Tomato Klusha: characteristics and description of the variety

Tomato Superklusha, or, as its name is sometimes written, Super Klusha, is a variety with compact, easy-to-care for bushes and delicious pink fruits. It is called a real miracle, because it is able to bear fruit without shelter even in Siberia, and the taste of tomatoes is delicate and sweet.

Height	Landing location	Ripening time	Fruit color	Fruit size	Origin	Fruit shape
short	Open ground	Mid-early	Pink	Large	Variety	Round

Description of the variety

The main characteristics and descriptions of the tomato varieties Klusha and Super Klusha are the same. In principle, this is the same culture. The only difference is the color of the fruit and, of course, their taste. But let's start the review with the ripening period. Klush tomatoes ripen very early. From the moment of sowing the seeds, approximately 90 days will pass, and the fruits will already be red in the garden, hanging in large clusters.

The plant is considered to be of a determinate type. The structure of the bush is standard. The stems grow to a maximum of 60 cm in height. An adult tomato bush is so compact that up to 7 plants can be placed in a 1 m2 bed. Chum can even be grown on a windowsill or balcony. The culture bears fruit well in a flower pot suspended using a flower pot.

You can guess the origin of the name of the variety by the structure of the bush. If you look at the Super Klusha tomato from the outside, its shape resembles a chicken with splayed feathers. The fruits hidden under the leaves can be compared to chickens. The plant is a master of hide and seek. Ripening tomatoes are almost invisible under the foliage. The bush is distinguished by its dense green mass. The leaf structure is normal, like all tomatoes.

Advice! To ensure quick and uniform ripening of fruits, vegetable growers recommend plucking off the leaves that cover the clusters from the sun.

The manufacturer, in the description of the Klusha tomato variety, indicates that the crop can be grown in all regions of our country. Breeders have instilled good immunity to fungal and viral diseases in tomatoes. The optimal yield of Klushi and Super Klusha is achieved when the bush is formed with several stems. Their number can be from 2 to 4.

Important! The standard Klusha tomato bush forms itself and does not require the removal of stepsons.

The compact bush is characterized by powerful stems that do not require tying to a trellis. But if you read reviews about the Super Klusha tomato, vegetable growers strongly recommend putting supports under the branches with fruits.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Let's see, are these tomatoes really that good?

According to the rules, the lower leaves must be torn off, and the stepsons are pinched, leaving a stump of 1.5 cm, since they will be of no use. But the upper stepsons are left, since the variety is determinate, that is, not tall, and stops growing on its own, ending the crown with a flower brush.

Stepchildren above the fifth leaf are left, turning them into additional stems. As soon as they form ovaries, excess stepsons are removed from these stems.

For what? So that the harvest has time to ripen together, the fruits do not become smaller, and the ovaries do not fall off. By pinching the shoots, you save the plant’s strength, which it will gladly give to the fruits. You should not be greedy, because you are growing for yourself, and a quick harvest is more useful than from an exhausted plant that has to be fed so that it has time to produce a couple more fruits.

Do not forget that the Klusha tomato has a medium early ripening period.

These varieties are distinguished by the fact that they yield their harvest in 100–110 days, and it is very important not to make a mistake with the timing of sowing seeds

What do we get? In the middle zone in mid-June, the average temperature is 15–20 degrees, which is comfortable for the growth of heat-loving plants like tomatoes, and they should be planted at this time. From the 15th we subtract 60, it turns out April 15, we also subtract 5 days for germination, it turns out that the optimal sowing for Klusha tomatoes is April 10.

Everyone will find their own mistakes, that you should not germinate seeds of different varieties at once, guided only by the lunar calendar or a free weekend.

After all, planting time is very important! The success of the harvest depends on it. If you sow tomatoes earlier, as many try to do, it turns out that it is not young, fresh seedlings that are planted in the ground, ready to “give birth” to large healthy offspring, but an “old woman” whose growing season is already running out

Let's collect the advantages:

Early ripening and productive variety;
The bush is low-growing and compact;
Easy to care for;
Does not succumb to diseases;
Universal purpose;
Suitable for any region and climate;
The fruits are of high commercial quality and can easily be transported;
Can grow in containers at home or on the balcony.

