Gardeners grow tomatoes all over the world, so breeders annually release new tomato varieties and hybrids to the markets. Some of them are amazing with their characteristics.
One of the most unusual hybrids is the Rapunzel tomato. It is interesting not for the color and shape of the fruits, but for its tall bushes from which long clusters with a large number of berries hang. Those who have seen this variety of tomatoes will agree that the lashes really resemble the hair of a fairy-tale princess.
General description of the hybrid
The Rapunzel tomato is a hybrid that has become a real curiosity for gardeners in our country. It was bred by American breeders. The first presentation of this variety of tomatoes took place in the USA in 2014.
The new hybrid has not yet been included in the Russian register. It has only recently become available to farmers in our country.
This is interesting! At first, gardeners thought that the described variety of tomatoes reproduced exclusively by vegetative means. However, later Rapunzel seeds appeared in stores in European countries.
Hybrid seeds can be purchased in online stores. It will be available in gardening stores soon.
Features of Rapunzel tomatoes
The main feature of the Rapunzel tomato is its unusual bushes. They form lashes that reach a length of 2.5 meters, with 30-50 fruits.
You can see how they look in the photo. The fruits of Rapunzel are cherry. These are small tomatoes, each of which weighs no more than 25 g. The berries of this hybrid are considered dietary. Although low in calories, they are high in nutrients. Choline is especially valuable because it lowers blood cholesterol levels.
Rapunzel is a salad hybrid. The fruits are suitable for fresh consumption. Due to their thin skin, they crack when preserved.
Another distinctive feature of this variety of tomatoes is the ability to grow not only in the garden and greenhouse, but also on the balcony.
Note! The appearance of the Rapunzel tomato allows it to be grown not only as a fruit crop, but also as an ornamental plant. During the fruiting period, it can become a real decoration of the garden.
Characteristics
Hybrid Rapunzel has excellent performance. It amazes not only with its appearance, but also with its yield.
Description of hybrid characteristics:
| Parameter | Indicators |
| Bush type | Indeterminate. Grows up to 2-2.5 m in height. It has lashes up to 2 meters long, hanging in a cascade. The stems are thin and flexible, heavily leafy. The leaves are dark green, large and pubescent. The root system is taprooted and powerful. |
| Growing method | The plant is heat-loving, so it is suitable for growing in greenhouses and on balconies. In southern climates, planting in open ground is possible. |
| Productivity | High. Up to 50 berries are formed on one Rapunzel lash. More than 5 vines grow on one plant, from which 5-8 kg of tomatoes are harvested. |
| Fruit | Small ones. The weight of one berry varies between 15-25 g. Rapunzel fruits are red outside and inside. They do not have light chambers near the base. Contains an average amount of dry matter. The fruits are dense but juicy. One berry contains two chambers with a small number of small seeds that are not suitable for planting. The tomatoes taste sweet with a pleasant sourness. They contain a large amount of nutrients and sugars. At the same time, the berries have low calorie content. |
| Transportability | Low. Tomatoes are stored for a short time. Due to their thin skin, they cannot be transported over long distances. |
| Ripening time | Early ripening hybrid. The first harvest is obtained less than three months after germination. Fruiting continues all summer. In heated greenhouses and on the balcony, Rapunzel produces crops all year round. |
| Disease resistance | Has high immunity to most tomato diseases. This makes it easier to care for. |
Description of the variety
Rapunzel is an interesting variety of cherry tomatoes. It got its beautiful name for its long branches hanging down and reminiscent of the braids of the famous fairy-tale heroine Rapunzel, known for her long hair. The variety is resistant to many diseases and pests, thanks to the work of breeders. It is tall, the stems grow up to 2.5 meters and cascade down. The root system is powerful and taprooted. A large number of large dark green leaves grow on flexible, thin branches.
