Tomato Bobcat - a fruitful Dutch hybrid

Beautiful bushes and fruits, good productivity, excellent taste were fixed by varieties of Dutch selection in Russian gardens. One of the veteran varieties that has been popular for 10 years is Bobcat tomato.

Description of Bobcat tomato

Hybrid Bobcat F1 belongs to the line of Dutch hybrids of the company SYNGENTA SEEDS B.V. It was registered in 2007. This tomato belongs to late-ripening (harvesting in 120-130 days from the moment of emergence of shoots), it is recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region in the open ground. In the middle lane, Bobcat is also grown, but in greenhouses. But in the cold northern regions, the harvest will not be possible due to the late ripening of the hybrid.

Appearance

Bobcat is a determinant hybrid, that is, it has limited growth (up to 1-1.2 m). Bushes are covered with large dark green leaves. Inflorescences are simple. The first flower brush appears after the 6-7th leaf. The growth of the main stem stops after the formation of the ovary on the top of the bush. The fruit has a rounded, slightly flattened shape, with a ribbed or highly ribbed surface. Sizes of tomatoes range from 100 to 220 g, an average of 180-200 g. Ripe tomatoes are painted in bright red color. Coloring is uniform, without a green spot near the stalk. The peel is strong, despite its small thickness, with a glossy sheen.

Bobkat fruit brushes carry 4-5 even fruits

The pulp is dense, but juicy. Each tomato has 4-6 seed chambers. The fruits contain 3.4-4.1% sugars, which provides a sour-sweet taste. Tasters rate the taste of fresh tomatoes as good, and give tomato juice an excellent grade.

The fruits of the Bobcat hybrid reach a mass of 220-240 g

Positive and negative qualities of the hybrid

Typically, growers praise Bobcat tomato. Its advantages include:

• high productivity (average 4-6 kg / m²under good conditions up to 8 kg / m²that corresponds to a commodity productivity of 224-412 kg / ha);
• a large yield of marketable fruits (from 75 to 96%);
• constant size of tomatoes in all lots of the crop;
• heat and drought resistance;
• good transportability and durability thanks to a strong skin and dense pulp;
• resistance to verticillosis and fusariosis;
• resistance of fruits to heat treatment, which makes them ideal for whole-fruit preservation.

Bobcat fruits are uniform, dense, with juicy pulp

The disadvantages of Bobcat include:

• restriction of the territory of cultivation;
• the possibility of breaking off branches under the weight of the fruit, which makes it necessary to tie;
• exacting care.

Table: Comparison of late tomato varieties

Features of planting and growing

Since Bobcat is a hybrid variety, you will not be able to get planting material from it yourself - you have to buy seeds. It is necessary to grow a hybrid in the seedling method due to its late ripening. Sowing seedlings usually begin in late February - early March. Processing seeds before sowing is not required - they are sold in packages that have already been pickled and ready to be immersed in the ground.

Landing Algorithm:

1. For sowing seeds, the best option is a ready-mixed soil mixture. If the earth is collected from the garden, then it must be calcined, pickled with potassium permanganate, and after drying, mix with humus.
2. The prepared mixture is poured into containers (peat pots, plastic containers, boxes, plastic bags can be used).
   

   For growing seedlings, you can use peat pots

3. Seeds are buried in the soil by 1-1.5 cm.
4. When sowing seeds in the boxes, they are placed in rows every 2-3 cm (the distance between the rows should be the same).
   

   If you sow in separate cups, it is advisable to put 2 seeds in each.

5. Seeds cover with a layer of soil and moisturize it (best with a spray).
6. Capacities are tightened with film and placed in a room with a temperature of 23-25^aboutFROM.
7. When the tomatoes sprout in bulk, the film must be removed and the seedlings placed in a cooler place (19-20^aboutFROM).

Video: sowing tomato seedlings

When 2 real leaflets appear on the seedlings, the plants dive into separate pots (unless they were immediately grown in separate containers), the "age" of seedlings 10-15 days from germination is considered optimal. If you skip this period, the roots of neighboring plants will be strongly intertwined and will be seriously damaged during a dive. You should not pinch the central root - it usually loses its tip during transplantation.

Untimely or carelessly carried out picking can cause a delay in the development of tomatoes for 7-8 days, which subsequently will result in a lost crop, especially for late-ripening Bobcat.

The volume of dive pots should be 0.8-1 liters. If you use smaller containers, you will have to transfer again in the future.

After picking, seedlings are fed with superphosphate and potassium sulfate (a pinch for each plant), to which you can add a little biohumus. Then top dressing is repeated every 2-3 weeks. The rest of the care of seedlings is timely watering and long-term lighting. As a rule, in early spring, natural light is not enough for tomatoes (it takes 10-12 hours a day), therefore, it is necessary to organize additional illumination using fluorescent or LED lamps.

Planting tomato Bobcat in a permanent place

Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place (in open ground or a greenhouse) is carried out only in the established warm weather - tomatoes do not tolerate return frosts. Before planting (in 12-15 days), seedlings need to be hardened by exposing it to open air. This is done during the day, choosing a place in the shade, first by 1 hour, then increasing the stay time to the whole day.

Before transplanting to a permanent place, seedlings are tempered

Soil for Bobcat should not be excessively nutritious, it is not enriched with organic matter - it causes the fatliquoring of tomato. It is important to sanitize the soil before planting. To do this, use a solution of copper sulfate (1 tbsp. Per bucket of water).

Bobcat is usually planted in holes or grooves in a checkerboard pattern. Between adjacent bushes should be an interval of at least 50 cm, between rows - at least 40 cm, that is, about 4-6 plants per 1 m².

