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Many enthusiastic gardeners exchange seeds with fellow tomato lovers like themselves. Every serious tomato grower has his own website where you can buy seeds of the variety you like. As a rule, amateurs do not suffer from misgrading, which many seed companies suffer from. All plants fully comply with the varietal characteristics stated in the description. But they manifest themselves differently. 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 bear fruit from the seller may behave completely differently in your garden. Experienced farmers always take this circumstance into account. Therefore, purchased seeds are tested for several years. If successful, they become permanent inhabitants of tomato beds.
Among the sellers of tomato seeds there are many people who are passionate about their business. They search for new varieties all over the world, test them, propagate them and help spread the new product throughout the country. One of these varieties is Geranium Kiss. The tomato with the original name is also distinguished by unusual characteristics that are rarely found in other varieties of tomatoes.To understand what makes the tomato variety Geranium Kiss stand out, we will compile its detailed description and characteristics, especially since the reviews about this tomato are very good.
Description and characteristics
The Geranium Kiss tomato or Geranium Kiss was bred in 2008 by American farmer Alan Capuler, who lives in the state of Oregon in the western United States.
Features of the tomato variety Geranium Kiss:
- It belongs to the early ripening varieties. The harvest 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. The tomato is determinate, it does not require pinching. Grows well on the balcony in a 5 liter container.
- A plant with dense dark green foliage.
- Forms huge complex clusters that 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 the cocktail category.
- The taste of tomato fruits of the Geranium Kiss variety is good; few seeds are formed in it.
- The purpose of the fruits is universal - they are tasty fresh, pickled and seasoned well.
This variety has a younger brother called Little Geranium Kiss. They differ only in the height of the bush. For the Little Geraniums Kiss Tomato variety it does not exceed 30 cm, as it belongs to the superdeterminate varieties. This baby is simply ideal for growing on the balcony.
To complete the full characteristics and description of the tomato variety Geranium Kiss, which already has positive reviews, let us mention that it is resistant to the main diseases of nightshade crops.
In the southern regions, tomato variety Geranium Kiss can be sown with seeds in heated soil. In all other cases, it is sown for seedlings.
Sowing in open ground
You can do it with dry seeds, then shoots 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 pattern: 60 cm between the rows and 40 cm in the row. The seeds are immersed to a depth of about 1 cm and the soil is pressed with the palm of your hand to ensure better contact with it. The soil should be moist. It should not be watered before germination, so as not to form a crust that is difficult for the sprouts to overcome. Place 3 seeds in each hole.
The long and warm southern summer will allow the tomato seeds of the Geranium Kiss variety to fully realize their yield. You can experiment with sowing in open ground and in the middle zone, but only on a warm bed prepared in the fall. Immediately after the snow melts, it is covered with film so that the ground warms up well. Crops should also be kept under cover, providing protection from return frosts and sudden cold snaps. If you are not a supporter of experiments, you will have to grow seedlings.
We grow seedlings
Determinate tomatoes are planted in the ground after the end of the return spring frosts. Therefore, they are sown for seedlings at the end of March and even at the beginning of April. How to do it?
- The seeds are treated with potassium permanganate at a 1% concentration or with a 2% solution of hydrogen peroxide heated to 43 degrees. The holding time in the first case is 20 minutes, in the second - only 8.
- Soaking in a solution of a growth stimulator.Their range is quite large: Zircon, Epin, Immunocytophyte, etc. It is carried out in accordance with the instructions on the packaging.
- Germination. It is convenient to do this with cotton pads moistened with warm water. To create a greenhouse effect, put a plastic bag on the dishes with discs, which must be removed for a short time at least once a day to ventilate the seeds. Sow the seeds as soon as some of them sprout. The length of the roots should not be more than 1-2 mm, so that they do not break off during sowing.
- Sow the seeds 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 a greenhouse effect, wrap the container in a plastic bag and place it in a warm place. According to reviews from gardeners, tomato seeds of the Geranium Kiss variety take a long time to germinate, so be patient.
- With the appearance of the first shoots, the bag is removed, the container with the seeds is placed on a bright 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 grown 2 true leaves, they are planted in 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 out.
- Fertilizing tomatoes of the Geranium Kiss variety is done twice. A weak solution of complete mineral fertilizer with a mandatory content of microelements is suitable for this. Before planting, tomato seedlings are hardened off, gradually accustoming them to open ground conditions.
Planting seedlings and care
It is customary to move tomato seedlings into open ground after the soil has warmed to 15 degrees.By this time there is no longer any threat of return frosts. When planting seedlings, temporary film shelters must be provided. Even with high daytime temperatures, nights can be cold. If it’s less than 14 degrees at night, it’s stressful 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 the arcs. In damp and cool weather, which often happens in the summer in the middle zone, they do not need to be opened during the day. This measure will help protect Geranium Kiss tomatoes from late blight. Under what conditions do plants develop best?
- With constant light throughout the day.
- With weekly watering with warm water before flowering and twice a week with the beginning of flowering. You need enough water to wet the entire root layer of soil. Watering is carried out only at the root, the leaves should remain dry. If it rains, watering must be adjusted according to the precipitation.
- With enough feeding. The root system of pickled tomatoes Geranium Kiss does not penetrate deeper than half a meter, but it spreads underground over the entire area of the bed. Therefore, when fertilizing, you need to water its entire surface with a fertilizer solution. Tomatoes of the Geranium Kiss variety need to be fed once every ten days. At the stage of growth of the vegetative mass, tomatoes of this variety require more nitrogen. With the beginning 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 Geranium Kiss variety should be as follows; N:P:K – 1:0.5:1.8. In addition to macroelements, 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 quantity.
- A necessary measure is to mulch the beds with Geranium Kiss tomatoes. Hay, straw, wilted grass clippings without seeds, laid in a 10 cm layer, will protect the soil from overheating, keep it moist and prevent it from growing weeds.
With proper care, a gardener will definitely receive a good tomato harvest. A geranium kiss. This means that there will be not only delicious summer salads on the table, but also high-quality preparations for the winter.
