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What does a tomato, or simply everyone's favorite tomato, owe to such a sonorous name like Viagra? The “fault” of everything is the presence of leukopin or lycopene (antioxidant) in fruits - a substance that inhibits the aging process and prevents the formation of neoplasms.
Having a unique chemical composition, Viagra tomatoes are described as an aphrodisiac.
Tomato Viagra: characteristics and description of the variety
This is a mid-season variety, relatively young, not a standard variety, created by breeders in 2008. Refers to indeterminate, that is, tall, requiring pinching. Otherwise, all the power of the plant will be directed to the trunk and leaves, which will be to the detriment of the development of fruits. Without pinching, the plant can stretch more than two meters in height.
Tomatoes "Viagra"
Tomato Viagra is intended for cultivation in greenhouses. The greenhouse can be glass, polycarbonate or ordinary film. This applies to the climatic conditions of Central Russia and to the regions of the Northwest. In open ground, the plant is planted in warmer latitudes.
- A powerful root system grows in width, about half a meter;
- The leaves have the usual shape, dark green, slightly wrinkled, smooth, without pubescence;
- The inflorescences are simple. The first one appears before the tenth leaf. All subsequent ones bloom every two leaves. A brush is formed from the inflorescence, maximum - eight fruits;
- The fruit is round, flattened on both sides. Deep green in an unripe state, in the process of ripening it turns into brown or dark red-brown, medium size (6-8 cm), weight reaches 100 grams. Under the dense thick skin, there is a fleshy flesh of great taste with a lot of seeds. Thanks to the elastic skin, tomatoes are well preserved and can be easily transported;
- The yield is high. With proper care, about 10 kg of fruit can be harvested from one square meter;
- The plant is resistant to traditional tomato diseases: tobacco mosaic, late blight, gray rot.
Cut tomatoes
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
As with everything, there are two sides to the coin. The advantages of the variety include:
- relatively early maturation;
- excellent fruit taste (juicy, sweet, rich);
- good disease resistance;
- long-term storage and transportation;
- fresh use, in salads, preparation of tomato sauces and juice for long-term storage, stews.
The disadvantages include:
- the inability to grow in the open field (Viagra does not tolerate significant temperature changes);
- appearance (stereotypes work: since childhood, many do not want to replace the usual red tomato with a brown fruit, but taste often prevails);
- unsuitability for canning (the pulp in a dense shell turns into a mushy mass).
Growing features
In March, it's time to sow seeds. This is usually done in one container or any other container. The soil is preliminarily disinfected and warmed up. By this time, the seeds must also go through the disinfection process. Most diseases are on the surface of the seeds, so there are two effective ways to get healthy seedlings:
- soak the seeds for half an hour in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate;
- place in a heated solution of hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes.
After the procedure, it is useful to keep the seeds in a nutrient medium by placing them in Epin overnight.
Seed soaking
How to germinate seeds
Seeds can be sown immediately after the necessary disinfection treatment, or they can germinate - germination will improve. To do this, they are laid out on a piece of soft matter. You can use cheesecloth folded in several layers. The seeds are placed in a plate of room temperature water.
Slightly germinated seeds require hardening. To do this, the temperature is drastically changed 2-3 times: leaving it in the refrigerator overnight, and at room temperature for the day.
So the seeds were sown and they began to sprout. After the appearance of two full-fledged leaves, a pick is made.
By the end of May, the seedlings are ready for planting in a greenhouse (the height of the bush is at least 30 cm). By this time, the soil should be prepared.
Seedling
Soil preparation
It should be moist and loose. Its composition: loam, peat, sawdust, humus, in equal proportions. The land needs to be fertilized with superphosphate.
Immediately before planting, the soil temperature in the greenhouse should be measured, it should be at least 15 degrees C.
Planting Viagra tomatoes
It is advisable to plant seedlings at a distance of half a meter from each other (two bushes per 1 square meter). Each bush requires individual support - you cannot do without tying, otherwise the stem will break under the weight of ripening fruits. The support can be of two types:
- Each plant is tied with twine to the greenhouse ceiling;
- Vertical support (wooden lath or reinforcement stuck in the ground). The trunk is pulled to it with twine in several places.
The fruits will be ready 60-65 days after planting the seedlings.
Care
In the presence of fertile soil (humus and ash), you can do without additional feeding. The plant will actively develop anyway.
Pinching should be carried out after the formation of no more than eight brushes with fruits - this is an important point in the instructions for caring for the crop. In this form, the plant will retain enough vigor to ripen larger and healthier fruits.
According to the reviews of gardeners, the Viagra variety is a worthy choice for growing on a personal plot. Its taste is superior to many well-known varieties, and its resistance to diseases and relative unpretentiousness during the growing season make it easier to care for the plant.
The unusual color of the tomato, which at first scares off, indicates the presence of an important pigment (lycopene) that can fight cancer cells. The human body does not produce this substance, it comes only with food.
So it is worth planting such a valuable plant, at least for the sake of preventing a dangerous disease.
