Content
The tomato Mama's Love is a variety of Bulgarian selection. This is a very popular variety that has become widespread due to its excellent taste and fairly high yield. You can grow the species Mom's Love both in a greenhouse and in open ground.
Description of the tomato variety Mom's Love
The tomato variety Mom's Love is a semi-determinate variety. The height of the bushes of this plant ranges from 1.5 to 1.8 m. In greenhouses, the height of the stems reaches 2 m.
The stem is quite strong and thick; it can survive without support for a long time, however, as shoots appear, both the stem and the shoots require obligatory garter. The plant also needs pinching.
The leaves are medium in size and have the usual shape for most tomato varieties. The flowers are small, arranged in 10-12 pieces in raceme-type inflorescences. Many flowers are formed, so the branches of the bush are densely covered with fruits.
The variety is mid-season, its ripening period is 110-120 days.
Description of fruits
The fruits of Mama's Love tomatoes are quite large. Their weight can reach 500 g. The shape of the fruit is flattened, oval.The ribbing is practically not noticeable, however, closer to the stalk, not only thickenings, but also quite large “furrows” can be observed.
The color of the fruits when ripe is deep red. The fruits are covered with a shiny, almost glossy hard shell. Fruits have many seed chambers, however, they contain few seeds. The pulp of the fruit is juicy and soft. It has a sweet taste and a characteristic very strong tomato smell.
Tomatoes cling to bushes very thickly, often they literally do not have enough space on the bush.
The main area of application of the fruit is fresh consumption. They go into salads, tomato juice, fruit drinks, etc. Used in first and second courses. Canning whole fruits is impossible due to their large size, however, this variety can be pickled and fermented in large containers (for example, barrels).
Main characteristics
Harvest ripening time is 110 to 120 days. The ripening period is primarily affected by the growing temperature of the tomato. Productivity reaches 3.5 kg per bush in open ground. When using greenhouse cultivation or when growing in warm climates, significant increases in yield (up to 30%) can be observed. Productivity per 1 sq. m is from 12 to 15 kg.
To increase yield, greenhouse cultivation is recommended in temperate and cold climates.In the southern regions, this will not provide a significant increase in yield, since cultivation costs may increase significantly, and the positive effect of the greenhouse on the harvest will have virtually no effect. It is recommended to use a greenhouse in a warm climate only to obtain a particularly early harvest.
Like all semi-determinate varieties, the Mom's Love tomato has high resistance to diseases and pests.
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety has the following positive properties:
- excellent taste of the fruit;
- versatility in the use of fruits;
- relatively high yield;
- the ability to grow both in greenhouses and in open ground;
- immunity to many diseases;
- high resistance to pests.
Disadvantages of the variety:
- When grown in cold climates in open ground conditions, the yield is significantly reduced.
Rules for planting and care
Growing Mom's Love tomatoes has a lot in common with growing any other tomato varieties. Certain features are associated with the formation of plant bushes to give them the most rational form for further fruiting. This is important because, despite the fact that the variety is semi-determinate, improper care can lead to too active formation of stepsons, which will significantly reduce the yield of the bush.
Growing seedlings
Planting of tomato seedlings Mom's Love is done at the end of February when grown in greenhouses and in mid-March when grown in open ground.
As soil for seedlings, you can use a mixture of humus, leaf soil and sand in proportions of 2, 2 and 1 parts, respectively. You can use a peat-sand mixture in a ratio of 2 parts peat and 1 part sand.
Regardless of the composition of the soil, it is recommended to add wood ash to it in an amount of 10 g per 1 kg.
Planting seedlings, as well as subsequent care for them, is carried out according to the standard method:
- seeds are planted to a depth of 0.5-1 cm with a distance between seeds of 4-5 cm;
- the rows are placed at a distance of 10 cm from each other;
- It is recommended to plant two seeds at one point;
- after planting, the seeds are watered, covered with film and placed in a warm and dark place;
- when the seeds hatch, the film is removed, and the box with seedlings is placed in light with a room temperature of + 18-20 ° C;
- as soon as the plants have 2 or 3 leaves, they are picked into separate pots;
- within 10-15 days after picking, the seedlings are fed with complex fertilizer.
Transplanting seedlings
Seedlings are transplanted into a greenhouse at the end of April, and into open ground at the end or mid-May. For the Mama's Love variety, a hardening procedure is recommended before transplanting. It lasts about a week. On the first day, the seedlings are taken out to new conditions for half an hour (in the greenhouse for an hour). Each subsequent day, the period of stay of the plant in a new place is increased by 2-3 hours, so that on the last day the seedlings spend 24 hours in new conditions.
Transplantation both into the greenhouse and into open ground is carried out according to the same scheme. In this case, the plants are placed at a distance of up to 60-80 cm from each other with a distance between rows of 50-60 cm. Planting more than 4 plants per 1 square meter is not allowed. m due to the strong spreading nature of the bush. After transplantation, the plant is watered.
This should be a sunny area, preferably fertilized in the fall of last year. In the absence of fertilizers, you can get by with greening the area with legumes.
It is advisable to transplant seedlings on a cloudy day or in the evening.
Aftercare
Caring for the Mom's Love variety is similar to caring for any other tomato. It includes watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and combating weeds. The use of mulching will help simplify plant care.
The frequency of watering is several days, depending on the degree of soil moisture. It is allowed to dry out slightly, but it should not be moistened to avoid rotting of the roots. The fertilizing procedure is also standard for tomatoes and includes 2 or 3 fertilizing with complex fertilizer per season. The use of organic fertilizers is also recommended.
A special feature of growing the Mama's Love tomato is working with its bush. It is recommended to grow this semi-determinate variety with two stems. This will ensure maximum productivity.
Stepsoning should be carried out regularly, since new stepsons will appear on the bushes even during the formation and ripening of fruits. It is recommended to remove the stepsons as soon as they reach 5 cm in length.The bushes should be inspected to identify new stepsons and remove them every 7-10 days.
Conclusion
The Mom's Love tomato is one of the easiest varieties to grow and does not require significant costs. When formed into two stems, it allows you to reduce its maintenance to a minimum, which greatly facilitates the work of the gardener. At the same time, the plant is capable of producing abundant harvests and has excellent resistance to diseases and pests. The taste of the Mama's Love variety is excellent; it will not leave anyone indifferent.
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