The King of Kings tomato is distinguished by its unpretentious cultivation and excellent productivity in any soil. This hybrid is drought-resistant, but requires high humidity when germinating seed material. Variety type – indeterminate, medium late.
Tomato seeds "King of Kings"
One fruit can weigh from 800 to 1000 grams
Tomato variety "King of Kings"
Description of the tomato variety King of Kings
The culture belongs to indeterminate hybrids, its growth is not limited, varies between 1.5-1.8 m, after which it is controlled through the formation procedure. According to photos and reviews, King of Kings tomatoes have branching, strong stems covered with fluff. Shoots need support.
The leaf blades are medium-sized with a wrinkled surface covered with a network of veins. Most often the shade of the leaves is light green, less often a bright green shade. The inflorescences are simple. Future fruits are formed above the ninth node, all subsequent ovaries are placed every three leaf blades. It is recommended to leave no more than 5 ovaries on one shoot. The period from seed germination to harvesting ripe tomatoes is 100-110 days.
Important! The description and characteristics of the King of Kings tomato variety indicate that the crop requires a large amount of light and heat, so it is preferable to grow tomatoes in the southern regions. Their cultivation in countries with cold climates is possible only in greenhouse conditions.
Landing Features
Experienced experts advise sowing the variety 2 months before the main planting. While the land is being prepared for the season of large harvests, the plant can be planted at home/greenhouse conditions.
On the site, planting is carried out per 1 square meter. 2-3 meter bush. This is done so that the blossoming roots do not begin to grow together with their “neighbors”. Each bush is formed from 1-2 stems. It is imperative to take into account that the first blossoming shoot growing under the flower brush should remain.
Taste qualities of tomatoes King of Kings
The shape of the tomatoes is rounded and slightly flattened on top and bottom. The tomato has weak ribbing and red skin. According to photos and reviews, the weight of one King of Kings tomato can reach from 300 g to 1 kg.
In a ripe tomato, the green edging around the stalk disappears. If you do not harvest on time, the tomato becomes overripe and its skin often bursts. The fruit pulp has a dense structure: the tomato is not watery and has few seeds. The taste of the tomato is sweet, with a slight sourness.
The harvested crop is able to retain its properties and appearance for 40 days, which allows the variety to be used for long-term transportation.
Tomatoes are suitable for making salads, pastas and juices. The whole tomato cannot be placed in a canning jar, so it is cut into slices and added to lecho or other dishes that require chopping ingredients.
Pros and cons of the King of Kings tomato variety
Like any crop, a tomato hybrid has its advantages and weaknesses.
Positive traits:
- large fetal weight;
- decent tasting qualities;
- keeping quality and transportability;
- high level of fruiting;
- immunity to diseases.
The disadvantages of the variety include:
- the need to create climatic conditions for cultivation (limiting the possibility of cultivating tomatoes in open ground in regions with short summers and cold climates);
- impossibility of marinating in its entirety.
It is impossible to independently obtain seed from ripened fruits: the hybrid is considered complex, so new seeds must be purchased every year.
Optimal growing conditions
The King of Kings variety is unpretentious to growing conditions: for rapid growth and abundant fruiting, the plant requires a sunny area. It is preferable to cultivate tomatoes in slightly acidic soil. In soils with moderate acidity, the plant can survive, but will bear fruit worse.
Important! King of Kings tomatoes are drought-resistant, but require careful soil moisture during seed germination.
It is possible to grow tomatoes in open ground if the region has long and hot summers. Gardeners cultivate tomatoes in a greenhouse, making up for the lack of heat and light through lamps and heaters.
Tomato seeds “King Kong”, series “From the author” – 10 seeds
Tomato "King Kong"
Growing tomatoes from seeds
Many are sure that in order to obtain early tomato production, seedlings need to be grown as early as possible. But in an attempt to obtain the earliest harvest, they forget that seedlings require ideal growing conditions - light, heat, humidity in a certain range. It is almost impossible to create such ideal conditions at home.
As soon as the air temperature rises a few degrees from the required value against the background of a lack of lighting, the sprouts immediately begin to stretch, become thin and frail, which can threaten them with death. And planting tomato seedlings in February threatens to turn into just such a disaster. Convincing results were shown by an experiment I conducted, in which seedlings of the same variety, planted in February, bloomed on the 70th day, and those planted in April - on the 40th!
