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Tomato is a crop that all gardeners plant. It’s hard to believe that there is a person who doesn’t like this ripe vegetable freshly picked from the garden. People have different tastes. Some people like huge sweet tomatoes. Others cannot imagine their life without delicious cherry tomatoes. There are people who feel nostalgic when they remember the taste of the tomatoes they picked from their grandmother’s garden. The modern range of varieties and hybrids can help everyone. There are tomatoes that are designed not to surprise with their taste; they are “hard workers”; they provide gardeners with a stable harvest for many years. Hybrids especially stand out in this regard.
Advantages of hybrids
- High and stable yields, independent of weather conditions.
- Fruit evenness.
- Good transportability and long-term storage.
- Disease resistance.
- High plasticity, they adapt to any growing conditions.
Breeders, when creating a new hybrid, know well what properties it will have. For this purpose, parents with certain characteristics are selected. Hybrids are often created that are focused on the specific use of fruits: for industrial sales, for the manufacture of tomato products or whole-fruit canning.
The hybrid Caspar F1 belongs to the latter category, the description and characteristics of which will be presented below.Reviews from those who planted it are positive, and the photo shows fruits of excellent quality.
Description and characteristics
Hybrid Caspar F1 was created by the Dutch seed company Royal Sluis, which is famous for the quality of its products. This tomato hybrid is not included in the State Register of Agricultural Achievements, but this does not prevent gardeners from growing it in almost all climatic zones. In the south and in the middle zone, he feels confident in open ground. In the northern regions, the Caspar F1 tomato can only show its full potential in a greenhouse.
Hybrid features:
- the tomato hybrid Caspar F1 belongs to the determinant type, has a low bush - up to 70 cm, in a greenhouse it can be higher - up to 120 cm;
- the plant is well leafy, so in the south the fruits are protected from sunburn, in the north the bush needs lightening so that the fruits ripen faster;
- the originators believe that the Caspar F1 tomato does not need pinching, so they can be grown in the southern regions, in all other regions the bushes will have to be formed, the harvest will be slightly smaller, but the fruits will ripen earlier;
- It is necessary to tie up Caspar F1 tomato plants, otherwise the bush loaded with harvest may simply break;
- the ripening period of the hybrid is mid-early, the first fruits in open ground can be tasted 3-3.5 months after full germination, in a greenhouse it will ripen a little earlier;
- The yield of the Caspar F1 hybrid is very good, up to 1.5 kg of fruit can be obtained from each bush;2
- Caspar F1 tomatoes have an elongated shape with a characteristic spout, their weight is from 100 to 120 g, the color is red;
- the fruits have a very thick skin, their taste is sour, and their smell is pronounced tomato;
- there are no more than 3 chambers in the fruits of the Caspar F1 tomato; tomatoes mainly consist of pulp that has a dense consistency with a high dry matter content - up to 5.2%;
- tomatoes with these characteristics are ideal raw materials for all types of canning: assorted, marinades, peeled preparations in their own juice; It is for the latter type of canned food that the Kaspar F1 tomato is most suitable - the skin is easily removed even without prior scalding;
In addition to the description and characteristics of the Caspar F1 tomato, it must be said that this hybrid is resistant to verticillium and fusarium and is not prone to cracking.
Royal Sluis breeders improved this hybrid and based on it they created the Hypil 108 F1 tomato. It is distinguished by an earlier ripening period and a slightly pear-shaped fruit. The consumer characteristics of the fruits differ slightly.
Kaspar F1 has also been improved by domestic seed producers. A.N. Lukyanenko, in collaboration with a group of breeders under the auspices of the SEDEk company, created a new hybrid called Kaspar 2. It was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements in 2015 and is recommended for cultivation in all regions.
Main characteristics of the Kaspar 2 tomato:
- determinate, bush height up to 80 cm;
- mid-early, ripens 100 days after germination;
- requires a small formation of the bush, it is preferable to grow it in 2 stems;
- cylindrical fruits weighing up to 90 g are ideal for whole-fruit canning and pickling, especially since, compared to the Caspar F1 tomato, it has a higher sugar content.
Hybrid agricultural technology
Tomato Caspar F1 is grown only by seedlings. High-quality seedlings are the key to ensuring that plants reach their full yield potential. Sowing dates are determined by the location of the growing region. In the middle zone this is the end of March.
Stages of growing seedlings:
- seed preparation - many seed companies sell tomato seeds that are completely ready for sowing, treated with disinfectants and growth stimulants;
Such seeds do not need to be soaked or germinated; they are sown dry. - sowing seeds in pre-prepared soil, it is best to collect it in your own garden and freeze it in winter;
- raising seedlings after emergence includes the following maintenance conditions: temperature at night about 18 degrees, during the day 3-4 degrees higher, maximum amount of light, timely watering with warm water and 2 fertilizing with low concentration mineral fertilizers;
- picking at the stage of appearance of the second true leaf. Each transplant slows down the development of plants for 1 week. Tomatoes feel much better if they are immediately sown in separate cups.
- hardening of seedlings, which begins 2 weeks before planting, gradually accustoming them to open ground conditions.
Transplanting
As soon as the ground warms up to 15 degrees Celsius, and the return spring frosts are left behind, it’s time to move the seedlings to open ground. The beds for tomatoes and soil in the greenhouse for planting are prepared in the fall. It is filled with humus and phosphorus fertilizers. Nitrogen and potassium - need to be applied in the spring.
Caspar F1 tomatoes are planted according to the following scheme: 60 cm between rows and 40 cm between bushes. In each hole you need to put a handful of humus, a pinch of complete mineral fertilizer and a tbsp. spoon of ash. All components of the starting fertilizer are mixed well with the soil. A few hours before planting, the seedlings are well watered to preserve the earthen ball and not injure the roots during transplantation.
This method of transplantation promotes the formation of additional roots, which strengthens the plants, but at the same time the growth of the above-ground part of the tomatoes will be slightly retarded. The soil under them needs to be mulched; either hay or straw or mown grass, which needs to be slightly dried, will do.
After transplantation, the Caspar F1 tomato bushes are shaded by throwing non-woven covering material over the arches - they will take root faster. The first watering after planting is carried out a week later, but in hot weather it can be done earlier.
Further plant care:
- weekly watering, in hot weather it is carried out more often, 2 times more water is required for Caspar F1 tomatoes when filling the fruits;
- regular fertilizing with complete mineral fertilizer in the form of a solution every 10 or 15 days, depending on soil fertility;
- removing stepsons up to the lower flower cluster. Removing stepsons reduces the overall yield. In the south and in hot summers, you can leave all the stepsons on the plants.
- removing the lower leaves after the fruit on the cluster reaches the size corresponding to the variety.
- in regions with hot summers this operation is not carried out so that the fruits do not get burned.
- preventive and, if necessary, therapeutic treatments of tomato bushes against late blight.
You can watch the video about caring for low-growing tomatoes in open ground:
If you follow all the rules of agricultural technology, tomatoes of the Caspar F1 variety will give an excellent harvest of tasty fruits.
Reviews
It seems to me that no summer salad can do without tomatoes. That's why I plant a lot of them. I especially liked the Kaspar F1. And it's not a matter of taste. It is from this that I make excellent Sun-dried tomatoes, and I pick it up for long-term storage. Sometimes tomatoes last until the New Year. I want to try planting hybrids Caspar 2 and Hypil. I'll see if they have any differences and choose the best one.
