Pinocchio is one of the most popular among mid-season. Due to its high decorativeness and unpretentiousness to growing conditions, it has become widespread in all regions of the country. Another name is cherry.
Pinocchio Variety Description
The bush is compact and small in size: only about 30 cm. It grows only during the growing season, which lasts no more than 90-100 days, after which it stops developing. The trunk is thick, fleshy and strong, able to withstand branches and fruits without additional supports. The leaves are rough, narrow, with serrated edges. The outer side of the plate is darker, the lower side is of a light green color. The plant is resistant to diseases and infections. On the 60th day after planting, small flowers appear. Their main feature is the double-sexuality, due to which the tomato does not need pollinating insects and can be comfortably grown both on open ground and in indoor or greenhouse conditions. The root system is poorly developed, therefore, in a poor soil mixture, the bush often turns over under its own weight.
Fruit characterization
Rounded, slightly flattened shape. Small in diameter, maximum weight - 20-25 g. The peel has a bright red tint, is protected from cracking and tolerates short-term transport. Ripe pulp has a characteristic sweet and sour taste, and a rich aroma, very juicy, watery, fibrous. The fruits are formed and ripen quickly enough, while they are often used for pickling and consumed fresh. The average yield from the bush is not more than 1.5 kg. You can increase the performance per unit area if you make a compact landing. During fruiting, the plant is particularly decorative.
Advantages and disadvantages
Pinocchio variety has many positive characteristics:
- Due to the high level of adaptation, unpretentiousness to external conditions and the composition of the substrate, tomato is able to actively grow at home, while the time of year does not have much significance. It is enough to ensure proper care, additional lighting using phytolamps, room temperature and the bush will actively vegetate, forming sweet fruits.
- A minimum amount of work is being carried out. Basically, he does not need a garter, especially at home, since the tomato has a fairly strong stalk and branches. In addition, Pinocchio does not need additional formation, due to its compactness and miniature size, the plant is superdeterminant, that is, it develops only to certain sizes, after which it stops growing. The bush always looks neat and tidy. Stitching a tomato is also not required.
- It has high decorativeness, which manifests itself especially brightly during periods of flowering and fruiting. None of the universal varieties can boast of such external characteristics.
- It is highly resistant to damage and fungal diseases, thanks to natural data, the bush is practically not infected by neighbors. In case of infection, the bush recovers quickly.
- Has a short ripening period. Some experts attribute it to early ripe, but in the State Register Pinocchio is listed as a mid-ripening variety.
Cherry tomato has one drawback that concerns the intricacies of leaving: you can not allow liquid to fall on the leaves.
That is, it is necessary to exclude spraying and carefully carry out watering. Water accumulates on leaf blades, causing decay and, as a result, the death of the bush.
Agricultural Technology for Growing Tomato Pinocchio
Tomatoes of this variety are quite unpretentious, however, like any other plant, they need appropriate care. Initially, it is necessary to determine the timing of planting seeds. They depend on the date of harvest required by the gardener.
Tomatoes are required by the end of December, sowing should be carried out no later than October. When planting in early January, the fruits will ripen by March. The lack of light, which manifests itself in the autumn-winter period, negatively affects the condition of the bush. To prevent this, you need to use additional luminescence, phytolamps are best suited.
In the summer, tomatoes are best taken out into the fresh air in spacious containers about 10-15 cm tall. If unexpected frosts or prolonged downpours occur, the tomatoes will just need to be brought into the room, closer to the light (on the windowsill).
You can use a universal soil mixture for tomatoes, it is easy to make it yourself. To do this, mix humus, peat, sand, wood ash or wood shavings, coal chips and ordinary garden soil.
Of mineral fertilizers, the Pinocchio variety, like all tomatoes, prefers potash and nitrogenous. Organics are not recommended to be abused; in limited doses, urea and humus can be used.
Watering should be carried out regularly, but not often. It is enough that the soil does not dry out, and the water does not stagnate.
