It was once believed that tomatoes are very heat-loving plants and can grow and bear fruit only in the southern regions. But science does not stand still. And now Russian breeders are developing new varieties of tomatoes that not only grow successfully, but also bear fruit in increasingly northern, colder regions. And this is wonderfully confirmed by numerous reviews about the Orange Elephant tomato, its photos, in which you can see how high the yield of this tomato is.
The orange elephant is one of a group of large-fruited colored elephants, which in the northern regions grows and bears fruit remarkably well in closed ground, and in warmer, southern regions it is quite productive in open beds. The Elephant group includes several multi-colored tomatoes: Raspberry, Orange, Pink, Sugar and Black Elephants. It’s worth planting them on your own plot - after all, each of them has its own characteristics, but large tomatoes of different colors are very decorative in the beds and incredibly tasty and attractive on a plate.
Description of the Orange Elephant tomato
The Orange Elephant tomato variety was bred for growing under film cover, through seedlings, in regions with unstable weather. In southern cities, it can be planted in open beds.
The variety is determinate, medium-growing and mid-ripening. The bush reaches a height of up to 1 m. The fruits begin to ripen 110 days after seed germination. Fruiting is long and abundant.
Important! Since the variety is determinate, pinching is not required.
A powerful bush covered with small dark olive leaves. The first flower ovary appears under the 4-5 leaf.
Description of fruits
The Orange Elephant tomato variety has large fruits, bright orange in color, weighing 300-400 g. The tomatoes are flat-round, uneven in shape, somewhat similar to the head of an elephant.
The low-seeded pulp is dense, fleshy and very aromatic, contains a large amount of vitamin A and C. Thanks to its bright color and sweet taste, children really like the variety. The peel is thin but dense, so the crop is well stored and transported.
Planting seeds for seedlings
This tomato variety gives a richer harvest if grown in open ground. In greenhouse conditions, good performance can also be achieved, but for this the crop will need more careful care. In greenhouses, fewer fruits always ripen.
Seed preparation
Before you start sowing the seeds of the Orange Elephant variety for seedlings, they need to be prepared. To select suitable specimens, you will need to place them in salt water heated to 60 °. Those that end up on the surface are immediately removed.
The remaining ones are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect them from infections and then sown. The main thing is to dry them before immersing them in the ground.
Landing technology
The time for sowing Orange Elephant tomato seeds for seedlings is mid-March - early April. The characteristics of this process will make it elementary if the necessary conditions are met:
- First prepare the containers. They can be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent the development of diseases;
- Then the earth is poured into them. It is better to choose garden soil mixed with a small amount of humus. To make it looser and lighter, use river sand;
- Make small depressions on the surface of the ground where the seeds will be placed. The distance between two adjacent recesses should not exceed 2 cm;
- after the seeds have been placed in the soil, another layer of earth 5-6 mm thick is added on top. Otherwise, the seeds will take a long time to germinate and it is not a fact that all of them will sprout;
- Next, water the seedlings, but be careful so that the water does not deepen the seeds too much.
If it is necessary to accelerate seed growth, use special films. They cover the seedling containers from the very moment of sowing. It will need to be removed periodically to ventilate the soil. As soon as the first shoots begin to appear, the film can be removed.
Tatyana Orlova (Vasilidchenko) (candidate of agricultural sciences):
To get friendly and quick shoots, keep containers with seeds at a temperature of 25-28 degrees. This is the optimal temperature for tomato seed germination.
Characteristics of the variety
The Orange Elephant tomato belongs to the elephant group, which includes varieties with a variety of colors: Raspberry, Pink, Sugar and Black Elephant.
Before purchasing Orange Elephant tomato seeds, you need to read reviews, watch photos and videos, find out the advantages and disadvantages of the variety.
Productivity and fruiting
The variety's yield is average; 2-3 kg of tomatoes ripen on a bush. Thus, from sq. m you can collect up to 9 kg of tasty, healthy harvest. Fruiting is stable and long-lasting; fruit set and ripening lasts for several months.
The variety can be grown under film cover and in open beds, in regions with a hot and unstable climate. To get an early, rich harvest of tomatoes, the crop is planted through seedlings, timely care and disease prevention are carried out.
Area of application of fruits
Bright orange tomatoes are suitable for preparing vegetable salads, juice and for fresh consumption. Due to its large size, the variety is not suitable for whole canning; it can be used to prepare adjika, caviar, tomato paste, sauces and much more.
