Tomato Black bunch F1: description of the variety, features of cultivation and care

Description and characteristics of the variety

Black bunch is a hybrid labeled F1. As a result of breeding work, domestic varieties with small fruits and wild Chilean tomato with dark-colored fruits were crossed. The tomato bush reaches a maximum height of 180 cm. It has a thick and strong stem. It climbs heavily and has a large number of leaves.

The leaves have an original shape - diamond-shaped, dark green, wrinkled, without pubescence. During flowering, the first inflorescence is formed above the seventh leaf. The following inflorescences are laid through one leaf. They are simple, intermediate. One inflorescence can produce up to 10 fruits.

Tomato ripening occurs early - 80 days pass from the moment shoots appear to mature tomatoes. The fruits are small, up to 5 cm in diameter, weighing 50–70 g. Their thin and smooth skin is dark purple. The pulp is medium-dense, fleshy, dark red in color. It has few seeds, 1–2 chambers, and a high dry matter content. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour, somewhat reminiscent of plums. Tomatoes can be used for universal purposes - they are consumed fresh, canned, prepared tomato paste, sauces.

Did you know? A Ukrainian farmer in the Kherson region harvested 165 tomatoes from one bush. The weight of the harvest was 8.4 kg. A tomato bush with a record yield is mentioned in the Book of Records of Ukraine.

When canned, they change color to brown. You can make juice at home. Tomatoes store well and withstand transportation. The Black Bunch variety is characterized by high yield. Up to 3.5 kg of fruit can be removed from one plant. A high level of fruiting is typical both when grown in greenhouse conditions and in open beds.

Reviews from gardeners

Reviews about the Black Bunch hybrid are mixed.

Valeria Kiryakova, Krasnodar: “Black bunch is an unusual hybrid with black tomatoes. They will surprise their family and friends with their appearance. Their taste is sweet, with a fruity aftertaste. The first time I grew it, I couldn’t determine the stage of fruit ripeness and picked unripe tomatoes. As it turned out, ripeness is indicated not by the black color of the fruit, but by the red or orange side.”

Inga Guseeva, Kirovograd: “I bought Black Bunch tomatoes because of their unusual color. I grew it in open ground in the sunniest part of the garden. I didn't like the taste, too sweet, not tomato-like. The price is high, I paid 150 rubles for 10 seeds.”

Planting and growing tomatoes at home

It is recommended to grow the Black Bunch tomato in seedlings. In warm regions, seedlings can be planted in open beds, in the middle zone - in greenhouses. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out 65–70 days before the planned planting in a permanent place. The planting date will depend on the climate in the region and the observed weather conditions. Usually sowing is done from mid to late March.

Learn how to grow tomatoes at home.

Optimal microclimate for growing

Seed germination occurs when certain conditions are created, which are arranged by equipping a mini-greenhouse. The optimal air temperature for fast and successful germination is +25...+30°C, humidity is 80–90%. The planting container with seeds must be placed in bright light. For the first 2–3 days, it is advisable to provide them with continuous lighting using fluorescent lamps. In the future, daylight hours should be at least 16 hours a day.

Video: how to germinate tomato seeds

Tillage

Land for seedlings can be purchased at a specialized store or made with your own hands from turf soil and humus mixed in equal quantities, with the addition of peat or sawdust. Coconut shavings or peat tablets are also suitable for this purpose. Purchased soil does not require treatment. The substrate mixed with your own hands must be disinfected. Disinfection is carried out in several ways:

• keep the soil above steam (20–30 minutes);
• calcined in the oven (10–15 minutes at +180...+200°C), microwave (2 minutes at power 850);
• water with potassium permanganate or boiling water;
• boil.

During this treatment, the soil is cleared not only of harmful microorganisms, but also of most beneficial ones. For the soil to restore the necessary microflora, it needs time - 1-2 weeks in warm conditions.

Seed treatment

Before placing seed in the ground, it must be discarded. You can distinguish high-quality seeds from those unsuitable for planting by soaking them in a saline solution (30–40 g/1 liter of water) for 10 minutes. All floating seeds must be disposed of. Only those that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting.

