Why is the early maturing Dutch hybrid “Pink Gel” so good?

An indeterminate hybrid of Dutch selection, tomato Pink Gel f1 is popular among gardeners and consumers. The crop is distinguished by a short growing season, the possibility of ripening outside the plant, high taste and transportability.

In this article we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the hybrid, the nuances of agricultural technology and disease prevention.

Description and characteristics

Mid-season hybrid Pink gel f1 - a product of the Dutch seed company Monsanto. Included in the State Register of Russia in 2008. Designed for growing indoors and outdoors. The bushes are tall and require shaping and staking.

The table shows the distinctive features of the hybrid:

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of Pink gel tomatoes:

• short growing season;
• high productivity;
• possibility of ripening outside the bush;
• resistance to cracking, verticillium, fusarium, Alternaria stem cancer, gray spot and sunburn;
• high content of sucrose and beta-carotene.

Flaws – the need for gartering bushes and pinching.

Other varieties of pink tomatoes:

Early ripening, low-growing, pink variety “Pink Bush f1”

A favorite among gardeners is the “Rosy Cheeks” tomato.

How best to grow Pink Honey tomato

Growing seedlings

Tomatoes are grown through seedlings without picking sprouts. Seedlings form a strong root system without experiencing stress when planted in separate containers. We'll tell you how to do this later.

Preparing the soil and sowing seeds

Used for growing seedlings universal light and nutritious soil from gardening stores. The soil can be prepared independently from black soil, peat, chicken droppings and sand, and calcined in the oven or poured with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Sowing begins at the end of February, 60 days before planting in the ground.

To plant seeds, use special thick seedling bags. or tall plastic glasses. The containers are filled with soil, a depression of 2 cm is made and 2 seeds are laid out. Sprinkle a 1 cm layer of soil on top and moisten it. Stretch plastic wrap and place in a dark place.

After emergence The film is removed and the seedlings are taken to a well-lit place. By observing the sprouts, the strongest sprout is determined; the weakest sprout is removed.

As the seedlings grow, a layer of soil is added to the container and moistened. This is done several times before planting the seedlings in a greenhouse or garden. In just a few days, the root system will develop a new layer of soil and become even stronger.

Planting seedlings and further care

Seedlings are planted in the first ten days of May.. Form holes 10 cm deep and fill them with boiling water or a strong solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. The distance between plants is 60 cm, between rows - 90 cm. No more than three bushes are planted per 1 m². The beds are mulched with sawdust or peat.

When planting in a greenhouse, the room must be ventilated, and air humidity is at 70%. Temperature during the day +20°C, at night +18°C.

Plant care includes:

• removing damaged leaves;
• pruning abundantly flowering racemes (leaving 5-6 inflorescences);
• formation of a bush with 1-2 stems and a garter;
• launching bumblebees into the greenhouse for pollination; for this purpose, the windows are kept constantly open;
• installation of drip irrigation;
• application of foliar fertilizers.

Options for foliar feeding for 10 l:

• 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska 14 days after planting in the ground;
• 50 g of wood ash, 30 g of superphosphate 14 days after the first feeding;
• 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska, 1 tsp. sodium humate during fruiting (consumption 5 liters per 1 m²).

It is preferable to harvest tomatoes at the stage of technical maturitywhen the color turns brown. The fruits are placed in special polystyrene boxes and left to ripen. Tomatoes remaining on the bushes will ripen faster.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Hybrid Pink gel is resistant to verticillium, fusarium, Alternaria stem cancer, gray spot. But when grown in greenhouse conditions, there is a high probability of late blight infection. The disease manifests itself as brown spots on leaves, stems and fruits. A white coating forms on the back of the leaves. This happens when there is excessive humidity in the room, overwatering of the soil and an excess of nitrogen.

Prevention methods late blight:

1. In autumn, greenhouses are treated with sulfur bombs.
2. The soil is disinfected with boiling water, chemicals (bleach, copper sulfate), biological products (Gaupsin, Trichodermin, Fitosporin).
3. After planting the bushes, the soil is mulched with sawdust, peat, and pine needles.
4. The greenhouse maintains humidity at 70%.
5. The topsoil is renewed annually.

Drugs help get rid of late blight "Fitosporin", “Thanos”, “Radomil Gold”, “Revus”, “Profit Gold”, “Quadris”. 2-3 weeks before harvesting tomatoes, treatment is stopped.

Green shoots, foliage and fruits are a favorite food for aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and slugs. Modern insecticides will come to the rescue in the fight against pests and proven folk methods.

Slugs are collected by hand at night, under the light of lanterns, or spray the bushes with a solution of ammonia (4 tablespoons of ammonia per 10 liters of water). Treatment is carried out every three days for two weeks.

Used against spider mites and whiteflies:

• insecticides “Borneo”, “Flumite”;
• biological products “Fitoverm”, “Akarin”;
• infusion of garlic (400 g of raw materials are crushed and poured into 1 liter of warm water, infused for five days);
• tobacco infusion (500 g of shag, pour 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 48 hours).

