ᐉ orange elephant tomato variety description photo reviews

The Orange Elephant tomato is one of a series of large tomatoes. In addition to Orange, it includes several more multi-colored Elephants. Large, fleshy tomatoes are very tasty and look attractive in a salad.

Height	Landing location	Ripening time	Fruit color	Fruit size	Origin	Fruit shape
Medium height	Greenhouse	Mid-early	Orange	Average	Variety	Round

Growing rules

Pink Elephant bushes that bear large tomatoes require a lot of nutrition. Therefore, even when formed into one stem, a distance of about 80 cm is maintained between plants. The beds are carefully filled with organic fertilizers and mineral compounds even before planting.

Planting seedlings

Seeds of the Pink Elephant tomato variety are planted for seedlings in the second half of March. Own planting material must be disinfected. The seeds are kept in a pale sodium permanganate solution for at least 30 minutes. The best germination is observed in material harvested 2–3 years before planting.

Any seed containers that have been disinfected and equipped with drainage holes are suitable for growing tomato seedlings. You can prepare the soil for planting tomatoes yourself by adding humus, sand and ash in equal proportions to the garden soil. Homemade soil should be heated in the oven at a temperature of 70 °C or disinfected in another accessible way.

Basic rules for growing seedlings of the Pink Elephant variety:

The seeds are buried 1–1.5 cm in moist soil.
Germination occurs most intensively at temperatures above 20 °C.
It is advisable to create a mini-greenhouse by covering the containers with film.
After germination, it is advisable to reduce the temperature to +16 °C.
Seedlings emerge at the stage of two true leaves.

Seedlings ready for planting are hardened off and the earthen ball is dried a little.

Tomato transplant

Pink Elephant seedlings are assigned to a permanent place in a heated greenhouse at the end of April. Under film - in mid-May. Planting tomatoes in open beds is possible from the beginning of June.

Preliminary soil preparation includes not only the transfer of soil and the application of fertilizers. The soil should be treated with Bordeaux mixture or potassium permanganate solution to prevent infections.

The placement scheme for large-fruited tomatoes requires no more than two plants per 1 square meter. m. For the Pink Elephant, it is necessary to provide supports for the garter. It is permissible to bury seedlings in fertilized, moist soil up to the first leaves. The soil should be watered and mulched.

Subsequent care for tomatoes

For young plants and fruit-bearing bushes of the Pink Elephant, the main care technique is correct formation. Reviews from gardeners claim that without pinching and pruning, the variety will not show yield and will not impress with the size of the tomatoes.

Tomatoes begin to form after the flower cluster appears. The Pink Elephant variety is often recommended to be grown in two stems, but in practice, the best yield is achieved if only the central shoot is left to grow.

All side branches and shoots should be removed regularly. The leaves are thinned out, and the trunk is completely removed from the ground to the first tomato bunch.

It's not just the stems of tomatoes that form. Flower brushes also have to be thinned out. 3-4 buds are left in each. A large number of ovaries in the lower part of the bush can deplete it, which leads to stunting of growth or cessation of flowering.

All other activities are no different from caring for other types of tomatoes. Tomatoes need watering with warm water, weeding and loose soil. Feeding can be done every 2 weeks. It is recommended to alternate mineral compositions with organic matter. After the ovary appears, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are preferable for tomatoes.

Advantages and disadvantages

A plant with this description is of great interest to owners of country houses and gardens.

But even before purchasing seeds, you should pay attention to both the strengths of the variety and its weaknesses. Without mentioning them, the description would be incomplete, so we will try to find out exactly why tomatoes from the “Pink Elephant” line are good, and in what ways they are inferior to other tomatoes

pros

Among the many arguments in favor, the most often cited are:

large fruit;
enviable taste;
dense sweet pulp;
high yield (3-4 kg per bush);
long shelf life and high transportability (due to the dense peel);
good immunity to, including fungal;
resistance to pest attacks. They rarely threaten such “giants.”

Check out such varieties of tomatoes as: “Red Red”, “Cardinal”, “Golden Heart”, “Aelita Sanka”, “White Pouring”, “Persimmon”, “Bear Clubfoot”, “Yamal”, “Sugar Bison”, "Red Guard", "Gina", "Rapunzel", "Samara", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Mikado Pink".

Minuses

People with experience know that large varieties require constant care. This is expressed in the need:

regular and careful formation of the bush (pinching, stamping and gartering);
timely watering and fertilizing. For a dacha that is visited once a week, such tomatoes are clearly not suitable;
ensuring temperature conditions. Large tomatoes, despite their size, remain quite delicate plants.

