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The ancient Aztecs are considered the discoverers of tomatoes. They began to grow the culture back in the 8th century. And since then, interest in tomatoes has been growing every year. Confirmation of this is the presence of a huge assortment of varieties and hybrids.
There are many interesting and exotic plants among tomatoes. Take at least a variety of tomatoes Stick. The plant is native to the United States of America. The variety was bred back in 1958. Unfortunately, few Russians know about Palka tomatoes. Therefore, we want to present this amazing plant in all its glory.
Description of tomatoes
If you want to grow an unusual plant on the site and surprise your neighbors, buy seeds of the Palka tomato variety. This is a really interesting plant that amazes with its unusual structure of the bush.
The name is already shocking, but the peak of surprise comes after you see the plant in reality. Indeed, the fruit grows directly on the stem without being surrounded by lateral shoots and leaves.
In the countries of the world, the variety is called differently:
- Stick tomato;
- Curl tomato;
- Terry tomato;
- Curly-leaved tomato.
Bushes
The Tomato Stick is an upright column-shaped stem. There are usually no more than three stems. The variety is semi-determinant, height up to 1 m 20 cm.
The leaves are negligible, moreover, they are very small, rigidly corrugated, collected in a bunch. The inflorescences are simple, up to 6 fruits are tied on them. In total, Stick colonial tomatoes form up to 5 tassels on each stem.
The tomatoes are fruitful, subject to agrotechnical standards, about 1.5 kg of tasty fruits can be harvested from one bush.
Description of fruits
The fruits of the variety are round, distinguished by elasticity, fleshy and dense pulp. The taste is traditional tomato, with a barely noticeable sourness. Unripe tomatoes are light green. In technical ripeness, they become bright red.
Fruit weight with a dense skin is 50-100 grams. The crop holds on to the brush, does not fall off, does not crack, even if the tomatoes are overripe. Most often, the Palka variety is reserved for canning, although tomatoes are also ideal in salads.
The opinion of the gardener about the Palka tomato variety:
Characteristics
Description of the variety, characteristics of the tomato Stick - this is what gardeners need for an informed choice.
Benefits
First, we present to the court the dignity of the variety:
- The variety is mid-season, technical maturity occurs in 3.5-4 months from the moment of sowing the seeds.
- Unusual exotic look. Just look at the photo below.
- The absence of side shoots and leaves creates special convenience when leaving.
- Possibility of growing on regular beds or in a greenhouse.
- Stable yield regardless of where it is grown. Due to the density of planting, up to 30 kg of fruits are harvested per square meter. This quality of the Palka tomato variety is confirmed by the characteristics, reviews and photos.
- Universal tomatoes with excellent keeping quality and transportability.
- Resistant to many diseases that other nightshade relatives suffer from.
- The ability to collect your own seeds, as the tomato is a non-hybrid plant.
Cons of the variety
Unlike other varieties and hybrids, the Palka tomato has practically no negative qualities, both in the description and in the reviews of gardeners who have been growing the crop for more than one year. The variety has only one negative trait - a flimsy stem. Without repeated tying, the plant will simply break.
Cooking your seeds
As noted in the characteristic of Palka tomato, this is a variety, not a hybrid. Therefore, it is possible to prepare your own seeds for the next season. Gardeners often ask how to cook them, because it is no secret to anyone that seeds are not cheap in stores. And the quality of the seed does not always satisfy gardeners.
Own seeds of a particular variety retain their quality. The grown tomatoes correspond to the description and characteristics.
Stages of work:
- To obtain seeds, you need to choose ripe fruits that match the shape of the variety. As a rule, the fruits are plucked from the second brush. The best seeds are obtained from the so-called female tomatoes: there is a small depression on the bottom of the fruit.
- The tomato must be washed with warm pink water, dissolving potassium permanganate to remove possible pathogens. Tomatoes are left for 5 days indoors in a dark and warm place for ripening.
- When the tomato is slightly softened, it is cut with a sterile knife and the contents with pulp and seeds are squeezed out into a clean glass, covered with a piece of cotton cloth and left in a dark place.
Even if there is not enough juice, it is forbidden to add water, otherwise the seeds will die. - Two days later, the contents will begin to ferment. You can find out that the seeds are ready for washing by a thin film on the surface and bubbles. The seeds themselves will be at the bottom.
- Warm water is poured into a glass, the seeds are gently rinsed. The procedure is repeated until the water becomes clear.
- The seeds are spread on a cotton cloth to get rid of moisture. Then they are laid out on white paper in one layer to dry.
- When the seeds become free-flowing, they are poured into paper bags. In order not to be confused, markings are made on each of them.
Growing and care
No matter what they say, it is not difficult to grow any tomatoes if you know the features of agricultural technology. Tomato Stick according to the description of the variety is mid-season. It is grown only through seedlings. Seeds must be sown 60 days before planting in the ground, otherwise the fruits will not have time to ripen.
How to grow seedlings
Only healthy and strong seedlings will allow you to get a rich harvest of tomatoes. It is necessary to sow the seeds of Palka tomatoes no later than mid-March, and preferably before the 10th.
- For planting seedlings, you can use any container: from boxes to containers. As for the soil, it is prepared independently or using ready-made store formulations. Before sowing, containers and soil are disinfected with a thick hot solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are sown dry, but before that they are also treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate or 1% boric acid solution.
- In containers, grooves are made at a distance of 3 cm, seeds are laid in each with a step of 1-1.5 cm to a depth of 1 cm. Then they are covered with a film and placed in a warm place (temperature 22-25 degrees). When the first shoots appear, the film must be removed.
- Seedlings dive when 2 bunches of curly leaves grow on it. You need to grow tomatoes of the Palka variety on a light window, constantly turning them in different barrels.
In-ground care
Plants are planted in a greenhouse at the end of May, in the ground after the threat of frost disappears and the earth warms up. By this time, the tomato seedlings Stick looks like in the photo below.
The variety requires a well-fertilized, loose soil. If you are not a supporter of mineral fertilizers, then add compost or humus, as well as wood ash before digging.
The uniqueness of this variety of tomatoes is that they can be planted at close range. If you plan to lead the plant in one stem, plant in 15 cm increments. When growing in 2-3 stems, the distance is about 25-30 cm between the bushes.The fact is that the absence of leaves creates optimal lighting and air circulation.
It is undesirable to deepen the Palka variety when planting, because the tomatoes will begin to work to form an additional root system. Consequently, the ripening period will take 14 days. The work is performed in the evening to make it easier for the tomatoes to take root.
Caring for tomatoes of this variety is no different:
- watering and loosening;
- cleaning the beds from weeds and feeding;
- treatment of plants from diseases and pests.
But most importantly, you need to constantly tie up the stem so that the Palka tomato does not break under the weight of the fruit.
