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Many gardening enthusiasts exchange seeds with tomato lovers like themselves. Every serious tomato grower has its own website where you can buy seeds of your favorite variety. As a rule, amateurs do not have re-grading, which many seed companies suffer from. All plants fully comply with the varietal characteristics declared in the description. But they show themselves in different ways. And the point is the seller's dishonesty. The composition of the soil and climatic conditions are different for everyone. The tomato that successfully grew and bore fruit from the seller may behave in a completely different way in your garden. Experienced farmers always take this circumstance into account. Therefore, the purchased seeds are tested for several years. If successful, they become permanent residents of tomato beds.
There are a lot of passionate people among the sellers of tomato seeds. They seek out new varieties around the world, test them, multiply them and spread the novelty throughout the country. One of these varieties is Geranium Kiss. The tomato with the original name also has unusual characteristics that are rarely found in other varieties of tomatoes. To understand what distinguishes the tomato variety Geranium Kiss, we will draw up its detailed description and characteristics, especially since the reviews about this tomato are very good.
Description and characteristics
Tomato Geranium Kiss or Geranium Kiss was bred in 2008 by the American farmer Alan Capuler, who lives in the state of Origon in the western United States.
Features of tomato variety Geranium Kiss:
- It belongs to early ripening varieties. The crop can be harvested within 3 months after sowing.
- It has a compact bush, in open ground no higher than 0.5 m, in a greenhouse - up to 1 m. Tomato is determinant, it does not need pinching. Grows well on the balcony in a 5 liter container.
- A plant with dense foliage of dark green color.
- Forms huge complex clusters, which can contain up to 100 fruits.
- Tomatoes are bright red, oval in shape with a small spout. The weight of each can reach 40 g. This variety is a variety of cherry tomatoes and belongs to cocktail.
- The taste of the tomato variety Geranium Kiss is good, few seeds are formed in it.
- The purpose of the fruits is universal - they are tasty fresh, pickled and salted well.
This variety has a younger brother named Little Geranium Kiss. They differ only in the height of the bush. In Little Geraniums Kiss Tomato, it does not exceed 30 cm, as it belongs to the super-determinant varieties. This baby is just perfect for growing on the balcony.
To complete the full characterization and description of the tomato variety Geranium Kiss, which already has positive reviews, we will mention that it is resistant to the main diseases of nightshade crops.
In the southern regions, the tomato variety Geranium Kiss can be sown with seeds in a heated soil. In all the rest, it is sown for seedlings.
Sowing in open ground
You can carry it out with dry seeds, then seedlings will appear in 8-10 days. If the seeds are pre-germinated, they will sprout on the fourth day.
On the prepared bed, holes are marked according to the standard sowing scheme: 60 cm between rows and 40 cm in a row. The seeds are immersed to a depth of about 1 cm and pressed against the ground with the palm of the hand to make contact with it better. The ground must be moist.It cannot be watered before germination, so that a crust does not form, which is difficult for sprouts to overcome. Place 3 seeds in each hole.
The long and warm southern summer will allow the seeds of the Geranium Kiss tomato variety to fully realize their yield. You can conduct an experiment with sowing in open ground and in the middle lane, but only on a warm bed prepared in the fall. Immediately after the snow melts, it is covered with a film so that the earth warms up well. Crops should also be kept under cover, providing protection against return frosts and sudden cold snaps. If you are not a supporter of experimentation, you will have to grow seedlings.
Growing seedlings
Determinant tomatoes are planted in the ground after the end of returnable spring frosts. Therefore, they are sown for seedlings at the end of March and even at the beginning of April. How to do it?
- Seeds are etched in potassium permanganate of 1% concentration or 2% hydrogen peroxide solution heated to 43 degrees. The holding time in the first case is 20 minutes, in the second - only 8.
- Soaking in growth stimulant solution. Their assortment is large enough: Zircon, Epin, Immunocytophyte, etc. It is carried out in accordance with the instructions on the package.
- Germination. It is convenient to do this in cotton pads soaked in warm water. To create a greenhouse effect, a plastic bag is put on the dishes with discs, which must be removed for a short time at least once a day to air the seeds. Sow seeds as soon as some of them hatch. The length of the roots should not be more than 1-2 mm, so that they do not break off during sowing.
- Seeds are sown in a container with soil for growing tomatoes. It is better to do this with tweezers so as not to damage the roots. Sowing pattern: 2x2 cm. To create the effect of a greenhouse, the container is wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a warm place. According to gardeners' reviews, the seeds of the Geranium Kiss tomato variety sprout for a long time, so be patient.
- With the appearance of the first shoots, the package is removed, the container with seeds is placed on a light windowsill, reducing the temperature by 2-3 degrees for 4-5 days.
- In the future, a comfortable temperature for the development of tomato seedlings will be 18 degrees at night and about 22 - during the day.
- When the seedlings have 2 true leaves, they are dived into separate containers with a volume of about 0.5 liters. Picked tomato seedlings are protected from direct sunlight for several days.
- Watering with warm water is carried out when the soil surface dries.
- Top dressing of tomatoes of the Geranium Kiss variety is done twice. For this, a weak solution of complete mineral fertilizer with the obligatory content of trace elements is suitable. Before planting, the tomato seedlings are hardened, gradually accustoming it to the conditions of open ground.
Planting seedlings and care
It is customary to relocate tomato seedlings to open ground after the ground has warmed up to 15 degrees. By this time, there is no longer a threat of recurrent frosts. When planting seedlings, temporary film shelters should be provided. Even with high daytime temperatures, nights can be chilly. If it is less than 14 degrees at night, it is stress for tomatoes. It will inevitably slow down the growth of tomato bushes. Therefore, at night it is better to cover them with a film stretched over arcs. In damp and cool weather, which often happens in the middle lane in summer, they do not need to be opened during the day. Such a measure will help protect tomatoes Kiss of geraniums from late blight disease. Under what conditions do plants thrive best?
- With constant lighting throughout the day.
- When watered weekly with warm water before flowering and twice a week at the beginning of flowering. So much water is needed to wet the entire root layer of the soil. Watering is carried out only at the root, the leaves must remain dry. If it rains, watering needs to be adjusted according to rainfall.
- With a sufficient amount of dressings.The root system of dived tomatoes Geranium kiss does not penetrate deeper than half a meter, but it spreads underground throughout the entire area of the garden. Therefore, when feeding, you need to water the entire surface with a fertilizer solution. You need to feed the Kiss of Geranium tomatoes once a decade. At the stage of vegetative growth, tomatoes of this variety require more nitrogen. With the onset of flowering, and especially fruiting, the need for potassium increases. A lot of it is also needed when ripening tomatoes. In general, the ratio of nutrients for tomatoes of the Kiss of Geranium variety should be as follows; N: P: K - 1: 0.5: 1.8. In addition to macronutrients, they also need calcium, magnesium, boron, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. A complex mineral fertilizer intended for fertilizing tomatoes must contain all these elements in the required amount.
- A necessary measure is mulching the beds with tomatoes Geranium Kiss. Hay, straw, dried grass without seeds, laid in a layer of 10 cm, will protect the soil from overheating, keep it moist and prevent it from growing weeds.
With proper care, a good harvest of tomato is a must for a gardener. This means that not only delicious summer salads will be on the table, but also high-quality preparations for the winter.