Are there any disadvantages to the Klusha tomato?

Some gardeners include the following qualities as the disadvantages of this variety:

Short-term storage;
Small fruits.

But, let me! Early ripening varieties have a harvest and should not lie around for a long time. The good thing about them is that they ripen by mid-August and are ready for processing, which allows them to avoid diseases such as late blight.

Dissatisfaction with small fruits is also inadequate, since the tomato is not a salad tomato, but a universal one. Yes, it does not have sugar content, but this is rather a “plus”, and therefore it can be consumed by people with high blood sugar levels and who are watching their figure.

Here is the conclusion - this variety has no disadvantages!

Fruit characteristics

Photos about the Klusha tomato, reviews from gardeners form the opinion that the crop is a decoration of the garden bed. The fruits are characterized by a round shape. The upper part and the wall at the place where the stalk is attached are slightly flattened. The Klusha variety has a predominant red fruit color, while Super Klusha tomatoes acquire a pink tint when ripe. The pulp of both varieties of tomato is sweet, juicy and very tasty when eaten fresh. Inside the fruit there can be up to 7 chambers with seeds.

Despite the small size of the bush, the yield rate is up to 3 kg of tomatoes per plant. Klusha loves to comply with the conditions of agricultural technology. The crop will reward you for good care with fruits weighing up to 150 g. Under unfavorable conditions for the tomato, the yield may decrease. The fruits will become smaller, as their weight will decrease to 100 g.

Important! During a decrease in yield, only a loss of fruit weight is observed, and their number remains unchanged. That is, the intensity of ovary formation does not decrease.

Ripe fruits are considered to have a universal purpose. Tomatoes are suitable for fresh consumption. They are used to make salads and decorate dishes. According to reviews from vegetable growers, it is the pink fruits of the Super Klusha variety that are considered tastier. Red tomatoes of the Klusha variety are slightly inferior in taste. However, a ripe vegetable is also good for fresh salads. Red and pink fruits are used for preservation. The dense pulp, protected by a strong skin, does not crack during heat treatment.

Attention! Tomatoes can be stored for a long time, only they need to be picked slightly unripe. The fruits tolerate transportation well.

Disease and pest control

Klush tomatoes have good immunity. They relatively rarely suffer from diseases typical of all nightshade plants. If the bushes do get sick, then the gardener himself is often to blame. He may, for example, not provide ventilation in the greenhouse or use too heavy or acidic soil for growing tomatoes. In such unfavorable conditions, the development of pathogenic fungi and viruses is very likely.

Table: diseases of tomatoes of the Klusha variety, prevention, control measures

Disease	Nature of the lesion	Means of struggle	Preventive measures
Late blight	The fruits become covered with beige-brown spots, then the flesh in these places rots, and the tomatoes turn completely black.	Having detected alarming symptoms, the bushes are treated with HOM solution every 10–12 days until they completely disappear. If the disease has gone too far, the only way out is to dig up and burn the plant, disinfecting the soil in this place with a solution of potassium permanganate.	The soil in the garden bed is sprayed with Ridomil-Gold and Previkur once every 3-4 weeks.
Streak (apex rot)	Dangerous viral disease. Appears as brownish spots on leaves and green tomatoes. The fruits become unnaturally hard.	In severe cases, it cannot be treated; in the early stages of development, the soil at the roots of the plant is sprayed with a 0.5% solution of potassium chloride every 3–5 days.	When the fruits ripen, remove the lower leaves for good ventilation.
Gray rot	A fungal disease that most often develops in greenhouses, especially if they are infrequently ventilated and the soil is too acidic. “Wet” grayish-brown blurry spots appear on plants and fruits, gradually becoming covered with whitish pile with small black inclusions - clusters of fungal spores.	Affected plants are sprayed with a 2% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. Usually 2-3 treatments are enough with an interval of 7-10 days.	To bring the acid-base balance back to normal, dolomite flour, powdered eggshells, crushed chalk, and sifted wood ash (250–400 g/m²) are added to the substrate.

