Everything about Klusha tomatoes: main characteristics and secrets of cultivation

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Klusha is one of the subspecies of gulls. If we compare it with white and herring gulls, it has a smaller body size and a more fragile, graceful body. The plumage color of the black chough is darker, and it lives mainly on the northern coast of Russia, as well as in some regions of Belarus. Another distinctive feature of this species of seagull is its large wingspan, thanks to which they easily cover long distances and even go to the open ocean for food.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Klusha

Klusha belongs to the chordates, divided into the class of birds, order Charadriiformes, family Gulls, gull genus. There is no exact data that would allow us to reconstruct the chronology of the origin and evolution of the bird. In the most ancient sources, the white-headed gull is mentioned as a bird that is associated with bodies of water.

Video: Klusha

In ancient times, people passed on the legend about these amazing birds from generation to generation. Its meaning was that the evil witch found the youngest and most attractive girls and deceived them into deep reservoirs. She envied the beauty, youth and freshness of the young girls, so she tried in every possible way to force them to swim in the deep, ominous lake, which took the young beauties forever. However, their bright souls were reborn into white birds and settled near a pond. Subsequently, they more than once helped sailors who had gone astray.

Since ancient times, many peoples have perceived seagulls as an integral part of the sea. Many peoples value these birds for their ability to maintain the coastlines of water bodies. In other countries, on the contrary, they are considered symbols of evil and cunning. Birds are often compared to evil and very insidious people due to the fact that they damage the facades of buildings and steal people's food and fishermen's catch.

Appearance and features

Photo: What does a black clump look like?

Despite the fact that the bird is significantly inferior in size to its relatives, it still belongs to large birds. The body length of an adult reaches 45-60 centimeters. Body weight ranges from 400 to 1000 grams. Birds have pronounced sexual dimorphism - males are larger than females.

Interesting fact: The black clump has a fairly large wingspan. In some individuals it reaches 140-150 centimeters!

The medium-sized birds have a tail, which helps them balance and maintain balance while flying. Its length is on average about 15 centimeters. The body is elongated, streamlined, the feathers are tightly located to each other, covered with a special lubricant that ensures waterproofness.

Representatives of this type of gull have a small, round head with a long, thin beak. The beak length is on average 4-5 centimeters. It is most often straight, somewhat compressed from the sides and curved downwards at the very tip. The beak is painted bright yellow. The eyes are small and mobile. The skin in the eye area is not covered with feathers, but is colored red or burgundy.

The color of the plumage is dominated by a gray-white mass. The head, neck, abdomen and tail areas are completely white. The upper area of ​​the back and wings is dark gray or almost black. The secondary wings are colored pure white at the tips.

The limbs of birds are colored yellow or orange. This is also a distinctive feature from other types of gulls, in which they are most often pale pink in color. It is worth noting that young individuals under four years of age are very different in appearance from adult individuals and resemble white or silver seabirds.

Recommendations for growing in different regions

Klushi seeds are sown either directly into the ground, or grown by seedlings and moved to the site after about 8 weeks.

To grow in the short Siberian summer, it is recommended to first sow the seeds for seedlings:

1. Sowing is planned for March-April. You need to count 55-60 days from the expected day of planting in open ground + 3-5 days for the emergence of seedlings, and you will get the optimal sowing day. Young bushes need to be planted when it is warm outside. In the greenhouse, planting dates are earlier.
2. The seeds are treated with growth stimulants and dried.
3. Plastic containers up to 7 cm high with drainage holes are suitable for seedlings.
4. The seeds are buried 1 cm, there should be at least 2 cm between the holes. In wide containers, it is better to place the seeds in grooves, which are dug at intervals of 5 cm.
5. Before emergence, the boxes are covered with film or glass.
6. Tomatoes are kept warm and humid for about 50-60 days. At the stage of 1-2 true leaves, a pick is made.
7. When moving grown and strengthened seedlings to a plot, maintain a distance of about 20-30 cm between seedlings, or distribute no more than 5 bushes per 1 m2.

In the southern regions, seeds can be sown directly on the site:

1. The soil is dug up and enriched with ash and humus. Ash is a preventive additive against gray mold disease.
2. A drainage layer is formed under the future tomato bed.
3. Additionally, water with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. For 2 liters of water - 1 g of substance.
4. The formed beds are covered with film for warming up for a week.
5. After a week, place 2 seeds in each hole and sprinkle with peat. No need to water.
6. Before the emergence of seedlings, the bed is again hidden under film.
7. Instead of watering while the sprouts are developing, it is recommended to place wet soil around them. This way the plant will form a strong and deep root system and be more resistant to drought.

