Let's get acquainted with the tomato "Irishka F1" and try to grow it on our plot

For decades now, the hybrid tomato Irishka has been conquering the Near Abroad and Russian regions. Externally, the fruits are ordinary, with a typical tomato shape, but with the unique taste of a real tomato. Many gardeners, having tried exotic tomatoes, return to the usual, all the usual varieties and hybrids. Because they are not only easy to care for, but also have a high content of vitamin C and other substances beneficial to the body. The long life of the hybrid in the tomato world indicates the reliability of the culture.

Find out how to prepare seeds, grow seedlings and care for the Irishka hybrid on your own plot.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The f1 hybrid was developed by Alexey Alekseevich Mashtakov. It was added to the Russian State Register for the North Caucasus (6) region more than 10 years ago, in 2015. Recommended for growing in open ground.

Distinctive features

Type determinant, plant height – 60-80 cm. The bushes are spreading, the foliage is dense, the leaves are medium-sized, dark green. The first inflorescence is laid above 5-6 leaves, subsequent ones - every 2-3 leaves.

An early ripening species, 80-90 days pass from the moment of seedlings to full ripening.

Productivity is high, from 1 sq. m, up to 11 kg of fruits are collected, provided that 5-6 seedlings are planted per 1 sq. m. m.

It is characterized by increased resistance to diseases such as tobacco mosaic virus and macrosporiosis, but is susceptible to late blight, so systematic prevention is recommended.

The tomato adapts well to heat and drought, but excess moisture and low temperatures have a detrimental effect.

The crop does not need pinching despite the large number of lateral shoots, but without garters low-growing bushes are indispensable. When vegetables ripen, the branches cannot support their weight and break.

Fruit characteristics

The average weight of one fruit is 80-100 g, round shape, rich red color. The taste is excellent, sweet with obvious sourness, the flesh is juicy. There are 4-6 seed chambers. The peel is dense and not prone to cracking. Ripe vegetables are rich in vitamin C.

Universal purpose: excellent for fresh consumption in various dishes and for winter preparations. Tomatoes are also processed into tomato products for the production of juices, ketchups, adjika, and pastes.

Ripe vegetables can be stored for a long time without losing their presentation and can withstand transportation over any distance. For these reasons, entrepreneurs breed the hybrid for sale.

The photo shows Irishka tomatoes.

How to grow seedlings

Sowing seeds for seedlings begins 2 months before planting in the ground. Before sowing, seeds undergo mandatory preparation.

Seed preparation

The seed material is laid out on the table and carefully inspected for visible damage. Then place it in a saline solution for 10 minutes to determine if the seeds inside are empty or not.

Those that float to the surface are not suitable for sowing. Then the grains are disinfected in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.After disinfection, they are washed with running water and dried.

Reference. After disinfection, up to 30% of seeds lose their viability.

To improve germination, grains are germinated on damp gauze for 2-3 days. To do this, they are laid out on gauze, slightly moistened with warm, settled water and left in a dark place at a temperature of at least 27°C. As the gauze dries, moisten it. After the sprouts appear, the seeds can be sown in the ground.

Container and soil

The soil is prepared from garden soil, humus and peat in equal quantities. All components are thoroughly mixed and the resulting mixture is disinfected with a hot solution of dark potassium permanganate or steamed in an oven at a temperature of 50-60°C for at least 10 minutes.

Plant in a common wooden box or individual plastic cups and peat pots. Planting containers are filled two-thirds with the prepared soil mixture; small drainage holes are first made at the bottom so that excess moisture does not stagnate in the containers.

Sowing

The grains are sown in furrows to a depth of 2 cm. The distance between the seeds is left 2.5-3.5 cm. Peat is sprinkled on top, leveled, slightly moistened with warm, settled water and the containers are covered with film to create a greenhouse effect. Containers are left in a bright and warm room at a temperature of 23-25°C. At lower temperatures, seedlings appear much later.

The film is periodically removed for ventilation and the soil is slightly moistened as it dries.

Seedling care

When seedlings appear, the containers are moved to a more illuminated place, on the windowsill. As the top layer of soil dries out, water the seedlings with warm, moderate water using a shallow watering can or tablespoon.Water lightly without flooding the sprouts. Excess moisture has a detrimental effect on young roots.