Photo gallery: diseases that can affect Klusha tomatoes

Of the pests, the greatest danger to Klusha tomatoes grown in open ground is the Colorado potato beetle. Many gardeners believe that the pest is only interested in potatoes, but this is absolutely not the case.

When the potatoes fade, the Colorado potato beetle switches its attention to other nightshades: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers

There is hardly a gardener who has never seen the Colorado potato beetle, but many mistakenly believe that his area of interest only includes potatoes

The simplest method of pest control is to collect the larvae by hand. But this requires attentiveness from the gardener and takes quite a lot of time. A good effect is achieved by traps filled with potato pieces or peelings - containers dug into the ground so that their upper edge is level with the ground. Once every 2-3 days, the bait needs to be changed, while simultaneously getting rid of any larvae. They must be destroyed and not thrown away somewhere in the far corner of the garden.

There are many drugs that help fight the pest. It is recommended to use products of biological origin (Bikol, Colorado, Boverin) - they have a more gentle effect. But in the event of a mass attack, only chemicals will help - Regent, Confidor, Tsimbus, Mospilan. Usually 3-4 applications with an interval of 7-12 days are sufficient. Prepare the solution in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations given in the instructions.

Positive features of the variety

Considering the yield of the Super Klush tomato, reviews, photos, let’s sum up the main advantages of the variety:

a small bush can fit on a small plot of land;
high yield;
independent formation of the bush, which does not require the removal of stepsons;
Klushi fruits are universal in use;
plant resistance to diseases;
the possibility of growing tomatoes in any region of the country.

Vegetable growers did not identify any deficiencies in the Klusha and Super Klusha varieties. This can only be attributed to the strong thickening of the foliage, but in the hot summer it will save the fruits from being burned.

Positive and negative properties

Before planting, it is worth studying the characteristics and description of the Klusha tomato variety. The key advantages of this type of tomatoes include the following:

high performance;
universal purpose of fruits;
frost resistance;
compact size of bushes;
no need to remove stepsons;
resistance to tomato diseases.

The culture has practically no downsides. Farmers cite the large number of leaves on the bushes as the only drawback.

Choosing a place to plant tomatoes

To get a good harvest, tomatoes need to be planted in a prepared area. The bed must be allocated, even if the tomatoes are grown in the garden. Klusha has a low-growing bush structure, so plants can be planted in holes. Although, many gardeners prefer to dig long ditches. Tomatoes are arranged in rows more neatly and are easier to care for.

The Klusha and Super Klusha varieties can be grown not only openly, but also indoors. The tomato bears fruit well in any type of greenhouse, be it film cover, glass or polycarbonate. It is only important to provide the tomatoes with good lighting and regular ventilation.

With any method of growing Klush tomato, care must be taken to ensure good soil drainage. The culture loves abundant watering, but water should not stagnate under the roots. Otherwise, disease outbreaks may occur. Late blight will appear or plant roots will begin to rot.

Preparing soil for seedlings

In most regions, tomatoes are grown from seedlings. Only in the south is it possible to sow seeds directly into the garden bed. To grow Klusha or Super Klusha tomato seedlings, you first need to prepare the soil. Despite the saturation of store-bought soil with useful minerals, many vegetable growers prefer to collect soil from the garden for seedlings. You can do it this way, you just need to disinfect it. It is recommended to bake the soil in the oven and then take it out into the fresh air. Outside, the soil will be saturated with oxygen for two weeks.

Before sowing the seeds, the soil is brought into the house so that it warms up to room temperature. At this time, another disinfection is performed. A solution is prepared from 2 liters of water and 1 g of manganese and the soil is evenly moistened with this liquid.

Seed preparation

Klusha tomato seeds are sown for seedlings in March. By this time the grains need to be prepared:

The percentage of seed germination depends on calibration. First, the tomato seeds are visually inspected for damage and all suspicious seeds are discarded. The following procedure involves immersing tomato seeds in a saline solution. All floating pacifiers are thrown away, and the full grains that have settled to the bottom of the container are washed with clean water.
Tomato seed dressing is carried out in a 1% manganese solution. It is enough to dip the grain for 20 minutes. Many vegetable growers use the juice of an indoor Aloe flower instead of potassium permanganate. In addition to its disinfecting properties, the juice is a growth stimulant.

