Features of growing and caring for the “Bison black” tomato
The Black Bison tomato stands out not only for its exotic dark color, but also for its unusual, slightly fruity taste. This variety has won the hearts of many gardeners. It grows quite intensively, does not require special care and produces a lot of large juicy fruits. Tomatoes will decorate your table fresh and delight you in salads and hot dishes.
Characteristics and description of the variety
Fruit grow on powerful bushes with a height of 150 to 180 cm. The bush grows not only in height, but also in width due to many strong side shoots. The leaves are dark green, elongated in shape. This variety of tomatoes has a medium late ripening period. If you plant seeds for seedlings in early March, you will receive a harvest in late July or early August.
Sami the fruits grow large in size, average weight - 300 grams. They have a pronounced taste and a sweet aftertaste. The color of a ripe tomato is purple-violet, the skin is thin, the tomatoes are juicy and fleshy.
In cooking they are used to prepare various salads, pastas, sauces. You should not use Black Bison tomatoes for pickling, as the fruits are large and susceptible to cracking.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the variety include high yield. With good care, you can harvest about 6 kilograms of tomatoes from one bush. The Black Bison variety is resistant to fungal diseases.
The most important advantage is its unique taste, which cannot be compared with other varieties of tomatoes. This type of tomato is chosen by connoisseurs of everything unusual and original.
But the variety also has disadvantages. Since the fruits are large, with thin skin, they burst easily. Therefore, they are difficult to store and transport. There are also difficulties with care. If you violate the norms of watering and fertilizing, the yield will suffer, and in the worst case, the plant will die altogether.
Another minus – this is a long ripening period: 110-115 days (17-20 days longer than many other hybrid varieties).
Features of cultivation and care
Let's consider how to grow seedlings, features of caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open ground. Let's talk about the harvest and give interesting facts.
Growing seedlings
Black Bison seeds are sown in early March.. You can use both purchased seeds and prepared ones yourself. In any case, you first need to sift out the material unsuitable for planting. To do this, prepare a saline solution (1 tablespoon of salt per glass of water) and place the seeds there. Use the grains that are left at the bottom.
To make the seeds germinate faster, soak them in a solution of the growth stimulator "Epin-Extra": Dilute 1-2 drops of the substance in 100 ml of water, wrap the grains in gauze and immerse them in the solution for 18 hours.
Disinfect planting boxes with hot steam and fill them with special soil for tomatoes. Plant the seeds in 1.5cm holes about 5cm apart. Sprinkle soil on top and moisten with water.
Cover the boxes with film and put them in a warm place. In about a week, the seeds will germinate. The film will need to be removed and the seedlings placed in a well-lit place.
When 2-3 full-fledged leaves appear on the sprouts, the plants should be transplanted together with a lump of earth into a larger container.It is recommended to do the first feeding before transplanting the seedlings, the second - a week after thinning.
So that the seedlings grow well, provide natural or artificial lighting, avoid temperature changes. Water the seedlings, but do not allow water to stagnate.
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Soil preparation
You can plant seedlings both in open ground and in a greenhouse. Let's consider both options.
When planting in a greenhouse
The soil needs to be prepared in the fall:
- the ground is cleared of leaves and weeds, the top layer of soil is removed;
- lay a layer of sawdust, straw, pine needles 5 cm thick. They are necessary to loosen the soil. You can also add lime to normalize acidity;
- lay manure in a layer of 10 cm, with greenhouse soil on top;
- To enrich the land with nitrogen, mustard, buckwheat or clover are sown. In spring, the earth is dug up along with the grass;
- 2 weeks before planting seedlings, the soil needs to be loosened, weeds removed, and fertilizer applied.
When planted in open ground
Follow the rules of crop rotation. Plant tomatoes in the place where zucchini, onions, carrots or cabbage previously grew.
The soil, just like greenhouse soil, should be prepared in the fall:
- clear the ground of weeds and loosen it to a depth of 8–12 cm;
- if the soil acidity is high, add lime;
- use organic fertilizers;
- a week before planting seedlings, add mineral fertilizers to the soil;
- 2 days before planting seedlings, disinfect the soil and add wood ash.
Planting and watering
Tomatoes are planted in the greenhouse in early May. Seedlings should be transplanted into open ground when the night temperature reaches 10°C. Make holes for seedlings at a distance of 45-50 cm from each other.
The distance between the rows should be 55-60 cm. Since the Black Bison variety is tall, you need to immediately install supports for the garter. It is necessary to tie up not only the main stem, but also the side shoots.
If you plan to plant tomatoes in open ground, then 2 weeks before planting start taking them out into the open air. This will harden the seedlings. It is better to plant tomatoes in the evening or in cloudy weather. Choose a sunny place. The technique for planting seedlings is the same as in a greenhouse.
As the bushes grow remove lower leaves and shoots.
It is enough to water the tomatoes every 3-7 days, but abundantly (in hot weather - more often, in cold weather - less often). After watering, the soil must be loosened to ensure oxygen access to the roots.
For a good harvest, take care of fertilizer. Organomineral fertilizer “Signor Tomato” is suitable at the rate of 5 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Stir the solution thoroughly and let it sit for 3 hours. Pour 1-1.5 liters of solution under the root of each bush.
During intensive growth, it is important to carry out high-quality weeding and prevent the growth of weeds. Also take care of protection from pests, for example, greenhouse whiteflies (plants are treated with Confidor or similar products). In open ground, damage by the Colorado potato beetle and nightshade miner is possible. To combat them, you can use the drug “Zubr”.
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Harvesting
The first harvest is harvested in late July or early August. In late summer or early fall, when the nights get cold, it's a good idea to harvest all your green tomatoes and place them in a cool, dark place. There they will ripen within a few days.
Planting region and yield
Tomato Bison black – It is a heat-loving plant, so it can only be planted in open ground. in regions with warm and mild climates. When planting in greenhouses, the breeding region does not play a special role.
With proper care, 4-6 kg of crop can be harvested from one bush. To increase productivity, the bush is formed with a maximum of 2 trunks.
Farmer reviews
Tomato variety Black bison is in demand among gardeners, and mostly has positive reviews. Here are some of them:
Vladimir (Kazan): I was interested in the characteristics and description of the Black Bison variety, I really liked the photos of it on the bushes and in cut form. In the spring I planted 100 seeds, having previously disinfected and hardened them. I grew tomatoes in a greenhouse, regularly watered and fertilized. The tomatoes ripened in 3 months. The fruits are beautiful, tasty and juicy, the whole family liked them. I note that the plants are quite difficult to care for, as they require heat, watering and fertilizers. Overall, I am pleased with this variety and will continue to grow it.
Nadezhda (Ural): I really liked the taste, without acid, but the shoulders remain with dark green stains and are hard; in the Urals they ripen in August-September.
Alena (Kostroma): A tall, powerful bush, but my yield was not very high. The tomato is delicious, rich tomato taste with an unusual aftertaste, very juicy. Prone to cracking, I really didn't like it.
Conclusion
Now you know how to grow Bison black tomatoes.These large and attractive-looking tomatoes will delight you until autumn. To get a good harvest, follow the basic rules: select seeds for seedlings, plant them in fertilized soil, provide light, moisture and the right temperature.
Prepare the soil in the greenhouse or garden bed, plant seedlings of no more than 4 bushes per 1 square meter. m, tie up not only the stems, but also the side shoots, provide abundant watering and fertilizing.