After watering, carefully loosen the soil with a wooden stick or a regular fork. Loosening helps saturate the soil with oxygen.

When 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings dive, planting them in separate containers. During picking, weak bushes are disposed of, leaving only strong and healthy ones for further growth.

Reference. When sowing seeds in peat pots, picking seedlings is not required. In addition, the walls of peat containers contain many useful substances that additionally nourish young roots.

During the picking period, the seedlings are fed with liquid fertilizer for tomatoes. This first feeding is most important for weakened bushes.

2-3 weeks before transplanting, the seedlings are hardened off by taking the containers outside for 1 hour during the daytime. Gradually, the interval of time spent outdoors is increased to 12-13 hours. At the same time, the night temperature in the room is reduced to 14°C. The hardening procedure helps to quickly adapt to outdoor conditions after transplantation and strengthens the immunity of young plants.

How to grow tomatoes

After 2 months, the seedlings are transplanted into the ground. They are planted in a greenhouse 2 weeks earlier than in open beds. But do not forget that by the time of replanting the soil should warm up to +15...+17°C.

Landing

The soil for tomatoes is prepared 2 weeks before transplanting. Too dense soil is loosened with lowland peat or river sand. Then the ground is dug up with the addition of mineral fertilizers or wood ash.

Reference. Lowland peat contains a large amount of nutrients, due to which it improves the structure of the soil, saturating it with organic matter.

Planting pattern: 40 cm – distance between seedlings, 60-65 cm – row spacing. For 1 sq. m place no more than 6 plants. Wide row spacing is left for regular ventilation of the bushes and sufficient sunlight.

Transplant seedlings into holes 20 cm deep. After planting, the holes are watered generously with warm, settled water, compacted and the bushes are left for 1 week to get used to the new place. The most suitable time for transplantation is early morning or evening after sunset.

Further care

Regular watering installed as adaptation progresses, but not more than 2 times a week. On dry and hot days, the amount of watering is increased to 3 times a week. Water with warm water, strictly at the root, without touching the leaves, in the evening or early in the morning.

Attention! When watering during the day, plant leaves can get burned.

After watering, the soil is loosened, hilled up and weeds with roots are removed. To retain moisture in the soil, the beds are mulched with straw. Weeds are also used as mulch, which, when rotting, provide additional nutrients to the root system.

Over the entire season, the crop is fed three times. First feeding applied 2 weeks after transplantation. Feed with organic matter or nitrogen complexes. As organic matter, mullein infusion or bird droppings are used in a ratio of 1:15.

The second time is fed during flowering with mineral fertilizers containing mainly potassium and phosphorus.

The third fertilizing is applied during the fruiting period. The fertilizer is the same fertilizer that was used to fertilize it during the flowering period: a full complex of minerals with an emphasis on potassium and phosphorus.

Features of care and possible difficulties

Plants do not require obligatory pinching, although many gardeners prefer to remove all excess shoots up to the first cluster. This technique reduces yields, but protects against the spread of pathogenic fungi. In addition, removing unnecessary shoots ensures better ventilation of the bushes.

As for the garter, opinions are divided: some consider the procedure mandatory, others ignore it. The fact is that in different regions the bushes reach different heights, and with a growth no higher than 50 cm, the plant really does not need fixation. However, it is necessary to have additional supports on hand in case the fruit-bearing branches cannot support the weight of ripe fruit and begin to break.

For gartering, a wooden or metal support is installed next to each bush, to which the fruitful branches are fixed as they grow.

Diseases and pests

The culture is resistant to powdery mildew, tobacco mosaic virus and macrosporiosis, but it does not have immunity to late blight. Late blight is a dangerous fungal disease that often affects the nightshade family and can destroy up to 75% of plantings. Therefore, for those crops that are not endowed with persistent resistance to late blight, it is most important and necessary to carry out appropriate preventive measures.

Prevention measures include loosening the soil, mulching the beds, moderate watering with control of humidity and regular ventilation of closed structures. Also, plants are treated with fungicides several times a season, as these drugs reduce the risk of disease development. The most common drugs used to prevent late blight are Fitosporin and copper sulfate.