According to the description, Rapunzel tomatoes are early ripening, harvested 75 days after germination. The fruits are collected in beautiful long clusters, located one opposite the other. Each cluster grows up to 40 small, round tomatoes, the size of a walnut, weighing 15–25 g.
A distinctive feature of the Rapunzel variety is the almost complete absence of barren flowers. Each flower produces a fruit after pollination.
More than 5 vines grow on one bush, producing 5-6 kg of tasty fruits. The tomatoes are glossy, when ripe they acquire a bright red color inside and out, and are elastic to the touch. The tomatoes have a pleasant, sourish-sweet, rich taste. They are juicy and meaty inside. Contains 2 chambers with a small number of small seeds.
Growing seedlings
Rapunzel seeds are sown two months before the intended transplantation of plants to a permanent place. In most regions, March is considered the optimal time to start growing seedlings.
For early ripening tomatoes, it is especially important to observe the timing of sowing seeds. After all, if you keep such tomatoes in pots, ovaries will form on them and they cannot be planted in the ground.
Seed preparation
Before purchasing Rapunzel seeds, you need to make sure that they have not expired. At home, planting material is sorted out, removing damaged specimens.
In most cases, Rapunzel seeds are treated by the manufacturer. This information must be indicated on the packaging. Disinfected seeds are colored green or orange.
If the seeds have not been processed in production, they are disinfected at home. A solution of potassium permanganate, soda, aloe or honey is used as a disinfectant composition.
Before planting, the seeds are treated with a growth stimulator. Special preparations are sold in gardening stores. The most popular of them are “Epin” and “Fitosporin”.
Growth stimulants are also prepared at home. To do this, add a teaspoon of honey to a cup of water or dilute aloe juice with water in a 1:1 ratio.
Planting material is soaked in a glass with a growth stimulator or wrapped in gauze soaked in the composition. The second option is considered more reliable.
Selection of soil and containers
Large, shallow containers are usually used to sow tomato seeds. Not only special trays and boxes are suitable, but also plastic containers for meat and semi-finished products.
To pick seedlings into individual pots, you need 300 ml containers. For these purposes, plastic and peat pots, disposable cups, cut-off bottles and juice boxes are used.
To grow plants on the balcony you need a container with a volume of at least 3 liters. Otherwise, the plants will be uncomfortable.
It is advisable to plant such rare hybrids as Rapunzel in peat tablets. Such containers create optimal conditions for plants.
The soil needs to be slightly acidic. The acidity level is checked using litmus paper.
Soil is sold in gardening stores. Experienced gardeners advise doing it yourself. To do this, mix 1 part humus and chernozem, 2 parts peat, 0.5 parts garden soil and a glass of ash.
Before use, water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate. The containers also need to be disinfected by soaking in the same composition for half an hour.
Sowing seeds
Soil is poured into the container, leaving 3-4 cm to the edge. Seeds are placed in rows on the soil. The distance between seeds should be 2 cm, and between rows - 3 cm.
The planting material is sprinkled with a 0.5-centimeter layer of soil on top. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle. Cover the top of the container with film and place it in a warm place. The higher the temperature, the faster the seeds will germinate.
Note! Seeds do not need sunlight to germinate. Therefore, they do not have to be placed in a well-lit place. Containers with seedlings are transferred to the windowsill after the planting material has germinated.
If the seeds are sown in peat tablets, the planting procedure is different:
- The tablets are soaked in boiling water by placing them in a container of water with the open side down. When the workpieces absorb water and increase in size, add more liquid to the container.
- A depression is made in the tablets. A seed is placed in it. Sprinkle earth on top.
- The tablets are placed in a deep container, covered with film and placed in a warm place.
Seedling care
To get healthy plants, you need to follow all the rules for caring for seedlings. The list contains the most important of them:
- Rapunzel is a particularly light-demanding hybrid. Therefore, its seedlings need at least 12 hours of daylight. To grow these tomatoes you need fluorescent lamps.
- Tomatoes peak when three true leaves appear on the plants.
