Is it worth trying to grow the Puzata Khata tomato and how it may appeal to beginners and experienced farmers
Puzata Khata tomatoes are an interesting variety that deserves attention due to their ease of care, high yield, early ripening, and immunity to viral and bacterial infections. The original ribbed shape of the fruit, the sugary juicy pulp will leave few people indifferent.
We have prepared for you information about the characteristic features and features of successful agricultural technology of the variety in greenhouses and open ground.
Description of the variety
Early ripening tomatoes Puzata Khata are the product of selective work of biologists of the Aelita agricultural company. The variety was included in the State Register of Russia in 2013. Suitable for cultivation indoors in the northern regions and outdoors in the southern regions.
The photo shows Puzata Khata tomatoes.
Peculiarities
Bushes indeterminate, grow up to 2 m in height in greenhouse conditions and up to 1.5 m in the garden. Thin stems require garters to a trellis or supports, as they can break under the weight of large fruits. To obtain a rich harvest, plants are pinched and formed into 1-2 stems.
The leaves are medium sized and dark green in color. The type of inflorescences is intermediate. The peduncle is without articulation. On each bush, ovaries with 4–6 nests are formed.
Fruit characteristics and yield
Tomatoes have an original pear-shaped ribbed shape. They resemble a purse gathered at the top. As it matures, the shape evens out and becomes more rounded. Unripe fruits are light green in color, without a spot on the stalk.Ripe tomatoes take on a red hue.
The pulp is moderately dense, sugary, multi-chambered. The average weight of the fruit is 250–300 g, the maximum is 700 g. The skin is of medium density and does not crack, which allows tomatoes to be stored for a long time and transported over long distances. The fruits can be collected unripe and ripened on the windowsill. The taste doesn't get any worse.
The size of tomatoes is affected by growing conditions, the amount of fertilizing applied, and the frequency glaze and planting density.
The first fruits ripen 100–110 days after sowing the seeds. Productivity is 8–10 kg per square meter.
We grow seedlings
For cultivation, seeds purchased in the store or collected from fruits are used. Caring for seedlings includes watering and fertilizing.
Soil preparation and sowing
The soil for seedlings should be light and nutritious. A ready-made substrate in bags for growing tomatoes or soil made independently will be suitable. To do this, mix garden soil with humus in equal parts and add a little ash. This allows you to achieve optimal soil acidity.
For growing tomatoes, the ideal pH is 5-6. To check, use special test strips, which are sold in gardening stores.
The soil is first disinfected in the oven, microwave, or poured with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Seeds from bags do not need to be disinfected: the manufacturer has already taken care of this. Those that were collected by hand from previously grown fruits are soaked in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. A warm 2% hydrogen peroxide solution will also work. Exposure time - 10 minutes.
To increase germination, seeds are kept in the preparations “Epin” and “Zircon”.
Sowing is carried out 60–65 days before transplanting into the ground. The material is planted in boxes or directly into plastic or peat cups to a depth of 1 cm. Sprinkle a layer of earth on top, water and cover with plastic film. Seeds hatch at a temperature of +23 °C on day 5-6.
Seedling care
After the sprouts appear, the film is removed and the containers are taken to a place with sufficient lighting, preferably on the south side. The temperature should be 5–10 °C lower. This strengthens the root system and increases plant endurance.
If the seeds were planted in common pots, after 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in glasses. Seedlings in separate containers are sprinkled with earth as they grow.
Seedlings of the Puzata Khata variety look weaker compared to other tomatoes, and therefore require weekly feeding with small doses of humate or fertilizers “Baikal”, “Siyanie”, “Effecton”, “Agricola”, “Ideal”. The dosage is indicated on the packaging.
Watering is moderate, after the top layer of soil has dried.
A week before the planned planting in the ground, the seedlings are taken out into fresh air for hardening. This will help plants quickly adapt to new conditions. First, the seedlings are left for 30 minutes, then for 1 hour. The time is gradually increased.
At the end of the week, the seedlings should stand in the fresh air all night. During this period, watering is limited to a minimum.
Tomato cultivation
Agricultural techniques are standard and include preparing the soil for planting, pinching bushes, weeding and loosening the soil, moderate watering and frequent application of fertilizers.
Landing in the ground
The soil for growing tomatoes is prepared in the fall. To do this, dig up the ground, remove weeds and add humus.In the spring, they dig it up again and fertilize it with humus at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 m².
Planting of mature seedlings begins in the second ten days of May or the first ten days of June, depending on the region. Holes for seedlings are dug to a depth of 20 cm, each is filled with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, and a handful of ash is poured on top. Seedlings in pots are moistened abundantly and transferred together with a lump of earth into the holes. No more than 3-4 bushes are planted per 1 m².
Taking into account the need for garter, the seedlings are placed next to the trellises, to which the stems and clusters with fruits are subsequently tied.
Stepsoning
To increase fertility, they try to form 1-2 stems on the bushes. The first stepson is left under the flower brush. New shoots and lower leaves are removed. It is important to ensure that the stepchildren do not grow more than 5 cm in length. It is advisable to remove them with scissors or carefully break them off by hand.
To ensure that tomatoes grow large and juicy, farmers advise leaving no more than 8 bunches and pinch the growing point at the end of the growing season.
Advice. In order not to confuse shoots with flower clusters, remember that the former grow from the axils of the leaves, the latter are formed from the stem.
Watering, weeding and loosening
After planting the plants, the soil is moistened abundantly. Then water it once every 7 days with warm water. During drought, the frequency of irrigation is increased.
The beds are weeded and weeds are removed. Frequent loosening of the soil saturates it with air and facilitates access of moisture to the roots.
