Large-fruited Dutch hybrid tomatoes "Majitos": secrets of proper care for a bountiful harvest

Tomato Makhitos f1: variety description and characteristics

Tomato Makhitos: photo of the variety

The Mahitos tomato variety came to us from Holland. This is a hybrid variety, indeterminate, its growth is unlimited. The bush reaches a height of 2 m or more. It is grown in greenhouse conditions, and for this purpose it was bred, in fact. The tomato loves warmth, but can adapt to the conditions of open beds.

In the south, you can grow the Mahitos tomato variety in open ground. But a tomato that grows in greenhouse conditions will be better in terms of Machitos tomato yield and taste.

The structure of the bush is strong and strong. The leaves are large, dark green in color, and densely cover the bushes. The root system develops well and branches in all directions. Tomatoes set constantly, even with excess or lack of water. Fruit ripening occurs simultaneously. Ripening period is 105 days after germination. Therefore, the variety is considered mid-early.

Tomatoes in the shape of a circle. The tomato resembles a smooth ball with a slightly flattened base near the stalk. When the internal contents and skin of the fruit are fully ripe, they turn a deep red color.

This is a hybrid variety that produces large fruits, although the average weight of a tomato is in the range of 200-250 grams. This encourages canning of smaller tomatoes in jars.

The fatty advantage of the variety is the compacted internal contents and skin of the fruit. Tomatoes are not at risk of cracking when they are ripened and processed thermally. The fruits are preserved for a long time and are well transported over long distances. The internal contents of a tomato contain a lot of sugar, which is why tomatoes have a sweet taste.

Harvesting

There are 3 stages of tomato ripening. The first occurs when fruit growth stops and the skin becomes lighter. Technological maturity is determined when the tomatoes turn pink when cut. After a couple of days, the tomatoes reach consumer ripeness.

Harvesting tomatoes

You can start harvesting a month after transplanting into open ground. The first fruits are small, a month after the start of the season they grow to average size. During this period their number is maximum.

Tomatoes of this variety do not ripen at the same time, so the fruits are removed from the bush in stages over a long period of time.

Mahitos tomatoes are a productive mid-early variety that ripens in late June-July. The plant grows up to 2 m, so it requires staking. The variety is highly resistant to pests and diseases. Due to their different weights, tomatoes reach the consumer stage of ripeness at different times.

Tomato variety Makhitos f1 - advantages and disadvantages

• In strong bushes there are small internodes. Although the bush is tall, it is perfectly balanced.
• After planting, the seedlings adapt well and begin to grow quickly. The bush instantly forms a branched root system and is overgrown with leaves.
• The variety is resistant to nematodes and cladosporiosis.
• Tomatoes always set, regardless of changing weather conditions.

Growing the Makhitos tomato means that the variety must be regularly tied to a trellis and pinched in time. The stems are growing actively, so the vegetable grower will not have time to sleep. The foliage below also breaks off. The leaves cover the tomatoes, slow down their ripening, and steal nutrients from the bush.

Do not confuse the active growth of a bush and fattening. Because instead of a lot of fruit, you will get a “harvest” of leaves and stems. To prevent plants from becoming fat, they must be properly cared for.

When the seedlings adapt and begin to grow, there is no need to water frequently or overfeed the bushes with mineral fertilizers. Tomatoes, of course, like all this, but the fruits will set poorly. Watering should be carried out in moderation, and it should be increased after 3 brushes are formed.

Measures to protect against diseases and pests

Tomato Machitos is immune to nematodes, verticillium, cladosporiosis and tobacco mosaic. Despite the high genetically determined resistance to pests, it is recommended to treat tomatoes against:

• gray rot;
• anthracnose;
• streak;
• late blight.

To prevent weakened immunity, it is important to maintain high light levels and avoid excess moisture. If signs of disease appear, you should remove the affected fruits, increase the temperature in the greenhouse, and reduce the humidity level

After this, it is highly advisable to establish the type of violation and treat the above-ground parts with a special solution. If the roots begin to rot, then you need to treat the underground part of the plant with copper sulfate and change the layer of substrate in which the tomato grows.

