Ampel tomatoes are gaining more and more popularity every year. Miniature varieties of tomatoes have excellent taste, are distinguished by beautiful lush foliage and are similar in properties to cherry.
Most varieties bring small, neat fruits that are great for salads and a variety of snacks.
What are ampelous tomatoes and their features?
Ampoule varieties include tomato varieties bred for cultivation at room conditions. Such tomatoes are suitable for people who do not have a garden plot, but who want to have high-quality and fresh vegetables at home. Their taste properties are not inferior to large greenhouse varieties, and one bush can bring several kilograms of fruit.
In addition, miniature tomatoes are used for decorative purposes. Such bushes effectively decorate balconies. Most often they are planted in hanging pots. They are also grown in garden plots - lush branches of tomatoes beautifully braid hedges, suitable for forming landscape design.
Varieties of ampel tomatoes
Beginners usually choose unpretentious species. When choosing, the appearance of the bushes is also important, since ampelous tomatoes are used to decorate windows. Each of the varieties has its own characteristics. The following varieties are most in demand.
Mascot
This type of ampelous tomato is popular because of its decorative qualities - branched bushes and small fruits (up to 20 grams) serve as an interesting and unusual decoration of the premises.
Belongs to precocious. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, in open ground.
Citizen F1
The fruits of this variety are larger than other ampelous tomatoes, weigh 30-50 grams. The bush grows to 0.8 m, so a large capacity is needed for planting.
Differs in high productivity. Needs regular stepsoning. Juicy raspberry tomatoes ripen in 100 days.
Cascade F1
A neat miniature plant whose height does not exceed 0.5 m. Unpretentious, suitable for beginners.
There are varieties with both red tomatoes and yellow.
Garden pearl
A low, light-loving bush that is designed for growing on window sills.
Brings small red small tomatoes weighing up to 20 grams. It does not require complicated maintenance.
Red abundance
The fruits of this type of ampelous tomato are similar in taste and appearance to cherry tomatoes.
It does not need stepsoning and is characterized by rapid growth.
Brindle
Ripening, miniature variety (trunk height of only 15-20 cm), bearing unusual striped fruits with excellent taste.
This type of tomato has beautiful and lush foliage, which hangs down in hanging pots, creating the effect of a green waterfall.
Amateurs often acquire an ampel mixture of yellow and red tomatoes.
Rules for planting ampelous tomatoes
To grow healthy plants and get a rich harvest, gardeners prepare seeds and soil in advance. Soil treatment from pests allows you to avoid many diseases that indoor tomatoes are susceptible to. Special means are used to disinfect the soil or spray it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Planting seeds and seedlings
Ampel tomatoes are grown in two ways. The first involves a preliminary planting of seedlings, which are later transplanted into large containers. But some people prefer to plant seeds in pots right away. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
Suitable time for sowing seedlings is the beginning of March. Although at room conditions a later one is also allowed, sowing in early spring contributes to the early ripening of the crop. Before planting, the seeds are poured with aloe juice or a solution of potassium permanganate and left for an hour. Peat or humus are suitable as soil. The soil should be light, able to pass air to the roots.
To get a rich harvest, plants are planted in containers, the volume of which is at least 5 liters. The bottom is covered with drainage, since stagnation of moisture leads to the development of diseases and the appearance of fungi.
When the soil is prepared, small holes for seeds are made in it (1.5-2 cm). Each seed is carefully placed in a hole and sprinkled with a small amount of earth.
In separate containers, the sprouts are placed after the second leaf grows on them. The bottom of the containers is covered with a small layer of small pebbles and fragments of bricks, and the top is covered with soil. This prevents moisture accumulation.
Features of planting seedlings and care for ampelous tomatoes
In May, seedlings are planted in a permanent place - it can be a pot on the balcony, a pot in the room or a bed in the garden. If tomatoes grow at home, they are shaken from time to time.
Seedlings need feeding. Plants are fed with mineral fertilizers (a mixture of nitrogen and potassium). This procedure is carried out twice before moving the tomatoes into a permanent soil. The ground before each transplant is saturated with suitable fertilizers.
Many varieties need pinching. To keep the bush lush, he leaves two stems.
Watering is done as the soil dries. Excessively moist soil is a danger to plants, so the bushes are watered with a small amount of liquid. Water should be settled, without impurities, slightly warm. Watering is carried out in the evening. Leaves and stems do not spray. Two hours after watering, the earth is loosened - this ensures the flow of air to the root system.
Once every two weeks, the soil is fertilized with a mineral mixture. Complex fertilizers that are sold in specialized stores are well suited as fertilizers. For 1 kg of soil take 5 grams of the mixture. Top dressing is done when watering.
Tomatoes need room temperature during flowering, but they are kept in a slightly cool place until the first ovaries appear. In a room with tomatoes, they maintain good lighting and maintain a humidity regime in order to prevent the development of fungal diseases. Regular ventilation helps against excessively humid air, and a bucket of water is installed in the room against dryness.
To maintain optimal lighting, sodium or LED lamps are placed near the bushes. Also, specialized stores sell phytolamps created specifically for caring for plants.
Tomatoes that are grown at home, need artificial pollination. This procedure is carried out in the morning with a soft brush. The pollen is carefully collected and transferred to the pistils. For bushes growing in open ground, artificial pollination is not required.
Harvesting and storage
Typically, the fruits of ampelous tomatoes are harvested until fully ripe - at the stage when their color is greenish red. Tomatoes are left to ripen in a dry place. If the bushes are used for decorative purposes, then the crop is not harvested, but left on the branches. In this case, ripened tomatoes are plucked directly from the plants and consumed fresh, but their taste will be worse than those harvested in advance.
Diseases and Pests
Improper care leads to the appearance of fungus and the development of diseases. Also, some varieties are susceptible to attack by pests.
In most cases, it is impossible to save a diseased plant, but preventive procedures are necessary to save the rest of the crop.
| Symptoms | Disease / pest | Elimination |
| Darkening on leaves and fruits. | Late blight | The disease quickly spreads to neighboring bushes, therefore, to save the crop, the diseased plant is dug up and burned. Unripe tomatoes are torn off the branches and placed in hot water for a minute, after which they are left to ripen. |
| The appearance of rot in the roots of seedlings. | Blackleg | For prevention purposes, the soil is treated with Trichodermin. The cause of the disease is excessive watering, so they try to protect containers with seedlings from excessive moisture. |
| Rotting roots in tomatoes of different ages. | Root rot | The affected plants are dug up and destroyed. They also throw away the soil in which they grow. |
| Decay of the fruit. | Gray or brown rot | To avoid the spread of the disease, bushes are destroyed along with tomatoes. |
| The defeat of insects. | Whitefly, spider mite, aphid | Special pesticides are used against pests (Aktara, Aktellik and others). From whiteflies are treated with garlic infusion. |
Growing ampel tomatoes is available to almost everyone.
Beautiful branchy bushes can replace the usual potted flowers, and fresh tomatoes will be a great addition to salads and festive cuisine.