Mulching the soil with sawdust, pine needles, peat, and straw will help simplify maintenance. This will retain moisture in the soil and will be an excellent prevention of bacterial diseases.
Top dressing
To obtain a rich harvest, it is important to frequently fertilize plants with mineral compounds and organic matter:
- Manure dilute in water in a ratio of 1:10 and leave for 8–10 hours. The resulting mixture is watered at the roots of the bushes.
- Nitrogen fertilizers add to the soil before the tomatoes begin to bloom. For 10 liters of water add 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska. The resulting solution moisturizes the soil under the vegetables.
- Mineral complexes work great: “Kemira Lux”, “Kristalon”, “Solution”, “Tsitovit”. They replenish the deficiency of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, manganese. They increase the number of ovaries and accelerate ripening. Apply the product once every 2 weeks for foliar feeding.
- Treating bushes with superphosphate carried out once every 2 weeks. For 10 liters of water you will need 40 g of ash, 20 g of superphosphate.
Possible difficulties
The Puzata Khata variety is unpretentious in care, grows well in any climatic conditions, and is resistant to most diseases. Gardeners note some dryness of the fruit and hollowness near the stalk. This often happens due to insufficient watering and fertilizing.
Diseases and pests
The culture is resistant to Alternaria blight, fusarium, verticillium and tobacco mosaic virus.
Due to early ripeness, tomatoes do not have time to become infected. late blight, as indicated by numerous reviews from farmers.
However, preventive measures will not hurt:
- fumigation of greenhouses with sulfur bombs;
- mulching the soil with sawdust, peat, hay and pine needles;
- regular fertilization with phosphorus and potassium;
- soil disinfection with copper sulfate;
- weeding the beds.
To combat insect pests - aphids, whiteflies, spider mites - use the products "Flumite", "Fitoverm", "Aktara", "Epin", "Borneo", "Zircon".
Traditional methods are no less effective:
- Dilute 25 g of wood ash, 25 ml of soap in 5 liters of water, strain and use to treat bushes 2 times a month.
- Pour 200 g of tobacco shag into 5 liters of boiling water and leave for two days in a warm place. Then carry out three treatments with an interval of 3 days.
- Pour 150 g of onion peel into 10 liters of water, leave for 8 hours, then add 50 g of liquid tar soap. Treat bushes once a week.
Slugs are collected by hand after sunset or the plants are irrigated with ammonia solution (4 tablespoons of substance per 10 liters of water).
Growing in open and closed ground
Caring for Puzata Hata tomatoes in the garden and greenhouse is not very different. It is important to follow the watering and fertilizing regimes.
The seedlings are transferred to the greenhouse no earlier than mid-April, and to open ground - in the second or third ten days of May.
After planting in the garden, you can install a temporary greenhouse: put arcs of thick wire and cover with film. The place for the plants is chosen on the south side, without drafts. It is important that water does not stagnate in the beds.
In greenhouse conditions, the frequency of watering is increased to 2 times a week, especially when it is hot outside. Frequent ventilation ensures a favorable indoor microclimate.
Harvesting and Application
The first tomatoes ripen 100–110 days after sowing. Uneven fruiting allows you to enjoy the harvest within 3-4 weeks.
Tomatoes are ideal for fresh consumption due to their sugary and juicy pulp. Rich pastes, sauces, soups, stews are prepared from them, and pickled in pieces for the winter. However, a large number of chambers does not allow preparing tomato juice of the desired consistency.
Advantages and disadvantages
The table shows the main advantages and disadvantages of the variety:
| pros | Minuses |
| High productivity | Necessity garters bushes due to the fragility of the stems and large fruits |
| Sugary pulp suitable for dietary nutrition | Requirements for soil composition |
| Excellent keeping quality of fruits | The need for pinching and formation of bushes |
| Unusual shape of tomatoes and large size | The need for constant addition of mineral and organic fertilizing |
| Resistance to major nightshade diseases | High |
| Possibility of transportation over long distances | Tolerates transportation well |
Reviews
Reviews from farmers about the Puzata Khata variety are somewhat contradictory: some praise the culture for its unpretentiousness in care, others are dissatisfied with the need for frequent feeding and the inexpressive taste of the fruit.
Irina, Krasny Yar, Astrakhan region: “My mother shared her Puzata Khata tomato seedlings with me. I planted several bushes in the garden. The variety is productive (9 kg per square meter was harvested), the fruits are large, fleshy, sweet, without sourness. The culture loves moderate watering and fertilizers. If you follow the rules of agricultural technology, you can get a decent harvest. I heard a lot of negative reviews that the fruits grew small and tasteless. From my own experience I was convinced that everything depends on the fertility of the soil.”
Ivan, Lipetsk: “We had experience growing the variety in a greenhouse the year before last. I didn't like the tomatoes at all. The color is some kind of orange, the flesh is dry, there are a lot of empty spaces inside. I tried to marinate it for the winter but failed. The banks exploded without standing for even a month.”
Ulyana, Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod region: “I have been growing these wonderful tomatoes for three years in a row in a greenhouse. To achieve abundant fruiting, I advise you not to skimp on fertilizers.I use chicken manure and ready-made mineral complexes with potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. I water it once a week and sprinkle the soil with sawdust. The variety does not suffer from late blight and viral diseases, which greatly simplifies care. Puzzle tomatoes are very tasty, sweet, and have an interesting ribbed shape.”
Conclusion
The Puzata Khata variety appeared on the market recently, but has already become popular among large farmers and summer residents. Tomatoes have an original shape, sweet and juicy pulp, ripen early, are stored for a long time and can easily be transported.
The crop can be grown in the garden and greenhouses. It does not require special care, but needs frequent feeding with mineral complexes and organic matter.