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Thanks to constant breeding work, every year new tomato hybrids appear, delighting with excellent taste and early ripening. The success of the Ural scientists can be called the tomato Aphrodite, the characteristics and description of the variety of which testify to its unpretentiousness in growing and good keeping quality.
Tomato Aphrodite immediately fell in love with gardeners in all regions because of its undeniable advantages. The variety gives high yields in the open field and grows excellently under the film. In areas with a more severe climate - in Siberia or the Urals, with short cool summers, the Aphrodite F1 variety is planted in greenhouses. Some hobbyists even grow tomatoes on their balconies.
Features of the variety
Tomato Aphrodite is determinant, it gives compact bushes up to 70 cm, but in favorable conditions or in greenhouses they can grow up to one and a half meters high. Among the lush dark green foliage there are numerous tomato inflorescences with bright red appetizing fruits weighing up to 100 g - on each inflorescence up to 6 tomatoes. In industrial greenhouses, the yield of the variety reaches 17 kg per 1 sq. m, in open beds - a little less.
Among the advantages of the tomato Aphrodite F1 are:
- resistance to summer heat - the ovaries do not fall off at high temperatures;
- early fruiting - it occurs 2.5-3 months after transplanting and lasts until September;
- evenness of fruits in size and weight;
- good transportability of tomatoes, which is especially appreciated by farmers;
- long shelf life;
- high immunity to typical diseases of tomatoes;
- excellent taste;
- high yields;
- resistance to cracking.
The variety Aphrodite F1 also has certain disadvantages that are insignificant compared to its positive characteristics:
- bushes require a garter and regular pinching;
- tomato Aphrodite F1 is sensitive to the whims of nature;
- systematically plants need to be fed.
Fruit characteristics
If the right care of tomatoes is organized, they give a friendly fruiting. Ripe fruits of the Aphrodite F1 variety differ:
- the correct rounded shape;
- fleshy pulp with three chambers;
- even, saturated color;
- thick, glossy skin that protects them from cracking;
- the absence of yellowish spots around the stalk, which gives the tomatoes an excellent presentation;
- sweetish, tomato flavor;
- high content of nutrients, allowing the use of tomato Aphrodite in dietary nutrition;
- the duration of fruiting;
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versatility of use.
Growing seedlings
For the seedling method, tomato seeds Aphrodite F1 are best harvested yourself.
Seed preparation
For this purpose, it is necessary to select healthy ripe fruits of the correct shape. It is better to remove them from the second or third branch. The seed preparation technology is simple:
- having cut a tomato, you need to remove them from the seed chambers and place them in a warm place for two days, before fermentation begins;
- then the tomato seeds are gently washed with water and dried;
- dry seeds should be rubbed between fingers and poured into paper bags;
- store them in a cool, dry place.
Tomato seeds Aphrodite F1 can be tested for germination at home by placing them in a 5% solution of edible salt.After a quarter of an hour, the floating seeds can be discarded. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom will be a good seed. To disinfect them, you can add potassium permanganate to the liquid.
Sometimes tomato seeds are hardened directly in a weak solution of potassium permanganate by placing it in the refrigerator on the first shelf for 10-12 hours. Experienced gardeners carry out the procedure for pelleting seeds - enveloping them with a nutrient solution. It is prepared from fresh manure diluted with water or a polyacrylamide solution. A small amount of combined fertilizers is also added to it. After hardening, tomato seeds Aphrodite F1 are moistened with a ready-made solution and heated for several hours at 50 degrees.
The next step will be seed germination. They are placed on a plate and covered with a damp cloth. In a warm room, they will hatch quickly. The cloth should remain damp. Sprouted seeds must be soaked before sowing. Reviews of gardeners for tomatoes of the Aphrodite variety are advised to use melt water for this purpose. It can be made at home by freezing plain water.
Sowing seeds
For seedlings, seeds of the Aphrodite F1 variety are planted around the beginning of March. The soil for planting seeds is prepared as follows:
- the soil mixture is previously placed in the frost;
- a week before sowing, it must be brought into the house so that it melts and warms up;
- add nutritious soil to it;
- ash will be a useful additive;
- the whole soil mixture is thoroughly mixed;
- tomato seeds are sown on its surface and sprinkled with a centimeter layer of earth;
- the soil should be well spilled and placed in a warm place.
Seedling care
After about a week, when the first shoots hatch, the box with the shoots should be placed in a brighter place. After the appearance of 3-4 leaves, tomato seedlings Aphrodite F1 the description recommends diving. It is best to use peat pots - then you can plant them in the ground in them:
- when transplanting into pots, the central root of each plant must be pinched - then the root will give additional shoots;
- tomato seedlings Aphrodite periodically need to be watered;
- you can plant the plants in the greenhouse before the end of the night frosts, and with their end transplanted into the open ground.
Transfer to the ground
The soil for planting seedlings must be prepared in advance. Tomato Aphrodite, as its description suggests, loves neutral soils, so you need to check them for acidity. The best predecessors of the tomato Aphrodite are zucchini, cucumbers, dill. Do not plant tomatoes next to potato beds. The area for the beds should be well lit. Preparatory work consists in digging the soil, fertilizing it with mineral and organic fertilizers, loosening, moistening.
When transplanting bushes of the Aphrodite variety into open ground, it must be remembered that the tomatoes are too thick:
- will significantly reduce the yield;
- weaken the defenses of the plant;
- will increase the likelihood of disease and pests.
For each square meter, 5-6 bushes are enough, but no more than 9, the distance between the tomatoes should be no more than half a meter.
Agricultural technology in the open field
To get good yields, you need to properly care for the tomato Aphrodite F1, following all agronomic recommendations:
- leave no more than 3 or 4 stems on the bush;
- pinch tomatoes once a week;
- tie up the stems, and provide heavy brushes with props;
- carry out systematic feeding;
- organize regular watering of tomatoes - once every few days in cloudy weather and every other day - in hot weather;
- remove weeds in the aisles, while simultaneously loosening;
- mulching is used to retain moisture in some conditions;
- if tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, they must be ventilated periodically.
Diseases and pests
Although the variety Aphrodite F1 is highly resistant to the most common fungal pathologies, it is sometimes affected by root rot. The Colorado potato beetle is also dangerous for the variety, so you should not use the area where the potatoes grew for planting tomato seedlings. You need to regularly inspect the bushes in order to detect the pest in time. Some diseases of the tomato Aphrodite F1 are caused by too dense arrangement of bushes or improper care. For the prevention of diseases, proper care is needed, keeping the beds clean. You can process the beds with tomatoes Aphrodite F1 several times a season with Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, and herbal infusions.
Reviews of gardeners
Tomato Aphrodite F1 has proven itself well in the regions of Russia, as grateful gardeners write about.
Conclusion
Tomato Aphrodite F1 has taken one of the worthy places among the hybrid varieties. With proper care, it will delight you with a rich harvest of juicy fruits.
