Tomatoes are a popular vegetable, an ingredient in many salads. It can be grown in the garden, and even at home. Specially designed for indoor cultivation, varieties feel good on the balcony and delight with plentiful harvests of small but tasty fruits. The variety Balcony Miracle also belongs to such "home" varieties of tomato.
Variety description Balcony Wonder
The Tomato Balcony Miracle is the result of the efforts of German breeders from SAATZUCHT QUEDLINBURG GMBH. It has been included in the Russian State Register since 1997 and is recommended for cultivation in all regions at home and in open ground. The state registry is declared as a medium-ripening variety, although an analysis of gardeners' reviews shows that the Balcony Miracle is rather an early variety - ripening occurs 85-100 days after planting.
Appearance of tomato Balcony miracle
Tomato Balcony miracle has limited growth, that is, it is determinant, undersized - the maximum height is 50 cm. The amount of foliage is average. The leaves have a rich dark green color. Little stepsons are formed, so the tomato does not need stepsons.
Tomato Balcony Miracle Tomato Balcony Miracle is stunted and can be grown in a regular flower pot
Each bush sets many small fruits, with an average weight of 30-40 g, up to a maximum of 60 g. The fruits are rounded in shape, with a smooth or slightly ribbed surface. When ripe, the tomatoes acquire a bright red color.
Fruits have a rounded shape and a smooth surface.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Balcony Miracle variety
The benefits of tomatoes Balcony miracle include:
- compactness of the plant;
- early onset of fruiting (85-100 days after planting);
- good yield indicators (up to 2 kg from 1 bush);
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions and resistance to temperature fluctuations;
- decorative appearance of the bush;
- the possibility of double fruiting;
- great taste of fruits, both fresh and canned;
- resistance to late blight.
A unique property that distinguishes the fruits of the Balcony miracle from other varieties of tomatoes is its ability to tolerate freezing well. The bushes themselves are versatile - this tomato can be grown not only at home, but also in greenhouses, and in open ground. Although this variety is inferior to other tomatoes in yield, but the simplicity of cultivation makes it available for cultivation even by inexperienced gardeners.
Features of planting and growing tomato Balcony miracle at home
Tomato Balcony Miracle is primarily intended for cultivation in an apartment.
Seedling preparation
Tomatoes are usually grown by seedlings, for the preparation of which seeds are sown in containers with nutrient soil. At home, the tomato Balcony Miracle theoretically can grow and bear fruit all year round. Unfortunately, in practice this is not always possible. Nevertheless, obtaining two crops is quite realistic if planting is carried out at different times. To harvest the spring crop, sowing seeds for seedlings should be carried out from the second decade of December to the first decade of January, and to obtain fresh tomatoes in the autumn, seedlings should be grown in August.
To prepare seedlings, boxes, plastic containers, plastic bags are suitable (you must definitely make holes for drainage in the bottom). You can use cups made of peat, plastic or paper - plants grown in individual containers will be easier to transplant. The selected "dishes" are filled with soil from humus and chernozem mixed in equal proportions, with the addition of sand (approximately 5% of the total soil mass). To ensure nutrition, plants need to immediately inject carbamide (8-10 g), ash (1 cup), superphosphate (35-40 g), potassium sulfate (30-35 g) into the soil. The soil reaction should be slightly acidic. 2-3 days before sowing, it is advisable to spill the soil with warm water.
How to prepare the soil for seedlings - video
The step-by-step process of sowing seeds Balcony miracle looks like this:
- Prepare containers with soil, moisten the soil with warm water.
- Before planting, it is advisable to soak the seeds in a warm solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 100 ml) for 20-30 minutes: this will help protect plants from diseases.
- Make deepenings (1.5-2 cm) in the prepared soil with a finger or stick and seed in them. If sowing is carried out in cups, 2 seeds are placed in each of them.
- Cover containers with crops with a film, since seeds are best “pecked” in a greenhouse. The temperature required for germination is 23-25 aboutFROM.
Sowing tomato Balcony miracle in capacity - video
When the first sprouts appear (usually 2-3 days after sowing), do not forget to remove the film, otherwise the seedlings may die.
Sprouted tomatoes need to be placed in a room with a temperature of about 15-16 aboutFrom about 7-8 days, and then to a warm place protected from drafts, provided with good lighting.
Like most tomato varieties, the Balcony Miracle is in great need of sunlight. The successful development of the plant depends on the duration of daylight hours.
If there is not enough natural light (especially in the winter months), you need to use the backlight. An ordinary fluorescent lamp is suitable for this purpose, but it is better to use a special phytolamp, which has the spectrum necessary for plants. The lamp should work for 1-2 hours before sunrise and the same amount of time after sunset. For the full development of tomatoes requires at least 7-8 hours of lighting per day.
Phytolamps provide light of exactly the spectrum that plants require for full growth
Usually, after 20-25 days, plants reach a height of 10-15 cm. During this period, seedlings should be dived and planted in constant containers. You can use plastic pots or containers with drainage holes in the bottom, but it is best to plant in a ceramic unglazed pot: the porous structure provides heat and air exchange with the environment.
