can ascend. To do this, pour ordinary water into a glass, pour 1 tablespoon of salt, mix everything well and place the seeds there. Those that pop up are not good, so they just have to be thrown away. A hardening procedure is also required.
Earth is poured into pre-prepared boxes, seeds are buried in it. The immersion depth should be approximately 1.5 centimeters. The grooves must be made so that the seeds are at the same distance from each other. A thin layer of peat is poured over the earth. Then the plantings should be sprayed with water, covered with polyethylene and removed for 4-6 days in a warm place, for example, put on a battery. After the right time, the first shoots should appear, which means that you can remove the film and move the seedlings to where they will receive enough sunlight without any problems.
You can start diving bushes when 2-3 leaves appear on each. This procedure is necessary, as it will contribute to the development of the root system. This is done carefully: it is important to control that the roots do not bend and that the transplant goes with a clod of earth. You can start feeding tomatoes in a week, preferably with nitrogen fertilizers, but it is important to observe the concentration - it should be half as much as for an adult plant. It is important to observe all the terms - further transplantation into the greenhouse can take place only 2 months after sowing the seeds. That is, if sowing was carried out in March, then tomatoes will not go to a permanent place until May. By this time, the plants should already be strong.
2 weeks before sending to the greenhouse, it's time to start hardening the sprouts. First of all, the pots are taken out to stand in the greenhouse for 15 minutes during daylight hours, after which the period is extended. Finally, a couple of days before the day of planting, you can leave the seedlings in the greenhouse for the night. The planted bushes will immediately have to be tied to the support sticks.
You should not place more than three plants per 1 square meter of the greenhouse.
Caring for vegetables consists of timely watering, weeding the soil and top dressing. At the time of fruit set and their growth, it is best to fertilize the earth with solutions based on phosphorus and potassium. It is a good idea to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. At the same time, it is extremely important to ensure saturation with moisture. However, it is worth remembering that this species is quite resistant to the lack of moisture, but reacts poorly to its excess, so it is important not to pour the tomatoes.
During growth, the bush is usually cut so that two stems are formed or one, the branches of which will have to be tied up regularly.It should be mentioned that when grown in a greenhouse, tomatoes will have to face the attacks of such an insect as the greenhouse whitefly. The drug "Confidor" is able to eliminate it. If the bushes are still planted in open ground, then the tomatoes can be attacked by pests such as nightshade miner and thrips. Their attack can be "repelled" by using the "Bison".
As for watering, it is best to use settled water, melt or rain. After planting, you need to water the tomatoes every 3-5 days, depending on weather conditions. After watering, you need to loosen the top layer of the earth, and going deep into almost 7 centimeters. Thus, it will be possible to clear the soil of weeds that can infect the plant with a fungus. It also improves the ability of the soil to warm up, which favorably affects the growth of tomato shoots. Loosening can be done every week or even once every 10 days. As soon as the bush is formed and the formation of flowers and then fruits begins, the number of treatments can be reduced.
Professionals advise to carry out such a procedure as mulching. This involves laying dry straw, peat or artificial mulch on the soil. This flooring reduces the number of weeds, and also retains moisture inside the soil. The layer of mulch should reach 5 centimeters. During the growing season, three top dressings are usually carried out. The first occurs two weeks after the seedlings were in the garden. The second - before flowering. The time of the third feeding is when the fruits of tomatoes are actively formed.
Many gardeners, growing "Sugar Buffalo", make the same mistakes. It is important to study them well in order to avoid them in the future.
Too dense planting leads to poor results (more than 4 plants per 1 square meter of beds).Problems arise when watering is too abundant - a fungus appears, while this variety may well survive insufficient watering.
It is also impossible to overfeed the plants - from an excess of mineral elements, the ovaries will begin to crumble and the color of the leaves will change. Finally, if the seedlings are planted in unheated soil, this will slow down the development of the shoot.
For an overview of this and other varieties of tomatoes for the greenhouse, see the following video.