For example, the planting season in the climatic zone of northern Ukraine begins in early April. The seeds are immediately planted in an unheated greenhouse. The heating is turned on only if there is a threat of frost and a sharp drop in air temperature for insurance.
Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked until they swell, then they are pickled in a fairly strong solution of cherry potassium permanganate for about 20-30 minutes. To do this, the swollen seeds are laid out in containers (cups) and filled with a solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of a stimulant drug.
Experience shows that seeds (especially stale ones) that are not soaked before this procedure may lose their germination capacity after being treated with potassium permanganate.
While the shifts are in potassium permanganate, they are mixed several times with a stick, and then thoroughly washed either twice in different containers, or with running tap water. Afterwards, the tomato seeds are dried until they flow and are sent to the greenhouse for planting.
In the greenhouse, tomato seeds are planted on previously prepared, leveled and soft soil.
Shallow furrows with an interval of 10 cm, depth and width up to 1 cm, are where the seeds of future tomatoes are laid out.
After sowing, the seeds are carefully covered with a thin layer of soft soil (no more than 5 mm), sifted through a fine sieve. This method allows you to eliminate uneven and excessive deepening of seeds, which almost always happens if they are simply covered with soil. Properly sprinkled seeds provide uniform and rapid germination.
Growing
Cultivation of King of Kings tomatoes, according to reviews and photos, is carried out using seedlings. Productivity is influenced by compliance with planting and care rules.
Growing seedlings
The optimal time for the procedure is from mid-April to the first weeks of March. Transplantation into open ground is carried out 70 days after planting the seeds for seedlings.
It is recommended to purchase seed material from trusted suppliers. Before planting, it is necessary to check the expiration date of the seeds and process them.
Samples that have defects, strange shapes or colors are unsuitable for sowing. To check the germination of the seed, you need to dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and put future tomatoes in it. Seeds suitable for planting will remain at the bottom after 10 minutes, hollow samples will float to the surface of the water.
As a disinfection procedure, seed material is immersed in a 0.05% chlorhexidine solution for 30 minutes, then washed with water and dried thoroughly.
A day before planting, it is recommended to place the seeds in a solution with a growth stimulator and prepare the containers. Containers must be clean, dry, and have ventilation holes.
Rules for planting tomato seeds:
- distribute a drainage layer (small stones or expanded clay) along the bottom of the container;
- pour soil into the container and thoroughly moisten it;
- sow seeds in grooves 1 cm deep, maintaining a distance between rows of 3 cm;
- lightly sprinkle the planting material with soil, moisten the soil with a spray bottle;
- Cover the box with plantings with glass or film, move the containers to a sunny and warm place.
After the emergence of shoots and 2-3 leaves, the King of Kings tomatoes need to be transplanted into separate containers.
Caring for seedlings involves timely loosening and watering, providing a sufficient amount of sunlight. It is recommended to regularly ventilate the room where the containers are located.
Landing rules
Transplantation into open ground is carried out when the soil has warmed up to + 15 °C. 10-14 days before the procedure, it is recommended to harden the plants: take containers with tomatoes outside on sunny days, gradually increasing the time they spend in the fresh air.
Before planting, the soil is dug up and beds are formed. It is possible to place no more than 3 bushes per 1 m2. The distance between seedlings should be 40 cm, and the row spacing should be 0.5 m.
Before planting, the plant is moistened abundantly, after which it is carefully removed from the pot so that the root system remains intact, and moved into the hole, covered with earth, and watered.
Watering and fertilizing
Moistening the soil is carried out as necessary: warm water is poured onto the soil in the morning or evening hours so that moisture does not fall on the leaf blades and does not erode the root system.
The first fertilizing is carried out immediately after planting, adding fertilizers with phosphorus to the soil. During the period of flowering and formation of ovaries, it is necessary to provide the tomatoes with nitrogen, and during the period of fruit ripening with fertilizers containing potassium.
Pinching and tying
Tall tomatoes King of Kings need pinching. The first procedure is carried out when the bush reaches 6 cm in height: the lower shoots are removed. During the entire growing period, it is recommended to carry out 3 prunings. During the procedure, you should also pinch the tops of the plant so that the bush slows down its growth and directs its forces to ripening the fruits.
