Disease and pest resistant tomato variety “Giant Novikova”

Today we will not talk about a new product, but about a proven variety - Gigant Novikova. This tomato is widely known throughout the country, as it has been around for more than 30 years. It has not lost its relevance among gardeners and continues to occupy a leading position in greenhouses and open beds. Let's take a closer look at its advantages.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The Gigant Novikova variety was included in the State Register in 1990. It was developed by domestic breeders. The culture is recommended for cultivation in open ground and protected structures.

Distinctive features

The bush type is indeterminate, height reaches 2.5 m. Densely leafy, leaves are small, emerald green. The plant requires mandatory stepsoning, although the stepsons grow inactively.

Each cluster bears 4–6 large fruits. To prevent branches from breaking due to their weight, additional support is installed.

Ripening time is average, from the moment of sowing to harvesting the fruits, 110–120 days pass. Tomato forms ovaries in any climate.

Productivity is high, 5–7 kg are collected from one seedling, provided that no more than 3 plants are placed per 1 sq. m. Fruiting is extended, lasting until mid-autumn, and in good weather - until the first frost.

Tomatoes are disease resistant, characteristic of the tomato series. The culture is well resistant to late blight, tobacco mosaic virus, fusarium and rot.

Reference. Large-fruited species generally lack immunity to disease.

Fruit characteristics

The fruits are large, average weight - 400–800 g. The shape is round, flattened on top, with pronounced ribbing. Color ranges from crimson to bright red. The taste is sugary with barely noticeable sourness. The pulp is juicy and fleshy, with watermelon notes in the taste. The peel is thin.

Ripe vegetables are not suitable for canning due to the large size. They are processed into tomato products and a variety of dishes are prepared from fresh tomatoes.

Ripe tomatoes may crack, so you won’t be able to store them for a long time. They also cannot withstand long-term transportation. When transporting over short distances, they are stacked in no more than 2 rows.

Reference. The Gigant Novikova tomato has several producers, so the taste and color of ripe vegetables may differ slightly from each other. Growing conditions are the same for all producers.

The photo shows Gigant Novikova tomatoes.

How to grow seedlings

Seeds for seedlings are sown 2 months before planting in the ground.. They are pre-prepared to improve immunity and germination percentage.

Seed preparation

Seed material can be collected independently from large and healthy fruits. But in that case special attention should be paid to preparing for sowing:

1. Rejection. The grains are laid out on the table one at a time and carefully inspected for visible damage. Healthy specimens should be light in color and free from distortion.
2. Checking for filling. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water and leave the grains in the solution for 10 minutes. Empty seeds will float to the surface. They will not sprout, so they are immediately disposed of.
3. Disinfection. 1 g of manganese is dissolved in 0.5 cups of water, obtaining a weak (pink) solution.The grains are kept in it for 20–25 minutes, then washed with running water.
4. Treatment with a growth stimulant to increase germination. The seeds are soaked for 10 hours.

Reference. The solution of potassium permanganate must be weak, otherwise a high concentration will ruin all the seed.

Container and soil

The soil for tall tomatoes is prepared from garden soil, humus, peat and river sand. All components are taken in equal proportions and mixed thoroughly. For fertility, add superphosphate or a full complex of minerals.

The finished soil is spilled with a hot solution of dark manganese to destroy pathogenic flora. There are many pathogenic spores in the ground that can cause great harm to seedlings. After the soil has cooled, it is laid out in planting containers.

Place in a common wooden box or separate container - paper honeycombs, plastic cups and peat pots. The containers are pre-treated with a manganese solution and drainage holes are made at the bottom of each to allow excess water to drain. Without drainage, when moisture stagnates, young roots can rot. In addition, with high humidity there is a risk of fungal infections.

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Sowing

Make grooves in the soil 2 cm deep into which the seeds are planted.. After the groove is covered with earth, compacted and watered with warm, settled water from a spray bottle. To create a greenhouse effect, containers are covered with film or glass and left indoors at a temperature of 24–26 °C.

Seedling care

When shoots appear, the film is removed, rearranging the containers on the windowsill. In the first week, the temperature is reduced to 16 °C. After a week it is raised to 22 °C.

The duration of daylight hours is at least 12 hours. When there is a lack of natural light install phytolamps.

Reference. With insufficient lighting, seedlings noticeably lag behind in development.

During the seedling period moderate watering is required only with warm, settled water from a small watering can. After watering, the soil is carefully loosened.

When two true leaves form, the seedlings are picked, seating in separate containers. Before the procedure, the soil is well moistened and replanted along with a lump of earth. The soil into which the transplant is made is fertilized with a full range of minerals.

2 weeks before transplanting, seedlings are hardened off in the open air.. On the first day, the time spent outside is no more than 1 hour, and the temperature is not lower than 16 °C. Gradually the time interval is increased to 11 hours.

How to grow tomatoes

Replanting is carried out when the soil warms up to 15 ° C. In cold soil, young bushes will not grow for a long time, and the root system can rot in the cold.

Landing

Beds for tomatoes are chosen in a sunny place, protected from draft winds.. If planting is planned in a greenhouse, the soil must first be spilled with copper sulfate to destroy fungal spores.