The selected containers must be filled with loose nutritious soil (it is best to use ready-made soil mix or bio-soil). The pot is filled with soil so that about 3 cm remains from the soil level to the top of the pot, as in the future the soil will need to be covered with moisture-preserving mulch (straw, crushed bark or leaves).
Tomato care rules Balcony miracle at home
Tomatoes must be placed in the warmest and most lighted place in the house. The best option is a south or southwest window. In winter, tomatoes will need additional artificial lighting to provide enough light. Tomatoes will develop normally if the room temperature is maintained at 18-25 ° C.
Plant pollination
Under natural conditions, tomato flowers are pollinated by wind and insects. When growing in an apartment, you need to create air movement by opening a window or by directing a fan on the plants. It should be borne in mind that when the temperature drops to 13 degrees or lower, the pollen quality deteriorates. With an increase in temperature over 30-35 aboutWith grains of pollen lose viability. Too high air humidity (more than 70%) causes the pollen to stick together, so that it can no longer fly apart.
Given such possible troubles, it is necessary to control whether the pollination process has occurred. Pollinated flowers can be identified by folding back the petals. If pollination has not occurred after blowing the plants with air, it will be necessary to produce it manually, sweeping the flowers with a cotton swab or a soft brush.
Tomato pollen ripening occurs at night, so artificial pollination should be done in the morning (around 9.00-10.00).
Whatever pollination method you choose, it is best to stick with it throughout the growing of tomatoes.
Pollination of tomatoes - video
Top dressing
Immediately after planting the tomatoes in a permanent place, it is necessary to start feeding with phosphorus fertilizers (bone meal is good), which should be repeated every 15-20 days throughout the growing season. In addition, every 14-15 days it is necessary to feed plants with organic matter during irrigation (a solution of mullein or bird droppings). Especially a plant needs nutrients during flowering and during the formation of the ovary.
Ready-made complex fertilizers (Epin, Citovit) are perfect for feeding, but you can prepare a mixture of superphosphate (5 g), carbamide and potassium sulfate (1 g each), which are dissolved in 1 liter of water.
Garter
Tomato Balcony miracle is stunted and has a fairly strong stalk, so it is not necessary to tie it up. Nevertheless, if the plant is tied up, the stalks of the tomato are evenly distributed along the support, do not bend under the weight of the crop, and the inside of the bush is well ventilated.
As a support, you can use a metal grate, trellis, twine.
Arc-shaped supports are very suitable for potted tomatoes
Watering
The balcony miracle is sensitive to watering. The soil should be maintained in a constantly moistened state, but at the same time, oversaturation should not be allowed. The need for watering is determined by the condition of the soil. When the surface soil becomes dry to the touch, watering is necessary. Under a container with a tomato, it is necessary to substitute a tray. The plant, which has merged into it through the drainage holes, absorbs water as necessary.
Care for indoor tomatoes - video
When growing tomatoes indoors, the key to success, according to the author's experience, is loose soil, providing illumination, regular feeding (about once a week) and spraying. Of the tomato varieties offered for cultivation in the apartment, the Balcony Miracle is best suited for the autumn-winter season. Since it is practically impossible to achieve year-round fruiting of a tomato, you can use the following methods to extend the fruiting period. Tomatoes have the ability to propagate by cuttings: the stepson or the top of the bush cut off at the end of summer when placed in water after a few days, gives roots and then develops as full-fledged plants. If there are problems with rooting stepchildren, you can simply repeat the sowing of tomatoes several times a year. As the plants develop, the pots need to be changed every 2-3 months, since the bushes of the Balcony Miracle have a powerful root system that needs space.
Tomato cultivation Balcony miracle in the open ground
If the seedlings have grown more than expected, you can grow it in open ground. Although most tomatoes are difficult to grow in open ground (they are sensitive to cold snap), the Balcony Miracle variety usually grows and bears fruit well due to its early ripening.
Landing
Prepared seedlings are transplanted into the open ground only when steady warming sets in. Before planting, it is necessary to harden the plants for 8-10 days, taking young plants out to the street every day and increasing the time spent every day. For successful adaptation, seedlings must be placed in a place protected from drafts and direct sunlight. After 5-6 days of hardening, seedlings can be left overnight. You can finally transplant to a permanent place when you reach the level of night temperatures 10-12 aboutC. The warmer the soil, the better the plants develop. Therefore, to warm the beds, you need to cover them with black polyethylene several weeks before planting, which intensively absorbs solar heat and contributes to its accumulation in the soil.
In cold regions, it is recommended to leave the film for 4-5 weeks after planting seedlings (to make planting in the film, you need to make small cuts).
Tomatoes Balcony miracle will develop well if you place them in a place protected from the wind, shined with the sun for at least 8 hours a day. The soil requires loose, nutritious, with an acidity of pH 6-6.8. With excess acidity, the soil should be liminged in the fall (add slaked lime, dolomite flour). If the soil is very alkaline (hissing when vinegar is added to it), you need to water it with weakly diluted sulfuric acid.
