Sunday 5 October 2014

Italian Tree Tomato-Episode 2







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This is an investigation.


                         Does the picture above look familiar? What about the claims made about this Tomato Tree?


                   REALISTIC?   MYTHICAL?   IMPOSSIBLE?   Time to find out!



                                           What They Promise


  • Immense size i.e you will need a stepladder to pick your fruit.( up to 25ft)
  • Longevity-This plant will continue to grow year after year.
  • Incredible yield in the region of 50 to 100 lbs ( 25/50 kg) per plant.
  • Large fruit in the region of 1 to 2 lbs (500g to 1kg)


          I am very sceptical- Here is the link to my first experiment. Ended in disaster!

                            Italian Tree-Tomato-Fact or  Fiction   


                   

                                                             Second Experiment Results 

                                                                Watch the video for some surprizes   


                                                                                                                    Italian Tree tomato-fact or fiction?         






Related Post





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Summary of Experiment



                                                                   Step 1 October 2013



3 types planted side by side. Giant Beefsteak-
Brandywine and Italian 
Tree Tomato






Each plant was given identical soil and nutrients.

All went well until..............
                                        Next Event  November 2013

Brisbane Experienced a month of extreme heat and drought with maximum temperatures in the region of 38 degrees celsius (100 degrees F)






                        The Brandywine tomato died in the process while the Giant Beefsteak showed more resilience than the Italian Tree Tomato.


Then..............


                                 The Drought Lifted  January 2014




                                                         Temperatures returned to the slighter milder 30/32 degrees C max. ( 90 degrees F)



Finally.............




                                    Period of Recovery  January/ February 2014



       

   My First Ever Italian Tree Tomato-Yay! It Really    Exists!






 

                              A Really Fine Tomato! Just as they promised-large and Juicy......


                                                                        Problem-I only have one of them!









                                                         The Giant Italian Tree Tomato-An exceptional all-round tomato.




What happened next.................





                                               Period of Optimum Conditions  March-May 2014

As I learnt the optimum temperature for this tomato is in the region of 26/28 degrees C ( 75/80 degrees F)
During this period prior to winter, the vine began to recover rapidly and quickly became difficult to control.
The height had to be stopped at 2M ( 6ft) by piching the growing tip. It began to shoot out side tendrils and numerous flowers.









 Wow! This is beginning to look promising!









                                                                                                                 I have to restrict the height or I'd need a step ladder to get to the top!





                                                                   Italian Tree tomato-a tangled mess of thriving vines flowers and fruit.





Sadly................



                                                       The End- May 2014

As  Luck Would Have IT, an early blast of Polar air and associated frost of 4 degrees C (39F) killed the vine instantly.
The unripe fruit is instantly wiped out by hungry Possums.
THE EXPERIMENT IS OVER!  R.I.P



                       Conclusions

                                           
                                         The experiment showed the following:

                                          - Such a tomato does exist.
                                         - The vine can survive but will not fruit well in extreme heat.
                                         - It cannot survive frost.
                                         - Fruit is very large and sweet.
                                          - Can reach an extraordinary height.
                                          - It is not as resilient as Similar beefsteak varieties.
                                          - leaves are of normal shape unlike Giant Beefsteak which has potato-like leaves.

                                               


                                                                               Improvements to consider

                                          -Prepare a deeper planting hole i.e at least 50cm deep by 50 cm wide (2ft X 2ft)
                                          - Provide more nutrients lower down.
                                          - Use a system that allows water to easily reach the bottom of the planting hole.
                                         - Use stronger staking.
                                          - Have a strategy to keep out pests.







                                                                      The Giant Italian Tree Tomato-Irresistable!


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