How to pick off stepchildren from tomatoes in the greenhouse and in the open field?

A high harvest is the cherished dream of every summer resident. Agrotechnology of any culture sets as its task precisely the achievement of greater returns from the plants grown in a garden bed or spacious farmland. Grassing tomatoes in a greenhouse or open field also refers to methods of increasing yields.

Why do you need to pinch tomatoes?

The biological feature of tomatoes is the appearance of multiple lateral shoots during growth, branching. New branches - stepchildren - during their development consume "food" no less than the main shoot, depriving the set fruits of nutrition. The result is a beautiful, fluffy bush on which a couple of slowly ripening fruits dangle lonely.

To eliminate such a situation, stepchildren need to be cut off, that is, to carry out pinching. Timely and correctly performed procedure will shift the balance of consumed nutrients towards fruits. The event will have a positive effect on the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the crop, the timing of its ripening, and will prevent many plant diseases.

The main principles of pinching

The removal of stepchildren is carried out in such a way as to minimize the harm that the tomato receives. For this, a number of rules are followed:

1. The first pinching is carried out only after the formation of a flower brush, and it does not matter where the tomatoes grow - in open or protected beds.
2. Stepsons begin to cut off when they grow up to 3-5 cm in length. They are pinched or broken off, leaving a piece of stem about 2 cm high. Trimming with scissors is not recommended.
3. Be sure to remove the axillary shoots below the first fruiting brush. If left, the ovary will fall off. The upper shoots are left if necessary for the formation of a bush.
4. The procedure is carried out in the morning, then the wounds will dry out until the evening, the risk of diseases will decrease.
5. Pruning is carried out gradually, no more than three stepsons are removed at a time in order to injure the bush less. The frequency of pinching in open and protected beds is different: greenhouse tomatoes develop faster.
6. The tip is pinched in August to stop growth.

When cutting off stepchildren, they make sure that there is no plant sap left on their hands in order to prevent the possible spread of diseases.

Do you need to pick off the lower leaves?

Simultaneously with the first pinching, the lower leaves are removed, primarily those that touch the ground. This provides air access to the stem, protects against pathogens living in the soil.

There are other reasons for the procedure:

1. The more leaves, the more active is the evaporation of moisture from the plant, therefore, its consumption increases.
2. Nutrients are channeled to support the leaves, leaving only a small portion of the fruit.
3. Often, very large leaves at the base of the stem impede ventilation, which creates favorable conditions for the development of fungal infections, especially phytophthora.
4. When manual watering it is inevitable that water droplets will get on the lower leaves, which increases the risk of disease.
5. In addition to the lower ones, it is advisable to remove leaves in the upper parts of the stem: fruits that are starting to dry out, yellowing, overly shading fruits.

To pick the first flowers or leave them, summer residents decide by assessing the condition of young plants. If the seedlings are strong, well-developed, rooted quickly and without problems, then the first flowers are left to them.The weaker, longer and more difficult to root after disembarkation, are given time to grow stronger, otherwise they will not cope with the load, they will die.

When is the best time to pick leaves from tomatoes?

To properly break off the leaves, you should not rush into the operation, especially after planting the seedlings. After a week and a half, the strengthened bushes are examined, they determine which leaves need to be removed first of all - yellow, drying. If there are none, the foliage is thinned out, freeing the stems from the north side. Such leaves are of no value, since their location excludes participation in the processes of photosynthesis.

This procedure, like pinching, is carried out in the morning, choosing a sunny day.

If the inflorescence has tied all the fruits, the leaves under it are removed completely. This applies to all brushes - bottom, middle or top. For the further development of the bush, only the apical greens are left.

The procedure is usually carried out in two waves: after the formation of the ovaries and when the fruits ripen.

How many stepchildren should a tomato have?

The number of stepsons left depends on how the plant will form. There are three ways of formation - according to the number of shoots left.

1. Single stem scheme - remove all growing stepchildren on tomatoes. The bush grows faster, the fruits are larger. With this molding, tomatoes need support so as not to break under the weight of ripening fruits.
2. Two-stem scheme - the strongest stepson is left over the flower brush, the rest are removed to ensure the normal development of the main and additional shoots.
3. 3-stem bush - leave two stepsons.

One- and two-stem schemes are commonly used in greenhouses. For open ground, all methods are used, based on the recommendations for agricultural technology of the variety.

Which tomatoes need pinching?

Almost all types and varieties of tomatoes - low, medium and tall - are grown. An exception may be cherry tomatoes, which initially form small fruits. On their lateral shoots, an additional amount of berries ripens successfully, without prejudice to the state of the main trunk.

Indeterminate and tall varieties stepchildren necessarily. Usually they are left with one, rarely two stems. Left to themselves, they actively grow in all directions, increasing the green mass, but not being puzzled by the formation of fruit clusters.

The indeterminants are cut off the top so that the set fruits have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. In heated greenhouses, this can be omitted if the dimensions of the structure allow the plants to gain height without special restrictions.

Low- and medium-sized tomatoes, with any varietal characteristics, are stepson during greenhouse cultivation according to the first or second schemes with mandatory growth restriction. In the open field, bushes can be formed according to any scheme, relying on varietal characteristics.

Nuances of pinching determinant tomatoes:

• if the perspective of the lateral shoot is difficult to assess, leave several branches, of which, after the beginning of flowering, the best is chosen;
• the optimal number of flower clusters left does not exceed 3-4 in low and medium-sized species, 6-7 in tall species.

There are tomato varieties on the seed market that do not require pinning - standard ones. In such plants, only the shoots that have formed below the first brush are cut off. They do not need a pinch of the top, and the stepsons appear rather late and therefore do not compete in the struggle for food and moisture. These varieties include Gavrosh, Vityaz, Raketa, Yamal, White filling and others. Among them there are undersized and tall ones.

What stepchildren to leave with tomatoes?

Experienced summer residents do not in vain recommend letting the stepson grow up to 4-5 cm.It is at this stage that it is easier to determine his prospects:

• if the shoot grows out of the bosom, it is boldly torn off;
• if it departs from the main stem, it is a fruit branch;
• tiny buds can be seen on a promising sprout.

The procedure for removing stepchildren itself is quite simple even for novice gardeners: the shoot is clamped with two fingers and bent and unbent in different directions until it breaks. When processing a large number of bushes, use a sharp tool, scissors or a knife.

When using tools, they must be disinfected before starting work and when moving from one bush to another, so as not to spread a possible infection to all the beds.

Tomato picking is a process that requires attention and some skill. Even with strong employment, it is impossible to do without it, otherwise the plants will get sick more often, and the set and ripened tomatoes (there will be few of them) will not have their inherent taste, aroma, and useful substances.