Characteristics and description of the variety
The creator of the variety is considered to be the Japanese company Sakata.
The bush is determinate, low-growing, self-pollinating, up to 70 cm high. In a greenhouse it reaches 1.5 m.
Reference . Determinate type means growth is limited by its own flower raceme. The shoot of such tomatoes grows until a fruiting ovary appears at the top.
The plant is densely leafy, the leaves are medium-sized. The stem is strong and can withstand the weight of the fruit.
Early ripening hybrid - from the moment the first shoots appear until full ripening, 90-100 days pass. Recommended for cultivation in open ground and greenhouse conditions.
The culture has innate immunity against the main diseases of the nightshade family. Resistant to verticillium, cladosporiosis, fusarium wilt, and blossom end rot. Tolerates heat well for long periods of time. With sharp fluctuations in humidity, the buds do not fall off.
Productivity is high. The bush is strewn with fruits. Up to 2 kg of fruits are collected from 1 plant, provided that 4-6 seedlings are planted per 1 square meter. m.
Below is a photo of a Pink Bush tomato bush.
Plants do not require obligatory staking and pinching.
The fruits are small, symmetrical, round in shape. The color is bright pink, raspberry. The skin is smooth. There are 4-6 seed chambers. The fruits do not crack. The pulp is juicy and dense. The taste is excellent with a clear sense of sugariness.
In the photo - tomato variety Pink f1.
The species belongs to the salad category, so tomatoes are ideal for fresh consumption. They are used extremely rarely for pickles and marinades, since the taste is not preserved during heat treatment.
Tomatoes are stored for a long time and can withstand long-term transportation over any distance.
Reference . Raspberry-colored tomatoes are superior to red ones in selenium content. Selenium has a positive effect on the immune system, improves mental abilities and helps cope with depression.
Characteristics of pink bush tomato
But the appearance of the bushes and the taste of the fruits are not all that you need to become familiar with before planting a hybrid in your garden.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Like any other variety, the Pink Bush tomato has its advantages and disadvantages.
- Good yield;
- Excellent taste and external qualities of the fruit;
- Well preserved during transportation;
- Can be stored for several weeks if certain conditions are met;
- Beautiful uniform pink color;
- The fruits are suitable for dietary nutrition;
- Immunity to many nightshade diseases;
- Unpretentious in care;
- They do not require additional formation of the bush and removal of excess foliage.
The disadvantage is the inability to collect the seed yourself, which requires an annual purchase of seeds in the store, and the price of this variety is quite high.
Fruit yield
The fruits ripen at the same time and have the same shape and size. From one bush, subject to all rules of agricultural technology, up to 2.5 kg of selected tomatoes are harvested. About 14 kg of fruits are harvested from one square meter per season.
Application area
Varieties of pink tomatoes are classified as salad tomatoes; they provide the greatest benefit to the body when eaten fresh. In addition, the Pink Bush variety is excellent for making tomato juices and pastes. During the cooking process, tomatoes retain their taste.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Early ripening of tomatoes avoids the development of late blight, as this fungal infection gains strength by early August.
When cultivating a plant in a greenhouse, it may be attacked by pests:
- Whiteflies;
- Slugs;
- Colorado beetles;
- Spider mite.
How to grow seedlings
Sowing begins 35-45 days before planting seedlings in open ground. The grains do not need to be processed or disinfected; the manufacturer took care of everything himself.
It is advisable to prepare the soil mixture in the fall. A little peat, humus and wood ash are added to the garden soil. All components are thoroughly mixed. To destroy pathogenic microflora, the prepared mixture is disinfected with a hot solution of dark potassium permanganate.
Reference . Wood ash is not only a source of potassium, but also a preventative against fungal diseases.
They are sown in a common wooden box, in individual peat pots or plastic cups. Before sowing, the soil is slightly moistened and compacted. The grains are carefully laid out on the soil surface at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other and sprinkled with a 1 cm layer of soil.
The crops are watered with warm water and covered with film or glass to create a greenhouse effect. Before germination, the seed does not need lighting; it only needs light moisture. The containers are left in a room where the air temperature is at least 24°C.
Shoots appear in 4-5 days. At this point, the containers are transferred to a well-lit place where the air temperature during the day is no more than 16°C, and at night – 12-13°C. This technique helps to harden young seedlings. In this mode, the seedlings are kept for 1 week, and then the temperature is raised to 21°C.
Optimal daylight hours are at least 10 hours. If there is a lack of natural light, additional lighting is provided with fluorescent lamps.
When 2 true leaves appear, pick them. During picking, the sprouts are placed in separate containers, but there is no need to place the individual containers too tightly. The seedlings will shade each other and stretch upward towards the light. This can lead to improper formation of the stem; it will become thin and long and subsequently cannot support the mass of fruit.
