Characteristics and description of tomato Sparks of flame and reviews of this variety

Many farmers are very fond of Spark of Flame tomatoes and reviews about it confirm this. About what this variety is good for and how to grow it correctly, read on.

Description of the variety

Tomato Spark of Flame refers to indeterminate mid-late varieties. It is relatively new, introduced into the State Register for use in personal subsidiary plots in 2015, but instantly gained popularity among amateur vegetable growers. Fruits amazing in appearance and taste will not leave anyone indifferent.

Distinctive features

This variety stands out among others for the quality of the harvest: the fruits are highly appreciated for taste, they have an unusual shape, interesting appetizing colors, and are relatively unpretentious.

The bushes have unlimited growth (they can reach 200 cm in height), therefore they need strong support and timely regular pinching.

The stem is juicy, thick, fleshy. The leaves are large, densely pubescent, of a deep green color, the inflorescence is a raceme. Inflorescences begin to form above the fourth internode and then every couple of leaves. The ovary consists of 11 fruits.

Fruit characteristics and yield

The fruits are large enough (weight up to 150 g), elongated with a sharp nose, thick red with pronounced orange stripes. The pulp is soft, sweet and sour taste, with a spicy delicate aroma, the rind is dense, but elastic, resistant to cracking. The section shows that the fruit is low-seeded, there are few chambers.

The peculiarity of the fruits - even in the phase of full maturity, they do not crack, lie well for several weeks and have excellent transportability.

The growing season is medium, fruits begin to appear 45-50 days after planting. In areas with cool, fleeting summers, this thermophilic variety is grown in a greenhouse. But in the southern regions, it grows well without any shelter.

The average yield of the Iskra Flame variety is 7 kg / m², regardless of whether the tomato is grown indoors or outdoors.

How to grow seedlings

Seeds are sown for seedlings in early March, if it is supposed to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse. For open ground, the period can be shifted by 2 weeks - varieties of the indeterminate type are characterized by rapid growth, so you should not sow them too early. Compact healthy seedlings adapt better to a new place and take root faster.

Sowing containers and soil

To sow seeds for seedlings, purchase seedling boxes, which have special holes for removing excess liquid. They fit well on the windowsill and are easy to care for seedlings.

The soil mixture must have high fertility, good aeration, fertile and loose, so that the tender root system of young plants develops quickly and actively.

Sowing seeds

1. Seed material is placed at a distance of 1.8 - 2 cm from each other, after which the crops are covered with soil and, with the help of a small spray bottle (a heavy jet will knock the seeds out), spill abundantly.
2. At the end, the crops are covered with plastic wrap. This is necessary to maintain a constant level of humidity.
3. Before sowing, the seeds can be treated with a fungicide solution, or a weak solution of potassium permanganate can be used for this purpose. Such manipulations are carried out in order to disinfect the seed.

Growing and care

After shoots appear, you need to monitor the moisture content of the soil, from time to time to air the crops in order to prevent the appearance of fungal growths on the soil. It is more advisable to do this after watering, so that the leaves of young tender plants do not curl from a sharp change in humidity.

When the sprouts form a pair of true leaves, the seedlings dive - that is, they are transplanted with a wider gap to a stationary habitat in a greenhouse (or in separate pots or glasses) so that the bushes do not shade each other and do not compete for nutrients and space. The distance between them should be at least 45 cm. This will contribute to active development.

After transplanting young plants, they are well watered, every other day the soil is loosened, which provides improved air exchange and prevents the appearance of a dense crust.

To avoid the first picking of the seedlings, the seeds are sown in separate peat tablets, and after the appearance of the first true leaves, this tablet, along with the grown roots, is placed in an individual pot or plastic cup. In this way, trauma to the root system can be avoided.

How to grow tomatoes

Landing

A week before planting seedlings, the beds should be prepared. For this purpose, the earth is dug up, roots, fragments of stones and debris are selected, the surface is leveled, then planting holes are prepared at the rate of five bushes per 1 m².

Seedlings are planted when the soil warms up to + 13 ° C. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizer is poured at the bottom of the planting pit, watered with water, then a peg is placed in the hole, and next to it is a tomato bush, which is carefully covered with soil until the cotyledon leaves.

Plants are ready for transplanting 60 days after sowing when the seedling has at least 7 true leaves.

