Experienced gardeners or beginners in this business will probably be interested to learn about the unusual, but very prolific tomato tree (sprut), which also gives very good yields. Most of us are used to the fact that tomatoes should have a more bushy shape, but this plant in the shape of a tree is a reality nowadays. In this article we will describe in detail about this "phenomenon", and also pay attention to the issues of its cultivation at home.
What is it?
Under natural conditions, different types of tamarillo (another name for a tomato tree) are woody bushes or whole trees, often reaching 5 m in height. Their crown diameter is about 50 m², and there are 5-6 tomatoes on one brush, often weighing reaches 150 g. The leaves of the plant have an oval shape, and when flowering on the branches white-pink flowers are noticeable. 
As for fruits, they can have a different color: from orange to deep red. The flesh is very juicy and a bit sweet to the taste. By approximate calculations, such a plant is capable of producing fruits for about 15 years, and fruiting begins in the second year after planting.
Harvest from the tomato tree is great for preparing dressings, sauces, as well as preparing vegetable cocktails or all kinds of preservation. That is, no matter how you use tomatoes, by growing this variety at home, you will provide yourself with an excellent source of vitamins.
If you previously had to grow solanaceous crops (eggplants, peppers, other tomatoes), then adequately cope with this task for you will have no difficulty. The only thing that is needed for the most abundant harvest is a sufficient amount of space for the growth of the tree and proper care for it, which we will discuss further.
Did you know? Since tomatoes appeared on the tables of Europeans, a lot of time has passed (they were brought to Europe in the XVI century), but not everyone knows that these fruits have not been used in cooking for a long time. At the initial stages of acquaintance with the culture, gardeners considered it a poisonous plant and were grown only as a “curiosity” brought from overseas countries. The recipe for the first European dish with tomatoes dates back to 1692.
Growing conditions
Given the unusual nature of tomato tree and its size, it is easy to assume that such a plant will need a fairly spacious greenhouse and relatively specific conditions for planting and further maintenance. We will understand this issue more closely. 
Greenhouse size
Growing octopus engaged absolutely in any kind of greenhouses (although it is possible to plant it in the open field), but the main condition is that they must be constantly in a heated room and be lit. Of course, given the maximum possible size of a tomato tree, the greenhouse should not be less than 50 m² in diameter, and to accommodate such a giant plant you will also need a sufficiently capacious capacity: from 1 to 2 m² (for example, an old bathroom).
Also, do not forget to prepare and cover the appropriate size, which in the future will be able to protect the nutritional components in the summer. 
As an additional inventory, there will be another small bath, which will serve as a place for preparing nutrient solutions for wood.
Of course, in the absence of the required area, the specified plant can be grown in ordinary greenhouses, but in this case we can only talk about the seasonal production of fruits from tall shrubs (yield is in the aisle of 10 kg from the bush). For comparison with an unlimited growth in a tomato tree, it is possible to collect up to 1,500 kg of tomatoes, although it will take up to 1.5 years to grow it.
Lighting
The fecundity of the cultivated plant in this case fully and completely depends on the optimal temperature parameters and illumination, and not only when sowing seeds, but also during the formation of fruits. To meet this requirement, greenhouses are equipped with sources of artificial light (fluorescent lamps) so that at all stages of development of tomatoes their daylight time is at least 12 hours. 
It should be noted that an equally important condition is the optimum temperature, which in summer should be within + 24 ... +25 ° C, and with the arrival of winter, drop not lower than + 19 ° C.
Soil preparation
The ideal substrate for a tomato tree provides for the same components that are used in the cultivation of ordinary tomatoes, and the main condition in this case is high nutritional value and breathability of the soil for the octopus, and it does not matter whether it is grown in open ground or in greenhouse conditions. In addition, be sure to use special liquid fertilizers and do not forget to periodically loosen the soil with a rake. For mulching the soil after planting a tree is better to use expanded clay.
Important! A tomato tree is a rather capricious plant (in terms of fertilizers), therefore it is better to prepare in advance a large number of special fertilizing formulations.
Landing
The planting of the octopus can be divided into several stages: first, the seeds are sown and the care of the seedlings is performed, and then the grown seedlings are planted in a greenhouse or in another place prepared for them. 
Sowing seeds
Seeds of tomato tree can be planted in the soil at any time of the year, but most experienced gardeners are advised to do this at the end of winter or in the first days of spring. To begin with, the entire planting material is placed in a refrigerator for 12 hours, and after this time is distributed in a container prepared for seedlings (a wooden box with a height of about 15-20 cm is a good option).
Each seed must be buried in loosened soil to a depth of not less than 1.5 cm, after which the seedlings are watered and covered with a film. As soon as the tomatoes sprout come up, they must be seated in separate pots, in which they will grow until they go to their permanent "place of residence".
Seedling care
Caring for seedlings requires proper irrigation and regular fertilization. Young plants are watered as the soil dries (about twice every 7 days), and this should be done only through a tray.
As for fertilizing, as in the case of irrigation, their frequency should not be less than several times a week, always using complex formulations. When growing seedlings in the winter, the introduction of fluid is reduced to once a week, and feeding is generally better to stop. 
Of course, at this time you should not forget about the temperature mode in the room with seedlings (not lower than + 20 ... + 25 ° C) and its sufficient lighting, which is provided daily by fluorescent lamps for 12-15 hours.
Did you know? The weight of the fruits of most tomato varieties does not exceed 1 kg, but a resident of Minnesota (USA) was able to get into the Guinness Book of Records thanks to a tomato grown by him, whose weight was 3800 g.
Planting tomatoes
If seed sowing on seedlings was carried out in January or early February, then by about mid-April, your seedlings will be ready for transplanting into the greenhouse. Usually at this time the temperature in such a room is stably maintained at + 20 ... + 25 ° С, which is quite enough for further growth and development of the tomato tree. It is better to raise the land beds for planting 0.5 m above the ground and border it with silicate bricks, so that they can warm up well. 
From the harvested seedlings choose only the strongest seedlings, because they have a high level of vitality. Planting is done in pre-prepared holes, 10-15 cm deep, and to form an additional number of root shoots, break down the two lower rows of leaflets and bury the seedling in the soil before the remaining leaf plates.
When preparing holes in each such hole, it is necessary to add a handful of ash and a small part of Azofoski, and it is also good if compost was introduced at the place where the tomato tree was placed in the fall (laid at a level of 20-25 cm deep). Until the temperature in the greenhouse stabilizes (until the serious fluctuations between day and night indicators disappear) it is better to cover the transplanted seedlings with lutrasil fixed on the arcs. 
Care and cultivation of adult bushes
A tomato tree, like other varieties of this crop, is not difficult to grow at home, the main thing is to provide the plant with the right care. To transplant the future giant into a greenhouse is only half the battle, and the second half consists in knowing some of the nuances of its watering, further fertilizing and other agrotechnical measures.
Thus, organic and mineral compounds are ideally suited as fertilizers, and the latter must necessarily contain boric acid, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, ammonium nitrate and simple superphosphate. Such fertilizer should be applied to the soil at least once a week. As a preventive measure against various diseases of tomatoes, a special solution with an iodine content is perfect (1 bottle should be dissolved in 10 liters of water). Once a week, you can feed with an aqueous solution of herbal infusion. 
Do not forget that in the first year after planting your tomato tree should not bear fruit, otherwise in the future you will not be able to get a properly formed plant. Also, you should not stick the tree, leaving the shoots safe and sound.
Of course, for the normal growth and development of such a giant, it requires a sufficiently large amount of water, which means that, starting from May, watering should be sufficiently abundant, and in sunny weather - daily.
Important! It is better to add liquid to the soil in the morning, because at this time the skin of ripening fruits expands, and narrows again in the evening. When watering twice a day (in the morning and in the evening), the tomatoes simply crack, as the incoming water will break the skin from the inside.Having created the plant as much as possible favorable conditions for its growth and development, the first fruits can be expected already in mid-June, which is much earlier than the ripening of all other tomato varieties. Moreover, the tree will continue its fruiting until the autumn (and later), when the crop has been harvested from all other varieties long ago.
Learn about the nuances of growing tomatoes varieties "Katya", "Volgograd", "Siberian early", "Persimmon", "White filling", "Tretyakovsky", "Black Prince", "White filling".
Is it possible to grow in open ground?
Many gardeners believe that tomato tree at home should be grown only in greenhouses specially prepared for this, but in practice this possibility has been proven more than once in the open ground of the summer cottage. 
It is only necessary to create suitable conditions for the plant, following certain recommendations:
- seed sowing should be carried out much earlier than in the case of other varieties of tomatoes, and in the autumn-winter period, sprout seedlings need additional artificial lighting;
- to activate the growth of new roots, you must pinch the main root;
- transplanting should be carried out according to the scheme 40x60x140 cm, since the tomato tree of a bush-like form in the adult state can reach a diameter of 3-4 m (when grown in greenhouses, this value is greater);
- as in greenhouse conditions, pasynkovanie plants in open ground is not required;
- always keep in mind the dressings that are carried out by the root method (the same components as for a greenhouse plant are excellent for the role of fertilizers);
- mandatory and regular prevention of plants from pests and diseases, which are often "guests" on it;
- to increase crop yields, it is necessary to remove yellowed, old leaves located at the lower part of the trunk (this process begins at the stage of fruit ripening on the first flower brush);
- The octopus likes solar heat very much, therefore it is recommended to plant it in a well-lit area (low illumination of the plant is one of the main reasons for the poor formation of the ovaries of future fruits).
As you can see, no special conditions are required for growing a tomato tree in your area, although in the open field it will most likely be represented by a bush-like plant, while planting in a specially equipped greenhouse will make it possible to get a bountiful harvest from a tree-shaped crop.
