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The most delicious are large-fruited pink tomatoes, the fruits of which are shaped like a heart. This is exactly what a Danko tomato looks like: a large fleshy fruit with a thin skin of a bright pink hue, sweet pulp and a strong aroma. The Danko variety is considered a salad, like all pink-fruited tomatoes, it is recommended to eat it fresh, use it for making summer salads, lecho, pastes and sauces. But not even the taste of this tomato became the key to its popularity - Danko is very unpretentious, and it can be grown in almost any region and in any climate.
Detailed characteristics and description of the Danko tomato variety are given in this article. Here you can also find a list of the strengths and weaknesses of a tomato, learn how to grow it, and how to increase yields.
Description of the variety
Those who have planted Danko at least once on their site will certainly return to this tomato again. The tomato is not high-yielding, but it bears fruit stably, regardless of climatic and other external factors.
The Danko tomato variety was bred by domestic breeders, and it belongs to the Siberian selection of tomatoes. This means that the tomato tolerates low temperatures and lack of sunlight very well, that it is not picky about the composition of the soil and is ready for any changes in the weather.
Characteristics of the Danko variety:
- a tomato of the determinant type, that is, the bushes have an end point of growth;
- the height of the bushes is small - about 50 cm, they are compact, not too thick;
- a variety of universal use: suitable for growing in soil and in a greenhouse (in greenhouses, a tomato can grow up to 120 cm);
- the timing of fruit ripening is medium early - 110 days after the emergence of seedlings, the tomatoes will begin to turn pink;
- it is recommended to form Danko bushes in 3-4 stems - this will significantly increase the yield of tomato;
- you do not need to pinch the tomato; when growing in a greenhouse, the bushes may need support;
- the Danko variety tolerates well not only cold, but also severe drought, summer heat;
- the largest tomatoes form in the lower clusters;
- the shape of the fruit is heart-shaped, the surface with barely noticeable ribbing;
- the color of unripe tomatoes is light green, when the tomatoes are ripe, they turn red-orange, have a dark green spot near the stalk;
- the average weight of fruits depends on the method of cultivation: in the ground - 250 grams, in greenhouses - about 400 grams;
- the taste of Danko tomato is excellent, the flesh is sugary, dense, very sweet;
- the peel on the fruit is thin, so Danko is not suitable for long-term storage and transportation;
- the purpose of the tomato is salad - it is best to eat them fresh;
- the yield of Danko tomatoes shows an average - about 3-3.5 kg from each bush;
- The Danko tomato has a good presentation, but because of the thin peel, they often crack;
- the variety has good resistance to "tomato" diseases, is rarely affected by pests;
- due to the early juices of ripening, the tomato is rarely more late blight, which peaks in August.
Advantages and disadvantages
Reviews about Danko tomato are mostly positive. The most important quality of this variety is its versatility: it is possible to grow Danko outdoors in any region of Russia (from the south to the Urals), this tomato is also suitable for planting in a greenhouse, it does not require a lot of light and heat for normal development.
Danko tomatoes have several other important benefits, such as:
- excellent taste;
- beautiful appearance of the fruits (as evidenced by the photos from the article);
- large sizes of tomatoes;
- compact bushes;
- good productivity;
- immunity to various diseases and resistance to pests;
- the ability to bear fruit in difficult climatic conditions (whether it be intense heat, high humidity, drought, or temperatures uncharacteristically low for summer).
It is clear that the description of the Danko variety will not do without flaws. After all, like all pink tomatoes, this tomato does not tolerate transportation well, it is unsuitable for growing on an industrial scale, it can crack from excessive soil moisture.
Although the Danko variety is capable of bearing fruit in poor conditions, the tomato yield will decrease sharply at the same time - the fruits will begin to form in limited quantities. The complexity of agricultural technology is added by the fact that in greenhouses the tomato grows stronger, so its bushes will have to be tied up or looked for support for them.
