Content
The Amana Orange tomato won the love of summer residents quite quickly due to its taste, characteristics and good yield. There are a lot of positive reviews about tomatoes, which is not surprising. The variety really deserves attention. In 2016, at a tomato festival held in the USA, it entered the top 10 varieties.
Description of Amana Orange tomato
The originator of the Amana Orange variety is the agricultural company “Partner”. Already from the name of tomatoes it becomes clear that this is a fruit with orange pulp. The variety is intended for greenhouse cultivation. It is cultivated everywhere.
Planting the Amana Orange tomato variety in an open garden bed is possible only in regions with a mild climate. If during the flowering period the plant is exposed to frost, then later the fruits crack near the calyx, and suberization of the tissues is observed. In addition, peas are observed in tomatoes. The variety is very susceptible to the vagaries of the weather.
The Amana Orange tomato variety is a tall, indeterminate plant. The growth of its shoots is unlimited by the flower brush.The height of the plant reaches 1.5-2 m; as the bushes develop, they need proper care and pinching. The shoots are powerful, well leafy. The leaf plate is ordinary. The fruit raceme contains up to 5 ovaries.
The Amana Orange tomato was created as a mid-early variety. The first fruits from the bushes are harvested 3.5 months after emergence.
Description of fruits
The Amana Orange tomato is famous for its fruits, as confirmed by reviews and photos from the Internet. And this is no coincidence! The variety is large-fruited, the tomatoes have a beautiful flat-round shape, a pleasant, rich orange color. The average weight reaches 600 g, but some specimens can reach 1 kg. However, not everyone can grow such a curiosity. The fact is that this variety of tomato is demanding on soil and growing conditions.
In addition to its large weight, the fruits have a pleasant aroma and a unique sweet taste of the pulp with a fruity tint. Tomatoes of the Amana Orange variety are fleshy; in the cross section it is difficult to notice the seed chambers and seeds. At the same time, the skin of the fruit is dense and protects it from cracking.
Main characteristics
The originator of the Amana Orange variety claims that the tomato is quite productive. With proper agricultural technology, from 1 sq. m harvest up to 15-18 kg of fruit. Reviews from summer residents confirm that the tomato variety really bears fruit generously and produces up to 3.5-4 kg of sweet harvest per bush.
But this is where Amana Orange tomatoes continue to delight.Plants take root well and are highly resistant to various diseases, including viral and fungal ones. However, late blight of leaves and fruits still occurs, but it is easy to cope with.
However, these tomatoes are not suitable for industrial cultivation. The Amana Orange variety is rather an amateur one. The fruits do not tolerate transportation well, are easily wrinkled, and their presentation quickly deteriorates. And the keeping quality of tomatoes lets us down. When fresh, they do not last long; they should be immediately processed or used in salads.
Advantages and disadvantages
From all of the above, we can conclude about the advantages of the variety, of which there are quite a few:
- high productivity;
- excellent taste of fruits;
- good immunity;
- crack resistance.
But Amana Orange tomatoes also have disadvantages, and you shouldn’t keep silent about them. These include:
- poor keeping quality of fruits and impossibility of transportation;
- short shelf life;
- need for stepsoning;
- sensitivity to weather conditions.
However, these are not such significant disadvantages as to give up growing tomatoes of this variety.
Rules for planting and care
The manufacturer in the description of the variety indicates that the Amana Orange tomato should be grown only through seedlings with subsequent planting in the ground. In this case, the seed material is already completely prepared for planting and does not need additional stimulation.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
The timing of sowing seeds can be determined based on growing conditions and local climate. For greenhouse planting, Amana Orange tomato seeds are sown at the end of February, and for open ground - at the beginning or mid-March.
To germinate tomato seeds, you need to create suitable conditions.The soil should be loose and moisture-absorbing, with a rich composition so that the sprouts have enough nutrients. Seedlings are grown in containers and then planted into separate containers. Comfortable temperature for germination is +20… +22°С. After germination, it is reduced to +18°C so that the sprouts do not stretch.
Landing algorithm:
- Disinfect seedling cassettes and fill with moist soil.
- Form furrows for seeds, the depth of which is up to 2 cm.
- Distribute the planting material at a distance of 2-2.5 cm from each other and cover with a 1 cm layer of soil.
- Cover the cassettes with film and place them in a bright place.
With the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed and the seedlings are watered. They pick it up at the stage of 2 true leaves. You shouldn’t delay this, as tall Amana Orange tomatoes quickly stretch out. Picking inhibits leaf growth and stimulates the development of the root system.
As the seedlings develop, they are fed with complex mineral fertilizer for seedlings. Dilute the working solution 2 times weaker so as not to burn the thin roots. The first time feeding tomatoes is done 14 days after picking. Then again 7 days before transplanting into the greenhouse.
Transplanting seedlings
Amana Orange seedlings are transferred to a permanent place in the greenhouse as soon as 6-8 true leaves have formed. The specific timing in each region will be different, it all depends on the climatic conditions and the premises. 2-3 weeks before the planned transplantation, the seedlings are hardened off so that they can more easily adapt to the environment.
The bed for planting the Amana Orange tomato is prepared in advance. The soil is dug up and fertilizing is applied. Particular attention is paid to predecessor crops.Do not plant the variety after cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, parsley or carrots. Productivity will decrease and plants will become sick.
Tomatoes are planted sparsely so that the bushes are well ventilated and are easy to care for and shape. The wells are prepared at a distance of at least 40-50 cm from each other.
Tomato care
For full fruiting, Amana Orange tomatoes require proper care, which begins as soon as the plants take root in the garden. Success can be judged by the new leaves.
A very important point is watering the bushes. It is carried out in the evening or early in the morning, but only with warm, settled water. The soil under tomatoes should always remain moist and loose, but the most frequent watering is required during the period of crop formation. However, there is no need to over-moisten the soil, otherwise the fruits will crack. It is enough to water the garden bed generously 2-3 times a week to wet the soil to the full depth of the roots.
After watering, the soil in the greenhouse must be loosened so that it conducts air well to the roots. To get rid of this exhausting procedure, the bed can be covered with mulch. It can be organic or special fiber.
Proper feeding will help you grow Amana Orange tomatoes and get the expected yield. They begin 10-14 days after transplanting into the ground. The variety is very capricious and quickly reacts to a lack of nutrients in the soil. To replenish it, both organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. In the first half of summer, it is better to use nitrogen-containing mixtures, but there is no need to be zealous, otherwise the rapid growth of foliage will inhibit fruiting.When the ovary is formed, it is worth switching to fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium. You can feed it several times with a solution of boric acid or humates.
Particular importance should be given to the formation of Amana Orange tomato bushes. The amount of the future harvest depends on this. It is better to grow Amana Orange tomatoes with one or two stems; all excess shoots are removed, leaving a stump of 1 cm so that they do not grow back. If this is not done, then the abundance of greenery will lead to fruit peas and fungal diseases. As they grow, the stems are directed to supports and the fruit clusters are additionally fixed so that they do not break under the weight of the tomatoes.
Despite good immunity, Amana Orange tomatoes require additional preventive spraying against diseases and pests. Use standard approved drugs, which are diluted in accordance with the instructions.
Conclusion
The Amana Orange tomato is loved by gardeners all over the world; the variety is in collections and is always in demand on the market. A large-fruited tomato is difficult to grow at first glance, but in reality the crop is not so demanding. The most remarkable thing for summer residents is the opportunity to collect their own seeds.