Advice! Orange elephant looks original when sliced with tomatoes of other colors.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The variety has stable immunity to diseases, temperature changes and minor frosts. To avoid problems, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures in a timely manner:
- observe crop rotation;
- maintain the required interval between bushes;
- timely care;
- compliance with temperature, light conditions and humidity levels;
- ventilate the greenhouse.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The Orange Elephant tomato, like other tomato varieties, has good and bad qualities. The advantages include:
- large, sweet fruits;
- can grow both outdoors and under film cover;
- stable and long-term fruiting;
- transportation and long-term storage;
- cold resistance and immunity to diseases;
- drought resistance;
- does not require pinching;
- unpretentiousness in care and cultivation.
There are few disadvantages, but they are:
- average yield;
- It bears fruit well only with timely feeding.
Principles of agricultural technology
Orange elephant tomatoes are easy to care for. For active fruiting during cultivation in the garden and greenhouse, it is enough to adhere to the correct regime of watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil or mulching.
Landing
50–65 days after emergence, the strengthened seedlings are transferred:
- to the garden - in the last ten days of May or the first ten days of June;
- to the greenhouse - in the 1-2 decades of May.
Young plants must have a strong stem and strong rhizome, one flower ovary, and a height of at least 30 cm.
Planting pattern - 40x60 cm, no more than 2-3 bushes per 1 m².
For planting, choose a cloudy, windless day or wait until the evening. The seedlings are moistened abundantly, and the lower and yellow leaves are torn off.
The soil is loosened and fertilized with compost or humus mixed with ash (1 bucket per 1 m²). The holes are dug at a depth of 20 cm and filled with boiling water or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.
The seedlings are carefully moved along with the earthen ball, the soil is compacted and covered with mulch. The bushes are immediately tied to wooden stakes in the garden or trellises in the greenhouse.
Care
Fruiting of the Orange Elephant depends on proper watering. Plants are watered infrequently, but abundantly, until the soil is completely dry.
Water is poured strictly under the roots, and the above-ground part is irrigated with a spray bottle in the evening. This reduces the risk of fungal infection. At the initial stage of growth, about 5 liters of water per 1 m² are used. Flowering and fruiting bushes require at least 10 liters per 1 m².
Despite their short stature, tomatoes need to form bushes with 2 stems. To do this, young shoots are removed, leaving only one stepson growing from the leaf axil at the very bottom. This allows you to achieve higher yields.
Mulching the soil with sawdust, pine needles, agrofibre, hay, and straw eliminates routine loosening and weeding after each watering.
After transferring the seedlings to a permanent place, fertilizers are applied every 14-15 days:
- infusion of chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20 - 2 weeks after planting;
- nitrophoska solution (60 g of substance per 10 liters of water) - for subsequent fertilizing.
Plants respond well to ready-made fertilizers: “Red Giant”, “Biohumus”, “Agricola”, “Effecton-O”.
Diseases and pests
The Orange Elephant variety cannot boast of strong immunity: plants are often attacked by a fungus if not properly cared for. At the genetic level, the crop is protected from verticillium and fusarium.
Late blight, powdery mildew, and cladosporiosis are especially dangerous for tomatoes.
Signs of late blight:
- brown-gray spots on leaves and stems;
- whitish coating on the back of the leaves;
- spots on fruits and their deformation.
Signs of powdery mildew:
- white-yellow coating on leaves and stems;
- small brown dots (spores);
- drops of dew on greenery;
- leaves curled up.
Signs of cladosporiosis, or brown spot:
- yellow spots on leaves;
- brown coating on their underside.
For prevention, bushes are treated with fungicides (Ridomil Gold, Oxychom, HOM) before flowering and ovary formation, once every 20 days.
The drugs Fitosporin, Fitoflavin, and Bravo are safe and effective in the fight against fungi. Bushes are treated once every 2 weeks.
Preventive measures are no less effective:
- disinfection of greenhouses with sulfur bombs;
- soil treatment with copper sulfate;
- removing the lower leaves of plants;
- timely feeding with phosphorus and potassium;
- soil mulching;
- normalization of humidity in the room through ventilation.
“Fitoverm”, “Flumite”, “Grom”, “Strela”, “Konfidor”, “Aktara”, “Borneo” will help fight aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and Colorado potato beetles.
Growing rules
To get an early harvest, it is better to grow Orange Elephant through seedlings. Since the variety is unpretentious, it is suitable for both experienced gardeners and beginners.
Planting seedlings
Seeds for seedlings are planted from mid-March to early April.
