Kumato Tomato: [Sowing, Care, Irrigation, Substrate and Pests]

The kumato, mini kumato or black tomato, «black leg» is a fruit that has its origin in plant reproduction techniques that give it a great variety of properties.

Its scientific name isSolanum Lycopersicum and is one of the most exotic varieties of tomatoes for its color, apart from its flavor and texture. Its tonality, ranging from golden green to dark brown, or because of its small size.

Characteristics of the kumato

This fruit arises as a natural response of wild tomatoes from the coast of Almería, in Spain, for adapting to the drought and salinity conditions of the Mediterranean areas.

The kumato tomato has a sweet flavor, with slight acid notes, a firm texture and is very juicy. This set of characteristics gives it an intense tomato flavor that many consumers no longer distinguish in the common ones.

On a nutritional level, the kumato tomato provides very few calories and provides vitamins A and C and mineral salts. Therefore, they recommend it for weight loss diets.

When to plant the kumato tomato?

The most suitable time to sow the kumato is in mid or late winter because it cannot be kept in very low temperatures, much less germinate with heavy frosts.

Where to plant kumato?

Kumato requires full light exposure, making it an outdoor plant .

The ideal temperature for the cultivation and sowing of Kumato is between 20 and 30 ° C during the day and between 17 ° C at night.

A temperature that exceeds 30 or 35 ° C can cause damage to fruit production, because the ovules have an unstable development, just like the plant. Below 12 ° C, it can affect its growth.

If the kumato does not receive the necessary amount of light, it can have negative effects on the process of flower formation , fertilization and also on the general development of the plant .

How to prepare the land for the cultivation of kumatos?

The soils for the cultivation of kumato must be neutral and with peat that provides organic matter so that it can grow and develop fully.

And, although it has few demands on the soil, it needs the soil to have excellent drainage. It prefers a soil with a siliceous as well as clayey texture and an abundant amount of organic matter.

However, it has the ability to have an excellent development in a soil that is clayey and at the same time sandy.

In relation to the pH , the soil for kumato has the possibility of being a little acidic or a little alkaline if it is properly sanded.

Kumato is one of the species that is grown in greenhouses and has the ability to withstand salt levels, either in the soil or in the water used for irrigation.

How do we water the kumato?

Watering for the kumato plant should be moderate and it will be enough to keep the soil moist day after day.

Irrigation is one of the keys to the development of this type of tomato and we have two ways of approaching it: Restrict irrigation and water moderately.

The benefits of periodically restricting watering will produce a much darker fruit that will give it a more concentrated and intense flavor. The risk that runs is to go over irrigation by default and damage the fruit.

With moderate watering the fruit will be less dark in color and have a normal flavor, it is the common way of development.

The ideal option we recommend is drip irrigation.

How do we sow kumato step by step?

Kumato can be sown from seeds . It is necessary to bear in mind that, as a hybrid plant , the fact of obtaining a seed does not guarantee that it is exactly the same species.

Many brands and researchers are continually developing new hybrids .

Once the seeds germinate, begin to grow and have their first true leaves, the transplant must be done .

This transplant has to be done when all the frosts have passed because the plant could die.

It is important to place a support or guardian for the kumato plant, since it can reach a very respectable height of 150 cm or even a little more.

What favorable associations does it have?

The association of compatible plant crops produces benefits compared to their separate cultivation, in addition to the use of light, water and / or nutrients.

The kumato is a hybrid and as such requires special care for its cultivation so it is recommended not to associate it with other plants that impede its proper development. For example, don’t plant it near other fruit vegetables.

What pests and diseases does it have?

Regarding the management of pests and diseases, the kumato is affected to a greater or lesser extent by the same problems that affect the traditional tomato.

The most representative are: the whitefly, the tomato moth , among others and in terms of fungal diseases the main ones are Cladosporium fulvum and Oidium.

However, like tomatoes, kumato could be attacked by the tomato moth. The larvae penetrate the fruits, the leaves or the stems on which they feed, creating holes and galleries (mines).

To prevent pests of kumato cultivation, it is recommended to use planting material free of the pest; remove damaged leaflets, shoots and fruits; lift the plantations and crop residues avoiding the spread of the pest.

You must wait 6 weeks after the remains of a plantation are cleaned and a new transplant is carried out and a previous treatment is applied when starting the damaged crop with an adulticide phytosanitary product and another larvicide.