If the soil, when mixed with vinegar, sizzles with the formation of bubbles, then its alkalinity is increased
Seedlings of a stunted Balcony miracle are small, so many gardeners find it possible to plant it often. This is wrong, since the roots of adult plants are large and require a fairly large area of nutrition, and bushes with frequent planting are easily affected by fungal diseases. It is recommended to adhere to an interval of 35-50 cm.
Seedlings should be planted deeper, to the very leaves - this planting helps to increase drought resistance and resistance to wind gusts, and also helps the development of the root system. The earth around the seedlings must be properly compacted with hands and watered.
They grow as quickly as possible and begin to bloom tomatoes at temperatures of 25-30 ℃.
Landing care
For the successful cultivation of the Balcony miracle in open ground, soil care, regular fertilizer application and irrigation are required.
Watering
As in indoor conditions, the tomato growing in the open air Balcony miracle needs to be regularly watered, but without "waterlogging" (excessive humidity provokes disease). When begin to ovaries form, watering the beds is necessary when the soil dries to a depth of 2-3 cm. In hot weather, when the leaves begin to fade, watering is quicker.
When watering tomatoes, moisture should be supplied strictly under the root - leaves and stems negatively react to moisture.
Soil care
The soil should be kept clean and loose. After the next watering, weed should be weeded out and the soil should be loosened to a depth of 20-25 cm using a pitchfork or cultivator. After this operation, compost is distributed on the soil surface (layer thickness 5 cm) and mixed with soil.
Starting from the 4th week after planting, the surface of the beds should be mulched with straw or dry leaves: this will help not only to maintain moisture in the soil, but also to prevent infection by fungi, as well as restrain the growth of weeds.
Fertilizers
One of the most useful minerals for tomato is phosphorus, which helps strengthen the roots. Phosphate fertilizers (such as bone meal) should be given to tomatoes every 3 weeks.
After 3-3.5 weeks after planting, tomatoes need to be provided with nitrogen fertilizers (suitable blood meal, fish emulsion, ammonia) in order to support the vegetative growth of plants.
Folk remedies for feeding tomatoes - video
Bushes care
Tomatoes grow to the detriment of the formation of ovaries. Therefore, excess shoots should be trimmed so that the plant forms with an open "crown".
With the mass ripening of the crop, the bush becomes very elegant, but ripening tomatoes need to be harvested immediately to provoke the formation of the following fruits. If the tomatoes are removed unripe, they must be put on ripening.
Pest and disease Balcony miracle is not very susceptible. Of the diseases, late blight should be feared (spots appear on leaves, stems and fruits). Sick plants should be removed immediately. Prevention of the disease is compliance with the rules of agricultural technology and the moderate use of nitrogen fertilizers.
Of the pests, the Colorado potato beetle, scoop, and bear can attack the Balcony Miracle. Confidor, Aktara, Fitoverm, Thunder preparations will help to cope with them.
To protect tomatoes from pests, it is recommended to plant basil, nasturtiums, garlic next to them, which repel pests or distract them.
Reviews gardeners
I grew a balcony miracle at home. Not impressed. The taste is really ordinary
tania 711//dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=54472&pid=563806&mode=threaded&start=#entry563806
I also grew 2 bushes of the Balcony miracle this summer. I just bought a bag from Biotechnology (for some reason, I didn’t understand), I planted 2 pieces and (don’t throw away) pushed them from my side to the peppers. I won’t say that they were low (somewhere around 50), but my mother rang out wide dear, I was tortured to pick them up, and already they were strewn, I forgot to pick them up, so they crumbled right red.
Barbie//dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=54472&pid=551944&mode=threaded&start=#entry551944
Last year I grew Balcony Miracle, it really is a miracle! We had a decent harvest, all the plants were simply covered with bunches, each of 10 fruits the size of a mirabelle. There was a lot of seedlings, I distributed, I left 3 bushes for myself, two in hanging pots on the loggia window, one in a pot 0.5 m from the window. This last fruit did not bring and bloomed barely, it was attacked by a whitefly, which within 3 days spread to all plants. A solution of green soap with onion infusion helped. Sprayed abundantly with this solution, while the berries were green, the whitefly disappeared for the rest of the summer
Myrtus//iplants.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=29452
It is the Balcony Miracle variety that really gives good tomatoes, but quickly ceases to yield. I grew them first, then I realized that on the balcony you can grow an ordinary variety that grows in the country. It just needs good land and fertilizer.
Kari_nochka//www.lynix.biz/forum/kak-vyrastit-tomat-balkonnoe-chudo
I tried to sow indoor tomatoes of five varieties. I do not remember their names. That was exactly the “Balcony Miracle”. It, this most miracle, was indeed the most stunted and compact, the leaves are large. The rest are more elegant and delicate. And the fruits were larger than the other branched. The lack of indoor tomatoes is that they consume a lot of time and resources, and yield a meager crop. And the taste of the fruit does not resemble the taste of soil. They can be grown in the room just for the sake of sports interest.
Laki//iplants.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=29452
In the room it is better to grow undersized varieties, such as "Balcony miracle." A crop of several dozen fruits is provided.
Alex//iplants.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=29452
Growing tomatoes Balcony miracle is within the power of any gardener. Simple care will provide a good harvest of small, but very elegant and tasty tomatoes.