The tomato does not tolerate low temperatures, dry air and exposure to direct rays, so in the summer in especially sunny weather, the bush must be shaded.
Planting seeds
In order to successfully carry out the planting of the material without reducing the germination rates and without harming the plant, a certain order of work should be followed:
- It is necessary to prepare a soil mixture containing peat and a pot for growing tomatoes, providing it with special holes for drainage, lining the bottom with expanded clay, walnut or onion husks.
- It is recommended to use plastic or peat cassettes as a container; disposable tableware is suitable. It must be thoroughly decontaminated with a fungicide solution.
- Then you need to carry out a complete disinfection of the soil, calcining it in the oven and treating it with a potassium permanganate solution. After the procedures, the substrate should be left to stand for at least 3 weeks, so that the infusion has time to act and is completely dry.
- Seeds are placed in the soil no more than 1 cm deep, carefully watered. Top can be sprinkled with a small layer of sand.
- Tomatoes should provide greenhouse conditions: cover with cellophane film, place in a well-lit, warm place, ventilate and moisten the soil from time to time.
- When several shoots appear, the shelter can be removed. And after the formation of 2-4 healthy leaves, it is necessary to start picking and feeding.
Outdoor cultivation and care
On the site, the conditions are somewhat different from room conditions, therefore the features of care have their own subtleties:
- Planting tomatoes in open ground is possible only with the onset of constant warm weather. It is necessary to ensure that the temperature of the soil is at least +15 ° C, otherwise the plants will not be able to properly absorb the nutrients and die.
- Watering under the root is recommended to be carried out almost every day, except for the period with prolonged rainfall. Tomatoes need to organize a drain so that the liquid does not stagnate.
- Top dressing 1 time in 2 weeks: the first time fertilizers should contain superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Urea can be used from organics. When the bush blooms or bears fruit - with mineral solutions, which include potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Excellent complex fertilizer for the Pinocchio - Azofoska variety.
- An important procedure is regular weeding from weeds. It can be combined with loosening the soil.
Features of care on the balcony
Since the tomato is grown in a closed container, the soil must be very nutritious. This can be achieved by adding peat, sand, sawdust, a little pine needles and humus to the substrate. In addition, drainage is required. The capacity in volume should not be less than 5 liters, otherwise the roots of the tomato will be cramped and the bush will not be able to develop normally. An important aspect is feeding.
The procedure must be performed at least 1 time in 10 days using complex mineral fertilizers for tomatoes. Especially good are liquid solutions prepared according to the instructions. Do not forget about loosening the soil, which provides direct access of oxygen to the root system. There may also be problems with lighting, it should be diffuse, but plentiful. In cloudy weather, this can be achieved using phytolamps, and on sunny days, bushes should be shaded with newspaper or cloth.
Tomato Pinocchio on the windowsill
In order for tomatoes to feel comfortable in room conditions, it is enough for them to provide a certain temperature regime. During the day - within + 22 ... +24 ° C, at night - around +18 ° C. Such conditions are as close as possible to natural, therefore, the tomato will actively grow and develop. You should also regularly feed the bush with mineral fertilizers. During flowering - nitrogen-containing, during fruiting - potash or phosphorus. From organics, peat tablets and a solution of wood ash are recommended, applied 2-3 times a month.
Diseases and Pests
According to the studies of specialists and the observations of gardeners, the Pinocchio variety is resistant to almost all types of diseases affecting tomatoes. This is especially true for late blight: cases of infection when grown in open ground at low temperatures are excluded. Pest insects also rarely settle on bushes, however, there are cases of slugs. You can fight them with the help of thorough mulching of the soil.
Mr. Dachnik advises: how to increase the yield of the Pinocchio tomato variety
To achieve more fruits from 1 bush, it is enough to organize the correct feeding regimen:
- When developing leaves and shoots, the tomato needs nitrogen, so mineral solutions must be used.
- As soon as the fruits begin to form, you should go to potash top dressing containing trace elements.
- During fruiting, you need to make complex dressings every 10 days.
