Tomato Lionheart: characteristics of the variety and cultivation characteristics

Description of the variety

This is an indeterminate variety, which, with proper care, will allow you to grow tasty and large fruits. Harvesting occurs 95-105 days from germination. Tomatoes are grown using the seedling method. Young plants can be planted in open ground 50 days after planting the seeds. In this case, the earth should be heated to a depth of 19 cm and up to 15-16 degrees. If you grow the tomato variety Heart of a Lion in closed ground, then planting work should be carried out in the first half of April, and in open ground - in the second half of May. Lion's heart is suitable for fresh consumption and preparation of high-quality tomato products. It is resistant to the following diseases:

• verticillium wilt;
• fusarium;
• late blight

How are Antirrhinum seeds collected?

All seeds are enclosed in fruits, which are a multi-seeded capsule.
Seeds must be collected before they are fully ripe. Fully ripe seeds are colored black. They must be stored in a paper envelope. This will allow enough air to penetrate to the seedlings. Dry the seeds and place them in the refrigerator until spring. Seedlings that are grown from seeds may differ from their parents. The plant blooms until frost. You must decide for yourself whether snapdragon is a perennial or an annual. If you want to grow it as a perennial, then cut off the shoot, leaving a shoot no more than 8 cm high above the ground. Do not forget to cover it with ordinary peat, dry fallen leaves or sawdust. If antirrhinum is grown as an annual plant, then it is necessary to promptly remove wilted inflorescences that can sow seeds. After all the flowers on the shoot have faded, trim it as low as possible to the soil. This procedure will certainly prevent the seeds from spilling onto the ground. With the onset of deep autumn, the soil where the snapdragon grew must be dug up and the dried plant itself must be burned to avoid a new encounter with pests that could have settled in it.

Characteristics of the variety

Lionheart is one of the best varieties for fresh consumption, and you may also be interested in knowing:

1. that the fruits weigh on average 180-300 g;
2. early-ripening and high-yielding type of tomato;
3. characterized by high fruit set, the bush is medium leafy, its height is 120-140 cm;
4. the plant is formed into two stems;
5. The fruits are flat-round, smooth, dark red in color. They are meaty and very tasty;
6. from 1 m2 you can harvest 14-19 kg of tomatoes.

How is Lionheart different?

Lionheart tomatoes belong to the Oxheart family. They are large and juicy. Productivity is achieved through the size, not the number of fruits.

Characteristics of tomatoes:

• reach a mass of 200 g;
• heart-shaped, spout at the bottom;
• a ripe tomato is bright red;
• smooth to the touch, without ribbing;
• 4-6 chambers with seeds;
• fleshy juicy pulp;
• tomatoes have a sweet and sour taste;
• not rough skin.

Gardeners willingly supplement their personal collections with the Lionheart tomato. They appreciate the taste and technical qualities of the hybrid.

Features of cultivation

In order for the harvest to be good, you will need to follow several tips.

Preparatory activities

Sow Lionheart seeds in late March-early April. To do this you will need the following materials and tools:

1. Capacity. Use a container with a depth of 5-7 cm. For the first picking, a pot of 10-15 cm is suitable, and for the second, the height of the container will be 20-30 cm.
2. Soil . Purchase a ready-made substrate for tomatoes in a specialized store. Before using it, disinfect it by heating it in the oven to 100 degrees.
3. Planting material. They can be sown without preparation, or first kept for 15-20 minutes in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then rinsed with water.

Planting seedlings

Procedure:

1. Pour the substrate into containers so that there is a 2-3 cm border to the top. Water the soil.
2. Place planting material on top, maintaining a distance of 2x2 cm.
3. Sprinkle with a thin layer of earth (1 cm) and tamp down a little.
4. Cover the container with glass and place in a warm place.

Growing seedlings

When 3-7 days have passed since sowing, the first shoots will appear. From now on, caring for seedlings involves observing the following actions:

1. Remove the covering material and move the container to a bright place.
2. Water the seedlings with warm and settled water as the soil dries out. During the first moisturizing, add potassium permanganate to the water until it turns pink. This is an excellent prevention against blackleg.
3. 7 days after germination, when 1-2 leaves appear, pick, transplanting the plants into larger boxes and following a 5x5 cm pattern.
4. If the plants are too elongated, then deepen them to the cotyledon leaves.
5. As soon as the bushes in the container begin to touch each other with their leaves, and their above-ground part in volume exceeds the size of the earthen lump in the pot, then this is the time for the second picking. By this period, warm weather has set in, so the seedlings can be placed on a glassed-in balcony, in a greenhouse.
6. During the entire period of growing seedlings, fertilize 3-4 times with an interval of 10-14 days. Use complex formulations, for example, Fertika Lux. To prepare the solution, take 20 g of the drug and 10 liters of water. After picking, carry out the first feeding no earlier than 7 days later.

Planting in open ground

Carry out planting work in open ground only after the threat of frost has passed. Most often this happens after June 5-7.

Do not plant tomatoes in the same place for several years in a row. Do not place bushes after potatoes, physalis, peppers and eggplants.