If the hybrid is planted in a greenhouse, first replace the top layer of soil, disinfecting the new soil without fail. It is in the upper layer that pathogenic microorganisms and many pest larvae overwinter, which begin to reproduce successfully in the spring. A dark potassium permanganate solution is used as a disinfectant.

If, after all, the fungus has infected the plants, the drug “Hom” is used to combat it. The solution is prepared from 40 g of product and 10 liters of water.

Important! Potatoes are also processed together with tomatoes, since they are the ones that cause disease in tomato bushes, especially when planted nearby.

The most dangerous pests for tomatoes are aphids, Colorado potato beetles and whiteflies. A soap solution used to treat the stems of affected plants will help get rid of aphids. If there is a large accumulation of it, they are treated with insecticides “Decis” and “Karate”.

The drug “Prestige” is effective against the Colorado potato beetle, and pheromone traps are installed against the whitefly butterfly.

Nuances for open ground and greenhouses

Hybrid Irishka f1 is recommended for breeding in the North Caucasus District and Central Regions. As a rule, in open ground the taste characteristics are preserved exactly as stated by the manufacturer. However, tomatoes are also grown in cold regions under greenhouse conditions. According to the characteristics and reviews of gardeners, the taste of ripe tomatoes is noticeably different from those from the south.

It is best to prepare the soil in the fall, fertilizing it with organic matter and superphosphate. This way it is better saturated with useful substances, which affects its fertility. Places for planting are chosen to be sunny, protected from drafts and, if possible, elevated.

It is not necessary to form a hybrid.Many gardeners cut off all the stepsons, thereby accelerating the ripening of the fruit. But at the same time, this method leads to a decrease in yield. This is usually done when there is a real threat of late blight.

Planting conditions depend on the region where the crop grows. In the southern area, per 1 sq. m place 6 seedlings, in the middle zone - no more than 5.

Harvesting and application

Vegetables ripen at the same time, so you should prepare containers intended for collecting fruits in advance. Tomatoes should not be allowed to overripe; it is better to pick them unripe. The tomatoes will take on color on their own at room temperature.

The purpose of ripe vegetables is universal. They are consumed fresh, making a variety of salads, first and second courses. They are baked with meat and fried with eggs, and used to make pizza.

Small tomatoes are great for whole-fruit canning, marinades and pickles. Tomato products do not lose their taste: they make excellent juices, pastes, adjika and ketchups.

Ripe vegetables are stored for a long time and can withstand long-term transportation without losing their presentation. Due to this, the hybrid is grown commercially in many regions.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Positive aspects of the hybrid:

• ability to take root in all regions;
• adaptation to drought and high temperatures;
• ease of care;
• early ripening;
• does not require pinching;
• high fruiting rate;
• excellent taste of fruits;
• amicable maturation;
• high commercial quality;
• long-term storage;
• long transportation;
• versatility in cooking.

The disadvantages include:

• susceptibility to late blight;
• fear of low temperatures;
• impossibility of independently preparing seeds for planting.

Farmer reviews

Many gardeners admit that they decided to plant a hybrid after seeing photographs that in no way exaggerate the colorfulness of ripe fruits. In most cases, gardeners opt for the Irishka hybrid, refusing to experiment with other species.

Victoria, Irkutsk: “I planted seedlings in the ground at the end of May, they took root well. There were a lot of tomatoes, so the bushes had to be strengthened with supports. We collected the harvest until mid-September - all the fruits are round, even, approximately the same size. I really liked the taste of the tomatoes, especially in the rolls. I’ll definitely plant more!”

Ivan, Vladimir region: “I planted the hybrid in a greenhouse. The bushes grew up to 50 cm, I didn’t tie them up or take stepson. Very friendly good harvest. The vegetables are sweet and sour, ideal for pickling. The dimensions are just right for the jar.”

Conclusion

The Irishka tomato has long been known both in Russia and in neighboring countries. This hybrid with excellent characteristics has conquered many regions, having managed to adapt to various climatic conditions.

The high fruiting rate and ease of care are complemented by the excellent taste of ripe tomatoes, which can decorate any table not only in fresh salads, but also in winter preparations.