Agrotechnical techniques
The technology of growing Danko tomato will largely depend on the region, because depending on this, planting dates, care and harvesting measures change. Although tomato is unpretentious by its nature, it is stupid to expect high yields from Danko without paying any attention to it. Like all cultivated plants, this tomato loves to be looked after: fed, watered and so on.
How to plant tomatoes correctly
Danko in Russia is grown only by seedlings. Therefore, the first thing a gardener should do is buy Danko tomato seeds and sow them to get seedlings.
The timing of sowing tomato seeds depends on the climate in specific regions. So, in the central part of the country, early ripe tomatoes are sown in early March. You can start preparing seeds for planting in the last days of February.
Danko tomatoes are a fairly common variety, so it will not be difficult to find seeds on sale. It is better to give preference to processed planting material, completely ready for sowing.
If the gardener collected tomato seeds on his own or bought raw material, cannot be ignored rules for preparing a tomato for planting:
- rejection of empty seeds;
- warming up the planting material;
- disinfection of tomatoes with a solution of potassium permanganate, hot water or other means;
- stimulation of germination by soaking tomato seeds in biostimulants (such as "Epin", for example, or aloe juice);
- germination in a humid and warm environment.
It is necessary to plant Danko tomatoes in loose and nutritious soil, which is capable of allowing air and moisture to pass through. It is easy to prepare a mixture for seedlings on your own: for this, garden soil is mixed with sawdust or peat, sand is added for looseness, fertilized with mineral components in the form of potassium and phosphorus, or organic matter (wood ash, lime, humus) is used.
Danko seedlings must be dived when the first pair of true leaves appears on the tomato. This process prevents the pulling of tomatoes (which often happens with seedlings due to lack of light in the northern regions of the country) and stimulates the root system (lateral roots will begin to actively grow).
Danko tomato seedlings are taken out into the ground when the soil warms up to +10 degrees, and the threat of night frosts has passed (in the north of the country, tomato planting does not begin until June 10). The optimal planting scheme is 4 bushes per square meter, but you can plant these tomatoes denser.
Tomatoes are transferred to greenhouses around the twentieth of May (in southern Russia, this is done a couple of weeks earlier). You do not need to plant Danko too tightly, as in greenhouse conditions this tomato grows more strongly. You also need to consider a method for tying tall bushes.
How to care for plantings
The Danko tomato variety is really unpretentious when compared with other pink-fruited and heart-shaped tomatoes. However, this does not mean that the bushes do not need to be looked after at all - like any tomato, Danko needs the constant attention of a gardener.
Caring for tomatoes is as follows:
- Watering. Tomatoes are watered as the soil dries up. This is best done in the evening when the heat subsides. Water for irrigation is taken from settled, warm. Danko tolerates periods of drought well, but the gardener must understand that this will certainly affect the size and number of fruits.
- Danko formremoving all shoots except the first three or four. If this is not done, the fertility of the plants will be weak.
- Tomatoes needed weed, huddle, the soil in the aisles is periodically loosened, preventing it from cracking. To save his own time and effort, the gardener can use mulch, which will protect the soil from drying out and prevent grass from growing.
- A couple of times a season you need fertilize, use both organic matter and mineral complexes. The gardener should not overdo it with nitrogenous fertilizing, since they only lead to an increase in green mass (the bushes will be beautiful, but the tomatoes will not form on them).
- If traces of the disease are noticed, it is necessary immediately carry out processing tomatoes with a special tool. In order to prevent infection of Danko, it is better to carry out preventive spraying of the bushes even before they bloom.
- Bushes growing in greenhouses tie up... If a lot of fruits are tied on the ground, tomatoes can also be tied up so that the shoots do not break off.
- Harvested on time, not forgetting the predisposition of Danko fruits to cracking.
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Conclusion
The Danko tomato variety is ideal for gardeners and summer residents from the cold regions of Russia, although this tomato is able to endure both heat and drought. It is not recommended to grow this variety on an industrial scale, as the fruits quickly deteriorate and wrinkle during transportation. The tomato is very persistent, unpretentious, beautiful and tasty - what else does a gardener need!