The soil is dug up, a complex of minerals is added and holes are made no deeper than 20 cm. A little wood ash is placed at the bottom of each hole and filled with warm water. For 1 sq. m place 2-3 seedlings at a distance of 60 cm from each other. When planted in a checkerboard pattern, the plants will not shade each other and will be able to ventilate.

Further care

Regular watering is established as the seedlings take root in a new location. Water once every 10 days, on hot days - once a week. To retain moisture, the beds are mulched with peat, straw or sawdust. This is especially important on dry days when there is a lot of evaporation.

The crop responds well to drip irrigation. To do this, place a plastic bottle without a bottom in the root zone and fill it with water, which gradually penetrates from the bottle to the roots. After watering, the soil is loosened and weeds with roots are removed.

Reference. Drip irrigation is convenient to use in a greenhouse. With this irrigation system, the humidity level does not increase.

Tall seedlings require frequent feeding with a full range of minerals. Feed once every 2 weeks, alternating the addition of minerals with organic compounds. From organic matter, mullein infusion is used in a ratio of 1:10. It ensures soil fertility, and minerals nourish the root system.

Reference. It is not recommended to fertilize tomatoes with fresh manure, since after such fertilizing the green mass increases intensively.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

For gartering seedlings, trellises are made in advance. Metal supports are installed on different sides of the beds and a wire is stretched horizontally between them. The stem and fruit-bearing branches with heavy fruits are fixed to it. A garter on a trellis is the most convenient option for fixing tall plants, so the seedlings are not injured at all.

To get maximum results, the bush is formed into 1 or 2 stems. All other stepsons are removed. There are few side shoots, but if they are not removed, they thicken the plantings.The lower leaves are removed before the first fruitful branch, since if they come into contact with wet beds, they will rot, which will lead to the development of infections.

Read also:

Variety of large-fruited sweet tomatoes “Pink Giant”

Productive and disease-resistant “Sugar bison”

Diseases and pests

The culture has proven itself to be highly resistant to diseases the nightshade family. Therefore, after prevention, the seedlings do not get sick throughout the entire growing season. This includes moderate watering, systematic loosening, mulching the beds and treating plants with fungicidal agents, for example, Fitosporin. Among other things, it improves plant immunity.

Tomato is less resistant to pests. It suffers from attacks from the Colorado potato beetle, armyworm, aphids and slugs. A soap solution is used against aphids and slugs, which is used to treat the stems of seedlings. The Colorado potato beetle is collected by hand along with its larvae, which the female lays on the back of the leaf. Therefore, it is important to inspect the seedlings carefully and from all sides. A decoction of wormwood helps in the fight against cutworms: boil 1 kg of wormwood in 3 liters of water. Apply twice with an interval of 1 week.

When growing tomatoes in a greenhouse it is ventilated every day so that the level of humidity and temperature does not exceed the norm.

Nuances for open ground and greenhouse conditions

Since the plants are tall, the crown is pinchedso that they do not consume nutrients for growth. Thus, all the forces are spent on the developing ovaries, which results in large fruits.

When planting seedlings in the ground after 2.5–3 months, the first vegetables are harvested within a month. Moreover, overgrown seedlings take root well in the soil, maintaining the yield and taste of the fruit.

In the southern regions, tomato grows well and bears fruit in open ground. In the middle zone it is better to grow it under film cover. In the conditions of the Urals and Siberia, the crop is planted only in greenhouse conditions. Despite the growing conditions, tomatoes bear fruit equally. The taste is also preserved in any case.

Harvesting and application

Due to extended fruiting Ripe vegetables are harvested before the first frost. Moreover, the latter are no different from the former, they are just as tasty and big.

Universal use of vegetables: when fresh, they are used for preparing salads, side dishes, hot dishes, pizza and various snacks. When processed into tomato products, tomatoes are used to produce juices, pastes, ketchups, adjika and sauces.

Due to its juicy pulp and thin skin tomatoes are not stored for a long time and cannot withstand long-term transportation.

Advantages and disadvantages

According to characteristics and reviews the large-fruited species has many advantages:

• takes root in all regions;
• forms ovaries in any weather;
• simple agricultural technology;
• high fruiting rate;
• resistant to diseases;
• excellent taste;
• large fruits;
• universal application.

Negative qualities include the need for pinching, gartering and formation of seedlings.

Farmer reviews

Most reviews about the tomato are positive.. Gardeners claim that the fruits in the photographs are no different from those that grow in the beds.

Angelina, Tver: “This is not the first season I have been growing tomatoes. I would like to note that despite its tall stature, it is not difficult to care for. I really like the taste, sweet, with a characteristic sourness. I collect a whole bucket of vegetables in 1 day.”.

Valentina, Abakan: “For the first time I planted a tomato in a ventilated greenhouse. At first, the seedlings did not grow too quickly, but they bore fruit beautifully, and by the end of the season they grew more than 1.8 m. On the upper tiers, the fruits formed smaller than on the bottom, but they retained the taste. The harvested crops were cut into salads and added to side dishes - the taste was excellent.”.

Conclusion

The Novikova Giant tomato fully lives up to its name - the fruits grow weighing up to 1 kg. This is one of the largest-fruited Russian varieties. It is highly resistant to diseases and gives excellent fruiting rates. The culture has been famous among gardeners for a long time and is still loved by many gardeners.