The last stage involves germinating tomato seeds. To do this, scatter the grains between two layers of damp gauze and make sure they do not dry out. Tomato seeds are periodically sprayed with water until the sprouts hatch.

Growing rules

The tomato variety in question can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. However, without growing seedlings, seeds can be immediately planted in the ground only in the south of Russia. In the rest of our country, the seedling method is more preferable.

Planting seedlings

Sowing of seeds is carried out in March. For seedlings, select a store-bought soil mixture or soil prepared independently. In the latter case, it requires additional disinfection. To do this, the collected soil is calcined in the oven, then taken out into the open air for two weeks. During this period of time, the soil will accumulate oxygen.

Before sowing the seeds, the soil is transferred into the house to adapt to room conditions. At the same time, additional disinfection is carried out. To do this, dilute 1 g of manganese in 2 liters of clean water and mix the solution thoroughly, after which it is evenly poured onto the soil.

Seeds for sowing are first visually inspected, removing all small, diseased and deformed ones. Priority is given to the largest and healthiest specimens. Next, they are placed in a container with saline solution. The seeds that float to the surface of the liquid are collected and discarded, those that fall to the bottom are washed in clean water. After this, the material is disinfected: immersed in a 1% manganese solution for 20 minutes.

Sowing seeds and obtaining seedlings

After all the tomato seeds have sprouted, they need to be planted immediately. By this time, containers with soil should be prepared. On the surface of the ground, any object or finger makes grooves 1 cm deep. The distance between rows is maintained within 2–3 cm. Tomato seeds are laid out in 3 cm increments, after which they are sprinkled with loose soil on top and sprayed with water.

The containers are covered with transparent film. In this state, they stand at an air temperature of +25 ° C until seedlings appear. After the tomatoes germinate, the film is removed and the seedlings are provided with good lighting. When two full leaves grow on the tomatoes, the plants are planted in cups and fertilized on the third day.

Planting dates and cultivation characteristics

Planting and further growing the Superklush tomato is basically no different from growing other varieties of tomatoes. However, there are some features of growing seedlings of this tomato and further caring for adult plants, which vegetable growers need to know about before starting planting work.

Growing seedlings

The Superklusha tomato is grown in seedlings, like most other tomato varieties. Seed material is planted approximately 50 days before transplanting into garden beds - in the second ten days of March.

Superklushi seeds for planting are usually bought in specialized stores - most often they are sold by the agricultural company Siberian Garden. If vegetable growers have already grown this tomato, then they can collect seed material from ripened tomatoes.

Just before planting, they should be calibrated - placed in a container with salt water and thrown away those that float to the surface - they will not germinate. And those that have sunk to the bottom should be placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection for an hour or two. Then the seeds are washed and dipped in a solution with growth accelerators for germination.

After the seed material germinates, it is planted in long, wide containers with low sides filled with nutrient substrate. Shallow trenches are made in it, into which the seeds are laid out. The furrows are sealed with earth, watered with a spray bottle, the top of the containers is covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm, bright place until the seed material germinates.

After the sprouts appear, the polyethylene is removed and the plants are moved to the windowsill. When the plants have a pair of true leaves, they are picked into separate cups.

During cultivation, seedlings need to be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers at least 2 times.

10-12 days before transplanting to garden beds, seedlings begin to harden off. The seedlings are transplanted to a permanent location when at least 5 true leaves appear on them.

Transplantation into the ground

The beds at the planting site should be prepared in advance - in the fall, removing remnants of vegetation and applying fertilizers. After this, the area is dug up, incorporating fertilizers into the soil.

In the spring, seedlings are transplanted into garden beds - in the second ten days of May under film coverings, in early June - directly into the soil. Up to 5-6 Superclushi bushes are planted on each square of area.

Further care

Further care for the bushes of this tomato consists of regular watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and tying up the shoots.

Tomato bushes are watered depending on the climatic conditions of the growing region. Typically, watering is carried out once every 5-7 days. In hot, dry weather the amount of watering is increased, and during the rainy season it is reduced.

Water for irrigation should be settled and warm enough. You should not experiment and water your tomatoes either with too cold or too warm water - this will cause the plants to get sick, their development will slow down, and the yield will be much lower.

