The tomato tree has become very popular among gardeners. It is attractive because it makes it possible to get the same yield from one plant as from 50 tomato bushes. It is easy to care for, especially for those who have experience in cultivating nightshades: peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, etc.
It is optimal to grow in a greenhouse or open ground. But you can arrange a place on a glazed balcony or insulated loggia. If properly trimmed and formed, the crown can even be placed on a windowsill. Depending on the conditions in which the vegetable crop will grow, the rules of care are adjusted.
Basic techniques
A tomato tree, which is the easiest way to grow in open ground, will give a rich harvest when using the so-called EM technology. In this case, the plant is planted in a barrel, and the harvest is harvested from the end of June to October.
The second method involves growing it in a greenhouse for one and a half years. Using this technique, a real tomato tree grows, with a crown occupying a huge area.
Description and characteristics of an unusual tomato
Based on the natural form, several hybrids have been created that take root in open ground, in a greenhouse, in a tub, and delight owners with juicy fruits almost all year round. This cute tree attracts visitors with its beautiful large leaves, which are heart-shaped at the base and pointed at the end.
Small flowers consist of 5 petals of lilac or light pink color. Fluffy stamens of a rich yellow hue rise above them. The leaves of the tomato tree resemble eggplants, and its trusses are the same as those of ordinary tomatoes.
The plant blooms like a potato. The trunk becomes woody over time. The fruits of tamarillo, or cyphomandra, appear in the second year, and the plant lives for 10–15. The berries, attached to the cluster with long stalks, turn yellow, bright red, purple, orange and even violet when ripe.
Attention! The shiny skin is hard and bitter and not suitable for consumption.
The sweet or sour juicy pulp surprises with the flavor of strawberries, apricots, and passion fruits. The berry weighs up to 150 g, and individual specimens reach 80 mm in length. One cluster bears 5–7 fruits. During their ripening period, the plant looks elegant.
Transplanting
Tomato seeds for growing “trees” should be sown in boxes as early as possible. For central Russia, the best time will be February. Some summer residents plant seedlings for a barrel even at the end of January.
Seeds are prepared in the usual way. That is, they are disinfected and soaked. Picking of grown seedlings is carried out in fairly large containers. In this case, it is important that the root system of the plants develops as best as possible. Plants are transplanted into open ground after stable warm weather has established outside.
Advantages and disadvantages
Tomato trees are popular among gardeners, as they have many advantages, which include:
- adaptability to high air humidity;
- strengthened immunity, which protects the plant from wilting, tobacco mosaic and late blight;
- strong root system;
- high productivity;
- resistance to sudden temperature changes.
There are very few disadvantages to tomato trees. The main disadvantage is that they take up a lot of free space due to growth. Therefore, vegetable growers rarely plant such plants in small greenhouses or greenhouses.
Barrel preparation
Of course, it is impossible to grow a large tomato tree on ordinary soil. Therefore, a barrel or any other sufficiently large container is filled with a special mixture. First of all, the bottom of the selected “bed” should be removed. This is necessary so that excess water can easily come out of the barrel.
Next, holes with a diameter of approximately 1 cm are made in the walls of the container according to a 20x20 cm pattern. They are necessary to ensure that as much oxygen as possible reaches the roots of the plants.
The barrel should be installed in the sunniest place on the site. A layer of urgasy is poured into its lowest part. This is the name of a special fertilizer prepared using EM technology. We'll look at how to do it in detail below.
The thickness of the urgasy layer should be about 10 cm. Next, another ten-meter layer is laid, consisting of EM compost, ordinary and turf soil in the proportion 1x1x1. At the next stage, one tomato is planted in the barrel.
How to make urgasu
By using this type of fertilizer you can end up with a fairly large tomato tree. Growing in open ground will not take too much effort.
Urgasa is prepared throughout the year. You can do this right in your city apartment. Under the urgasu, take an old plastic bucket and place a grate on its bottom so that it is located at a low height. Next, the walls of the container are lined with a plastic bag with holes in the bottom.
