To save space in the beds and increase the amount of harvest, breeders constantly conduct experiments on crossing different crops. Agronomists from Great Britain and New Zealand jointly invented a hybrid called Pomidofel. The plant has ordinary potato tubers, and instead of tops, tomatoes ripen on the bush.
Description of the variety
The characteristics of any hybrid variety do not allow for an accurate description of the plant, since its characteristics depend on the seedlings being crossed. General properties include the appearance of the plant, which is a bush with rich green leaves.Tomatoes growing on bushes can weigh from 300 to 800 g.
Potato tubers weighing about 100 g are hidden in the soil. One plant seedling bears 8–12 potato fruits. Indicators of keeping quality, starchiness and pulp condition depend on the specific variety used for crossing.
Growing
It is impossible to plant Pomidofel with seeds on the plot, since the hybrid is grown only by grafting. When the stems of potato and tomato seedlings reach a thickness of 0.5 cm, grafting can be carried out. The length of the cuts should exceed the thickness of the stems by more than 4 times. Each shoot must be grafted by making splits on the stem sections and connecting them to each other, avoiding temporary drying. Then the shoots need to be tied at the junction with a bactericidal bandage and left in a dark place for several days.
Before planting seedlings, you need to first moisten the soil and the plants themselves. 7–9 days after grafting the stems, you need to plant the crop in the ground under covering material or bags. After another week, you can remove the bandage from the junction of the stems. If the seedlings have not grown well together, the tying material should be left for a few more days.
Features of care
The bushes of the plant begin to bloom just a few days after planting. The first fruits grow in a couple of months. To get a good harvest, you must follow a list of standard rules for crop care. During the growth of the hybrid it is necessary:
- Periodically loosen the soil.
- Visually inspect the beds and remove any weeds found.
- Water the crop, avoiding drought. The frequency and abundance of watering depends on climatic conditions.
- Use fertilizers suitable for potatoes and tomatoes.
- If rot is detected on the leaves of the bushes, treat their surface with disinfecting fertilizers.
When planting a plant in the ground in the spring, you do not need to water it immediately, as the soil will be saturated with moisture. Excess moisture or stagnation of melt water can lead to rotting of roots and wilting of seedlings.
Advantages and disadvantages
Due to the specifics of the plant and the characteristics of cultivation, a number of both pros and cons of the hybrid can be identified. Benefits include:
- Saving space in your summer cottage. From each planted bush you can harvest two crops at once.
- Original. Pomidofel has not yet become widespread and is an exclusive variety.
- Productivity. Despite the crossing of crops, the quantitative indicator of the yield is not lost during the growing process.
- Safety. Vegetables growing on a hybrid plant can be stored for a long time, which allows you to grow a large number of fruits and leave them for several seasons.
- Benefits and taste. The grown fruits retain their beneficial characteristics, and hybridity has a positive effect on the taste.
The disadvantages of growing this variety include the following:
- High price. The cost of one seedling is too high due to the complexity of crossing and the uniqueness of the hybrid.
- Requirement for fertilizers. Since the hybrid combines two crops at once, fertilizers will be required for both potatoes and tomatoes.
- Difficulty landing. The plant can only be grown by grafting stems of different varieties.
- Specifics of care. Since fertilizers and nutrients come from the bottom up, it is difficult to evenly distribute nutrition to the fruits.
By observing all the features of growing this crop, you can get a large harvest that will recoup the costs of plants and nutritional components. The fruitfulness of the Pomidofel variety exceeds that of conventional potato and tomato varieties.
Pests and diseases
When developing the hybrid, breeders feared that the toxic enzyme corned beef contained in potato tops could negatively affect tomato fruits. In practice, the content of this component does not exceed the standard.
In addition, the plant is resilient and is not harmed even by the common disease late blight.
The persistent aroma of tomatoes repels the hybrid Colorado potato beetle and similar pests, but if not properly cared for, the bushes of the plant can be attacked by insects such as aphids, nematodes, spider mites and thrips. Any insecticidal components are suitable to repel the listed pests. As an additional measure to fertilize and increase fruiting, you can add compost and soil conditioning additives to the soil.
Harvest and storage
The first tomatoes on the bushes of the variety grow a few months after planting. You can track the appearance of young tubers yourself if you carefully loosen the soil. Experienced gardeners advise harvesting Pomidofel with the onset of autumn. One bush of the plant can produce about 3 kg of potatoes and 5–6 kg of tomatoes.
Grown fruits are suitable for long-term storage due to their good shelf life and attractive presentation. You can store vegetables in the refrigerator, drawers or on racks. The main thing is that the storage room has a cool temperature and minimal lighting.
Reviews from gardeners
Marina, Tomsk:
“I took the risk of planting Pomidofel at the dacha, and took only a couple of bushes for the experiment.Surprisingly, the seedlings took root well and produced a large harvest. Next season I’ll try to plant more hybrids.”
Oksana, Ivanovo:
“I’ve heard a lot about hybrid varieties, but I came across Pomidofel only last year. I would like to note the great efficiency of the variety - I grew several tons of vegetables on a small plot.”