- After the first shoots appear, the containers with seedlings are placed in a well-lit place. The film is removed after 5-7 days.
- Seedlings definitely need additional feeding. The first time fertilizer is applied two weeks after picking the plants, the second time - after another 14 days, and the last time - 5 days before transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place.
- Water the plants as the soil dries out. When watering, it is important that the water gets only under the roots of the plants, but does not touch the greenery. Use only warm, settled liquid.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Rapunzel tomato
Vegetable growers very soon came to appreciate the tomatoes of this variety, which have many excellent qualities.
They have the following advantages:
- Excellent taste of fruits with fleshy and sugary pulp;
- Abundant harvest. From 1 m2 you can harvest up to 8 kg of tomatoes;
- Low susceptibility to diseases and pests.
- Excellent presentation of the fruit. They can be easily transported over long distances.
Something to remember! Seeds should not be left for sowing next year due to their hybrid appearance.
And also these vegetables cannot be stored for long periods of time. And the last thing I would like to note among the shortcomings is the tallness of the trunk. After all, with such a tall stem, it’s hard to even imagine how to grow such a plant at home.
Growing tomatoes
The seedlings are planted in a permanent place when the soil reaches the optimal temperature. In most regions, this procedure is recommended to be performed at the end of May. In the north of our country - in the first half of July.
The seedlings are prepared 3-5 days before planting. To do this, plants are watered and fed abundantly.
Planting plants in a permanent place
The beds for tomatoes are prepared in the fall. They are dug up and cleared of plant debris. Compost and ash are added to the soil. Then check the acidity of the soil with litmus paper: if it is elevated, add lime.
In the spring, the soil is dug up again, cleaned of plant roots and treated with a disinfectant solution.
Dig holes, add 1 tbsp to each of them. l ash. The distance between the holes must be at least 40 cm. The holes for planting plants are arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
Before planting, seedlings are removed from the pots, placed in holes, deepened by 10-15 cm. The holes are covered with earth.
You need to work with tomatoes very carefully. It is important not to damage the roots.
A high support is placed near each plant. Trellis are often used for this variety.
Tomato care
The Rapunzel tomato needs a garter. As it grows, new parts are constantly attached to the support. Otherwise, the thin stems will not withstand the weight of the fruit.
Hybrid bushes are formed into one or two stems. In the first case, the harvest will appear earlier, and in the second it will be more abundant.
An important step in caring for plants is removing excess shoots. This procedure is carried out in the morning or evening.
Rapunzel is a hybrid that requires watering. The soil is moistened regularly as it dries. After each watering, the beds are loosened.
Tomatoes are fertilized for the first time 2 weeks after planting. For this, it is recommended to use complex fertilizers. In the process of growing Rapunzel tomato, it is recommended to alternate mineral fertilizers and diluted manure.
Nuances of cultivation
The Rapunzel tomato is a difficult hybrid to care for. Therefore, every gardener needs to know a few nuances:
- Requirement for heat. If the air temperature after transplantation is below 20 degrees, the plants will begin to get sick and die.
- It is important not to let the soil dry out. The hybrid needs regular watering. However, you should also not flood the soil - this will increase the risk of developing tomato diseases.
- Requirement for light. For tomatoes, choose the most illuminated area of the garden.
Diseases and pests
The Rapunzel tomato is resistant to major tomato diseases. Even during epidemics, it is rarely affected by fungal and viral pathogens.
Despite good immunity to tomato diseases, prevention cannot be neglected. It is important to disinfect the soil, containers and garden tools used to grow plants.
During the growing process, it is important to follow the rules of caring for tomatoes: regularly weed and loosen the beds, do not skip watering and pruning.
Insects carry viral and fungal diseases. They also damage the tomato bushes themselves. To prevent infection by them, plants are regularly sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or soap solution.