On tomatoes you can notice the proliferation of whiteflies, bedbugs and mites, mole crickets and Colorado potato beetles, and wireworms. They attack leaves and the area around them. The first insect is a small butterfly that breeds on the inside of the leaf. The larva feeds on the sap of the plant and forms a viscous secretion, preventing it from breathing.

Bedbugs come in different sizes; the shoots growing next to the weeds are the first to be affected. A lesion can be suspected by the appearance of brown or white spots on the skin. The leaves of the plant curl and die.

The Colorado potato beetle lays larvae on the back of the leaves, and the offspring appear after 10 days. If they grow, they eat the bush in 3-4 days.

The mole cricket is a large beetle that digs tunnels underground. It damages the roots of the tomato, which causes its death.

The only way to get rid of parasites is to timely treat the bush. It is best to prevent pests from appearing and water the bush for preventive purposes. To do this, you need to deeply plow the soil in the fall and add a solution of chemicals before planting.

How to plant tomato Mahitos

In order for the harvest to be rich, it is necessary to monitor the rationing of planting bushes. There are also some landing rules.

• The seeds are sown in the same way as other tomato varieties. Machitos tomato seeds are deepened into the soil by 1 cm, at intervals of 2.5-3 cm.
• The seedlings need to be lightly sprinkled with soil, and after this procedure, carry out extensive watering. Disinfectants can be dissolved in water. For example, gardeners often use a solution of potassium permanganate.
• Containers with seedlings should be covered with film material and wait for them to emerge. It is necessary to care for seedlings in the same way as for seedlings of other tomato varieties.
• When the moment comes for planting seedlings for permanent residence, certain rules are followed for planting the “Makhitos” variety.
• In greenhouse conditions, bushes should be planted in rows. The distance between rows is 100 cm.
• Plants must be planted at intervals of 40 cm from each other. Why not 20 cm, like everyone else? Because a small interval will reduce the yield of Machitos tomato.
• Bushes are formed with 1-2 or 3 stems. The best way is in two stems.

Just follow these rules and regulations, and then the variety will delight you with a magnificent harvest of delicious fruits.

Features of planting and care

Before planting plants in the soil, the soil should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

To improve germination, seeds should be soaked for 12 hours in a biostimulant. Before sowing, the soil is moistened and the seeds are planted, deepening them by 2 cm, then covered with film. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out 50 days before the expected date of planting in a permanent place in the greenhouse. Read more in the article “Sowing tomatoes for seedlings”

When caring for Makhitos f1 tomatoes, it is advisable to maintain an air temperature of at least 24°C and a humidity level of no more than 65%. Plants require long daylight hours during flowering, so it is recommended to place them under a lamp for 10-12 hours. When the first two leaves appear, a pick is made.

When planting them in the ground, there should be a distance of 35-40 cm between Machitos tomato bushes. A distance of at least 90 cm is maintained between rows.

After transplantation, the bushes are quickly rehabilitated and begin to grow their root system. At this point, watering should be limited, as excess moisture can lead to small fruits. Moisturize only when necessary, if the leaves wither or the soil becomes dry. It is better to irrigate until three clusters form on the bush. After this, the number of waterings increases.

When the fruits begin to fill, it is necessary to carry out complex fertilizing using nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The NPK ratio should be 15:3:30.

Mahitos tomatoes are tall varieties; under the weight of ripening tomatoes, the stem may not withstand the pressure and will break. To prevent this from happening, you should make a garter. A peg is stuck into the ground, and a bush is tied to it with a rope or rag.