Did you know? In the fall of 2014, the Guinness Book of Records updated information about the largest tomato grown. Dan McCoy from Minnesota removed a 3.8 kg giant from the garden! Before that, the largest tomato was considered to be a fruit weighing 3.5 kg (this record lasted for 28 years).

If such difficulties do not deter you and the decision to start planting remains unchanged, you can stock up on seeds.

Characteristics of the variety

The plant is unpretentious. It has a high level of resistance to frost and sudden temperature changes, so there are no special problems with it when growing.

Bush

Orange elephant is a determinate tomato variety. The height of the bush reaches 70 cm. When grown under film, this figure increases to 1 m.

When cultivated in open soil, the plant grows taller. The bushes usually have dense foliage. The leaves are small in size and have a rich green hue.

Fruit

The weight of the fruit is from 150 to 300 g. Their peel is smooth, not thick, but durable, and has a bright orange tint. Thanks to these characteristics, tomatoes of this variety got their name. Orange elephant tomatoes have a round shape and fleshy flesh.

Productivity and fruiting

The yield level of this crop is average. From one bush you can collect only 2-3 kg of fruit. From 1 m² – up to 7-8 kg.

About 6-7 tomatoes ripen on one bush, but the plant bears fruit for a long time. For this reason, gardeners are increasingly choosing this variety for planting in their summer cottages.

Resistance to diseases and pests

According to the description of the Orange Elephant tomato, it is resistant to various fungal infections, but some pests pose a danger to the bushes of this plant. These include:

aphid;
Colorado beetle;
spider mite

Correct preventive actions can easily prevent their occurrence. With the help of such measures, the threat of pest attack can be completely eliminated. Even the simplest prevention can protect bushes from fungal diseases.

Application of fruits

Tomatoes of the Orange Elephant variety are often planted for subsequent preservation, but it is not always convenient to preserve the fruits due to their size, so those tomatoes whose weight reaches 300 g are usually cut into slices. They contain a large amount of vitamins, so they are often included in children's diets.

Tomatoes are also used for making juices. Thanks to the rich taste and almost complete absence of sourness, they turn out delicious. Often different types of sauces and salads are prepared on their basis.

Advantages and disadvantages

Tomatoes must be stored fresh

Description of the advantages of the Orange Elephant variety:

versatility of fruit use;
plant resistance to temperature changes and diseases;
ease of care;
possibility of long-term storage and easy transportation.

Fruits of the variety Orange Russian 117

The description of fruits in catalogs often does not coincide with the results obtained by gardeners in their plots. To prevent this from happening, and to make the owner happy with Russian 117 tomatoes, you need to purchase seed from trusted manufacturers. The main characteristic noted by everyone who grew this variety of tomatoes is its beautiful heart-shaped shape and orange color with red strokes.

Description of tomato variety Three Fat Men and its characteristics

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4-6 large, approximately identical fruits are formed on the cluster. The average weight of a tomato of the Orange Russian variety is 250-280 g. 4-5 fruit clusters are formed on the bush.

The skin is dense, glossy, the tomatoes are resistant to cracking during cold periods or rainy weather. At the base the tomato is bright orange, with scattered reddish strokes. Closer to the tip of the fruit, red shades predominate, and the tip is colored an intense crimson color. This nature of the color of the fruit allows us to classify the Orange Russian variety as a bicolor variety.

The structure is quite dense, but not dry. The consistency of the pulp resembles melon, the taste is sweet, sometimes with a slight sourness, and a delicate fruity aroma. The fruits contain a large amount of dry matter, so their taste is very pleasant and rich. The seed chambers are small and often contain no seeds.

Salad variety. Orange Russian looks picturesque in salads and slices, and can even decorate a holiday table. Thanks to its taste, children like it. Tomato slices can be added to sandwiches.

It is not intended for preparations for the winter, but Russian housewives choose small “hearts” for decorating assorted vegetables. Tomatoes retain their shape and consistency well in marinades and pickles. The orange pulp of large tomatoes will make a good juice or puree with an unusual color. Sweet, without excess acid, tomato products are well suited for dietary and baby food.

Main characteristics of the “Pink Elephant”

Studying the description and reviews of the “pink elephant” tomato variety, a photo of which is attached to the article, we can highlight, first of all, several important advantages that attract many summer residents. Let's talk briefly about them.

The yield is also not bad - up to 6 kilograms, and on average - about 4. A very good indicator, especially considering that most early-ripening tomatoes yield about 2-5 kilograms per bush.

Most diseases avoid this variety. Many summer residents who planted pink elephant tomatoes often post reviews and photos of the fruit on forums, especially emphasizing this fact. But even the most experienced summer residents can be left without a harvest if the beds are affected by some kind of disease.