Growing Rapunzel tomatoes in the garden and on the balcony
When growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to choose high rooms, because the hybrid reaches a height of 2.5 m. It is important to ventilate the plants daily. To do this, open all the windows in the greenhouse.
When growing tomatoes in open ground, the plants are covered with film at night for the first two weeks to avoid their death due to night frosts.
It is important to mulch the beds with dry grass, straw or burlap.
When growing seedlings on the balcony, it is important to properly prepare containers with soil. To do this, drainage is poured into the bottom of the pots: crushed brick and expanded clay, shell rock or broken dishes.
The soil for tomatoes is the same as for other seedlings. To enrich the soil, add 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium compounds, and 10 g of urea to a bucket of soil.
When planting in a 3-liter pot, the plants are buried 10-15 cm. Tomatoes also need a garter at home.
At home, the Rapunzel hybrid usually lacks sunlight. To compensate for its deficiency, fluorescent lamps are used.
Features of cultivation and care
Initially, breeders bred the Rapunzel tomato for growing on balconies or window sills using artificial lighting. Before growing Rapunzel tomatoes on the balcony, you need to take into account the tall growth of the bush, which can reach two meters.
Over time, the breeding properties of tomato have improved, and now in the southern regions of the country many gardeners plant seedlings in open ground.
Transplanting
Two months later, after growing the seedlings on the windowsill, they begin to prepare them for planting in the ground, and in the northern regions - in a greenhouse. To do this, it is hardened for 4-5 days by exposing it to air. You need to start with 2 hours and gradually increase the time to 6-8 hours a day.
Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the beds by digging them up with humus and disinfecting the ground with copper sulfate.
Important to remember! Organic fertilizers cannot be applied when planting tomatoes, since all the nutritious juices will go into the crown of the plant, and the ovaries will form poorly.
Seedlings must be planted at a distance of 50 cm from each other (tomatoes of this variety, with their abundant fruiting, need more space than other varieties). In this case, make the holes no more than 10 cm deep.
Some time after the formation of the ovaries, it is necessary to form a bush, leaving one or two fruiting branches.
Plant care
If the tomato is still grown in a greenhouse, then it needs to be provided with a support to which the stem can be tied.
This tomato is light-loving, does not tolerate low temperatures and is very demanding in care, and for this it is necessary to follow certain agricultural techniques:
- Perform pinching and remove the lower leaves. If you don’t do this, many unnecessary branches will grow;
- Tie up fruiting vines;
- Fertilize plants. Apply inorganic fertilizer for the first time two weeks after planting the seedlings;
- Hill up the plants and regularly loosen the soil around the root system;
- Water the plants infrequently, but abundantly.
Good to know! The first ovary is formed in tomatoes of this type after 9-10 leaves, and subsequent inflorescences are formed after 3 leaves.
Basically, indeterminate plants are formed with one stem, but in greenhouses sometimes 2 stems are allowed.
Reviews from gardeners
Gardeners who have tried growing Rapunzel tomatoes say they will plant them again. There are only positive reviews about this hybrid.
Oksana Grimasova, Adler: “Last year we managed to get a Rapunzel hybrid. The tomatoes are completely worth their price. Very beautiful and productive. I grew it in open ground and never got sick during the season.”
Kirill Ignatiev, Moscow: “I grow Rapunzel on the balcony. A very interesting variety. A huge number of cherry tomatoes are formed on its lashes. They taste sweet and are great for salads. There are still a few seeds left. I will plant again."
Reviews
In their statements about the Rapunzel variety, most vegetable growers have a unanimous opinion. They note abundant fruiting with good care: regular loosening of the soil, pinching, timely watering, providing daylight for at least 12-14 hours a day.
Many say that the plant, justifying its name “princess”, does not like excess moisture and dry soil; at slightly lower temperatures, the yield decreases sharply.
All vegetable growers who have at least once grown this variety agree on one thing - to get a good harvest from a tomato bush of this variety, you need to put in a lot of effort, but then everything will come back a hundredfold.