The following drugs have a killing effect on aphids: “Iskra”, “Biotlin”, “Commander”. Folk remedies are no less effective:

1. Soap solution (100 g of laundry soap is grated and added to 10 liters of water). Young seedlings are treated with a sponge. Strong bushes are sprayed with a sprayer. Treatment frequency: every 2-3 days.
2. Infusion of celandine (a bunch of herbs is crushed and poured into 5 liters of warm water, after a day it is filtered and the volume is brought to 10 liters). Treatment is carried out once every 7–10 days.The plant secretes poisonous juice, so all work is carried out with gloves. The knife and container are washed with soapy water and rinsed under the tap.

Planted next to tomatoes marigolds, fragrant dill, mustard greens to attract ladybugs - excellent helpers in the fight against aphids.

Reference. Methods of combating bacteria and insects when growing tomatoes in open ground and greenhouses are no different.

Features of growing indoors

In addition to the traditional way of growing tomatoes in greenhouses, apply highly productive Dutch technology:

1. The substrate is used at the initial stage - when growing seedlings.
2. The sprouts are picked into containers filled with mineral wool in which they will develop.
3. Mineral wool is saturated with a solution containing a nutritious mineral complex (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium), necessary for the growth of green mass, the formation of ovaries and fruits.
4. Special equipment is installed in the greenhouse to control humidity levels, temperature, and increase the concentration of carbon dioxide to accelerate photosynthesis.
5. Three days before planting the seedlings, the room is heated. The optimal soil temperature is +16 °C.
6. The soil is leveled and covered with plastic film to prevent the growth of weeds and to ensure light reflection.
7. Glass greenhouses are thoroughly washed and disinfected. The soil is disinfected and the holes are prepared.
8. Check the heating, watering and ventilation systems.
9. Leaves are regularly inspected for damage and weakened ones are removed immediately.
10. Abundantly flowering clusters are cut off, leaving no more than six so that the plant does not waste energy on forming a large number of ovaries, otherwise the fruits will be small.
11. To pollinate plants, hornets and bumblebees are released into the greenhouse during the flowering period.
12. 10 days before the last harvest, the bushes are sprayed with ethylene to accelerate the ripening of fruits.

The nuances of planting seedlings in the ground:

1. Containers with seedlings are placed in the holes so that their upper part rises 2–2.5 cm above the surface. This will protect the stem from direct contact with the ground.
2. The optimal gap between bushes is 70 cm, between rows - 90 cm.
3. Seedlings are watered at the root or a drip irrigation system is installed.

Important! All work is carried out according to schedule, strictly adhering to technology. This method is best suited for growing tomatoes for sale in large quantities.

The nuances of cultivation in open ground

Hybrid Pink gel is suitable for growing in open ground. The soil for planting is prepared in the fall: it is dug up and fertilized with manure (5 kg per 1 m²). In the spring, the soil is dug up again and fertilizing is applied: 1 tbsp is added per 5 kg of manure. l. potassium chloride, 5 tbsp. l. superphosphate.

Sowing seeds for seedlings begins 60–75 days before planting in the ground. The seedlings are transferred to a permanent place after warm weather sets in, the threat of frost disappears, and the soil warms up to a temperature of +16 ° C. The timing depends on the region: in the southern regions, seedlings are planted in early May, in the northern regions - in early June.

Before planting, seedlings are irrigated with copper oxychloride (30 g of substance per 10 liters of water) to prevent bacterial infections. Holes for indeterminate bushes are dug 15x15 cm in size and 10-15 cm deep. The planting pattern is checkerboard. Tall bushes are formed into 1-2 stems and tied to long supports.

The soil is mulched with sawdust, hay or pine needles, a layer of 5 cm.Further care for tomatoes follows the principles of growing indoors.

Reviews

Gardeners who grow tomatoes for their own needs and for sale leave positive reviews about the Pink Gel hybrid:

Valentina, Smolensk: “Pink gel hybrid has excellent yield and resistance to viral diseases, and that’s why I love it. Tomatoes grow medium in size, with thick but not hard skin. The pulp is sweet and aromatic".

Igor, Yartsevo: “I have been growing Pink Gel tomatoes in a greenhouse for several years in a row. The culture is unpretentious in care, loves moderate watering, and rarely gets sick. We eat tomatoes fresh, marinate them, and prepare sauces.”.

Ekaterina, Korostyn: “An excellent Dutch hybrid for growing in a greenhouse. Gives a high yield every time. I fertilize three times during the entire growing season. I have organized drip irrigation in the greenhouse and maintain an optimal level of humidity. I’ve never had any particular problems with growing.”.

Conclusion

The Dutch tomato Pink girl f1 is suitable for cultivation in vegetable gardens and greenhouses, but like all hybrids, it shows the best results in closed ground. For growing in large volumes, Dutch technology is used. The seedlings are planted in containers with mineral wool, saturated with a nutritional complex, and then transferred to greenhouses.

The crop does not require special care; it only needs moderate watering and potassium-phosphorus fertilizing. The use of insecticides (Flumite), biological products (Fitoverm) and folk remedies based on tobacco, garlic, celandine and soap solution help to quickly get rid of late blight and insect pests.