Important! Freshly collected seeds do not need soaking. They are able to germinate quickly on their own.

They need to be washed under running water and soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g/100 ml of water) to disinfect. Next, to speed up germination, the seeds are placed in moist and warm conditions. Place moistened napkins or cloth in a saucer, place seeds on them, cover with glass and place in a warm temperature for 10–20 hours.

Sowing technology

Sowing of seeds is carried out immediately after soaking. For planting, seedling boxes, plastic cups, peat tablets, and cassettes are used. The sowing technology is as follows:

1. Pour prepared soil into the boxes.
2. Moisturize it.
3. Make grooves 1 cm deep in it. The distance between the grooves should be maintained at 3–4 cm.
4. Place the seeds in the furrows, maintaining intervals of 1–2 cm.
5. Sprinkle the seeds with a layer of soil about 1 cm high.
6. Cover the plantings with glass.

Video: sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

Preparing to transplant seedlings

Caring for seedlings involves daily ventilation and regular moistening of the soil with a spray bottle. If proper planting is carried out and optimal conditions are created, germination should be expected after 4–5 days. Now they can be placed in a temperature of +18...+20°C during the day and +14...+16°C at night, and the shelter can also be removed. Before the first leaf appears, it is necessary to moisten the soil only if it dries out. After it appears, it needs to be watered once every 7 days.

Fertilizing with minerals is done every 3-4 weeks. Mixtures based on vermicompost, guano, and humic fertilizers are suitable. When 3-4 leaves appear, you will need to pick them into different 200 ml containers. After 2-3 weeks you need to transplant them into larger pots - 0.5-1 liters.

2-3 weeks before the planned date of moving to a permanent place, it is worth starting hardening the seedlings. If it is warm outside, then it is taken out into the fresh air every day. Start with 5 minutes a day, gradually increasing the duration of stay to several hours.

If it’s still cool outside, you can start by opening the window on the window where the seedlings are growing. The first time it is recommended to leave it open for 1–2 hours. From the next day, the duration of ventilation should be increased. If you carry out this procedure, the plants will develop strong immunity, and they will be able to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions, diseases and pests.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

Since tomatoes cannot tolerate cold weather, they are planted in a permanent place only when warm weather has established itself, and there should be no return frosts. Usually transplantation is carried out towards the end of May. However, it all depends on the region where tomatoes are grown. Seedlings are planted following the recommendation - 4 plants per 1 m².

Important! To obtain a good harvest, prevent the development of diseases and attacks of parasites when growing garden crops, it is necessary to observe crop rotation. Tomatoes should be planted after cucumbers, cabbage, legumes, onions, carrots, and lettuce.

There should be gaps of 40–70 cm between plants. In order to increase productivity, it is recommended to place tomato beds from east to west. This way the plants will receive sufficient lighting. The tomatoes are removed from the pots and, without destroying the earthen ball, transferred to previously prepared holes.

"Sweet Bunch"

Official information

It took only 1 year to conduct tests and introduce the variety into the register of breeding achievements of the Russian Federation. And in 2009, the variety was legalized under number 9153937.

Applicant and originator of the variety LLC Agrofirma Sedek, Moscow region, Domodedovo.

The variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions of the country under film greenhouse shelters and in open ground in private gardens of flower growers as an early ripening variety.

Of the entire series, only the “Sweet Bunch” variety has legal rights to exist. However, the market is filled with other “bunches”.

Characteristics of the variety

Considering the “Sweet Bunch” tomato, the characteristics and description of the variety indicate that the plant is indeterminate. The growth of the main shoot does not stop until we ourselves interrupt it. Often the plant reaches the height of a greenhouse and 1.8 m in open ground.

The leaf blade is large, dark green. The plant has good foliage.

Fetus

There are two nests. The seeds are small. Tomatoes weigh from 20 to 30 g, there is no uniformity in weight. Ripening is also not uniform, so the bunch initially does not have uniformity in color.

