Content
Gardeners involved in crops such as tomatoes set themselves the task of growing a rich harvest. In addition, the timing of maturation is also important. After all, early tomatoes are especially beneficial for those who sell vegetables. This means that you need to select the appropriate varieties that satisfy all the requirements.
Tomato Katya has been among the leaders for a long time. The culture is intended for cultivation in open ground, but is also suitable for polycarbonate and film greenhouses. Characteristics, description of the variety and photos will be presented in the article to make it more convincing of the uniqueness of the Katya F1 hybrid.
History of the variety
Tomato variety Katya F1 is the brainchild of Russian breeders. The hybrid was obtained relatively recently, about ten years ago. Authors: Yu.B. Alekseev and S.V. Balabanyuk, Semko-Junior is considered the originating company. Despite its youth, the variety has already become popular among Russians.
Katya - variety 1. The letter F (filli) in Italian means “children”, and the number 1 indicates which generation the tomatoes belong to. As a result, it turns out that the Katya tomato belongs to the first generation hybrids.
Katya tomatoes were included in the State Register of the Russian Federation, zoning took place in the North Caucasus. The variety is recommended for cultivation throughout Russia, both in open and protected ground.
Description of the hybrid
The Katya variety is determinate, tall, grows up to half a meter. When grown in a greenhouse it is slightly higher, approximately 1m 30 cm. The plant has many dark green leaves.
As a rule, tomatoes are formed into 1, 2 or 3 stems. During the growing season, the bushes must be tied up and stepsoned.
The inflorescences on a tomato are simple, several of them are formed. The first flower raceme is formed above the 5th or 6th true leaf. As a rule, from 5 to 8 fruits are tied on each cluster. The weight of each of them reaches 100-130 grams.
The fruits are medium-sized, round, slightly flattened, dense, elastic with juicy pulp. At technical ripeness, Katya F1 tomatoes are red in color, the coloring is uniform over the entire surface, without a green spot at the stalk.
The fruits are tasty, sugary with a barely noticeable sourness, and do not crack during ripening. Sugar content is about 2.9%, and dry matter is 4.8%.
The variety is considered ultra-early, since the first ripe fruits can be harvested 80 days after sowing the seeds.
Characteristics of the variety
The tomato variety Katya deservedly enjoys interest among summer residents. Let's figure out the reason for its popularity:
- The plant is unpretentious and can be planted both in open and protected ground. Weather conditions have virtually no effect on yields.
- From year to year the harvest is stable, in a greenhouse 12-14 kg per square meter, in open ground - from 8 to 10 kg. The productivity of Katya tomato is confirmed by reviews and photos.
Tomatoes ripen at the same time, almost at the same time. - The commercial quality is excellent, tomatoes can be transported over long distances, while more than 90% of the fruit is preserved.Tomatoes are harvested for transportation at ripeness.
- The keeping quality of tomatoes is high; tomatoes of the Katya variety, picked green, according to gardeners, ripen well, but do not wither or lose their taste properties.
- Tomatoes of this variety are resistant to many diseases of nightshade crops due to good immunity. They practically do not suffer from blossom end rot, tobacco mosaic, or Alternaria blight. If we talk about late blight, the harvest is harvested before the onset of the disease. Since there are no phytodiseases, there is no need to treat tomatoes of the Katya and Pink Katya varieties with chemicals. Consequently, the products are environmentally friendly, which is highly valued by consumers.
- The Katya variety, like its other variety, the Pink Katya tomato, have a universal purpose: suitable for fresh consumption, for preparing salads and canning. Ripe fruits make excellent tomato juice and paste.
But no matter how good Katya’s tomatoes are in terms of description and characteristics, we will not keep silent about some negative aspects, especially since gardeners often write about them in reviews:
- The most important drawback is perhaps the fragility of the shoots. Fragile branches are not able to support the weight of ripening fruits, so they must be constantly tied to a strong support.
- Plants are demanding when it comes to fertilizing, and their lack leads to a decrease in yield.
- Many gardeners in reviews point out the high cost of seeds of the Katya F1 variety.
Growing and care
Tomatoes Katya F1 and Pink Katya are grown through seedlings. According to the description and characteristics of the varieties, ripening occurs in the interval of 85-90 days.
Seedling
Stages of growing tomato seedlings:
- To obtain healthy tomato seedlings, Katya seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide, then washed and soaked in a damp cloth. When the first thin white threads appear, they are planted in the soil to a depth of 1-2 centimeters.
- You can make your own soil for sowing seeds of the selected variety or use store-bought soil. Before planting, fertile soil and the box are treated with boiling water and potassium permanganate. Cover the top with film to make steaming more effective.
- Sowing of tomato seeds of the Katya variety begins when the soil has cooled to room temperature. To avoid damaging the sprout, take the seed with tweezers. The plantings are sprayed with a spray bottle and the box is covered with film. Place it on a sunny and warm window and wait for the seeds to hatch.
- As soon as the first hook appears, remove the film and reduce the temperature to 16 degrees so that the tomato seedlings do not stretch. It is convenient to grow tomato seedlings in a snail, see photo.
- Picking is carried out when 2-3 true leaves appear in separate containers.
After transplanting the seedlings, the plants require special care. For experienced gardeners, growing strong, stocky seedlings of the Katya variety is not difficult, so the following agrotechnical standards will be useful for beginners:
- Water the tomatoes with moderately warm water; you also need to ensure that there is no stagnation of water in the containers.
- When growing seedlings, it is advisable to feed them with a solution of wood ash.
- If there is not enough light on the window (the tomatoes begin to stretch), it is necessary to provide lighting.
- Before planting the tomato variety Katya or Pink Katya F1, the seedlings need to be hardened off.10-12 days before planting in the ground or greenhouse, the plants need to be taken outside. In a city apartment, you can use a balcony or loggia by opening the windows.
Bedding
- It is necessary to plant acclimatized seedlings in open ground when the threat of frost disappears and the average daily temperature is within +10-12 degrees. To the greenhouse a little earlier. We cannot give exact planting dates, since the Katya variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions of Russia. It all depends on the climatic conditions of the territories and the characteristics of a particular spring.
- The beds are prepared in advance, the soil is dug up, watered, and fertilizer is applied as necessary. 4 plants are planted on one square meter.
Planting care
- Watering tomatoes is carried out as needed. Each time after it the surface must be loosened. To retain moisture, tomatoes are mulched. Water only with warm water at the root: water should not get on the leaves and fruits.
- The Katya variety needs to be pinched and tied up. They are formed, as a rule, into two stems: the second will be the stepson that appeared earlier than the others. In addition to the stepsons, you need to remove leaves as the tomatoes grow, starting from the bottom.
- Tying is another important and necessary procedure. As already indicated in the description, the stems of the variety are fragile and cannot withstand heavy brushes. After planting, a strong peg or thick twine (if in a greenhouse) is twisted next to the bush. As they grow, shoots with tassels are tied.
- The Katya F1 variety is fed in the same way as regular tomato varieties.
- When growing in a greenhouse, you need to make sure that ventilation is mandatory.After all, at high humidity and temperatures above +30 degrees, pollen does not crack and fertilization does not occur.
Formation of tomato bushes in open ground:
Katya F1 tomatoes were planted for the first time in partial shade (almost under a huge apple tree). I was pleasantly surprised by the yield. I grew it in 2 trunks. I will plant more. (Some other varieties yielded much worse in full sun).