You can grow tomato seedlings using step-by-step instructions:
- Prepare fertile soil.
- The seed material is kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 5-10 minutes, then washed under running water.
- Prepared seeds can be germinated in a damp cloth, or they can be planted immediately.
- The seeds are placed in prepared grooves at a distance of 3 cm and to a depth of 1 cm.
- The soil is irrigated using a spray bottle, and the container is covered with plastic film.
- When the seeds germinate, the container is moved to a bright, warm place.
- After 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in separate cups.
- 2 weeks before planting in the garden, the young plant is hardened off.
Transfer
When planting a young plant in the beds, it must have:
- powerful stem;
- flower ovary;
- height 30-40 cm;
- formed root system.
On the day of transplantation, the bush is thoroughly watered and the cotyledons and yellowed leaves are removed. The soil in the garden bed is dug up, weeds are removed and, if the soil is depleted, fed with compost or rotted humus. Make planting holes 50x50 or in a checkerboard pattern.
The seedlings are carefully removed from the container and placed in a hole, at the bottom of which wood ash is poured. If the plant has outgrown, it is planted horizontally. The earth is compacted, watered and mulched.
Since Orange Elephant tomatoes reach a height of up to 1 m, the bush must be tied up immediately.
Aftercare
Orange elephant tomatoes are an unpretentious variety; to obtain a generous harvest, it can be grown in 2 trunks. Maintenance is simple and consists of regular watering, fertilizing, mulching and loosening the soil.
The first irrigation is carried out with warm, settled water, 2 weeks after planting the young plant. Further, irrigation is carried out as the soil dries. For a growing plant, you need to use 5 liters per square meter. m, for a flowering and fruiting bush - 10 liters per square meter. m.
Important! When watering, you need to try to prevent drops of water from falling on the leaf plate.
After watering, the soil is loosened and mulched. Mulch will retain moisture, get rid of weeds and become a good fertilizer.
Irrigation greatly humidifies the air, so to dry the pollen, the greenhouse is ventilated.
For the rapid formation and ripening of tomatoes, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be: during the day - 18-25 degrees, at night - 15-18 degrees.
To get a good harvest of tasty and large fruits, the Orange Elephant needs feeding. After each application of fertilizers, at least 14 days must pass:
- 2 weeks after planting the seedlings, the first fertilizing is carried out. For this, 1 tsp. Agricola Vegeta is mixed with ½ tsp. "Nitrofoski". The resulting powder is diluted in 5 liters of water. This solution is enough to fertilize 5 tomato bushes.
- Apply a second fertilizer. For this, ½ tbsp. l. "Agricola Vegeta" is mixed with 30 ml of the drug "Effecton-O", after which the resulting solution is added to 5 liters of water.
- Third - dilute ½ tbsp in 5 liters of water. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. "Agricola Vegeta." 1 liter is used for each plant.
- Fourth – fertilize with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
- Final – 1 tbsp. l. The drug "Effekton-O" is diluted in 5 liters of warm water.
By adhering to the recommended rules, the plant will grow strong and healthy, and the tomatoes will ripen large and juicy.
Disembarkation
It is impossible to indicate the exact time for planting seedlings in open ground, since weather conditions are changeable. Repeated frosts must be avoided. Such conditions usually occur in mid-May (depending on the region). It is recommended to have a supply of film to cover the seedlings in case of a sharp drop in temperature. You can plant seedlings in a heated greenhouse earlier, for example, in April.
The frequency of planting “Pink Elephant” should not exceed 2-3 seedlings per m². Leaving a row spacing of 50 cm, the gaps between such bushes will be about 40–45 cm. The planted seedling is watered with warm water.
The seedlings are planted in a well-equipped greenhouse at the end of April. If you plan to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse or under film, you should wait until May. Tomatoes of this variety can also be grown in open ground, but in this case the right time for planting would be the beginning of summer.
The arrangement of plants should correspond to the future formation of the bush. If you plan to grow in two stems, then 2 crops are planted per 1 m2; when forming into 1 stem per 1 m2 - 4 plants.
Before planting tomatoes, pre-treat the soil with potassium permanganate or copper sulfate.
Pest and disease control
Orange elephant tomatoes have a strong immunity to fungal diseases, but if not properly cared for, the plant can be affected by the following diseases:
- Powdery mildew - affects the stems and leaf blades, covering them with a white, airy coating. The disease often appears at low air humidity.
- Brown spot - appears on the leaves in the form of yellow-green spots. Without treatment, the leaf turns brown, dries out and falls off.