The taste quality is rated “good”, but those who have already grown tomatoes speak of a satisfactory taste, since they expected a sweet taste from a sweet bunch. The balance of organic acids and sugars is not organic enough and the sweetness is not felt.

The dense skin of a tomato protects the fruit well from cracking, both on the bushes and during heat treatment, but when eaten, you feel that it is extremely dense and “annoying.” Many vegetable growers, describing their impressions of the variety, consider the skin to be one of the stopping factors, and it is because of this feature that they refuse to grow tomatoes.

Use of commercial tomato

Tomato behaves well when canned with whole fruits. Having selected them according to color and size, you can fill them with both marinade and tomato juice.

Whole fruits, canned in tomato juice, are served in solyankas, and they serve not only as filling, but also as decoration.

The tomato does not burst during heat treatment. Some housewives, fearing that the fruits will lose their integrity, prick them with a needle, but there is no need to use this technique for the “Sweet Bunch” variety.

When using the fruit in fresh salads, many vegetable growers complain that they need to be blanched before serving because the skin is uneatable.

Productivity

The registration commission legalized the yield within 3.5 kg per square meter of film shelter area.

Those who have already grown tomatoes agree with the official figures and consider it completely unprofitable to occupy expensive land for such a barren variety.

Sustainability

When grown in a greenhouse, there are no special nuances with diseases and pests. When grown in open ground, and even under unfavorable weather conditions, reviews repeatedly say that the tomato is not resistant to late blight.

Advantages and disadvantages

Considering the advantages of the “Sweet Bunch” variety, the following points can be noted:

• early ripening and rapid delivery of fruits to the table;
• tomatoes tolerate heat treatment well while remaining intact.

The variety also has a number of significant disadvantages:

• low yield;
• the need for constant stepsoning;
• instability to late blight;
• satisfactory taste of fresh fruits;
• very thick skin.

Features of cultivation

Since the variety is tall, tying the shoot to supports is a natural step. However, the “Sweet Bunch” variety has the property of excessive formation of stepsons. To keep the tomato “within limits” it is necessary to regularly and timely remove the stepsons.

Maintaining a culture in two shoots is the most optimal. Increasing shoots does not provide a significant increase in yield.

How to care for tomatoes

Caring for tomatoes consists of the following procedures:

• watering;
• fertilization;
• tying to a support;
• stepsoning;
• soil care in garden beds.

Feeding

A tomato needs 3-4 feedings. Recommendations for applying fertilizers are collected in the table.

Tomatoes respond well to fertilizing with organic matter and folk remedies, for example, yeast, boric acid, iodine, and green fertilizer.

Watering

Tomatoes are moisture-loving plants. However, they do not like bays - they begin to suffer from fungal diseases. If the bushes experience a moisture deficit, they will begin to shed ovaries and form small fruits, so it is important to choose the correct watering regime. Typically their frequency is 1–2 times every 7 days. When growing tomatoes, drip irrigation equipment is recommended. This way the moisture will flow directly to the roots and nourish them faster.

1 - drip irrigation; 2 - watering at the root When watering at the root from above, you must ensure that the drops do not fall on the above-ground organs of the plant. Since this threatens the development of fungal infections. The volume of watering should be adjusted so that the soil is moistened 10–12 cm deep. To avoid the development of diseases, moistening should be done only with warm water heated to +20°C. The procedure should be planned for the evening, after sunset, or early in the morning.

Tying and shaping the bush

Like all indeterminate species, the tomato tree of the Black Bunch variety requires obligatory tying to a support and pinching. Bushes are formed into one stem. It is recommended to perform pinching every 10 days.

Formation of indeterminate tomatoes Using scissors or hands, remove all the stepsons that are in the axils of the leaves. The lower leaves in contact with the soil must also be removed. Thanks to these procedures, it is possible to achieve more abundant fruiting, prevent breakage of the stem and shoots, as well as the development of diseases.