Do not forget about pinching, which helps to form the bush correctly. The method is based on the removal of unfruitful branches that take away useful substances. Here are some recommendations:

• pinching is carried out during the flowering period on the first cluster;
• branches must be cut off before they reach 5 cm;
• Do not use scissors or a knife under any circumstances; the sprout should be broken off or pinched off;
• the stepsons located below the branches with flower ovaries are completely removed;
• the secondary procedure is carried out in late July or early August;

Tomato Makhitos: variety cultivation technology

Tomatoes Mahitos: photo

How a tomato will develop is influenced by 2 main factors: nature and man. No one can interfere with nature. Although it is possible to provide shelter for plantings from unfavorable conditions.

The second factor is the person, everything is clear here, everything depends on ourselves. How to care for tomatoes: water, feed, maintain temperature conditions and microclimate in closed ground, form a bush. The main thing here is competent agricultural technology.

How to properly water and feed the Machitos tomato

Let's start with the bad. If there is too much watering and feeding, the bushes will simply become fat. That is, a lot of leaves will grow, and the growth of the stems will be accelerated. The bushes will grow vigorously, but this is not necessary. The ovaries will appear later than necessary; there will be an increase in extra stepchildren. If you let the tomatoes go like this, it will be quite difficult to restore them.

If fattening has already begun, and the gardener doesn’t care about it, then the harvest will be poor: small tomatoes, and they will also ripen late.

Useful tips

• Watering should be in moderation. We increase the dosage after 3-4 brushes appear.
• Regulating the water dosage during drip irrigation is more difficult. Here it is necessary to adjust the rate of each of the droppers near the plants. If a watering tape is laid in greenhouse conditions, then the rate is adjusted according to the watering time.
• When there is a sharp cold snap, watering is reduced or suspended. If the greenhouse is unheated, then it is useless to water; the tomatoes will not drink it because it is cold.
• Minimal use of minerals is necessary to feed tomatoes. They begin to fertilize after 3 tassels have formed.

In general, follow the norm in everything, and the plants will thank you for this. After all, an excess of water or fertilizing is not good.

Tomato Machitos f1: video

How to adjust the color intensity of Mahitos tomatoes

The description states that after the tomatoes are ripe, they become a deep red color. But uneven or unsaturated coloring of tomatoes still occurs. If the color is uneven, then this is most likely due to improper watering, which should have been balanced.

But most experienced vegetable growers claim that they watered the bushes according to the rules. Perhaps this is how it all happened. And maybe the reason is insufficient feeding. But you don’t need to immediately run and fertilize the bushes with all the mixtures. There are signals that can help you find out what tomatoes are missing.

If there is not enough potassium , the coloring will be uneven. If you add potassium to the soil, everything will fall into place. The tomatoes will turn a deep red evenly.

Manganese will accelerate the coloring and brightness of fruits . If there is not enough potassium, then there is no need to add manganese. Since even if the coloring accelerates, this does not mean that it will be uniform.

These two mineral elements must be added in balance. Only then will the harvest be beautiful.

Temperature conditions for growing tomato Mahitos

The hybrid tomato variety Mahitos is resistant to weather and climate. The bush is strong and tolerates most changes in the microclimate of greenhouse conditions. This also applies to lowering temperature conditions.

If the leaves are exposed to the sun, it’s not scary. The variety is not afraid of burns, but, naturally, everything has its own measure. But let's not experiment with this matter. After all, you just need to maintain high temperature conditions in closed ground, since the hybrid variety is heat-loving.

Should I remove the foliage of a Machitos f1 tomato?

Excess leaves take juice from the bushes. If there is a large amount of foliage, then the tomatoes become smaller. Their ripening period is long, the taste is not so sweet. But it is also forbidden to pick off many leaves.

Thickened bushes are a feature of the variety. If you remove a large number of leaves, the plant will become depressed. Because the leaves are its cooling, moisture- and air-permeable systems. It is necessary to pluck the bushes in parts. The foliage breaks off only on the lower tiers and in the place where it interferes with the ripening of tomatoes.

Features of cultivation and care recommendations

At the initial stage, the development of this variety is no different from any others. Sowing seeds begins approximately 55 days before planting tomatoes in the ground. They are pre-soaked in a solution of a growth stimulator.