- Tomato mosaic is a viral disease that appears at elevated air temperatures. The disease appears on leaves, stems and fruits.
- Anthracnose - a disease that affects leaves and mature tomatoes, forming dark-colored spots on them that begin to grow over time.
- Late blight is a common disease of tomatoes. The disease affects fruits and leaves. Vague spots of black, brown or gray appear on them. To get rid of the disease, the bush is treated with fungicides.
How to care
Tomatoes need constant care. If you do not provide them with the necessary conditions for growth, the fruits will not ripen to the required size, and the taste will not be as sweet as it should be. Care is not that difficult.
The greenhouse must be ventilated daily by opening the window and door. This way the plants will receive the necessary air, and excess moisture will leave. Water these tomatoes twice a week. There should be enough water, but it is not recommended to fill them, otherwise rotting will begin. Watering is carried out at the root. The leaves can be lightly sprayed with clean water; the water should not be icy, preferably settled. It can be poured into a barrel in advance.
You need to be very careful to ensure that the soil is good, fertilized, and not acidic. You can purchase a special device for measuring acidity. Top dressing can be at the root or foliar. As fertilizers, these varieties prefer manure, humus, chicken droppings, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, nitrogen, and minerals. The best time to feed is early morning or evening.
All weeds must be removed by the roots, otherwise the fruits may grow tasteless and small, because the weed takes away all the juices from the crops. In addition, it can transmit pests. At the same time, loosen the soil twice a month so that it is soft and light.
Pest control and preventive measures are the most important part of caring for hybrids. You can spray the foliage with soap solution, potassium permanganate, infused herbs or garlic solution. Among the harmful insects, beetles, mites, butterflies, slugs, and caterpillars most often attack.
See also
Features of growing tomato seedlings in a plastic bottle on toilet paperRead
If tomatoes become stained or develop fungal infections, it is best to remove spoiled leaves and fruits and purchase remedies for these diseases at the store. But the elephant rarely gets sick; it has a strong immune system. He can begin to suffer only if he is not properly cared for. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the quality of watering, the level of humidity and feed on time.
Care
The plant needs regular watering
The Orange Elephant tomato loves plenty of watering, so the soil around it should always be moist. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to fill the soil to the point of a swamp. In this case, the plant may die.
The most optimal watering would be once a week. In extreme heat, watering should be increased up to 2 times every 7 days.
Feeding
The soil must be fertilized. Organic-based fertilizers are more suitable for fertilizing, but they are applied only with the arrival of the autumn season, because... at this time they will be absorbed much better, and the harvest at this time is already fully harvested.
Manure and bird droppings are selected at the rate of 1 kg of substance per 10 liters of water. Mash is perfect: mix water and yeast in a ratio of 10 liters per 10 g.
The spring season is suitable for complex fertilizers. It is better to apply such fertilizing before flowering begins. To prepare high-quality fertilizer, take 25 g of manure, 1 tsp. superphosphate and the same amount of potassium sulfate and dilute in 10 liters of water.
Removing weeds and tying up
There is a possibility of weeds sprouting around the Orange Elephant tomato. You need to get rid of them immediately. If this is not done, they will begin to take all the nutrients from the soil, then the tomatoes will get practically nothing. As a result, the yield rate will be greatly reduced, and the crop itself will cease to grow and develop normally.
The bush does not get too tall, but since it bears heavy tomatoes, a little support during the fruiting period will not hurt. In this case, use wooden pegs, with which it is convenient to fix and support the branches. This way they will not bend under their own weight and break, and the quality of the harvest will not decrease.
Most gardeners leave positive reviews about tomatoes. Thanks to the unpretentiousness of the crop, even an inexperienced gardener can cope well with its cultivation. It is especially convenient to plant it in the northern regions, because the plant is resistant to such climates.
It is noted that the illumination of the site is one of the most important factors for this variety. If Orange Elephant tomatoes are planted in a dark place, problems with their growth begin. The bushes stop bearing fruit normally, harvests are delayed, and their quality decreases.
Variety - “ORANGE ELEPHANT”. Tomatoes from Fyodor.
Orange Russian Tomato Variety
Description of the fruit - Tomato "Pink Elephant"
Another significant advantage of the variety is its resistance to diseases. This prevents many problems. If you carry out preventive spraying in the spring, you can avoid almost all types of infection.
This type of prevention works well to drive away pests. Gardeners also like the taste characteristics of the variety. Orange Elephant tomatoes make an excellent preserve, for which this type of tomato is often planted.
