Rosa de Falula

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Plant growth: indeterminate
• Leaf type: regular leaf
• Time to maturity: midseason
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 15+
• Germination tested after Hot Water Seed Treatment for Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

“Rosa de Falula” is a Bunny Hop Seeds original creation. Rosa de Falula is indeterminate and mid to late season, around 80 to 85 days DTH. I find that the plant growth and productivity are less when grown in the ground in my garden, so I believe that it is not tolerant of nematodes. It does appear to be heat tolerant, and may have some disease resistance from the female parent, but I cannot say for certain. I grow it now in 7 to 10 gallon pots with excellent results. I took more fruit from Rosa de Falula this season than from any other pink or red beefsteak I have grown of comparable size. The fruits are 10 to 12 ounces early in the season, and down to 8 ounces at the end of the season. They would probably be larger if grown in the ground in good soil. The unripe fruits are pale jade green. The flesh is juicy and sweet with a good balance of acid.
Rosa de Falula is not a variety from Spain, it came from my back yard in Florida. I created the name from combining letters from the names of both parents in the cross. The female parent was an early red salad commercial hybrid released 17 years ago, that was bred specifically for Florida growers. It is bacterial wilt biovar I tolerant and resistant to fusarium wilt races 1 and 2, verticillium wilt, and grey leafspot. The male parent was a large purple (dark flesh, clear epidermis) heirloom beefsteak from Russia. From this cross I made in 2013, I pursued a medium-large, pink beefsteak with slightly ruffled shoulders and excellent flavor. I held onto this one for 7 years, to make certain that it was pink and would stay pink, and not revert to purple.
Rosa de Falula has a place in my “WOW!” list, because of its tolerance to heat and humidity, its excellent productivity, and its fine flavor.