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Large-fruited tomatoes do not go for conservation, but this does not make their popularity less. Fleshy fruits have excellent taste. Tomatoes are used for making fresh salads and processing for juice, ketchup, pasta. Many varieties and hybrids have been bred by breeders. Now we will consider the Mahitos tomato, as a worthy representative of the large-fruited group of tomatoes.
The main characteristics of the hybrid and features of crop care
Let's start our acquaintance with a description of the Mahitos tomato, and it should be noted right away that the culture belongs to the Dutch hybrids. The plant is characterized by unlimited growth, therefore it belongs to the indeterminate group of tomatoes. The bush is capable of stretching over 2 m in height. The Mahitos hybrid was bred by breeders specifically for greenhouse cultivation. The culture is thermophilic, but can adapt outdoors.
Considering the characteristics and description of the Mahitos tomato variety, it is worth noting that the plant has a powerful bush structure. Tomato foliage is large, dense, dark green in color. The root is highly developed and grows on the sides. Fruit ovary is always carried out, even if there is an excess or lack of moisture in the greenhouse. The harvest ripens amicably. The first ripe tomatoes can be obtained 105 days after the seeds are sown. Such ripening periods refer the Mahitos F1 tomato to a mid-early culture.
The fruits are characterized by a round shape. The tomato looks like a flat ball with a slightly flattened side near the stalk. When fully ripe, the pulp and skin of the tomato acquire a bright red color. The Mahitos F1 tomato is characterized as a large-fruited hybrid, although the mass of mature tomatoes is limited to 200–250 g. This allows the housewives to preserve the smaller fruits whole in jars. A big plus is considered to be dense flesh and skin. Tomatoes do not crack when ripe and during heat treatment, they are stored for a long time, lend themselves to long-term transportation. The tomato pulp contains a large amount of sugar, so the fruit has a sweet taste.
Now, let's once again emphasize the positive characteristics of the Mahitos hybrid:
- Strongly developed tomato bushes have small internodes. Although the plant is tall, it is well balanced.
- After planting, the seedlings take root normally and grow quickly. The tomato bush immediately forms a wide root system, and the crown is densely overgrown with foliage.
- A peculiarity of the hybrid is the presence of immunity to the nematode, as well as to cladosporium.
- Unfavorable conditions do not in any way affect the intensity of the fruit ovary.
A feature of caring for the Mahitos tomato is the frequent tying of the stems to the trellis and timely pinching. The intensive growth of the lashes will not give the gardener time to rest. The leaves of the lower tier must also be removed. They cover the fruits, slow down their ripening and take nutrients from the plant.
Growing Mahitos tomatoes, the grower should not confuse the intensive growth of the bush with its fattening. Otherwise, instead of harvesting, you can get a large amount of foliage and stems.You can only prevent fattening tomatoes with proper care. When tomato seedlings take root well and grow, it is unnecessary to often fill the bushes with water, as well as overdo it with mineral fertilization. Tomatoes love it, but such actions reflect badly on the fruit ovary.
The video shows the cultivation of Mahitos in a greenhouse:
Rules and norms for planting tomatoes
To get a generous harvest, you need to follow the planting rate for the Mahitos tomato, as well as a few simple rules:
- Sowing tomato seeds Mahitos F1 is no different from the procedure performed for other varieties. The grains are immersed in the ground to a depth of 1 cm, maintaining a distance between them from 2.5 to 3 cm.
- The sown tomato seeds are lightly sprinkled with earth, and then watered abundantly. Drugs that protect seedlings from infection are dissolved in water. Often vegetable growers simply make a weak solution of manganese.
The containers with sown tomato seeds are covered with foil and wait for germination. Care for Mahitos seedlings is the same as for any other tomatoes.
When it comes time to plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, here you already need to comply with the norms inherent in this particular variety:
- In the greenhouse, Mahitos are planted in rows. It is important to observe the row spacing of 1 m.
- To save space, many vegetable growers plant tomatoes at a distance of 20 cm from each other. For Mahitos, such a norm is unacceptable. This will affect poor yields. The bushes are planted in a row in 40 cm increments.
- The formation of tomato bushes is performed in 1, 2, and sometimes 3 stems. For Mahitos, the best option is 2 stems.