All kitchen waste is not placed in a garbage can, but in one prepared for disposal. Excess liquid will flow down and can be used, for example, as fertilizer for indoor plants (a solution with water in a ratio of 1x1000).
After each addition, the mixture should be sprinkled with the preparation with bacteria “Baikal EM1”, sprinkled with Urgasy starter and pressed down with some weight, carefully wrapping it in a bag. The bucket must be tightly closed with a lid.
Sourdough is made from kitchen waste twisted into minced meat and dried on paper. For 1 kilogram of them add 5 tablespoons of “Baikal EM1”. The resulting mixture is placed in a plastic bag and a weight is placed on top. After a week, the mixture is kneaded and dried.
Description
You can understand what kind of miracle this tomato tree is by using its description.
They belong to indeterminate plants, which differ from others in their resistance to diseases, high yields and constant growth. During the first months after planting, the bush should not bear fruit so that it has time to fully form. During growth, such a tree cannot be pinched. This can disrupt the growth of the plant and subsequently lead to its death.
A distinctive feature of tomato trees is that they form many shoots and branch well. Thanks to this, they can grow to an area of about 5-10 square meters.
On the bushes, small clusters with several fruits are formed every 3-4 leaves. The weight of each of them can reach 200 g. The fruits are colored bright red and have a round shape. On the outside they are covered with a thin skin, under which there is a fleshy and dense pulp. The main advantages of the fruits include the fact that they are not prone to cracking and are stored for quite a long time.
How to make EM compost
A tomato tree in open ground using such a soil additive will develop very quickly. So you should definitely use it. Moreover, making this fertilizer will be completely easy. EM compost is prepared in almost the same way as regular compost. The only thing is that all components should be crushed. The mass should be quite porous. For every 100 kg of mixture, add 10 kg of earth or sawdust. Next, everything needs to be thoroughly mixed and poured in layers with a solution of the EM-1 preparation (100 ml per 10 liters of water) and 100 ml of non-acidic jam without berries. The humidity of the compost should not fall below 60%. In two months it will be ready.
Planting a tomato
Next, let's look at how you can actually get a fairly large and productive tomato tree. Growing in open ground, as already mentioned, is done using a fairly large container.
The strongest and tallest plant is chosen for the barrel. It is buried about 5 cm. The top of the barrel is covered with plastic wrap. After the tomato grows by about 10 cm, the lower leaves are torn off and the prepared soil mixture is poured into the barrel to the same height.
This must be done until the barrel is filled almost to the top.
What do you need for growing?
Summer residents who love to experiment, having learned about the unusual tomato, are interested in whether the tropical shrub really takes root in a temperate climate. A tomato tree is grown in seedlings, which means you need to purchase seeds. To collect more fruits, it is recommended to buy seed of tall varieties.
To grow in temperate climates, you will need a greenhouse. You need to stock up on compost and fertilizers in advance. To ventilate the roots, you need an air pump and a hose with holes.
Expert opinion
Stanislav Pavlovich
Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert
Ask a Question
To plant tomato bushes, you need to prepare metal barrels, cut out the bottom, and make side holes through which oxygen can penetrate into the soil.
Tomato tree care
A tomato tree, reviews of its productivity, by the way, are very good, like any other plant, it requires careful care. First of all, you need to remember that a planted tomato should not be pinched. Next to the barrel you need to install a small trellis to support the lashes.
The humidity of the soil mixture in the container should not fall below 60%. Fertilizing begins in mid-July. To do this, use a mash made from EM compost. You can fertilize the plants once a week, but 2-3 times is better.
The chatterbox is made by pouring a mixture of EM compost and 1x1 soil into a container to a third of the height and filling everything to the top with water. Infuse the solution for 24 hours.
If desired, using the technology described above, you can grow a small tomato tree at home. Residents of Russia who do not have summer cottages use this method quite often. Of course, in this case, it is not a barrel that is used, but not an overly large bag (for example, a flour bag). It is placed on a loggia or balcony. The harvest in this case can be very good.
