German tomato variety "Vater Rhein" - ideal for making salads, juice, ketchup and various sauces

Tomato Vater Rhein is a product of the selective work of German biologists. Known for its unrivaled balanced taste, which combines moderate sweetness and pleasant sourness. Today you will learn why gardeners love this variety, how to achieve high yields using agricultural techniques and protect plants from diseases and pests.

Description of the variety

The German tomato variety Vater Rhein (original name Vater Rhein, literally translated as “Father Rhein”) is included in the Gene Bank of the German Plant Institute. Leibniz. It is not included in the State Register of Selective Achievements of Russia.

Seeds are distributed mainly by amateur gardeners. On forums you often find information about the discrepancy between the characteristics declared by the manufacturer. The reason for this is misgrading or non-compliance with agricultural technology rules.

Tomatoes are grown in greenhouse conditions in regions with temperate climates and in open ground in the south of the country.

Pictured are Vater Rhein tomatoes.

Distinctive features

Features of culture:

• semi-determinate bushes up to 1.5 m high;
• foliage is scanty, leaves are thin, drooping, green;
• there are few stepchildren;
• 3–5 ovaries are formed on the fruit cluster;
• ripening period – 95–105 days;
• requires the formation of 2-3 stems;
• excellent keeping quality;
• the level of transportation is average;
• universal purpose in cooking.

Fruit characteristics:

• the shape is original, slightly ribbed, reminiscent of a heart with an elongated nose;
• the average weight of tomatoes is 200–300 g, the maximum is 1 kg;
• the color is red, without a dark spot;
• the pulp is sweet and sour, sugary and fleshy;
• pronounced tomato aroma;
• the skin is thin, glossy, smooth;
• the pulp retains its shape when cut and contains a minimum number of seeds;
• There are about six seed chambers, small in size.

Important! To achieve the stated characteristics, tomatoes are left to ripen completely on the bushes.

Accurate information about the yield of the variety is not provided. According to the observations of farmers, on average, up to 5 kg can be harvested from one bush, and 15–20 kg of selected fruits from 1 m², subject to proper agricultural technology.

Agricultural technology of tomatoes

The Vater Rein variety is distinguished by its demands on lighting and nutrition. Otherwise, caring for the plant is no different from cultivating other tomatoes and requires moderate watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and weeding.

Preparing the soil and sowing seeds

The crop is grown through seedlings. Sowing begins 55–60 days before planting in the ground. The soil is prepared independently from a mixture of black soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1. 40 g of superphosphate is added to a bucket of substrate, then disinfected in the oven, steamed or using a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

The seeds are soaked in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30–40 minutes and washed with running water. Some gardeners recommend pre-sprouting the grains. To do this, they are laid out in gauze, folded in 2-3 layers, and watered. The fabric is placed in a bowl, covered with cling film on top and left in a warm place for 24 hours. The seeds will “wake up” in 3–5 days at a temperature of +23 °C.

The seedling boxes are filled with moist soil and the grains are sown to a depth of 1.5–2 cm at a distance of 2 cm from each other. A film is stretched over the top or glass is placed. Sprouts appear at an air temperature of +22 ° C in 4–6 days.

Growing seedlings

After the seeds hatch, the covering is removed and the boxes are taken out to a sunny place. The air temperature should be +15 °C. This is necessary to strengthen the protective forces of the seedlings. After a week, the air temperature is gradually increased to +24 °C.

Water moderately, as the top layer dries, using a sprayer. Excess moisture leads to rotting of the root system.

Picking into individual pots is carried out after the appearance of 3-4 leaves.

Gardeners note that Vater Rein seedlings look weak compared to seedlings of other tomatoes and need sufficient lighting. When there is a shortage of sunlight, fluorescent lamps are used. The normal daylight hours are 16 hours.

Fertilizing with ready-made fertilizers “Agricola”, “Siyanie”, “Effecton” helps to strengthen the seedlings.

Landing

The place for planting seedlings is chosen on the south side of the site. This applies to both indoor and open ground.

Before moving the seedlings to a permanent location, it is advisable to make sure that there is no threat of night frosts. The soil temperature should not be lower than +16 °C.

The soil on the site is prepared in the fall: it is dug up, weeds with roots are removed, and fertilized with humus (1 10 liter bucket per 1 m²). In spring, the soil is loosened and humus is added (10 liters per 1 m²).

Tomatoes grow faster in an area where cabbage, onions, beans or peas were previously cultivated. It is not recommended to use soil in which eggplants, tomatoes, and bell peppers grew. This is the main principle of crop rotation.

Seedlings are planted from the beginning to the end of May. Planting density is 3-4 bushes per 1 m². The arrangement of bushes is 30×40 cm.

The holes are dug to a depth of 20 cm and filled with boiling water. The seedlings are watered abundantly with warm water and planted in holes. Wooden stakes are dug in nearby and bushes are tied to them after a week.