Procedure:

1. The place should be thoroughly illuminated by sunlight, and there should be no trees or shrubs nearby.
2. Sprinkle a nutrient composition prepared from 10 kg of humus and 500 g of wood ash over the area. This is enough for 1 m2. You can use finished products: Sudarushka, Gumi-Omi, Agricola.
3. Dig up and level the soil surface.
4. Arrange the bushes according to a 40x50 cm pattern, tie each one to a peg.
5. During the first week, while the plants take root, the soil should be moist. To do this, use mulch from hay or grass clippings.
6. For quick establishment, treat the seedlings with a stimulant solution. The drug Energen (1 capsule per 1 liter of water) is suitable.

How to grow seeds in pots

If you want to decorate your garden plot, then you should use the following methods for breeding snapdragons:

Snapdragon growing from seeds: when to plant

This method is complex, since in order for the seedlings to germinate, they require careful care. If the seeds do not receive enough heat, the seedlings will not be able to sprout, which means that you will not be able to get a beautiful flower garden with blooming antirrhinum.

Sowing of seeds is carried out in March and for this you will need:

• Seeds of the selected variety.
• A small spatula and a regular sieve.
• Soil mixture.
• A special pot in which the seedlings will be sown.

It is necessary to fill the selected container with soil. The soil should not be heavy; you can buy it at any store. Place the seeds thickly and press them down lightly with your finger. Be sure to cover with a thin layer of soil substrate using a sieve for this purpose. After planting, the seedlings must be moistened and covered with film.

In order for seedlings to germinate for sure, they need a temperature of at least 20-23 degrees. As soon as the first borings appear, be sure to harden them. Open the film on the containers each time, increasing the hardening time. Over time, the film should be completely removed.

When and how to sow dogs video review:

Growing using seedlings.

The most common way. Seedlings are grown indoors, and as soon as the seedlings appear, they must be transplanted into open ground or a container.

When should antirrinum seedlings be planted in the ground?

Doggy flowers

After the seedlings have been hardened and thoroughly strengthened, they must be planted in open ground. This procedure is carried out at the end of May days or at the beginning of June days. There is no need to worry about the slight cold that is still present at night, because your hardened plants will cope with them without much difficulty.

The plant prefers to grow in sunny or slightly shaded areas, where there are no strong winds that can break the delicate, although quite flexible, branches.

The only main condition for successful flower growing is thorough soil drainage.

Light, nutrient-rich soil is suitable for planting.

For the snapdragon to feel great, it will need soil consisting of:

• vegetable compost
• river sand
• peat

All of them are used in equal quantities.

Care

Further care of plants planted in open ground requires the following actions:

1. Garter. Since the bushes are tall, they should be tied to a support so that they do not break during the wind. Install support stakes, 2 m high and 5 cm in diameter, near each bush. Attach tomato shoots to the supports using a rope.
2. Mulching. Cover the top layer of soil with straw or bark mulch. Due to such shelter, moisture will remain in the ground longer.
3. Irrigation. Lionheart requires abundant watering. Then the fruits will be large and sunny. But for this, the water must be prepared. Defend it so that all harmful impurities precipitate.
4. Pollination. This process is negatively affected by weather conditions, so you will have to take care in advance to attract insects. For these purposes, plant honey plants between the beds. During the flowering period, tomatoes need to be helped to pollinate by tapping on the pegs. Then the pollen will fall on other flowers.
5. Stepsonning. First, leave 1,2 or 3 strong shoots and remove the rest. Also trim growing stepsons 5-7 cm and lower leaves. Pinch the tops of the bush so that the plant does not grow upward.
6. Application of fertilizers. Nutrient formulations are required throughout the summer. Apply them every 1.5 weeks until the fruits ripen. At this time, use fertilizers enriched with fluoride. When fruits begin to form, formulations with increased concentrations of nitrogen and potassium will be required.

Diseases and pests

Lionheart is a variety characterized by strong immunity to disease. Late blight can affect plants only if they are not properly cared for. This is a fungal disease that causes significant damage to crop yields. It can be recognized by the presence of rot on all elements of the crop and wilting of the inflorescences.

As soon as the first signs are detected, remove all affected parts and treat the bush itself with fungicidal preparations.

The following insects are dangerous pests:

• whitefly;
• mole cricket;
• aphid;
• Colorado beetle.

Insecticides are used to control pests.

Photo

The Lionheart tomato is an excellent choice for growing both outdoors and indoors. It is not demanding in care, resistant to diseases and produces a high yield. Even a beginner can grow it and enjoy delicious vegetables.

Views of summer residents

Reviews from gardeners are mixed. The following received a positive rating: taste, fruit size; disease resistance, ease of growing a hybrid.

"Minus" was given for:

• Tomato ripening later than indicated on the label;
• smaller size of tomatoes in open ground;
• low transportability;
• shelf life less than 2 weeks.

Gardeners recommend planting Lion's Heart in greenhouses: the yield is 3 times higher. In cool summers, the hybrid suffers from late blight.