Water the seedlings as the top layer of soil dries with heated and settled water with the addition of a small amount of citric acid to soften.
Reference . When growing seedlings, remember that three factors are most important for it: humidity level, temperature and lighting.
A month later, the seedlings are hardened off. Start with 2-3 hours of seedlings being outdoors in the shade. Gradually the time is increased to 8 hours. In the last 2 days before planting in the ground, the seedlings are left outside overnight.
Pros and cons of the variety
According to reviews from summer residents, pink tomatoes have a number of positive and negative qualities, which can be found in the following table.
Advantages
- High yield
- Plants have an excellent immune system that allows them to protect themselves from various diseases.
- High quality taste
- Can be grown both in a greenhouse and in open ground
- Small bushes
Flaws
- Do not serve in brightly colored sauces
- Growing seedlings from seeds is associated with certain difficulties
- Seed material is expensive
- It is impossible to get seeds from ripe tomatoes.
How to grow tomatoes
After 35-45 days, the seedlings are ready for transplanting into the ground. At this time, the bushes already have 7-9 true leaves and 1-2 ovaries of fruit clusters.
Reference . Transplant the seedlings on time, otherwise there will not be a proper harvest.
The hybrid will not take root in acidic soil, so checking the acid-base balance is mandatory. This is done using litmus paper: 20 g of soil is mixed with 50 ml of distilled water and shaken well. A litmus indicator is dipped into the resulting suspension. If the paper has not changed color, the acidity is normal. If it turns red, the acidity is exceeded.
Dolomite flour or slaked lime neutralizes acidity. Before planting, the soil is dug up and nitrogen-containing and mineral fertilizers are added to it.
Tomatoes cannot be planted in the ground where crops from the nightshade family previously grew, since they draw the same nutrients from the ground. In addition, pathogens of nightshade diseases may persist there. Good predecessors are carrots, cabbage, greens, legumes. These same crops are also suitable as neighbors for tomatoes.
Planting pattern: 45-50 cm – distance between plants, 40 cm – between rows. Planted in a checkerboard pattern, 4-6 seedlings per 1 square meter. m.
After transplanting, the seedlings are watered, loosened and left without attention for 10 days.
Proper watering is especially important for the growth and development of the crop. To keep the beds moist, they are mulched. Water exclusively with warm, settled water at the root. The culture responds well to drip irrigation.
There is no need to over-moisten the soil ; twice a week is quite enough, with the exception of hot days, when the number of waterings is increased to 3-4 times a week, depending on the ambient temperature. Excess moisture negatively affects the taste of the fruit; they become watery.
The first feeding is carried out at the beginning of flowering, then during the formation of the ovary and during the fruiting period. The hybrid is fed with complex mineral or organomineral fertilizers: “Master”, “Clean Sheet”. They contain all the elements necessary for the full growth and development of plants.
The tomato does not require pinching or staking, but some gardeners install wooden stakes next to the plants so that the branches do not break from their own weight.
Diseases and pests
Pink Bush tomatoes have truly high disease resistance. For this reason, it is quite possible to get by with simple preventive measures throughout the entire growing season. Prevention consists of regular weeding and loosening of the soil. Also, compliance with the rules of crop rotation and agricultural technology increases the immunity of the vegetable crop.
Dangerous pests include whiteflies and slugs. Slugs are collected by hand and the beds are sprinkled with tobacco dust or ground red pepper. To prevent whiteflies, use tobacco crumbs, onion and garlic arrows, or any strong-smelling plants.
Diseases
In rainy summers, plantings may suffer from fungal infection. Late blight can also affect tomato bushes in dry weather if crop rotation is not observed. Pathogenic microorganisms live in the soil. Late blight cannot be avoided if you arrange tomato beds in one place year after year.
To prevent diseases, arrange tomato beds where the following grew last season:
- garlic;
- onion;
- carrot;
- beans.
Good disease prevention is loosening row spacing, removing damaged leaves and fruits. Sprinkle the soil with tobacco dust to prevent slugs from damaging the fruits and leaves. Protect tomatoes from whiteflies with Confidor. The aqueous solution is prepared according to the instructions.
The nuances of growing in protected and unprotected soil
The variety is recommended for cultivation both in greenhouse conditions and in open beds. A high rate of fruiting when planted in protected soil is obtained in the Urals, Siberia, the Far East and the European part of Russia. The ideal climate for the hybrid is the weather conditions of the Black Sea region and Crimea.
The height of a determinate bush of this species depends on the growing conditions. In a greenhouse, the height reaches 1.7 m, while in unprotected soil the height of the bushes is no more than 70 cm.