Disease and pest control
Unlike regular tomatoes, the tomato tree can be susceptible to various fungal and bacterial diseases. In addition, pests also attack it. This manifests itself especially often if the necessary growing conditions are not provided and due to improper care. Preventive measures should be carried out regularly by treating plants with special means.
The octopus has good immunity to tobacco or tomato mosaic. But it can be affected by late blight, gray rot or septoria. Diseases appear at high humidity. With late blight, the shoots are first affected, and then the foliage and fruits. If the room is well ventilated and an optimal level of humidity is maintained, then these diseases do not threaten the plant. Watering should be done directly under the bush.
Sometimes preventive measures are not enough and harmful insects appear on the tree, especially if other crops grow nearby. The roots can be attacked by mole crickets and wireworms. To avoid their attacks, garlic and marigolds are planted nearby, which repel them.
If curled leaves and sticky thin webs are found, these are signs of an aphid infestation. It is urgent to treat the bush with an infusion of wood ash mixed with bitter herbs - wormwood and nettle, or with a soap solution. It is better to use laundry soap.
To protect against diseases and pests, experts recommend growing tamarillo in nutrient mixtures that do not contain soil. During growth, they should be constantly sprayed and fed.
For prevention, the tree is treated with an iodine solution. One bottle of iodine is diluted in 10 liters of water. This recipe is very effective. Despite the fact that many tomatoes are resistant to late blight, they should sometimes be sprayed with special agents to prevent the disease.
Real tomato tree
Growing a huge “octopus” with a crown diameter of a couple of tens of meters is very difficult and quite expensive. However, if you wish, you can try this method. But, of course, only when there is a sufficiently spacious heated greenhouse on the site. The cultivation technology in this case includes the following steps:
- Prepare a container with a height of at least 50 cm and an area of 1.5 meters (usually an old bathtub is used).
- A special hydroponic solution is mixed.
- Glass wool cubes for seedlings are prepared, as well as a large cube for transplanting.
- Purchase a powerful aquarium compressor and fluorescent lamps (with a spectrum suitable for plants).
Seeds are planted in cubes at the end of August or even a little later. This is a must. When planted in autumn, a tomato tree (a photo of a large tomato “octopus” can be seen below) develops much better. Glass wool is impregnated with a hydroponic solution. After this, the seeds are placed in specially cut recesses. The cubes need to be moistened several times a day with the same solution. After two months, the strongest plant is transferred to a large cube prepared in the same way. Tubes leading from the aerator are placed in it, after which it is placed in the bath. The latter must be covered with a foam cover. A hole is made in the top of the lid for plant growth.
During the entire cold period, tomatoes need to be illuminated using lamps (with the formation of a 12-hour daylight hours). Emerging flower shoots should be broken off during this period. Fruiting of the plant should begin no earlier than May. In February, the lighting stops. To support the tree, a trellis net is installed above it.
How to prepare a hydroponic solution
Growing a large tomato tree is only possible when using a composition of this particular variety to wet glass wool. To prepare a hydroponic masterbatch, take:
- iron citrate 0.009 g,
- ammonium nitrate 0.2 kg,
- superphosphate 0.55 kg,
- magnesium 0.3 kg,
- potassium 0.5 kg,
- boric acid 0.003 kg,
- manganese sulfate 0.002 kg.
The mixed ingredients are diluted in 10 liters of water. To prepare the working solution, the stock solution is diluted in a ratio of 1/100 liters. Air is supplied to the roots periodically (once a day or twice). Glass wool should not be allowed to dry out. Moisten it with the same solution.
This is how a large tomato tree is grown. You can see photos of such plants on the page. Growing this miracle is quite labor-intensive. It is unlikely that too many summer residents will want to get a huge tree from the Sprut F1 variety. If only because of the lack of professional greenhouses on the sites. However, it is certainly worth trying to grow small trees in a barrel or bag during the warm season. If you follow all the recommendations, the harvest with this method of cultivation will probably turn out to be very good.
