What are F1 tomato hybrids?

Some tomato lovers scold hybrids, consider them less tasty and useful than varietal ones. Others, on the contrary, choose them because they are more productive and less sick. Annually, tomato novelties appear on the shelves of gardening shops, most of them are hybrids.

What are hybrids

On the seed packages next to the name you can see the designation F1. It suggests that this is not a variety, but a hybrid form. The abbreviation is easy to decipher:

• F - the first character of the word children (filii);
• 1 - the first generation.

Hybrid tomatoes exceed varietal in yield, precocity, resistance to diseases.

Their superiority is simply explained. Get a hybrid form by crossing 2 or more parent forms with pronounced varietal properties. The best qualities get a new form. Hybridization involved in a protected ground, manual work.

Differences of hybrid and varietal tomatoes

When buying seeds of a favorite variety, an experienced gardener at the end of the season analyzes its characteristics: early ripeness, yield, taste, color, and peculiarities of care. If he is satisfied with everything, he selects high-quality, ripe fruits, and releases seeds from them.

Next year there is no need to go to the store. You can use your seeds. All varietal qualities are preserved. F1 is different. Seeds will have to buy annually, getting their own from the hybrid form does not make sense. The second generation may surprise unpleasantly:

• bushes will be of different height;
• Fruits vary in color, shape, size;
• low yield.

F1 benefits

Giving preference to hybrid forms of tomatoes, the amateur vegetable grower receives a number of advantages:

• tomato harvest many times more;
• ripening time is reduced;
• fruits are one-dimensional, aligned in shape, color, weight;
• the pulp has a harmonious taste, a rich set of useful substances;
• plants are less likely to get sick, suffer from pests a little, adapt well to weather conditions.

How to produce tomato hybrids

Hybridization is practiced only in protected ground conditions. Planted two varieties of tomatoes. One variety will be a pollinator, a second seed plant. Pollen from a pollinator with a brush is transferred to a pistil of a flower of a seed bush.

Pollinated flowers are marked, put bags on them. To guarantee the procedure is repeated after 2 days. Successful pollination will complete the formation of the fetus. The bag is not removed from it until its full maturity. From fully ripened fruits, seeds are released. They are used for breeding next season.

Yield Hybrids

For owners of greenhouses need tall tomatoes F1. Productivity will please (up to 20 kg from a bush):

• Ivanhoe;
• The Alhambra;
• De Barao is red.

Slightly less productive are the popular early-ripe forms: Semko Sinbad, Rosemary, Blagovest, Intuition.

In the open ground, they showed themselves well:

• Jaffa F1;
• Katya F1;
• Taman F1;
• Golden Andromeda F1.

Mistakes in growing hybrids

Buying seeds, look at a beautiful photo, but do not read the description. Planted in open ground tomatoes, intended for the greenhouse and vice versa. Many non-productive use of the area of ​​the greenhouse, planted in it determinant, stunted tomatoes.

It is more correct to grow vigorous hybrids (indeterminant) in protected ground, they grow to the top of the greenhouse, give more fruit per unit area. Many do not comply with the recommended planting scheme, they plant too often. There are well-established rules of landing.

Other cultivation errors:

• improper formation of the bush;
• excessive fertilization;
• poorly organized watering.

Hybrids of tomatoes are worth growing. Novelties are pleased not only with resistance to diseases and high yields, their fruits are distinguished by good taste and marketable appearance.