Care for an adult plant:

1. It is recommended to loosen and mulch the soil to protect the roots from overheating and drying out and allow them to breathe.
2. Watering is standard: rare but plentiful. Water is directed to the root.
3. Fertilizers affect the quality of the fruit, so you need to feed the bush with nitroammophos 2 weeks after planting it on the site. For 10 liters of water - 40 g of substance. While the bush is growing, it is fed with minerals 2 more times.
4. In greenhouse conditions, it is necessary to monitor lighting and ventilation. Lack of light and high humidity are an excellent environment for the development of fungus.
5. Forming a bush: it is better to tear off the lower leaves and pinch the stepsons, leaving a stump of 1.5 cm. Leave the upper stepsons above the 5th leaf and form new shoots from them. This increases the yield, since the main stem is determinate - limited in growth; upon completion of growth, it forms a flower cluster at the top. You can leave all the shoots and leaves, but a thickened plant bears fruit a little worse and is more difficult to care for.

Where does the black bird live?

Photo: Klusha in Russia

The bird's distribution area is not very extensive. Most populations live on the northern coast of the Russian Federation.

Distribution area of ​​the black cockle:

• The Iberian Peninsula;
• Scandinavia;
• the coast of the northern ocean on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• western part of the Taimyr Peninsula;
• coast of the Baltic Sea;
• White Sea coast;
• territory of the Gulf of Finland;
• coast of the Ladoga Sea;
• territory of Lake Onega.

The bulk of the blackbird population is migratory birds. Birds living in the northern and eastern parts of Europe move long distances, the length of which in some cases reaches 7000 - 8000 kilometers. Some birds travel all the way to Africa.

Birds that live in cold regions usually fly to warmer southern countries for the winter. In rare cases, birds were found off the coast of North America. Birds build nests for permanent residence. As permanent habitats, they choose an area near a food source—a body of water. Most often, nests are placed on wastelands, rocky shores, cliffs, etc.

Now you know where the black whale is found. Let's see what this bird eats.

What does the black whale eat?

Photo: Black-billed bird

Black-billed gulls are a species of white-headed gulls that are classified as seabirds. Like other varieties of this fish, the main source of nutrition is food of animal origin. Klusha can easily be called an almost omnivorous bird, since it does not disdain any type of food.

What is included in the poultry diet:

• various types of fish;
• shellfish;
• small crustaceans;
• beetles;
• earthworms;
• small rodents.

Zoologists have described cases where black whales destroyed the nests of other bird species and ate their eggs. Birds can often act as predators and take food caught or taken by other species of smaller birds. Cases of eating plant foods cannot be excluded. On the surface of the earth, they can feed on seeds, berries, and succulent foliage of various types of vegetation.

Due to the fact that seagulls are sea fish, they tend to hunt on the water and get food there. They can rise high into the sky and from there look out for their prey. On the water, birds display the most masterly techniques of searching and obtaining food. These representatives of seagulls tend to move well on the surface of the earth and on the surface of the sea. Birds can travel long distances in search of food. You can often see birds near fishing vessels or fish dumps, fish processing stations.

What do seagulls eat

To get food, seagulls are ready to circle over a pond for several hours in a row, looking for prey. When she notices a fish, she rushes like an arrow into the water, into which she plunges and tries to grab her prey with her beak. And if a bird notices a large fish, then it tries to follow it in order to have time to steal its catch.

On the shore, the seagull also finds a lot of food for itself, and it especially likes mollusks, crabs and jellyfish. If she hasn’t eaten for a long time, she won’t even disdain the carrion she finds. People value the seagull for this quality, and also because it uses various old things and garbage that it finds on the coast to build its nests.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Klusha in flight

By nature, birds are endowed with incredible intelligence, intelligence and cunning. Sometimes they simply amaze with their resourcefulness. Most representatives of this bird species prefer to settle in close proximity to humans. Another prerequisite for a comfortable life for the black whale is the presence of a body of water near its habitat.

Birds build nests for shelter. Those populations that migrate to warmer countries during the cold period prefer, upon their return, to occupy abandoned nests if possible. To build a nest, black-clouds use tree branches, dry grass, moss, pieces of reed, etc. White-headed gulls are considered extremely voracious birds, requiring large amounts of food to satiate them.

Interesting fact: They are naturally endowed with amazing intelligence. Having caught a shellfish in the sea, the birds rise high into the sky and throw the shell onto a stone until it opens.

With the onset of cold weather, many fish populations set off on long journeys. Others move closer to people - to the city. Choughs easily and very quickly adapt to almost any conditions. They are absolutely not afraid of people, on the contrary, they try to be as close as possible and often beg them for food. It is unusual for seagulls to make a lot of sounds. However, if they sense danger or an enemy approaching, they can make sounds similar to the cackling of ducks.

Planting to a permanent place of growth

Adult tomato seedlings are hardened off before planting. Tomatoes are taken outside when the air temperature is not lower than +18°C. It is advisable to carry out such procedures for about a week. Planting of the Klushi tomato begins at 50–60 days of age. By this time, the plants stretch up to 30 cm in height.