Tomato seedlings Mahitos

You can buy soil for tomatoes in the store or prepare it yourself. The latter option is preferable, since it will allow the plant to endure less stress and take root faster.

The composition of the soil should be neutral acidity (pH 6.5-7), which is achieved by mixing:

• soil from the area where it will grow;
• river sand;
• peat;
• organic fertilizers.

The components are mixed in equal proportions and ash is added. The finished substrate must be disinfected. This can be done in several ways:

• spilling copiously with a solution of potassium permanganate;
• keeping in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 70-90 ° C;
• placing it in the freezer for a day or in conditions below -15 ° C.

The seeds are placed in the soil to a depth of 1 cm in increments of 2.5-3 cm. Then the soil is watered, adding a disinfectant composition (a special or weak solution of potassium permanganate) to the liquid. After sowing, the container is covered with film or glass and placed in a warm place under a lamp.

Growing and planting seedlings

After the shoots emerge, the glass is removed from the box, leaving the young shoots exposed. After the formation of 2 leaves, the sprouts are planted in individual pots.

When the seedlings reach 10-15 cm, and the number of leaves reaches 5-6 pieces, the sprouts become stronger and the external conditions become suitable, they are transferred to the greenhouse.

In the greenhouse, they begin to care for the plant, taking into account the characteristics of the variety. The stem needs space because it grows tall and bears fruit abundantly.

The sprouts are planted in rows, the distance between which should be 1 m, the seedlings are planted every 40 cm. As the bush grows, you need to leave 2 stems in order to get an optimal harvest and a strong stem.

Watering and fertilizing

Water the seeds generously when sowing, then after planting in the ground, reduce the volume of liquid. A signal to increase the volume of irrigation is the formation of 2-3 brushes on the sprout.

The optimal volume of fluid intake is considered to be 4-6 liters per day. If you use a drip irrigation system, you need to install it separately for tomatoes or be able to stop the flow of water to the greenhouse.

Feeding tomatoes

The Machitos tomato variety needs to be fed when the number of shoots on the bush reaches 3-4 pieces. It will no longer be necessary to repeat during the active period.

Stepsoning

Each shoot of the plant needs nutrition, so their excess quantity affects the subsequent number of fruits.

Stepchildren are shoots that begin to grow from the axil of the leaf. Mahitos tomatoes, as a tall variety, produce a large number of additional shoots. Therefore, the variety needs to be removed (pinching), due to which an increase in yield is observed.

Stepping is carried out every 10 days. The sprout must be torn off with your fingers at a level of 1 cm from the mouth. The stepson should not grow more than 10 cm.

Tomato Makhitos f1: reviews from gardeners about the variety

Valentina : “The variety has been growing in closed ground for the 3rd season. I liked the delicious Machitos tomatoes. I pinch the tops of the bushes approximately when the bush grows to 1.8 m. I limit the growth because the height of the greenhouse is that high. There is no room to grow further. I constantly remove the lower tier of leaves. I leave each brush with 5 tomatoes so as not to overload the bush.”

Marina: “The Machitos variety of tomatoes pleased me with a magnificent harvest. Each bush produces 12 kg of fruit. I don’t take special care of the variety. The procedures are identical to those of other varieties. I feed only at the second stage of development.”

Plant diseases

"Machitos" is very resistant to diseases and various types of pests. It has high immunity even to powdery mildew. But there are exceptions to any rule. If diseases do appear, then it is worth looking for the cause in improper care.

It is also necessary to periodically inspect the bushes and protect them from the Colorado potato beetle. Abundant numbers of these insects can destroy entire plantings.

The variety "Makhitos" is very versatile. Due to its abundant yield, it can be grown for both home use and commercial sale. Caring for it is simple and does not require deep knowledge in the agricultural industry. Thanks to these characteristics, it can be recommended to both experienced summer residents and beginners.