By adhering to these simple rules and regulations, you will be able to grow a generous crop of tomatoes.
What factors determine the development of a tomato
The development of culture is influenced by two main factors: the natural environment and human intervention. The vegetable grower cannot change the first factor. Is that to cover the plantings of tomatoes from bad weather in a greenhouse. The second factor completely depends on the person, since he can regulate his actions. This includes watering, feeding, maintaining the temperature and microclimate in the greenhouse, and forming bushes. If the norms are not followed correctly, these factors can become negative.
Recommendations for watering and feeding tomatoes
Let's start with the fattening of the bushes to consider the negative factors for tomatoes. The tomato variety Mahitos has an intensive growth of stems at the genetic level. If you overdo it with watering and dressing, the result will be disastrous. Normally growing tomato bushes will present the following surprise:
- the plant will receive additional growth energy, which is completely unnecessary for it;
- the appearance of the ovary will move to a later date;
- the number of unnecessary stepchildren will increase.
A plant launched to such a state will be quite difficult to bring to the appropriate norm.
Reading about the Mahitos tomato reviews, there are many useful recommendations regarding watering and feeding:
- Watering planted seedlings Mahitos should be moderate. You can slightly increase the dose of water after 3-4 brushes appear.
- It is more difficult to regulate the water rate if drip irrigation is installed in the greenhouse from a single system that is distributed to different crops. Here you will have to adjust the dose with each dropper near the plant. If a tape of intensive irrigation is simply laid out in the greenhouse, then the dose is adjusted by the time of water supply.
- In the event of a sharp cold snap, the intensity of watering the tomatoes is reduced or completely stopped. Here you need to look at the situation. If there is nothing to heat the greenhouse with, tomatoes will still not absorb water in the cold.
- Vegetable growers recommend the minimum use of mineral fertilizers for feeding tomatoes, and they must be applied after the ovary of at least three brushes.
In each of his actions, the vegetable grower must feel the norm. Overdoing it does not mean that the plant will benefit from excess water or fertilizer.
Adjusting the intensity of the color of the pulp of the fruit
According to their characteristics, Mahitos tomatoes, after ripening, acquire a bright red color of pulp and skin. However, there may be a problem associated with an uneven or non-intense color of the fetus. The first problem is the same incorrectly balanced watering. In many reviews, gardeners assure that they have many years of experience in growing tomatoes, and that they were watering correctly.
Maybe they are right. Another problem may be lurking here - a lack of fertilizer. However, do not immediately pour everything under the bushes. Tomato lacks a specific additive:
- Uneven color of the fruit is observed with a lack of potassium. The introduction of the mineral into the soil will balance the natural process. The tomatoes will take on a natural, bright red flesh color.
- Manganese is considered to be a color accelerator and is also responsible for color saturation. With a lack of potassium, manganese is useless, since acceleration does not contribute to uniform color of the fruit.
Both minerals need to be balanced. This is the only way to achieve good results.
Temperature regime
The hybrid is characterized by endurance. Mahitos has a strong bush structure that can withstand many changes in the microclimate in the greenhouse. This also applies to lowering temperatures. If the leaves of the tomato are exposed to the sun's rays, then you don't have to worry. Burns to the plant are not terrible, of course, within reasonable limits.
However, why test plantings of tomatoes for various disasters. To get a good harvest, it is desirable to maintain a higher temperature inside the greenhouse. Mahitos is a hybrid and they love warmth.
What to do with foliage
Excess foliage draws juices from the plant. If there is a lot of it, then the fruits are smaller, they ripen longer and are not so sweet. However, it is also impossible to remove a large number of leaves. The thickening of the bush is an important characteristic of Mahitos. If you remove a lot of foliage, the tomato will get a lot of stress, because through it the plant cools, receives moisture and oxygen. Plucking the bush must be done partially. Leaves are cut off only from below and where they interfere with the ripening of the fruit, shading the sun.
The video tells about the cultivation of Mahitos:
Testimonials
In general, Mahitos is considered an unpretentious tomato. If you follow the simplest care rules, then you will be able to grow a good harvest. As a confirmation, we suggest reading the reviews of simple vegetable growers.