Immediately after transplanting the crop into open ground or as the variety grows, it is necessary to tie it up. This avoids damage to tomatoes from gusts of wind and provides support for branches with fruits. Wooden or metal stakes, mesh and other available devices are used as support.
Formation
For King of Kings tomatoes, forming 1 or 2 stems is a mandatory procedure. The first brush is placed above the 9th leaf, the rest every 3 leaf plates.
Formation is carried out gradually as the bush grows. If the procedure is neglected, the branches bend to the ground under the weight of the fruit and break.
Protection from diseases and pests
King of Kings tomatoes are highly resistant to diseases that affect tomatoes. The pest that attacks the variety is the whitefly. It is capable of completely destroying all plantings within a short period of time.
The butterfly is small in size (up to 3 mm), drinks juice from the leaf plates and branches of the plant, which turn pale and then lose color as the pest is active. Without treatment, the tomato dies.
The first inspection of King of Kings tomatoes is recommended 10-12 days after transfer to open ground. If it is detected, it is important to treat all bushes with special preparations: Mospilan or Actellik.
Caring for tall blueberries
Caring for Denis Blue blueberries is simple; even an inexperienced gardener can cope with this task.
- Regular watering.
- Mulching.
- Fertilizer.
- Trimming.
- Maintaining the required level of soil acidity.
The last point involves watering the ground under the bushes with diluted water and citric acid in a ratio of 1 tsp. per 3 liters, 9% vinegar 100 ml per 10 liters. An electrolyte acidifier is also used for batteries. Take 5 milliliters per 1 liter of water.
Frequency of irrigation of bushes
Water blueberries 2 times a week, 1 bucket per adult bush.
It is important to do this in July-August, when the berries are ripe and the harvest for the next year is laid. In hot weather, you can spray plants with water from a spray bottle.
What and how to feed the variety
Fertilize blueberries with complex fertilizers 3 times during the growing season. The procedure is carried out in March, during pollen and until July 10. The volume of added substances should not be more than 1 tbsp. for a 2-year-old bush for the entire season. For each year of life, plants increase the amount of feeding by 2 times. You can use fertilizers for heathers, universal combinations, Azofoska. Blueberries don't like manure.
How can you keep blueberries fresh for the winter, the best ways at homeRead
If the crop “feels” poorly, this will be manifested by a change in the color of the leaves. A lack of mineral components, the acidity of the soil has changed - everything will be reflected on the leaves.
- When blueberries lack nitrogen, the leaves turn yellowish-green, then reddish.
- Phosphorus deficiency is manifested by a purple tint to the leaves.
- Iron deficiency, or chlorosis - young leaves are lemon-colored with a green network of veins.
- Magnesium deficiency is caused by red edges of old leaves.
- Sulfur deficiency is characterized by yellowish-white or white-pinkish foliage. The lack of this substance is fraught with changes in acidity and a lack of nutrition for the crop.
Formative pruning of blueberries
Due to pruning, the yield increases, the fruits will be more tasty, larger, more presentable, and the bush will be protected from diseases and bugs. The plant should be formed before the sap flows.
The work is carried out as follows:
- young bushes form a bush from the age of 2, shorten the branches by 1/3, remove all small branches at the base, remove buds that are about to bear fruit;
- adult bushes are pruned to increase fertility, removing loose branches, leaving only upward-growing specimens.
Blueberries are famous for their good winter hardiness; they are covered only in the northern regions, where the temperature remains low for a long time.
Prevention of diseases and pests
The bush is rarely attacked by beetles or diseases. To prevent this from happening, preventive measures are taken. In March, before the start of sap flow, the bush is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. After the leaves bloom, repeat the manipulation with Topsin M 0.2%, Euparen, Roval. In November, when the leaves fall, treat with fungicides again.
Frost protection
Denis Blue blueberries will withstand temperatures dropping to -30, but if the cyclone is short-lived, the bush is covered with snow. To protect the berries from freezing and drying out, it is necessary to tie the crop with spruce branches. The needles will help retain snow and protect against hares who want to feast on the branches. You can build a frame and stretch burlap on top. Unripe branches usually freeze, therefore, it is necessary to create conditions to ensure the completion of growth and ripening of the wood. After July 10, the bush stops fertilizing.