Due to their large growth, greenhouse plants need staking, although many outdoor bushes are also tied, since the crop is distinguished by a large number of fruits set on one cluster. Staking of plants in open ground is usually required during mass ripening, since the vegetables ripen together and noticeably weigh down the fruit-bearing branches, as can be seen in the photo.
To increase the number of ovaries, flowering bushes are sprayed with a weak solution of boric acid (1 g per 1 l).
In a greenhouse, it is important to control the humidity level to avoid the proliferation of fungal spores. To do this, closed structures are regularly ventilated. But you shouldn’t create drafts, the tomato doesn’t like them.
In warm weather, experienced gardeners manage to harvest a second harvest. This is possible in greenhouse conditions. After the main harvest, the old branches are removed and new fruits are set on the remaining stepsons. But compared to the previous ones, these tomatoes are significantly inferior in weight.
Reviews
Marina writes: “The Bush Beefstick variety of tomatoes pleased us this year. Large and fleshy tomatoes are great for preparing a variety of dishes because they can be added anywhere. I liked them and will definitely continue to grow them next year.”
Here is Elena’s review of the Bush Beefstick variety: “You just can’t help but like these tomatoes. They are good at everything: growing and using. The taste is amazing, sugary, and the pulp just melts in your mouth.”
Harvesting and application
Fruit ripening begins in July and, due to extended fruiting, lasts for 2-3 weeks. Vegetables ripen together, in whole clusters.
It is a salad variety, so it is primarily consumed fresh. Fresh salads are especially good, but tomatoes are also used in baking, vegetable dishes and first courses.
It is used extremely rarely for pickles and marinades, since the taste is not preserved during heat treatment. But the tomato paste turns out first-class, only paler than usual. Small tomatoes are used for whole-fruit canning and do not lose their taste when dried.
Vegetables can be stored for a long time and can be easily transported over any distance. They have an attractive presentation that goes well with excellent taste. Thanks to this, the variety does not linger on the shelves, increasing consumer demand every year. Many farmers breed it for subsequent sale in markets.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let us list the positive properties thanks to which culture occupies a leading position in the markets of many countries:
- ease of care;
- disease resistance;
- high fruiting rate;
- adaptation to hot climates;
- survival rate in all regions;
- does not require mandatory garter;
- does not require pinching;
- decorativeness of bushes;
- excellent taste and benefits of fruits;
- presentable appearance;
- the fruits do not crack;
- long storage and long transportation;
- high consumer demand;
- Suitable for growing for sale.
Negative properties include:
- high price of seeds (do not forget that the variety is a hybrid, and you will not be able to select grains for the next planting yourself);
- more complex seedling care compared to other varieties;
- the effect of high humidity on the taste of vegetables.
Why is a hybrid attractive?
The Pink Bush tomato variety is suitable for growing in most regions of Russia in shelters. Taking care of your plants is rewarded with an amazing harvest. The fruits of the hybrid have time to ripen quickly. This tomato allows you to enjoy early vegetables and, thanks to its short development cycle, avoids common nightshade diseases. The advantages of the hybrid are obvious.
- Excellent taste and high yield;
- Tomato fruits do not crack, tolerate transportation well and retain their presentation for a long time;
- The fruits are evenly colored, since in the phase of full ripeness there is no green spot around the stalk;
- Suitable for dietary purposes;
- Tomato plants are resistant to fusarium, tobacco mosaic viruses and verticillium;
- The unpretentiousness of the Pink Bush tomato bush allows it not to be formed, and also not to remove leaves and stepsons.
It should be noted that tomato seedlings require increased attention. Since the Pink Bush tomato is a hybrid, new seeds must be purchased every year. Their cost is high, but pre-sowing treatment is not required.
Farmer reviews
Reviews about the variety are very eloquent and unanimous that you simply cannot find better and tastier tomatoes. Here are some opinions from fans of this hybrid:
Evgeniy, Rostov region: “Chic hybrid. Raspberry color, medium size. Goes on everything: on salad, in a jar, tomato juice. I plant it in a greenhouse. There are always plenty of vegetables. I buy only from the manufacturer. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Anton, Belgorod region: “I grow Pink Bush in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Friendly ripening, prominent fruits. Early tomatoes always sell well, and this hybrid has the advantage of excellent taste and excellent appearance. Yes, and delicious. I advise you to plant it."
Diseases and pests
The Pink Bush hybrid is immune to most known tomato diseases. To keep plants healthy throughout the season, preventive measures should be taken:
- Change the top layer of soil in the greenhouse annually;
- Avoid over-wetting the bed;
- Weed regularly.