Loosening the soil

Mandatory soil care activities include loosening, weeding and mulching. Loosening is carried out a day after watering or precipitation. This procedure allows you to prevent the formation of a dense crust on the surface of the earth and improve the moisture and air conductivity qualities of the soil.

To prevent weeds from taking away the sun and nutrients from tomato bushes, they must be removed in a timely manner. Weeding also helps prevent the development of various diseases and insect attacks. After watering, it is advisable to mulch the rows. Mulching is necessary to reduce weed infestation and keep the soil moist.

Diseases

Based on the description and characteristics, the Black Bunch F1 tomato has good immunity to many diseases, in particular late blight. But since less resistant tomato plants always grow nearby, preventive measures should not be neglected.

Spraying tomatoes with solutions of boric acid, iodine, potassium permanganate, and ash extract helps get rid of diseases. It is a good idea to spray with special antifungal or antiviral drugs in accordance with the instructions.

Methods for increasing yield

There are several ways to increase the number of fruits on tomatoes. Here are the most popular ones:

1. Hilling. This procedure allows the development of the root system, and this, in turn, helps to increase productivity.
2. Adding yeast nutrition (10 g dry yeast + 0.5 l wood ash + 5 tbsp sugar + 10 l water). 1.5–2 liters are consumed per plant.
3. Feeding with boric acid (10 g + 10 l of hot water). The foliar application method is used.
4. Planting according to the Maslov method. Seedlings are planted in a lying position. The lower stepsons are not removed, but dug in.

Video: planting tomatoes using the Maslov method

Possible growing problems

The hybrid is characterized by strong immunity to most major diseases and pest attacks. With proper planting and proper care, it does not get sick. Therefore, summer residents prefer not to treat it with “chemicals”. If the owner of the garden is worried that tomato bushes may be affected by pests, then it is necessary to plant plants such as calendula, marigolds, lupine, mustard, and oilseed radish near the tomato beds. These are strong-smelling crops, the smell of which effectively repels insects. Also, biological products that cause the least harm to the soil and plants can fight parasites. Among these are “Bitoxibacillin”, “Aktofit”, “Planriz”, “Gaupsin”.

We also recommend that you learn how to treat tomatoes with Fitosporin.

Tomato Black bunch: a brief excursion into history

The variety came to us from Holland itself. To obtain a hybrid, varieties from the site were crossed with wild Chilean varieties.

Breeders wanted to develop a variety of tomatoes that would contain a huge number of antioxidants. Anthocyanins have a beneficial effect on the human body. They give purple color to tomatoes. Reproduction took quite a long time. The result made the breeders very happy.

People instantly liked the tomato fruits and began to fly away. Indeed, in addition to taste, tomatoes are a storehouse of a large number of useful qualities.

Harvest and storage

Determining the ripeness of the described tomatoes is quite problematic. Summer residents who have already dealt with this variety are advised to wait until the fruits not only turn dark purple, but one side turns red. The stalk should be orange. Ripening can occur from late July to late August. The exact period depends on the growing region.

Tomatoes are harvested by carefully picking or cutting them from the bushes. When picking, it is important not to pull the tomato so as not to damage the bush. The beds must be inspected for ripe fruits once every 2 days. Tomatoes for immediate consumption are harvested when fully ripe. Tomatoes for long-term storage and sale are picked at the technical maturity stage.

Then they are placed in boxes and placed in conditions of +18...+25°C and humidity 80–85%, at which they ripen for 2–3 days. To preserve tomatoes for a long time, only whole fruits with thick skin without cracks, dents, stains, or signs of rot are selected. Storage is carried out at a temperature of +11...+13°C and humidity 85–90%.

We advise you to learn how to store tomatoes at home.

So, the Black Bunch tomato is worthy of paying attention to. Its fruits have a beautiful appearance and interesting taste. Growing a tomato tree is not difficult. The main thing is to choose a good area for cultivation, follow the planting technology and provide regular high-quality care.

Useful video

We invite you to watch the reviews in the following video:

We also invite you to familiarize yourself with other varieties of tomatoes that have different ripening periods: