Characteristics and description of the Ducati tomato

The Ducati F1 hybrid tomato is a mid-early variety. The fruits begin to ripen 120 days after sowing. After another two weeks, the tomatoes reach biological maturity.

The bushes are indeterminate. Plants often grow up to one and a half meters tall, with up to eight clusters and medium-sized internodes. They bloom in single inflorescences. The trunk is strong, robust, and heavily foliated. The foliage is dark green and medium-sized. Each cluster produces up to seven large tomatoes. Plants require staking (preferably a trellis) and training. Best results are achieved with 1-2 stems.

Ducati fruits are round and medium-firm. The skin is thin, slightly ribbed, and glossy. When fully ripe, it turns raspberry or dark red. The flesh is watery, fleshy, and richly seeded. Each tomato weighs 160-200 grams.

Tomatoes begin bearing fruit in July. They develop and ripen gradually, allowing for fresh harvesting over several months. All tomatoes develop to a uniform size. Despite their apparent fragility, they store well and transport well.

Ducati F1 tomatoes are ideal for salads and processing.

Like most hybrids, Ducati F1 has high resistance to many diseases, including verticillium wilt and fusarium.

The Ducati variety's yield is beyond praise. As befits a tall tomato, a single bush can yield up to 4 kilograms of select tomatoes with a pleasant flavor and a distinct tomato aroma.

Value of the variety:

• high yield;
• all fruits are the same size and shape;
• the variety is resistant to rot;
• plants are protected from the development of various diseases and viruses;
• The fruits tolerate transportation well.

Features of cultivation

Growing Ducati tomatoes begins indoors. All they need for strong and healthy seedlings is plenty of light, warmth, and moisture, as this is primarily a southern plant.

Since the Ducati variety is mid-season, the seedlings should be 65-75 days old before planting. If they are younger or older, the gardener risks damaging the plants. Seedlings are planted in greenhouses at the end of May, and in open ground only in June, as any temperature fluctuations can adversely affect the development of young plants. Therefore, seeds should be sown in early March to ensure the plants are ready for transplanting.

Don't think that because the variety is indeterminate, sowing must be done earlier, otherwise the plants won't have time to grow. Sowing tomatoes for seedlings too early is not advisable. Insufficient light will indeed cause the plants to stretch, but they will be very fragile and unviable in open garden beds.

Sow seeds in prepared, disinfected, and nutritious soil. The soil should be loose, soft, airy, and permeable to water and air. Peat, sand, and ash are used to create the soil mixture. You can also mix humus, garden soil, and sand.

It is better to heat the soil in a microwave to kill all pathogenic microflora.

Since the seed producer is foreign, the Ducati seeds have already undergone pre-sowing treatment, so there's no need to disinfect them again. You can simply encourage the seeds to germinate earlier and germinate them. The seeds are wrapped in a damp cotton cloth and placed in a warm place.

Sowing seeds

Swollen, sprouted seeds are sown in large boxes. Tomatoes are placed on moist soil, 1.5 centimeters apart, pressing them lightly into the soil. A sprinkle of dry soil is added on top to encourage sprouts to emerge. To speed up germination, the boxes are covered with plastic wrap.

Ducati hybrid seeds germinate well at temperatures of 28-30 degrees Celsius. Lower temperatures will result in incomplete germination, which is typical of hybrid varieties.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the plastic film is removed and the temperature is adjusted slightly: now, for the next couple of weeks, the seedlings will grow at 19 degrees Celsius. Ducati, like most hybrids, is very demanding in terms of care. If the seedlings aren't watered promptly or given the sunniest and warmest spot in the house, they will grow weakly and without vigor. Seedlings need at least 14 hours of light per day, so supplemental lighting is essential.

Water the seedlings only with warm, settled water. Watering should be done very carefully to avoid breaking the fragile seedlings. Monitor soil moisture levels, as both overwatering and underwatering can cause the seedlings to stretch. Ideally, water tomatoes once a week, after the soil has dried out slightly but not completely.

When the sprouts develop two fully opened true leaves, it's time to transplant the seedlings. This is a crucial step in growing seedlings, as the future life of the young shoots will depend on it.

The tomato plants are transplanted into individual medium-sized containers to ensure the roots have enough room to grow rapidly. The soil in the pots is compacted, watered, and then the tomato plants are transplanted. Tomatoes should be planted slightly deeper, covering the stems up to the base of the leaves.

With proper transplanting, seedlings quickly recover and continue growing. The foliage grows much more densely and rapidly.

After transplanting, seedlings require additional nutrition. A week after transplanting, apply a complete mineral fertilizer containing essential nitrogen, phosphorus, and other micronutrients. A general-purpose fertilizer is best. If the seedlings continue to grow strong and healthy, no further fertilization is necessary. However, if growth is noticeably slow, you can fertilize the seedlings again at least 14 days after the initial application. This time, slightly increase the nutrient content.

A few days before planting, the plants begin hardening off. To do this, the seedlings are placed in a cool environment—on a veranda or balcony. Avoid dropping the temperature too quickly, as the seedlings may not be able to withstand such changes. At the final stage, the tomatoes are placed on the veranda for the entire day.

Planting seedlings in the ground

Whether Ducati tomatoes are grown outdoors or in a greenhouse, it's important to properly prepare the soil for the beds. Tomatoes thrive in light, fertile soil, so it's important to lighten compacted soil by adding sand. If the soil is low in acidity, add lime during tillage. In the spring, when preparing the beds, disinfect the soil by treating it with a hot solution of copper sulfate. The final stage of soil preparation is the application of organic and mineral fertilizers.

For the tomatoes, dig holes 10 centimeters deep. Leave 35-40 centimeters between holes, and 70 centimeters between rows. The seedling is transplanted into the hole, carefully removing it from the container in which it has been growing for the past month. It's important not to damage the root system, so it's best to plant the tomatoes using the transshipment method—removing them from the container with the soil ball and placing them into the hole.

The seedlings are planted up to the cotyledon leaves and covered with soil. The soil is compacted lightly and watered. When growing the Ducati variety, it is essential to install supports near the bushes and tie them up two weeks after planting.

Care

For the first week, it's best to leave the tomatoes alone and not even water them. It's best to wait until the roots take hold and continue growing. After that, water the tomatoes 1-2 times a week, increasing the frequency during hot periods. Plants require up to 3-5 liters of water daily. During the intense ripening period, the plants require significantly more water.

The soil should be monitored—it should be constantly moist but not wet, and water shouldn't accumulate. If this happens, the soil is too compact and needs to be loosened and aerated. To prevent waterlogging and prevent the soil from drying out, it's best to mulch the area under the bushes with straw or grass. This covering material will help retain moisture in the soil for a long time and reduce weed growth.

Top dressing

Tall tomatoes especially need fertilizing, as the roots expend a lot of energy on the constant growth of foliage, as well as on the formation and ripening of the fruit. The first fertilizer application is done 10 days after planting. The plants are fed with a mixture of mullein and nitrophoska.

Fertilizing is repeated after another 20-25 days. This time, the nutrient mixture is slightly modified, adding chicken manure and minerals such as superphosphate and potassium sulfate. The second round of fertilization occurs during the flowering period. At this time, plants require potassium and phosphorus for better fruit set, while the amount of nitrogen should be significantly reduced.

A third feeding is necessary during the ripening process. To ensure that the tomatoes fill with juice, become larger, and acquire a uniform color, another portion of the nutrient mixture, consisting of the same components as the second feeding, is added to the underside of the bushes.

Tomatoes respond well to foliar feeding, which can be done between regular fertilization sessions. Three to four times per season, the bushes can be sprayed with a solution of urea and potassium permanganate to protect the plants from diseases. In hot summers, it's a good idea to treat the bushes with boric acid diluted in water.

Formation

The Ducati variety is indeterminate, and tends to continue growing throughout the season. Often, when growing this variety in a greenhouse, gardeners obtain plants up to two meters or more tall. Reaching this height, the bushes form up to 8-10 clusters, each laden with fruit. Tomatoes tend to grow and continually expand vegetative mass in a disorderly manner, which interferes with normal fruit development and, consequently, the harvest. To achieve maximum results, it is recommended to train the plant, i.e., remove excess parts of the bush to focus the plant's work on fruit production rather than foliage. It is best to train tall bushes with a single stem, or at most two. Single-stem training is easier to handle and maintain, making it a more suitable option for growing very tall plants. The training process involves removing all side shoots (side shoots), leaving only a single central stem. Thus, by getting rid of unnecessary branches, you can increase the quality and quantity of fruits several times.

The main stem retains most of the fruiting clusters, and the tops are pinched off. This will stop the bush from growing. Now all the nutrients will go toward ripening delicious and juicy tomatoes.

Pruning a bush involves removing not only side shoots but also unwanted leaves. This primarily involves the lower foliage, which shades the area beneath the bush and promotes the development of fungal infections. Therefore, all lower leaves, right down to the first fruiting cluster, must be ruthlessly removed. Removing all unnecessary parts of the plant at once is not recommended, otherwise the plant will not survive such a serious and delicate operation. It's best to prune once a week, removing two or three leaves and the same number of side shoots. This should be done early in the morning so that all wounds have time to heal by evening.

Naturally, a tall tomato like Ducati cannot be grown without support. It's best to tie the plants to a trellis—this is the most optimal and least labor-intensive form of support.

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Reviews

Daria

I grew this hybrid at my dacha. I planted it in open ground. The bushes didn't grow very tall, just over a meter. The trunks really do grow very strong, supporting both branches and fruit well. They still need to be tied to a support, as tomatoes are naturally heavy, and the branches sometimes feel like they might break. I trained the bushes into a single stem, as this method is much easier. A lot of side shoots form, and I have to constantly remove them. The fruits turned out very tasty and juicy; sometimes it was even difficult to cut them because the juice was pouring out. The harvest went well for pickling.

 

Ilona

The variety produces a good yield, even very good. We harvested 2.5 kilograms from a single bush. All the tomatoes are large and uniform in appearance. I was very pleased with the taste. They are simply wonderful for fresh salads.

Xenia

My opinion of the Ducati variety is mixed. Yes, the tomatoes are indeed tasty, and there are plenty of them. But they're too soft. I prefer firmer varieties. Later, we got the hang of it; we picked them unripe and ate them that way. I even liked the taste of unripe tomatoes better; it's less watery. They're a godsend for pickling tomatoes, of course. The plants themselves aren't particularly difficult to maintain, although I was worried that growing tall tomatoes would be labor-intensive. Staking them turned out to be easy, as the plants don't branch out much.

 

Vladimir

A good, tall tomato variety. I've been growing it in a greenhouse for two years now. The bushes reach 130 centimeters tall, with sparse foliage. I remove excess leaves and remove side shoots. The variety requires regular watering, so I don't delay. It's also worth remembering that such a vigorous plant requires constant feeding. Mine is very basic: mullein and superphosphate. Fortunately, the bushes are disease-free and have grown strong from the very beginning. I haven't lost a single plant this year. The tomatoes themselves are of very good quality, tasty, fleshy, and very aromatic. I recommend this variety to everyone.