Tomato Care

Caring for this hybrid is practically no different from the technology for growing other determinant tomatoes. To obtain the maximum yield, the following rules should be followed:

• to prevent breakage of shoots under the weight of the crop, tying to a trellis is necessary;
• timely removal of excess stepsons contributes to a better formation of ovaries;
• to reduce leafiness, 3-4 sheets should be removed every week;
• when cultivated in a greenhouse, Bobcat requires frequent airing.

Hybrid prefers watering abundant, but not more often 1-2 times a week. Although the fruits are not prone to cracking, do not allow excess water in the soil.

To preserve the optimum moisture of the earth, it must be covered with a layer of straw or hay.

Although the hybrid can develop without top dressing, it is advisable to enrich the soil with essential nutrients during ovulation and active fruiting. Tomato needs:

• potassium,
• boron,
• iodine,
• manganese.

You can use ready-made complex fertilizer or prepare the mixture yourself. Ash (1.5 L) mixed with boric acid powder (10 g) and iodine (10 ml) gives a good effect. Fertilizer is dissolved in 10 liters of water and watered planting.

No need to feed tomatoes with nitrogen and organic! These fertilizers cause only greenery growth.

Bush formation

For the Bobcat hybrid, bush formation is very important. The fact is that plants form a lot of stepsons and foliage, due to which ovary formation decreases. You can form bushes in one or two stems.

Unlike early varieties, three-stem formation is not suitable for Bobcat - the ripening of the fruits will be very late.

When conducting plants in one stem, all stepsons are removed, leaving only the central stem, and when forming in two stems, one side shoot is left in the sinus of the third leaf

The choice of the method of formation depends on the desired result. If only one stem is left, the fruit will ripen about a week earlier, and the tomatoes will be large. However, the total number of fruits will not be too large. When the plant is kept in two stems, the yield will increase markedly, but the ripening will move away, and the size of the tomatoes will be small.

Video: Bobcat tomato formation

The author's experience in growing tomatoes shows that the main point of care for planting is the organization of irrigation. And contrary to the established opinion, tomatoes very well perceive irrigation by irrigation. Even cold water can be used directly from the well. It is convenient to use a sprinkler as a sprinkler. Tomatoes feel good under a canopy, for example, from grapes. It protects against excessively burning sun, plants are less sick and their leaves never curl.

Pest and disease protection

Originators claim that the hybrid is resistant to diseases such as tobacco mosaic, fusarium and verticillosis. With the correct watering regime and good lighting, plants successfully resist powdery mildew. Good prevention of diseases is competent soil care (timely cultivation, hilling, weeding weeds) and top dressing.

With strong hydration, it is recommended to treat the bushes with Quadris or Ridomil Gold preparations for the prevention of late blight.

From pests to Bobcat, whiteflies and aphids can be scary.

Whitefly settles on the lower surface of the leaves and lays eggs. The larvae adhere to the leaf and suck out the juice, and their secretions are a hotbed of sooty fungus. Whiteflies feel especially good in poorly ventilated greenhouses.

Whiteflies are located on the leaves in whole colonies

You can get rid of whiteflies with the help of "fly sticks", which are hung in the aisles. You can also light an incandescent lamp over the bed at night, about which insects attracted by light burn their wings. If folk remedies do not help, you need to process the plantings with Confidor (1 ml per bucket of water).

Aphids can switch to tomatoes from other plants, so the bushes should be inspected regularly. If you skip the beginning of the insect invasion, tomatoes can even die - the aphids very actively suck the juices from the leaves.

Aphids stick to the bottom of the leaves and suck out the juices

For chemical treatment against aphids, the following drugs are suitable:

• Biotlin
• Akarin,
• Spark.

After processing, tomatoes can not be eaten for 20-30 days, so before spraying, you need to remove all tomatoes that begin to pink and put them on ripening.

Harvesting and its use

The first Bobcat tomato crop can be harvested 4 months after seed germination. The fruits ripen in batches and collect them, respectively, in several stages. If you wait for the ripening of all the tomatoes, the shoots can not withstand the severity.

Thanks to the dense pulp and strong skin, the tomatoes easily tolerate transportation and are well stored (up to 1.5-2 months at a temperature of 1-3^aboutFROM). Bobcat is intended mainly for the preparation of various preparations - tomato paste, ketchup, sauces, as well as for whole-canned preservation. However, the good taste of the fruit allows you to use them for salads.

High quality tomato paste is obtained from Bobcat

Reviews of vegetable growers

Our neighbor in the courtyard just Bobcat praised last year, and also Erofeich. Tasty grow and fleshy, typically salad.

Mik31

//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/118961/page-14

And Baba Katya (Bobcat) really tastes nothing to me. And in the greenhouse it’s just mid-early, and very leafy and this is its minus.

Vaska

//www.sadiba.com.ua/forum/showthread.php?p=605760

At Engels, Korean farmers plant tomatoes exclusively from the Bobcat variety. And Koreans, we have recognized vegetable growers.

Natalia Fedorovna

//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/118961/page-14

I planted a bobcat, I liked it, it was very fruitful in 2015.

Lyubasha

//forum.tomatdvor.ru/index.php?topic=4857.0

Bobcat didn’t ask me, she decided to give the remaining seeds to mom, in the south it is beyond competition, just like Pink Bush.

Don

//forum.tomatdvor.ru/index.php?topic=4857.0

Bobcat (or as we call it “baba Katya”) is a normal tomato. Taste .... if you give potassium and magnesium normally on a drip, then everything will be all right. And the seeds are not expensive - the old hybrid. Pretty early, but like everyone unpretentious little things, but retailing is excellent.

andostapenko, Zaporizhzhya region

//www.sadiba.com.ua/forum/showthread.php?p=605760

Tomato Bobcat has good performance, but is more suitable for cultivation in the southern regions. In a cold climate, only an experienced gardener can afford to harvest this hybrid.