by Every gardener who grows tomatoes strives to get a good harvest of tasty and aromatic fruits. But not always the most productive tomatoes turn out to be as sweet as we would like. And sometimes tomatoes growing in open ground are much tastier than greenhouse ones. Why does this happen?
Tomato fruits have a very rich composition. They contain sugars: glucose and fructose; organic acids: oxalic, citric, succinic, malic, tartaric; fiber, pectins, carotenoids, as well as vitamins: C, B1, AT2, B3, AT5, B6, E, K, H and PP, folic acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, chlorine and sulfur, iodine, phosphorus. The more sugars and less acids in fruits, the sweeter they will be.
Acids are mainly contained in the peri-seed fluid. Therefore, initially, those fruits that have fewer seeds and more dry matter grow sweeter. And this, of course, depends on the variety. According to many gardeners, the following varieties are considered the most delicious and sweet: Bull’s Heart, Monomakh’s Cap, Tsar Bell, Sugar Giant, Pink Honey, Abakan Pink, Persimmon, Golden Koenigsberg, Honey Drop and more.
In addition to the variety, the taste of tomatoes depends on weather conditions and agricultural technology. Let’s take a closer look at what to pay attention to when growing tomatoes to get sweeter fruits.
sunlight
Tomatoes are light-loving plants, and therefore the fruits that grow and ripen in a sunny place are sweeter. Tomatoes should be in the sun for at least 8 hours a day. If the weather is cloudy and rainy during the ripening period, the probability of growing not very tasty tomatoes increases.
In greenhouses, tomatoes often do not receive enough sunlight. Firstly, many summer residents, in order to save space, thicken the plantings, do not remove excess shoots in the hope of getting more fruit. As a result, tomatoes ripen longer and get sick more often, since the bushes are poorly ventilated and shade each other.
In addition, a protective coating against UV radiation is applied to the cellular polycarbonate, which protects the material from destruction. This is undoubtedly an important aspect that allows you to extend the service life of polycarbonate. In addition, in sunny weather, such a coating protects tomatoes from sunburn, which can sometimes occur when planting unhardened and weak seedlings. But in any case, the light spectrum in the greenhouse is significantly different from the street.
And considering that some amount of dust settles on the walls of any greenhouse covering by the time the fruits ripen, drops of tomato treatment products get on them, the light transmittance of contaminated polycarbonate and other coverings decreases by 2-3 times, which cannot but affect the taste of tomatoes. Therefore, if the plantings allow it, it is advisable to wash the greenhouse covering from the inside and outside several times per season.
Plant nutrition
Proper fertilizing allows stimulating the processes of sugar accumulation in fruits. If at the beginning of the growing season, when shoots and leaves are actively growing, nitrogen plays an important role in the development of the plant, then during the flowering and fruiting period, tomatoes need phosphorus and potassium to a greater extent.
Phosphorus is responsible for the development of the root system, increases plant resistance to low temperatures, drought, but its main task is to stimulate flowering of plants. Phosphorus is part of complex proteins, participates in the construction of cells and accelerates the formation of fruits. Therefore, without a sufficient amount of phosphorus, it is impossible to get a high-quality harvest.
potassium plays an important role in the formation of carbohydrates, helps plants absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide, promotes resistance to adverse conditions, participates in protein metabolism and significantly affects the taste of fruits.
Knowing this, many gardeners feed tomatoes during the ripening period with an infusion of wood ash, which, as is known, contains a large amount of phosphorus and potassium, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, silicon, boron, manganese, etc. But the composition of the ash greatly depends on the type of raw material burned. For example, a lot of potassium is contained in the ash from burning grape vines, potato tops, dry grass. And in general, when burning young tree branches, you can find much more nutrients in the ash than in the ash that remains after burning old wood.
Ash obtained from burning household waste, printed paper (especially glossy magazines), or wood with a paint and varnish coating cannot be used to fertilize plants. If you are not sure of the composition of the ash, do not use it on the site.
Using professional fertilizers on the site allows you to be sure that we provide our plants with complete nutrition. AVA Greenhouse fertilizer is designed specifically for crops grown in protected soil. It contains: phosphorus – 47-52%, potassium – 18-22%, calcium – 8%, magnesium – 4%, silicon – 1-1,5%, as well as microelements: sulfur, boron, iron, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, zinc, copper, selenium.
The Greenhouse fertilizer has a long-term effect and should be applied only once per season. To feed tomatoes, it is enough to apply only 3-5 g under one tomato bush. The fertilizer can be used either when planting or during the growing season, by burying it in moist, loose soil to a shallow depth.
Fertilizer AVA Greenhouse provides acceleration of fruiting, increase in fruit size and taste, increases resistance of tomatoes to diseases and pests. It is very convenient to use and store such fertilizer.
Watering tomatoes
Many gardeners have noticed that in rainy summers, tomatoes growing in open ground not only get sick, but also have a less rich taste. The same thing with watering in a greenhouse: the more often we water, the more watery and sour the tomatoes become. With excessive watering, nutrients are washed out of the soil, tomatoes crack, and do not store well. And since the temperature in the greenhouse is often higher than normal, especially in sunny weather, many gardeners water tomatoes almost every day.
What can we do to reduce the frequency of watering?
Firstly, tomatoes should be watered abundantly and rarely, especially in the first half of the growing season, so that the soil gets wet to a great depth: at least 30 cm. If the soil is not sufficiently moistened, the root system of tomatoes will be located superficially and the plants will constantly lack water and nutrition.
Secondly, to reduce moisture evaporation, it is advisable to mulch the soil around the bushes. Using organic matter (grass, straw, compost, peat) as mulch will not only protect the soil from drying out and temperature changes, but also improve its structure. Worms and other soil inhabitants feel good under a thick layer of organic mulch, gradually processing organic matter, thereby improving soil fertility. It is especially important to mulch the soil in a greenhouse if it contains a lot of sand and water quickly drains away.
Try not to allow the root zone of the soil in the greenhouse to dry out, as this will negatively affect the size of the fruit and its taste.
Formation of bushes
A large number of lateral shoots slows down the ripening of the fruit and thickens the bush. As a result, tomatoes receive less sunlight and nutrition, grow smaller and tasteless. For example, if a large-fruited tomato grows in five trunks, you will not get large and sweet tomatoes corresponding to a particular variety.
Therefore, during the entire season, periodically inspect the bushes and promptly remove the side shoots. And in August, trim the tops of tall bushes so that all the plants’ energy goes to the formation of fruits, and not green mass. Those tomatoes that will ripen in September-October will not be as sweet as those that ripened in the summer.
So, we have come to the conclusion that the taste of a tomato depends not only on the variety, but also on the growing conditions. Take proper care of your tomatoes, water and feed them on time, protect them from diseases and pests, and then the plants will thank you with tasty fruits.