The time for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse falls in the first ten days of May. In the garden, Klush tomatoes are planted after warm weather sets in and the soil warms up. For the middle zone, this period begins in the last days of May. The variety Super Klusha and Klusha love loose, well-fertilized soil. It is better to let the acidity be slightly increased than decreased. As a last resort, a neutral indicator is allowed. Determinate tomatoes do not stretch, so when planting seedlings, you should not deepen the roots. It is optimal to plant five bushes per 1 m2.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: A pair of over-lungs

Birds reach sexual maturity between the ages of one and four years. By nature, they are monogamous, which is why they tend to pair with each other once and for life. Before forming a pair, individuals watch each other for a long time, as if peering closely. Then mating games begin - the birds can sing for a long time, make loud sounds, throw back their heads or feed each other.

After the pair is formed, the female begins to beg the male for food, as a result of which he feeds her and takes care of her. Birds build nests in entire populations, not far from each other. The distance between nests is on average up to 3-7 meters due to the fact that the chicks hatched from the nest are very curious and, while walking nearby, can be killed by other adults.

After migrating in the warm season, the birds return to their nests in pairs. Nests are most often built on the surface of the ground in thickets of grass or other vegetation. Bird nests are small. During one clutch, a bird most often lays from 1 to three eggs. The eggs are small, dark green or brownish with dark, small spots. The eggs are incubated by both males and females, replacing each other. Chicks appear most often 25-28 days after laying.

The chicks hatching from the nest are covered with gray down. For the first few days, the chicks do not leave their home; their parents provide them with food. Having gotten a little stronger, by 10-13 days they are already walking freely. Some chicks can move away from the nest at a distance of up to 20-30 meters. After a month and a half, the chicks hatched from the nest learn to fly. Birds reach sexual maturity at the age of four to five years. Black gulls, like other species of gulls, are long-lived. Average life expectancy is 23-25 ​​years.

Interesting fact: The maximum recorded lifespan of the black clump is 34 years 9 months.

Lifespan

The lifespan of birds depends on the area and living conditions. The average recorded lifespan of L. f graellsii was 10-14 years. Of these, the bird spends more than half in the air.

The life cycle of a bird consists of several periods:

1. Egg incubation is from 26 to 31 days.
2. Infancy - up to 10 days in the nest, up to 20 days without flying.
3. Adolescence - from 21 to 34 days, learns to fly, and takes flight from 35 to 39 days.
4. Maturation is from 4 to 5 years.
5. Adult life - from 5-6 years to 15 years.

Courtship and mating games do not differ from similar behavior among gulls. Families are created for the period of incubation and raising of offspring. It is not uncommon for a couple to stay together for the rest of their lives. On average, an individual can create up to 5-8 families during its existence.

Caring for the offspring consists of looking after the young, feeding and teaching feeding behavior. Choughs are caring parents, actively protecting their chicks from predators. Each family looks after their children individually.

Photos of the chough

Natural enemies of clumps

Photo: What does a black clump look like?

Given the nature of seagulls, they do not have many enemies in their natural habitat. However, it is worth noting that chicks hatching from the nest can become prey for many predators.

Natural enemies of black-billed chicks:

• raccoons;
• wild and domestic cats;
• golden eagles;
• storks;
• the Bears;
• arctic foxes;
• foxes;
• eagles;
• falcons;
• kites;
• crows.

Often, while taking walks near their nest, chicks can be killed by their own relatives. At the egg-laying stage, the nests of blackbirds can be destroyed by other predators and larger birds. Birds often become victims of sea predators while hunting on the water. Humans pose no threat to the bird population. Even birds that live in close proximity to human settlements are not targeted for destruction. People have never harmed birds, even in those regions where they were considered harmful and dangerous birds.

Seagulls are very aggressive and very cunning birds. If they feel danger approaching, they rise high into the sky and scream loudly and heart-rendingly. When a large number of birds rise into the sky, they dive down and all together hit the enemy with their claws and beak. This method of self-defense scares off even the largest and most dangerous predators. Having heard numerous calls of adults, the chicks hide in the grass or thickets of vegetation.

Growing rules

The tomato variety in question can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. However, without growing seedlings, seeds can be immediately planted in the ground only in the south of Russia. In the rest of our country, the seedling method is more preferable.

Planting seedlings

Sowing of seeds is carried out in March. For seedlings, select a store-bought soil mixture or soil prepared independently. In the latter case, it requires additional disinfection. To do this, the collected soil is calcined in the oven, then taken out into the open air for two weeks. During this period of time, the soil will accumulate oxygen.

Before sowing the seeds, the soil is transferred into the house to adapt to room conditions. At the same time, additional disinfection is carried out. To do this, dilute 1 g of manganese in 2 liters of clean water and mix the solution thoroughly, after which it is evenly poured onto the soil.

Seeds for sowing are first visually inspected, removing all small, diseased and deformed ones. Priority is given to the largest and healthiest specimens. Next, they are placed in a container with saline solution. The seeds that float to the surface of the liquid are collected and discarded, those that fall to the bottom are washed in clean water. After this, the material is disinfected: immersed in a 1% manganese solution for 20 minutes.