A serious advantage can be called versatility. That is, this crop can be grown in different conditions. Some people choose a greenhouse, while other people simply grow seedlings and then plant them in open ground. If you live in a mild climate, for example, in the Krasnodar region, which is famous for its long summers, then you can plant the seeds directly in the beds and be sure that you will soon receive a rich harvest.

Finally, despite their impressive size, the fruits are stored for quite a long time - up to 2-3 weeks in a cool room, and sometimes more. And the thick skin ensures easy transportation over long distances. This will be a particularly important advantage for summer residents who, having harvested their harvest, are in a hurry to take it to the city.

This vegetable apparently owes its name to its considerable size and pinkish tint. Breeders position this hybrid as multiregional, that is, intended for planting in any region, with the exception of industrial cultivation. Also in the description of the variety there is such a characteristic as a large-fruited variety for open ground. Greenhouse cultivation of the Elephant tomato is not excluded.

Let us present the main agrotechnical characteristics of the variety:

Mid-season semi-determinate hybrid - ripening period of 110 days;
Large-fruited - fruit weight varies from 300 grams to a kilogram;
Productivity is from 6 to 8 kg per square meter.

In general, the variety was developed as a salad variety; Elephant tomatoes are best consumed fresh.

Elephant tomato bushes form one or two main stems, quite tall, reaching a height of up to 1.5 -1.7 m, which is why they require staking and pinching. The bush is abundantly leafy; branches with potato-shaped, dark green, dense, highly tuberculate leaves are arranged transversely on thick stems.

Tomato Pink Elephant

Fruits are formed on clusters of 2-4 pieces. The largest ones are concentrated at the bottom of the bush.

The fruit of the Elephant tomato is large, fleshy, has a flat-round shape, with slight ribbing. The peel is pink with a small pale green spot in the stalk area. Being quite dense with a slight glossy sheen, the peel is surprisingly not hard.

Features of tomatoes

Among the key features of this hybrid, gardeners note versatility and productivity. So, regardless of the place of cultivation: greenhouse or soil, the volume of the harvest remains unchanged.

This variety should be planted earlier than other tomatoes, and the lower leaves should also be removed.

Another feature is a small care trick, which consists in the fact that they should be planted earlier, in comparison with other tomatoes, and also remove the lower leaves. The latter allows you to improve the quality of the crop.

As for the size of tomatoes, the largest ones are concentrated on the lower branches; closer to the top they become smaller. So that small fruits can also gain weight, it is recommended to remove the lower tomatoes that have begun to ripen and place them in a dark, dry place for ripening. It’s better to use the traditional method and put them in felt boots; you can also put the tomatoes in cardboard boxes and cover them with thin felt.

Pink elephant tomato is great for making juice

Another pleasant feature of the variety is that the dense, fleshy fruits can be frozen. They do not release much juice, and even after defrosting they retain a pleasant tomato aroma. Frozen tomatoes are suitable for sauces and vegetable stews, they are used for soups and pizza. For pizza, it is better to freeze tomatoes in the form of rings.

How to care

Tomatoes need constant care. If you do not provide them with the necessary conditions for growth, the fruits will not ripen to the required size, and the taste will not be as sweet as it should be. Care is not that difficult.

The greenhouse must be ventilated daily by opening the window and door. This way the plants will receive the necessary air, and excess moisture will leave. Water these tomatoes twice a week. There should be enough water, but it is not recommended to fill them, otherwise rotting will begin. Watering is carried out at the root. The leaves can be lightly sprayed with clean water; the water should not be icy, preferably settled. It can be poured into a barrel in advance.

You need to be very careful to ensure that the soil is good, fertilized, and not acidic. You can purchase a special device for measuring acidity. Top dressing can be at the root or foliar. As fertilizers, these varieties prefer manure, humus, chicken droppings, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, nitrogen, and minerals. The best time to feed is early morning or evening.

All weeds must be removed by the roots, otherwise the fruits may grow tasteless and small, because the weed takes away all the juices from the crops. In addition, it can transmit pests. At the same time, loosen the soil twice a month so that it is soft and light.

Pest control and preventive measures are the most important part of caring for hybrids. You can spray the foliage with soap solution, potassium permanganate, infused herbs or garlic solution. Among the harmful insects, beetles, mites, butterflies, slugs, and caterpillars most often attack.

If tomatoes become stained or develop fungal infections, it is best to remove spoiled leaves and fruits and purchase remedies for these diseases at the store. But the elephant rarely gets sick; it has a strong immune system. He can begin to suffer only if he is not properly cared for. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the quality of watering, the level of humidity and feed on time.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The Orange Elephant tomato has good immunity, resistance to temperature changes, and is almost not susceptible to disease. Therefore, it is better to take the necessary preventive measures in advance so as not to have to deal with diseases or pests later:

In addition to diseases, tomatoes are threatened by various pests: butterflies, beetles, mites, slugs, etc.

It is also important to maintain the sanitary condition of greenhouses and other types of closed ground:

Greenhouses in the fall should be thoroughly washed after harvesting and plant residues, and disinfected. The same procedures can be repeated before planting seedlings in indoor soil;
do not plant the same crop in the same place;
It is extremely useful to use nurse plants as neighbors: mustard, marigolds, calendula, etc., which protect and rid crops of pests;
maintain the level of humidity: excess moisture provokes fungal infections and putrefactive phenomena;
regular ventilation of greenhouses;
their correct location so that plants in closed ground receive the necessary lighting for growth and fruiting. If it is not enough, you can supplement the crops with special phytolamps;
maintain the desired temperature inside.

Features of cultivation

The Orange Elephant tomato should be grown in seedlings. To do this, you need to prepare wide bowls 10 cm high, as well as special soil. You can purchase it in the store, choosing the “For seedlings” substrate, or prepare it yourself. In this case you should mix:

2 parts of turf;
1 part sand;
1 part humus;
1 part peat.

Tomato sowing should be carried out during further cultivation in a greenhouse - in mid-March, and in unprotected soil - at the end of the same month. A day before the procedure, the soil should be watered with a solution of potassium permanganate and slightly dried, which will allow it to be disinfected. To improve germination, seeds also need to be pre-treated with Zircon and then dried until they become free-flowing.

"Zircon" reduces the susceptibility of seedlings to fungal diseases

Important! Planting material must be processed immediately before planting, since it cannot be stored.

To sow, you need to fill the containers with nutrient substrate, water them generously and level the soil on top. Place the seeds on the surface at a distance of 1.5 cm. Then sprinkle them with 0.5 cm of soil and moisten the surface with a spray bottle. After this, cover the containers with film and move them to a dark place with a temperature of + 25 ° C.

Orange Elephant seeds germinate in 5-7 days

After friendly sprouts appear, the containers need to be moved to the windowsill and the content mode reduced to + 18 °C. This stimulates root development. After a week, the temperature can be increased to 20 °C. Picking Orange Elephant tomatoes should be done when 2-4 true leaves appear.

Transplantation to a permanent location in a greenhouse should be carried out in early May, if the soil has had time to warm up to a depth of 20 cm. And this variety can be planted in open ground at the end of May or early June. Tomatoes should be placed at the rate of 3 pcs. per 1 sq. m. At the same time, add humus and 100 g of wood ash to each hole, mixing them well with the soil.

When growing this variety, you must follow the standard rules of agricultural technology. The orange elephant easily tolerates drought, so watering should be carried out when the top layer of soil is sufficiently dry. In greenhouse conditions, tomatoes must be mulched, which will prevent increased evaporation of moisture. For this you can use peat or humus.

The orange elephant responds well to feeding. The bushes need to be fertilized for the first time 2 weeks after transplanting to a permanent place. During this period, you need to use urea or calcium nitrate at the rate of 30 g per bucket of water. Subsequent feedings should be carried out during flowering, ovary and ripening of tomatoes. During this period, superphosphate 30 g and potassium sulfate 15 g per 10 liters of water should be used.

Important! Orange elephant bushes need to be tied up as the shoots grow.

Growing orange tomatoes

Those who want to plant such original crops in their garden need to remember that, like all tomatoes, it is better to plant them as seedlings in the ground. Seedlings are germinated from seeds, which need to be renewed every year. Seeds from fruits are not taken for seedlings.

Place the container on the windowsill and wait for germination. Typically, three and a half months pass from the time the seed is planted until the fruit ripens. If the area is southern, they may ripen earlier. Sometimes, to harden plants in a warm spring, they are placed outside or on a balcony.

Orange elephant tomato seedlings are planted in fertile and well-watered soil. This is usually done at the end of May.

If the soil is acidic, with clay, and hard, then you may not expect a good harvest. It must be loosened and diluted with manure and sand. During planting, it is necessary to maintain a distance; it is best to plant two bushes per square meter. This will make it easier to approach them and the plants will always have enough light and nutrition.

Characteristic

According to the description of the Pink Elephant tomato, the variety is mid-early in terms of ripening period. The tomato is a semi-determinate type, intended for salad purposes, which means the fruits are consumed mainly fresh.

The harvest is harvested 110-114 days after the seeds have sprouted. Seed material for sowing next year is collected from the ripest and largest tomatoes. This variety is not suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale.

Description of the bush

The size of the bush corresponds to the name of the variety. It is recommended to plant no more than 2 plants per 1 m²; when forming, leave 2 stems, cutting off the lower leaves. If there is only one main shoot, then the number of tomatoes planted doubles, but it should be borne in mind that this variety does not like thickened plantings.

The bush reaches a maximum of 1.5 m and often grows greatly in width. Forms a large number of stepsons. The plant must be tied up during development. The shape and appearance of dark green leaves resemble potato leaves. The brush is formed from 6 ovaries.

Description of fruits

The fruits are deep pink, round, flattened, and have pronounced ribbing. If grown correctly, a tomato ripening on the lower trusses can reach 800-1000 g. The average weight is 500 g.

The skin is quite dense. Transportability and storage indicators are high. Excellent taste is combined with a beautiful appearance. The pulp is sugary and very appetizing. The tomato has fleshy pulp. Not many seeds.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Pink Elephant tomato variety has both advantages and disadvantages.

Positive properties:

excellent taste;
long fruiting period, gradual ripening of the crop;
tomato is immune to many fungal and viral diseases.

Description of the variety's disadvantages:

the bush grows rapidly and forms many stepsons, which forces us to pay special attention to its formation and stepsons; The variety must be fed regularly, because the massive size of the plant requires the introduction of large amounts of nutrients; with excessive watering, the fruits crack; this variety is demanding on the composition and quality of the soil

Productivity

Among modern tomato varieties, Pink Elephant does not stand out for its record yields. In a greenhouse, subject to all agricultural technology conditions, the maximum yield from one bush is 7-8 kg.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The variety is resistant to various diseases

The Pink Elephant tomato variety is immune to many diseases and the most common pests. It is rarely affected by fusarium and late blight.

To prevent fungal infections, spray the plant with “Fitosporin” (1 tsp per 5 liters of water).

To prevent the appearance of aphids or slugs, irrigate the green part of tomatoes with tincture of hot pepper or garlic (2 tbsp. of chopped vegetable, pour 5 liters of water, boil and leave for 3 days, and before use, dilute 1 tbsp. solution in 10 liters of water and add 0. 5 bars of grated soap).

They fight the mole cricket using Medvetox. The granules are buried where its passages are noticed.

Care

The plant needs regular watering

The Orange Elephant tomato loves plenty of watering, so the soil around it should always be moist. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to fill the soil to the point of a swamp. In this case, the plant may die.

The most optimal watering would be once a week. In extreme heat, watering should be increased up to 2 times every 7 days.

Feeding

The soil must be fertilized. Organic-based fertilizers are more suitable for fertilizing, but they are applied only with the arrival of the autumn season, because... at this time they will be absorbed much better, and the harvest at this time is already fully harvested.

Manure and bird droppings are selected at the rate of 1 kg of substance per 10 liters of water. Mash is perfect: mix water and yeast in a ratio of 10 liters per 10 g.

The spring season is suitable for complex fertilizers. It is better to apply such fertilizing before flowering begins. To prepare high-quality fertilizer, take 25 g of manure, 1 tsp. superphosphate and the same amount of potassium sulfate and dilute in 10 liters of water.

Removing weeds and tying up

There is a possibility of weeds sprouting around the Orange Elephant tomato. You need to get rid of them immediately. If this is not done, they will begin to take all the nutrients from the soil, then the tomatoes will get practically nothing. As a result, the yield rate will be greatly reduced, and the crop itself will cease to grow and develop normally.

The bush does not get too tall, but since it bears heavy tomatoes, a little support during the fruiting period will not hurt. In this case, use wooden pegs, with which it is convenient to fix and support the branches. This way they will not bend under their own weight and break, and the quality of the harvest will not decrease.

Most gardeners leave positive reviews about tomatoes. Thanks to the unpretentiousness of the crop, even an inexperienced gardener can cope well with its cultivation. It is especially convenient to plant it in the northern regions, because the plant is resistant to such climates.

It is noted that the illumination of the site is one of the most important factors for this variety. If Orange Elephant tomatoes are planted in a dark place, problems with their growth begin. The bushes stop bearing fruit normally, harvests are delayed, and their quality decreases.

Variety - “ORANGE ELEPHANT”. Tomatoes from Fyodor.

Orange Russian Tomato Variety

Description of the fruit - Tomato "Pink Elephant"

Another significant advantage of the variety is its resistance to diseases. This prevents many problems. If you carry out preventive spraying in the spring, you can avoid almost all types of infection.

This type of prevention works well to drive away pests. Gardeners also like the taste characteristics of the variety. Orange Elephant tomatoes make an excellent preserve, for which this type of tomato is often planted.

Growing rules

To get an early harvest, it is better to grow Orange Elephant through seedlings. Since the variety is unpretentious, it is suitable for both experienced gardeners and beginners.

Planting seedlings

Seeds for seedlings are planted from mid-March to early April.

You can grow tomato seedlings using step-by-step instructions:

Prepare fertile soil.
The seed material is kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 5-10 minutes, then washed under running water.
Prepared seeds can be germinated in a damp cloth, or they can be planted immediately.
The seeds are placed in prepared grooves at a distance of 3 cm and to a depth of 1 cm.
The soil is irrigated using a spray bottle, and the container is covered with plastic film.
When the seeds germinate, the container is moved to a bright, warm place.
After 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in separate cups.
2 weeks before planting in the garden, the young plant is hardened off.

Transfer

When planting a young plant in the beds, it must have:

powerful stem;
flower ovary;
height 30-40 cm;
formed root system.

On the day of transplantation, the bush is thoroughly watered and the cotyledons and yellowed leaves are removed. The soil in the garden bed is dug up, weeds are removed and, if the soil is depleted, fed with compost or rotted humus. Make planting holes 50x50 or in a checkerboard pattern.

The seedlings are carefully removed from the container and placed in a hole, at the bottom of which wood ash is poured. If the plant has outgrown, it is planted horizontally. The earth is compacted, watered and mulched.

Since Orange Elephant tomatoes reach a height of up to 1 m, the bush must be tied up immediately.

Aftercare

Orange elephant tomatoes are an unpretentious variety; to obtain a generous harvest, it can be grown in 2 trunks. Maintenance is simple and consists of regular watering, fertilizing, mulching and loosening the soil.

The first irrigation is carried out with warm, settled water, 2 weeks after planting the young plant. Further, irrigation is carried out as the soil dries. For a growing plant, you need to use 5 liters per square meter. m, for a flowering and fruiting bush - 10 liters per square meter. m.

Important! When watering, you need to try to prevent drops of water from falling on the leaf plate. After watering, the soil is loosened and mulched

Mulch will retain moisture, get rid of weeds and become a good fertilizer

After watering, the soil is loosened and mulched. Mulch will retain moisture, get rid of weeds and become a good fertilizer.

Irrigation greatly humidifies the air, so to dry the pollen, the greenhouse is ventilated.

For the rapid formation and ripening of tomatoes, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be: during the day - 18-25 degrees, at night - 15-18 degrees.

To get a good harvest of tasty and large fruits, the Orange Elephant needs feeding. After each application of fertilizers, at least 14 days must pass:

2 weeks after planting the seedlings, the first fertilizing is carried out. For this, 1 tsp. Agricola Vegeta is mixed with ½ tsp. "Nitrofoski". The resulting powder is diluted in 5 liters of water. This solution is enough to fertilize 5 tomato bushes.
Apply a second fertilizer. For this, ½ tbsp. l. "Agricola Vegeta" is mixed with 30 ml of the drug "Effecton-O", after which the resulting solution is added to 5 liters of water.
Third - dilute ½ tbsp in 5 liters of water. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. "Agricola Vegeta." 1 liter is used for each plant.
Fourth – fertilize with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Final – 1 tbsp. l. The drug "Effekton-O" is diluted in 5 liters of warm water.

By adhering to the recommended rules, the plant will grow strong and healthy, and the tomatoes will ripen large and juicy.

Disembarkation

It is impossible to indicate the exact time for planting seedlings in open ground, since weather conditions are changeable. Repeated frosts must be avoided. Such conditions usually occur in mid-May (depending on the region). It is recommended to have a supply of film to cover the seedlings in case of a sharp drop in temperature. You can plant seedlings in a heated greenhouse earlier, for example, in April.

The frequency of planting “Pink Elephant” should not exceed 2-3 seedlings per m². Leaving a row spacing of 50 cm, the gaps between such bushes will be about 40–45 cm. The planted seedling is watered with warm water.

The seedlings are planted in a well-equipped greenhouse at the end of April. If you plan to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse or under film, you should wait until May. Tomatoes of this variety can also be grown in open ground, but in this case the right time for planting would be the beginning of summer.

The arrangement of plants should correspond to the future formation of the bush. If you plan to grow in two stems, then 2 crops are planted per 1 m2; when forming into 1 stem per 1 m2 - 4 plants.

Before planting tomatoes, pre-treat the soil with potassium permanganate or copper sulfate.

Advantages and disadvantages

Reviews from those who planted the elephant are based on the actual harvest. The main advantages of this variety are that it is large, fleshy, ripens early, and contains many useful substances. The disadvantages are that tomatoes are poorly stored, can be crushed during transportation and do not produce a large harvest. This crop is not afraid of cold or drought and adapts perfectly to different climates.

There may not be many of them on the bush, but they are original and have an incredible sweet taste. Lovers of non-standard tomatoes and large fruits really like it.

These tomatoes are not planted for a rich harvest, but rather for a highlight among other vegetables on the dinner table. The orange color of vegetables is always rich in carotene and vitamin A. This is the color of youth. These vegetables are especially useful in early autumn, when immunity decreases and hair, bones and nails lack energy and minerals.

These beautiful tomatoes will produce an excellent harvest. Delicious and unusual fruits will decorate salads and vegetable cuts. They will make very healthy tomato juice. Grow vitamins in your dachas.

Pest and disease control

Orange elephant tomatoes have a strong immunity to fungal diseases, but if not properly cared for, the plant can be affected by the following diseases:

Powdery mildew - affects the stems and leaf blades, covering them with a white, airy coating. The disease often appears at low air humidity.
Brown spot - appears on the leaves in the form of yellow-green spots. Without treatment, the leaf turns brown, dries out and falls off.
Tomato mosaic is a viral disease that appears at elevated air temperatures. The disease appears on leaves, stems and fruits.
Anthracnose - a disease that affects leaves and mature tomatoes, forming dark-colored spots on them that begin to grow over time.
Late blight is a common disease of tomatoes. The disease affects fruits and leaves. Vague spots of black, brown or gray appear on them. To get rid of the disease, the bush is treated with fungicides.

Principles of agricultural technology

Orange elephant tomatoes are easy to care for. For active fruiting during cultivation in the garden and greenhouse, it is enough to adhere to the correct regime of watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil or mulching.

Landing

50–65 days after emergence, the strengthened seedlings are transferred:

to the garden - in the last ten days of May or the first ten days of June;
to the greenhouse - in the 1-2 decades of May.

Young plants must have a strong stem and strong rhizome, one flower ovary, and a height of at least 30 cm.

Planting pattern - 40x60 cm, no more than 2-3 bushes per 1 m².

For planting, choose a cloudy, windless day or wait until the evening. The seedlings are moistened abundantly, and the lower and yellow leaves are torn off.

The soil is loosened and fertilized with compost or humus mixed with ash (1 bucket per 1 m²). The holes are dug at a depth of 20 cm and filled with boiling water or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

The seedlings are carefully moved along with the earthen ball, the soil is compacted and covered with mulch. The bushes are immediately tied to wooden stakes in the garden or trellises in the greenhouse.

Care

Fruiting of the Orange Elephant depends on proper watering. Plants are watered infrequently, but abundantly, until the soil is completely dry.

Water is poured strictly under the roots, and the above-ground part is irrigated with a spray bottle in the evening. This reduces the risk of fungal infection. At the initial stage of growth, about 5 liters of water per 1 m² are used. Flowering and fruiting bushes require at least 10 liters per 1 m².

Despite their short stature, tomatoes need to form bushes with 2 stems. To do this, young shoots are removed, leaving only one stepson growing from the leaf axil at the very bottom. This allows you to achieve higher yields.

Mulching the soil with sawdust, pine needles, agrofibre, hay, and straw eliminates routine loosening and weeding after each watering.

After transferring the seedlings to a permanent place, fertilizers are applied every 14-15 days:

infusion of chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20 - 2 weeks after planting;
nitrophoska solution (60 g of substance per 10 liters of water) - for subsequent fertilizing.

Plants respond well to ready-made fertilizers: “Red Giant”, “Biohumus”, “Agricola”, “Effecton-O”.

Diseases and pests

The Orange Elephant variety cannot boast of strong immunity: plants are often attacked by a fungus if not properly cared for. At the genetic level, the crop is protected from verticillium and fusarium.

Late blight, powdery mildew, and cladosporiosis are especially dangerous for tomatoes.

Signs of late blight:

brown-gray spots on leaves and stems;
whitish coating on the back of the leaves;
spots on fruits and their deformation.

Signs of powdery mildew:

white-yellow coating on leaves and stems;
small brown dots (spores);
drops of dew on greenery;
leaves curled up.

Signs of cladosporiosis, or brown spot:

yellow spots on leaves;
brown coating on their underside.

For prevention, bushes are treated with fungicides (Ridomil Gold, Oxychom, HOM) before flowering and ovary formation, once every 20 days.

The drugs Fitosporin, Fitoflavin, and Bravo are safe and effective in the fight against fungi. Bushes are treated once every 2 weeks.

Preventive measures are no less effective:

disinfection of greenhouses with sulfur bombs;
soil treatment with copper sulfate;
removing the lower leaves of plants;
timely feeding with phosphorus and potassium;
soil mulching;
normalization of humidity in the room through ventilation.

“Fitoverm”, “Flumite”, “Grom”, “Strela”, “Konfidor”, “Aktara”, “Borneo” will help fight aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and Colorado potato beetles.

Agricultural technology of tomato variety Raspberry elephant

It is easy to grow a hybrid from seeds at home. The main thing is to purchase high-quality seed material.

Growing seedlings

Before sowing, the seeds are washed in warm water and soaked for half an hour in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. In this case, the grains that float to the surface can be discarded; they are empty.

Containers for seedlings are filled with a special mixture for growing tomatoes. You can make it yourself if you mix garden soil with humus and sand in equal parts. The resulting soil mixture must be thoroughly ground so that the soil is not heavy and all its components are well distributed. Then the ground is watered with settled water at room temperature.

Raspberry elephant tomato seeds are sown in early March. Using a ruler or knife, make even furrows no more than 1 cm deep on the surface of the soil. Seeds are placed in them at a distance of 2 cm. The seeds are covered with a small layer of fluffy soil and covered with film. The containers are placed in a bright, warm place.

After 3 days, the film is removed, after 6 days the first shoots will appear. They need 12 hours of even light. To do this, special lamps are additionally turned on in the evening hours.

After 2 months from the moment of sowing, from 4 to 6 leaves appear on the sprouts. At this moment, the seedlings are planted (planted in separate containers). Choose only strong plants with thick stems and fleshy leaves.

Peat cups are used for replanting. They are filled one third with soil for planting. Then the seedlings are well moistened, dug up, being careful not to damage the root, and transplanted to a new place. At this time, the seedlings can be topped up with fertilizers for tomato seedlings. The backlight is left on for 12 hours a day.

A month before the intended planting of seedlings in the ground, it must be hardened off. To do this, containers with seedlings are taken out into the open air for 2-3 hours a day.

Landing rules

The seedlings are transferred to open ground in May. Night frosts on the soil should stop by this time. In the greenhouse, seedlings are rooted earlier. The soil for planting is prepared in the fall. It is carefully dug up and any organic fertilizers are added.

When planting Raspberry Elephant tomatoes, maintain a distance between plants of 40 cm and rows of 60 cm. There should be no more than 4 bushes per 1 m2. The holes are dug at least 30 cm deep and slightly larger in diameter than the rhizomes of the plants.

The seedlings are thoroughly watered and removed from the container; if peat cups were used, the plants are planted with them. The bushes are lowered into the prepared hole, sprinkled with soil, and watered. The bottom pair of leaves should be removed. After watering, the soil can be mulched.

Watering and fertilizing

Raspberry elephant tomatoes require frequent and regular watering. They are carried out twice a week in the spring, and every other day in the hot summer. Take settled water at room temperature. It is not recommended to water tomatoes with cold liquid. For one adult plant, take from 5 to 10 liters of water; for seedlings, 2 liters is enough.

Raspberry elephant tomatoes are fed 2 times a month with organic fertilizers. Cow dung or bird droppings will do. This substance is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, poured between the rows, slightly retreating from the root.

Pinching and tying

The Raspberry Elephant tomato, due to its length and full-sized fruits, needs strong, reliable support. The plant is attached to a stretched trellis with a rope almost immediately after rooting.

To reduce the density of side shoots (stepchildren), they must be removed regularly. The abundance of such shoots reduces the yield of tomatoes. As soon as the flower cluster begins to form, thin branches form at its base and in the axils of the leaves. They are removed before flowering begins. For indeterminate varieties such as Raspberry Elephant, such a procedure is necessary. It is carried out at least once a week. Stepchildren are separated from the bush while they are still thin and weak. Tearing off overgrown shoots can damage the entire bush.

Formation

You can grow tomatoes with 1 or 2 stems. If they want to get a single stem, the side shoots are removed. In this case, there will be few fruits, but they will all grow to 400 g or more.

To form the second stem, it is necessary to leave a side shoot, which is located under the first lower brush. The remaining lateral processes should be removed. Growing into 2 stems, the tomato will form a larger number of ovaries, but the weight of the fruit will not exceed 200 g.

Protection from diseases and pests

The Raspberry Elephant tomato variety is susceptible to fruit rot. To prevent its occurrence, the frequency of watering must be reduced, the leaves and stems must be treated with a solution of nitrate.

Tomatoes are also susceptible to attacks by the Colorado potato beetle and aphids. Chemicals are used to kill these pests.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Sugar Elephant tomato variety

Reviews for this variety are mostly positive. There are practically no significant shortcomings that would negatively affect the amount of harvest.

Description of advantages:

Large fruit;
Stable fruiting throughout the season;
Disease resistance;
Tomatoes ripen early;
Dessert appointment;
The fruits are sweet, fleshy, intended to be eaten fresh in their entirety.

Description of disadvantages:

Side shoots will have to be removed throughout the growing season;
Seedlings are demanding on soil composition;
Not suitable for whole salting;
Susceptible to blossom end rot disease.