Some gardeners call the Azure Giant tomato variety Radiant or Sugar. The tomato is a mid-season tomato, and the Early Giant ripens a couple of weeks earlier. Connoisseurs of the unusual color of tomatoes speak positively about this variety.
General information about the Azure Giant
The Azure Giant tomato was sectioned in Russia and intended for growing in the garden. The description of the variety notes that the tomato has good growth performance in greenhouse conditions.
First of all, the Azure Giant attracts with its unusual appearance. Its color is purple with a black tint, and sometimes the tomatoes take on a chocolate hue. The flesh is red and very sweet. Despite the fact that the fruits are dense, they contain enough juice.
The yield characteristics of this tomato variety indicate that the Giants have an average performance. But with proper care, one bush can produce up to 20 tomatoes per season.
The plant belongs to a determinate species, the height of the bush varies from 80 cm to 1.2 m. The description of the variety includes increased branching of the bushes and the need for pinching. This manipulation provides access to sunlight, due to which the ovary is formed and the fruits ripen. The plant needs sun for 10 hours a day during the summer season.
The resulting clusters have 4–6 ovaries. Fruiting is gigantic in size: a tomato can reach 700 g. To prevent large tomato fruits from breaking the stems, they must be tied to a stretched trellis or other support. Typically, the largest tomatoes grow on the lower ovaries, and at the top of the stems the tomatoes weigh no more than 200 g.
The tomato has a dense (but relatively soft) peel and ribbing at the stalk. The shape of the fruit is flattened and round. They tolerate transportation well. They are usually used fresh to make salads, added to soups and prepared as gravy. Juice is made from well-ripened fruits - the drink is thick and rich. Tomatoes can be used to prepare canned food for the winter, but not in whole form.
The description of the variety indicates that the fruits of the Azure Giant are distinguished by good taste. The plant is resistant to diseases, tomatoes are transported without problems.
Complaints from those who grew this variety relate to the instability of the harvest volume, which depends on weather conditions and plant care. Timely pruning of bushes is required.
Features of Early Giant tomatoes
Early giant tomatoes are distinguished by very large fruits of a pale pink color. Their shape resembles a giant cone with a narrowed part downwards. These tomatoes are very early and are the first to delight gardeners with their fruits. One ripe tomato can weigh up to 500 g.
Rules of agricultural technology
The description of the Azure and Early Giant tomato varieties confirms that tomatoes require a lot of attention from gardeners and some care.
To protect tomatoes from diseases, it is necessary to observe crop rotation and not plant tomatoes in the same place for several years in a row.
Seed treatment
Before planting, seeds purchased from a specialized store or obtained from the harvest are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. They are then washed in clean water and placed in a special solution that stimulates growth. After 1 day of exposure to the drug, the seeds are placed in a cool room for hardening.
This variety is grown by planting seedlings. To plant seeds, obtain light soil consisting of humus and garden soil. River sand and wood ash, calcined in the oven, are also added to this mixture.
Planting seeds
Plant the seeds at the end of winter in containers with soil. The seeds are buried in small grooves and sprinkled with peat on top. Then the container is watered with warm, settled water. The air temperature in the room should be about +23 - 25 degrees.After the first shoots appear, the containers are taken to a room with a lower temperature, +16 - 20 degrees. There should be no drafts.
They are placed on the sunny side, providing sufficient illumination. If the weather is cloudy for a long time, it is advisable to provide additional lighting with fluorescent lamps. Containers with seeds should be watered carefully, using a spray bottle or a regular strainer.
After the formation of the first leaf, the seedlings are picked, transplanted into another container and watered with complex fertilizers. For hardening, seedlings, starting from the end of April, are taken out into a cooler room or into the air every day.
Transplanting seedlings into soil
Transplantation into the soil is carried out towards the end of May. Bushes of these varieties are placed in such a way that per 1 sq. m accounted for 3 plants. Fertilizers and wood ash are added to the dug hole, and then the seedling is placed and covered with soil. Bushes with lush green parts but a weak root system will be more difficult to take root and grow slower.
To ensure a longer harvest of such tomatoes, new tomato bushes are replanted 3 weeks after the first planting.
Watering
Water the bushes after the top layer of soil has dried. For irrigation, use only warm water: exposure to cold water has a negative effect on the tomato, slowing down the growth and ability of the tomato to bear fruit. When watering, you should follow this rule: water should be at the roots, not on the leaves. It is considered mandatory to loosen the soil after each watering of the soil.
Formation of bushes
To avoid weakening the plant, remove all non-fruiting stems. It is considered optimal to leave 1 – 2 large stems on one bush.The rest are pinched (cut with a knife at a distance of 2 - 3 cm from the main trunk). Stepchildren are pinched after 4 fruit clusters appear on the bush.
Feeding
Experts in growing tomatoes Azure Giant F1 in reviews advise fertilizing the soil on which tomatoes grow 4 times per season. Both organic and mineral fertilizers should be used
Disease and pests
The description of the Azure Giant variety states that the tomato is relatively resistant to diseases, but can be affected by tobacco mosaic, Fusarium and Verticillium wilt. It is impossible to do without preventive measures.
The soil in which the seedlings are planted is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of copper sulfate. Then the tomatoes are sprayed with non-toxic biological products that have an antifungal effect, for example, Fitosporin.
You can cope with garden pests that can affect tomatoes by mulching the soil with straw or peat and regular weeding. Larvae and adult slugs are collected by hand. When plants are infested with aphids, the bushes are treated with a solution of laundry soap. Flying pests will be repelled by insecticides used for this purpose, but they can only be used until the ovaries form.
High humidity can lead to the formation of fungal diseases. Dark spots appear on the lower leaves. If they are detected, damaged sheets should be removed immediately. If this is not done, the disease can completely destroy the plant. You can cope with this disease with fungicides: Chlorothalonil or copper sulfate.