Care

• Watering the Spark of Flame tomatoes up to three times a week with settled water, the next day the soil is loosened to ensure proper air exchange.
• After fruit formation, the amount and volume of watering should be reduced. Prolonged sultry heat may be an exception.
• Twice during the growing season, it is necessary to fertilize with mineral nutrient mixtures with a high content of phosphorus and potassium, scattering them in the hole, and then they are poured, after which abundant watering is carried out. You don't need to add organic matter. If the soil contains few humic substances, you need to take care of its enrichment in advance, introducing organic matter before winter.
• Top dressing is carried out 20 days after transplanting the seedlings to the site or to the greenhouse.
• Weed control is no less important than watering and pinching, therefore, periodically they must be removed not only in the holes, but also in the aisles.
• Since the Spark of Flame tomato bushes are quite tall and powerful, they must be protected from the wind, which can break the stems by tying them to a peg installed during transplantation. These manipulations are carried out before flowering, and even better - during planting in open ground.
• Stepping - an important stage in the care of the Spark of Flame. For this purpose, the largest leaves are cut with garden shears or a knife, starting from the bottom of the bush.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

When growing tomatoes of the Spark of Flame, one should take into account the thermophilicity of the variety; when the temperature drops during the day or night frosts occur, the beds must be covered with a special material.

Regular pinching will be the key to getting a full-fledged bountiful harvest.

Diseases and pests

The Spark of Flame belongs to varieties that are resistant to the most popular diseases of tomatoes, however, it is still worth carrying out preventive work.

The most important of these is the correct predecessor.In no case should you plant tomato seedlings in a place where nightshade crops previously grew.

The nuances of growing in a greenhouse and in the open field

When growing tomatoes of this variety indoors, tomatoes ripen faster, but this increases the likelihood of powdery mildew and phytophthora (harmful microorganisms quickly and very actively multiply in a confined space).

Therefore, one should not neglect prevention: once every 10 days, spill the beds with fungicides, as well as spray the green mass with preparations of biological nature, regularly ventilate and process garden tools.

Harvesting and application of the crop

The fruits are excellent fresh, they not only look appetizing, but have a delicate taste. In addition, tomatoes are suitable for canning with whole fruits, cooking pastes, ketchups and making aromatic juices.

To avoid mechanical damage, you need to cut the fruit using a pruner or a garden knife.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The exceptional advantages of the variety are described in several theses:

1. high stable yield;
2. excellent taste characteristics of fruits, resistance to cracking;
3. tomatoes tolerate transportation flawlessly;
4. strong immunity.

During the cultivation period, no obvious shortcomings of these tomatoes were identified. Subject to proper agricultural practices, the variety has established itself as an unpretentious, versatile, giving a bountiful tasty harvest. Preferred for open field cultivation in the southern regions and for greenhouses in central Russia.

Farmers reviews

• Delicious tomatoes. One of the best varieties that I have grown in ten years - sweet, juicy, it grows one to one. I will not say that the harvest is large, but for our family of five it is enough to eat in season and freeze for the winter. I don't make pickles, I just freeze them, Spark is good in this case. I highly recommend this variety.
• Last year I planted it for the first time - not bad. This year, too, I will, only for food, none of them pickles, neither me nor my wife like. There are no problems with leaving, everything is according to the standard, but we also had a good summer, the tomatoes were born. Plant these tomatoes, only together with another variety for winter twists. There is nothing difficult in growing.
• Decent grade, no complaints, did not cause much trouble. I grew these tomatoes in a greenhouse, reaped two crops, because I have lighting and heating there. I like it to my taste, the shape is beautiful, I treated my neighbors - they were glad, they thanked. They told the children that they got there well, they didn't get banged up, they didn't warm up. Two weeks in the refrigerator are stored without any damage. Favorable variety. We tried to make juices. They also turn out good, for those who like sweet and sour tomatoes - I recommend planting them in the country. Everything is as it should be and without hassle.
• A capricious variety, it will freeze a little at night - the bushes turn black, wither, the leaf curls. It is suitable for warm regions, but not for colder regions. You have to cover the tomatoes, then open them back, then hot, then cold. There is a lot of ridiculous fuss, there is nothing sense, they collected five kilograms at most per season. Who has nothing to do - grow this variety, working in the garden will take precious free time, definitely.

Summarizing all the information presented above, it is safe to say that the Spark of Flame is a tomato variety that is worth spending time and effort on it. Delicious, beautiful, healthy fruits will delight you all season. At the same time, it is impossible to single out any complex features in agricultural technology - which will allow even a novice vegetable grower to get a bountiful harvest. The main thing is to follow the correct care algorithm and perform the described manipulations regularly.

Video review of the variety: