King King is highly regarded by agronomists and farmers. The variety is characterized as tall, large-fruited and productive. It shows resistance to weather factors and infectious agents.
| Height | Landing location | Ripening time | Fruit color | Fruit size | Origin | Fruit shape |
| Tall | Greenhouse | Mid-season | Pink | Large | Variety | Heart-shaped |
Description of the tomato variety King of Kings
The culture belongs to indeterminate hybrids, its growth is not limited, varies between 1.5-1.8 m, after which it is controlled through the formation procedure. According to photos and reviews, King of Kings tomatoes have branching, strong stems covered with fluff. Shoots need support.
The leaf blades are medium-sized with a wrinkled surface covered with a network of veins. Most often the shade of the leaves is light green, less often a bright green shade. The inflorescences are simple. Future fruits are formed above the ninth node, all subsequent ovaries are placed every three leaf blades. It is recommended to leave no more than 5 ovaries on one shoot. The period from seed germination to harvesting ripe tomatoes is 100-110 days.
Important! The description and characteristics of the King of Kings tomato variety indicate that the crop requires a large amount of light and heat, so it is preferable to grow tomatoes in the southern regions. Their cultivation in countries with cold climates is possible only in greenhouse conditions.
Diseases and pests
According to the description of the originators and gardeners, this variety is resistant to most nightshade diseases. Occasionally, cases of late blight and blossom end rot (brown dry areas on the fruit) are reported. To avoid the occurrence of late blight, plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture after planting, and at the first signs of infection - with copper oxychloride.
Brown spots on tomatoes appear due to irregular watering, dry air in the greenhouse, and calcium deficiency. They compensate for its deficiency by spraying with calcium nitrate.
Large sweet fruits are a delicacy for pests. Large-fruited King of Kings tomatoes are plagued by aphids and whiteflies. The first one must be washed off from the leaves with a solution of laundry soap, and the second one must be caught with special adhesive tapes or removed with a fumigator.
Tatyana Orlova (Vasilidchenko) (candidate of agricultural sciences):
Taste qualities of tomatoes King of Kings
The shape of the tomatoes is rounded and slightly flattened on top and bottom. The tomato has weak ribbing and red skin. According to photos and reviews, the weight of one King of Kings tomato can reach from 300 g to 1 kg.
In a ripe tomato, the green edging around the stalk disappears. If you do not harvest on time, the tomato becomes overripe and its skin often bursts. The fruit pulp has a dense structure: the tomato is not watery and has few seeds. The taste of the tomato is sweet, with a slight sourness.
The harvested crop is able to retain its properties and appearance for 40 days, which allows the variety to be used for long-term transportation.
Tomatoes are suitable for making salads, pastas and juices. The whole tomato cannot be placed in a canning jar, so it is cut into slices and added to lecho or other dishes that require chopping ingredients.
Gardeners' ratings
The King Kong variety has been known for a long time. It is successfully grown by many summer residents. We invite you to read some reviews about culture.
Valeria Aleksandrovna, Belaya Kholunitsa, Kirov region: “King Kong is an excellent variety. Balanced taste, excellent quality harvest. Excellent in salads. Also suitable for making juices and sauces. Simply an irreplaceable tomato. I call him the king of the greenhouse."
Nadezhda Stanislavovna, village. Znamenka, Belebeevsky district, Bashkortostan: “This tomato is mid-season, indeterminate. In the greenhouse it grew to 1.7 meters. The fruits are beautiful, smooth, and shaped like a heart. Tasty, juicy and healthy giants. I will plant more. I recommend him to everyone."
Vladimir Sergeevich, Dolgoprudny, Moscow region: “The tomato is not afraid of temperature changes, it is heat-resistant. Watering is best done after sunset. A good result was obtained when forming the plant into one stem. The fruits are large, fleshy, juicy and sweet. I collected 4–4.5 kg from each bush.”
Pros and cons of the King of Kings tomato variety
Like any crop, a tomato hybrid has its advantages and weaknesses.
Positive traits:
- large fetal weight;
- decent tasting qualities;
- keeping quality and transportability;
- high level of fruiting;
- immunity to diseases.
The disadvantages of the variety include:
- the need to create climatic conditions for cultivation (limiting the possibility of cultivating tomatoes in open ground in regions with short summers and cold climates);
- impossibility of marinating in its entirety.
It is impossible to independently obtain seed from ripened fruits: the hybrid is considered complex, so new seeds must be purchased every year.
Description and characteristics of the variety
King King belongs to the group of indeterminates with medium ripening periods. In temperate latitudes, in particular in the Moscow region and the Volga region, it is recommended to cultivate the variety in greenhouses.
What are the features of tomato:
- vigorous bushes;
- the length of the stems varies within 2 m;
- mid-ripening;
- small, deep emerald colored leaves.
The impressive giant fruits have a wonderful taste. They make aromatic juice, savory sauces and ketchups, and vitamin-rich fresh salads. If desired, they can be added to assorted dishes, adjika, lecho.
- average weight 300-500 g;
- maximum weight 0.7-0.8 kg;
- bright crimson coloring;
- the shape resembles an even heart;
- fleshy pulp;
- delicate texture;
- there are few seed chambers and seeds.
Optimal growing conditions
The King of Kings variety is unpretentious to growing conditions: for rapid growth and abundant fruiting, the plant requires a sunny area. It is preferable to cultivate tomatoes in slightly acidic soil. In soils with moderate acidity, the plant can survive, but will bear fruit worse.
Important! King of Kings tomatoes are drought-resistant, but require careful soil moisture during seed germination.
It is possible to grow tomatoes in open ground if the region has long and hot summers. Gardeners cultivate tomatoes in a greenhouse, making up for the lack of heat and light through lamps and heaters.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive characteristics of the King of Kings variety include:
- large fruit;
- beautiful appearance and excellent taste of the fruit;
- disease resistance;
- tomatoes do not crack;
- good keeping quality (for a large-fruited variety).
The King's fruits are very tasty and large
- demands on fertilizing;
- the need for tying and shaping the bush;
- large and sweet fruits often attract pests;
- tomatoes become wrinkled during transportation.
Tatyana Orlova (Vasilidchenko) (candidate of agricultural sciences):
Low transportability is the weak point of many of the most delicious and large-fruited varieties. For transportation over long distances, the fruits of such varieties are harvested at the stage of blanzhe ripeness.
Growing
Cultivation of King of Kings tomatoes, according to reviews and photos, is carried out using seedlings. Productivity is influenced by compliance with planting and care rules.
Growing seedlings
The optimal time for the procedure is from mid-April to the first weeks of March. Transplantation into open ground is carried out 70 days after planting the seeds for seedlings.
It is recommended to purchase seed material from trusted suppliers. Before planting, it is necessary to check the expiration date of the seeds and process them.
Samples that have defects, strange shapes or colors are unsuitable for sowing. To check the germination of the seed, you need to dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and put future tomatoes in it. Seeds suitable for planting will remain at the bottom after 10 minutes, hollow samples will float to the surface of the water.
As a disinfection procedure, seed material is immersed in a 0.05% chlorhexidine solution for 30 minutes, then washed with water and dried thoroughly.
A day before planting, it is recommended to place the seeds in a solution with a growth stimulator and prepare the containers. Containers must be clean, dry, and have ventilation holes.
Rules for planting tomato seeds:
- distribute a drainage layer (small stones or expanded clay) along the bottom of the container;
- pour soil into the container and thoroughly moisten it;
- sow seeds in grooves 1 cm deep, maintaining a distance between rows of 3 cm;
- lightly sprinkle the planting material with soil, moisten the soil with a spray bottle;
- Cover the box with plantings with glass or film, move the containers to a sunny and warm place.
After the emergence of shoots and 2-3 leaves, the King of Kings tomatoes need to be transplanted into separate containers.
Caring for seedlings involves timely loosening and watering, providing a sufficient amount of sunlight. It is recommended to regularly ventilate the room where the containers are located.
Landing rules
Transplantation into open ground is carried out when the soil has warmed up to + 15 °C. 10-14 days before the procedure, it is recommended to harden the plants: take containers with tomatoes outside on sunny days, gradually increasing the time they spend in the fresh air.
Before planting, the soil is dug up and beds are formed. It is possible to place no more than 3 bushes per 1 m2. The distance between seedlings should be 40 cm, and the row spacing should be 0.5 m.
Before planting, the plant is moistened abundantly, after which it is carefully removed from the pot so that the root system remains intact, and moved into the hole, covered with earth, and watered.
Watering and fertilizing
Moistening the soil is carried out as necessary: warm water is poured onto the soil in the morning or evening hours so that moisture does not fall on the leaf blades and does not erode the root system.
The first fertilizing is carried out immediately after planting, adding fertilizers with phosphorus to the soil. During the period of flowering and formation of ovaries, it is necessary to provide the tomatoes with nitrogen, and during the period of fruit ripening with fertilizers containing potassium.
Pinching and tying
Tall tomatoes King of Kings need pinching. The first procedure is carried out when the bush reaches 6 cm in height: the lower shoots are removed. During the entire growing period, it is recommended to carry out 3 prunings. During the procedure, you should also pinch the tops of the plant so that the bush slows down its growth and directs its forces to ripening the fruits.
Immediately after transplanting the crop into open ground or as the variety grows, it is necessary to tie it up. This avoids damage to tomatoes from gusts of wind and provides support for branches with fruits. Wooden or metal stakes, mesh and other available devices are used as support.
Formation
For King of Kings tomatoes, forming 1 or 2 stems is a mandatory procedure. The first brush is placed above the 9th leaf, the rest every 3 leaf plates.
Formation is carried out gradually as the bush grows. If the procedure is neglected, the branches bend to the ground under the weight of the fruit and break.
Protection from diseases and pests
King of Kings tomatoes are highly resistant to diseases that affect tomatoes. The pest that attacks the variety is the whitefly. It is capable of completely destroying all plantings within a short period of time.
The butterfly is small in size (up to 3 mm), drinks juice from the leaf plates and branches of the plant, which turn pale and then lose color as the pest is active. Without treatment, the tomato dies.
The first inspection of King of Kings tomatoes is recommended 10-12 days after transfer to open ground. If it is detected, it is important to treat all bushes with special preparations: Mospilan or Actellik.
Brief information about the variety
- Fruits and bush : tomatoes are deep red in color, flat-round in shape, weighing from 200 to 1500 g; indeterminate bush, 150-250 cm high.
- Productivity : 5-6 kg per plant.
- Resistance : to most diseases – high.
- Distribution : recommended for growing in a greenhouse in the middle zone and in open ground in the south of Russia.
- Application : salads, slices, hot dishes, processing (juices, ketchups, pastes).
- Planting : seedling method; sowing - in the first half of March, transplanting - in mid-May; diagram – 40×50 cm.
- Soil : light, fertilized with organic matter.
- Care : watering - once every 10 days, fertilizing - every 2 weeks, formation - 1-2 stems, tying - required.
- Ripening period : medium-late – tomatoes will ripen 110-120 days after emergence. The shelf life of the fruit is one and a half months.