Care

Rules of care:

1. Plants shoot and form 2-3 stems for abundant fruiting. Formation into 1 stem allows you to grow giant fruits weighing up to 1 kg.
2. To strengthen the bushes, hilling is carried out - 2-3 times during the growing season.
3. Plants are tied up every 14–20 days.
4. Moderate watering - 1-2 times a week, 1 liter of rain or settled water for each bush in the evening.
5. They loosen and weed every week.

Advice. Cover the soil with mulch (agrofibre, sawdust, pine needles, hay) to prevent weed growth and moisture retention.

Tomatoes are fed 3-4 times during the growing season:

1. First feeding – mineral-organic, 10 days after planting seedlings (10 g of superphosphate, 10 l of mullein solution).
2. Subsequent feeding - with mineral compounds every two weeks (10 g of diammofoska per 10 liters of water). The solution is enough to water 1 m².

Ready-made mineral complexes - “Kemira Lux”, “Tsitovit”, “Rastvorin” - replenish the lack of phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and accelerate the ripening of tomatoes. They are used once every 14 days for foliar feeding.

Diseases and pests

Tomato Vater Rein rarely suffers from viral diseases (verticillium and fusarium), but is predisposed to late blight and crown rot.

Signs of late blight infection:

• brown spots with a gray tint on stems and leaves;
• white coating on the back of the leaves;
• deformation of tomatoes.

Fighting methods:

• prevention (soil treatment with copper sulfate, moisture control, timely fertilizing with phosphorus and potassium);
• spraying with “Ridomil”, “Quadris”, “Acrobat”, “Agate”, “Fundazol”.

Signs of blossom end rot:

• depressed spots on the crown of the fruit of a green hue, which become brown and then black as the disease progresses;
• cracks in the skin;
• wrinkling of tomatoes;
• the pulp begins to rot.

Fighting methods:

• preventive disinfection of seeds with potassium permanganate;
• adding chalk to the soil (50 g per 1 m²);
• foliar feeding with potassium (10 g of calcium nitrate per 10 liters of water, 500 ml per 10 m²);
• mulching with nettles, straw, white agrofibre;
• ventilation of greenhouses.

Tomatoes are a favorite delicacy aphids, wireworm, mole cricket and whiteflies. Insecticides “Grom”, “Force”, “Fitoverm”, “Epin” help fight pests.

Folk remedies are no less effective:

1. Pour 100 g of onion peels into 1 liter of warm water. Leave for 10–12 hours and add 25 ml of liquid soap. Irrigate the bushes once every 7 days.
2. Boil 3 kg of fresh wormwood in 10 liters of water for 30 minutes. Cool and use for spraying tomatoes once every 7 days.
3. Mix 150 g of hot pepper, 10 liters of water, 400 ml of table vinegar. To combat mole crickets, leave the mixture for 24 hours and pour 0.5 liters into the hole.

The nuances of growing in open ground and in a greenhouse

The Vater Rein variety is generally not capricious; it responds gratefully to fertilizing. Gardeners advise fertilizing tomatoes once every seven days. Slender bushes do not become fattened compared to heavily leafy tomatoes.

When cultivating in a greenhouse, it is necessary to control the humidity level. Excess leads to late blight and brown spot.

The crop reacts painfully to a sharp drop in temperature, so in the middle zone it is recommended to grow tomatoes in greenhouses. In the south, in open ground, there may be a decrease in yield during drought. In such cases, increase the frequency of watering.

Harvesting and application

2–2.5 weeks before harvesting, all flower brushes and ovaries are torn off from the bushes. Tomatoes are harvested before the onset of cold weather due to the crop's susceptibility to putrefactive lesions.

Fully ripe tomatoes have an amazing rich taste and aroma. Suitable for fresh consumption, making pasta, juice, sauce, lecho and adjika.

To extend shelf life, the fruits are harvested at the stage of blanzhe ripeness (brown color).

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the variety:

• wonderful rich taste;
• excellent presentation;
• high productivity;
• universal purpose;
• small number of seeds.

Flaws:

• intolerance to heat and cold;
• the need for pinching and gartering.

Reviews

Vater Rein tomatoes receive rave reviews, primarily because of their excellent taste.

Irina, Bryansk: «I planted the tomatoes in the greenhouse, in the best place. I was afraid that the frail seedlings would not survive after the transfer. But in fact, the variety turned out to be the most productive of all. The fruits are just like in the picture: bright, plump, with a long tail. I watered it once a week and fed it with ready-made Kemira fertilizer. I picked fully ripe tomatoes. These are the most delicious."

Anatoly, Vyksa: “The most delicious tomatoes in my garden are Vater Rein. Interesting heart-shaped shape, sweet, aromatic flesh, relative ease of care - that’s why I love them so much. I grow it in a film greenhouse, I try not to overwater and fertilize it on time.I pick the fruits before the cold weather.”

Conclusion

The mid-early variety Vater Rein feels great in closed and open ground, provided that the rules of agricultural technology are followed: moderate watering, timely complex fertilizing, pinching and forming bushes into 2-3 stems. When grown in one stem, farmers manage to obtain giant fruits weighing about 1 kg. The crop is highly valued for its excellent taste, high yield and interesting fruit shape.