After watering or rain, it is recommended to loosen the root zones of the bushes to break up the dry crust that appears. At the same time, remove all emerging weeds.

Fertilizers are applied regularly throughout the season. In the spring, tomatoes are fed with urea, a solution of mullein or bird droppings. After the start of flowering, Superklusha tomato bushes should be fed with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium salt. Such fertilizers promote the active appearance of flowers and ovaries, accelerate the growth of fruits, and improve their taste.

Planting to a permanent place of growth

Adult tomato seedlings are hardened off before planting. Tomatoes are taken outside when the air temperature is not lower than +18°C. It is advisable to carry out such procedures for about a week. Planting of the Klushi tomato begins at 50–60 days of age. By this time, the plants stretch up to 30 cm in height.

The time for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse falls in the first ten days of May. In the garden, Klush tomatoes are planted after warm weather sets in and the soil warms up. For the middle zone, this period begins in the last days of May. The variety Super Klusha and Klusha love loose, well-fertilized soil. It is better to let the acidity be slightly increased than decreased. As a last resort, a neutral indicator is allowed. Determinate tomatoes do not stretch, so when planting seedlings, you should not deepen the roots. It is optimal to plant five bushes per 1 m2.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Let's see, are these tomatoes really that good?

The variety is low-growing and does not stretch in seedlings, which makes it easier to care for. When planting plants in open ground, due to the compactness of the bush, they occupy a small area and are easily covered in unfavorable weather conditions. A tunnel greenhouse is ideal for these short tomatoes.

You can grow it in greenhouses, but why waste space on these “clumps”? The name speaks for itself: the plant looks like a hen - a hen that bears random eggs, small but even.

The advantage of “klusha” tomatoes, according to reviews and photos, is that they feel great at home on a windowsill or on a balcony in a pot or box, decorating the interior with their appearance.

Does not require stepsoning. This is not entirely true. An inexperienced gardener often falls for this advertising ploy.

Stepchildren above the fifth leaf are left, turning them into additional stems. As soon as they form ovaries, excess stepsons are removed from these stems.

Do not forget that the Klusha tomato has a medium early ripening period.

These varieties are distinguished by the fact that they yield their harvest in 100–110 days, and it is very important not to make a mistake with the timing of sowing seeds

How to calculate correctly? There is an optimal time for planting seedlings in the ground: for a mid-season variety, like the Klusha tomato, it is 55–60 days. We take into account in which region we will plant seedlings in open ground or under film, subtract 60 days from this date, and get the number of “birth” of the seed. But you need to take into account that 3–5 days are allotted for seed germination. What do we get? In the middle zone in mid-June, the average temperature is 15–20 degrees, which is comfortable for the growth of heat-loving plants like tomatoes, and they should be planted at this time. From the 15th we subtract 60, it turns out April 15, we also subtract 5 days for germination, it turns out that the optimal sowing for Klusha tomatoes is April 10.

Everyone will find their own mistakes, that you should not germinate seeds of different varieties at once, guided only by the lunar calendar or a free weekend.

Let's collect the advantages:

Early ripening and productive variety;
The bush is low-growing and compact;
Easy to care for;
Does not succumb to diseases;
Universal purpose;
Suitable for any region and climate;
The fruits are of high commercial quality and can easily be transported;
Can grow in containers at home or on the balcony.

Caring for adult tomatoes

The Klusha variety does not require special care. Timely watering, weeding, and loosening the soil are important. 3 weeks after planting the seedlings, the tomatoes are fed with nitroammophos fertilizer. The bushes do not require pinching. But if the plants themselves are poorly formed, the vegetable grower can help. The bushes are helped to form 2–4 stems by breaking off unnecessary stepsons. In case of severe thickening, part of the foliage is removed from the tomato.

When growing Klushi in a closed way, during flowering the air humidity is reduced for better pollination. At the same time, the air temperature is kept to a maximum of +28°C.

The video talks about tomatoes for open ground:

It is better to start harvesting when the fruits just begin to turn red or pink. For long-term storage, you can wrap each tomato in soft paper and place it in boxes.