How to grow a tomato tree?

Everyone knows that a tomato grows on a bush, and not everyone believes that there is also a tomato tree - a cytomander or tamarillo. Despite the fact that this plant is exotic for European countries, a person who knows how to grow Solanaceae cultures (tomato, pepper, eggplant ) will easily cope with this task.

Growing a tomato tree in the home

Despite the fact that the zyphomander is a tree, it should be planted in a wide shallow tub with a pallet, since the plant has a superficial root system. Cultivation should be carried out on a well-lit and insulated balcony or on the south window sill.

In order to obtain a fruit-bearing tomato tree, you should familiarize yourself with the recommendations how to grow it at home:

1. The soil. A light fertile land is required for a cytomander. The top layer must be covered with moss or expanded clay.
2. Landing. Seed can be planted throughout the year, but it is better to do it in the spring. First, the planting material should be held for 12 hours in the refrigerator, and only then deepen by 1.5 cm into the ground. Watered and covered with a film. After the shoots ascend, they should be planted in separate pots.
3. Watering and feeding. Water should be as it dries (about 2 times a week), done only through a pallet. Extra fertilizing is carried out once in 2 weeks with complex fertilizers. In winter, watering should be reduced (1 time per week), and stop feeding altogether.
4. Transfer. Every year, the plant should be transferred to the pot a little more in diameter than it was.
5. Reproduction. It is carried out by seeds and cuttings with 2-3 internodes. In the second case, the zyphomander begins to bear fruit in the first year.

Varieties of tomato tree

Varieties of this tree differ from each other in the main appearance and taste of its fruits. Among gardeners, the following are particularly popular:

• Inka Gold - the fruits are yellow, their taste resembles apricot;
• Solid Gold - oval fruits with a golden crust have a vegetable taste;
• Rotamer - a vegetable of this variety has a bright red color of the peel and pulp - yellowish, has a very sweet taste, so it is used in desserts.

It is not easy to buy tomato tree seeds in ordinary horticultural stores, so it is recommended that they be harvested independently from the eaten fruits.

A tomato tree can be used not only for food, but also for decorating a loggia or winter greenhouse.