Tomatoes are very whimsical to care for, therefore, bush decoration and stepsoning are important for growing tomatoes, especially when grown in a greenhouse. It is this procedure that ensures the supply of nutrients to the tomato in the fruit, rather than dispersing them to grow leaves.

What is pinching

The procedure for pinching is to remove excess shoots growing from the base of the leaves, these processes are called stepsons. Performing such a removal regularly is very useful for tomatoes, because excess shoots take strength from the bush, causing the fruits to suffer, and as a result, the crop. The nutrients that the plant receives through the roots simply do not reach the berries themselves.

The herding of tomatoes usually has the following objectives:

• creating a bush shape and limiting the number of stems from one to three;
• earlier ripening of the tomatoes themselves;
• increased fruiting time;
• increase in yield compared to conventional cultivation in a polycarbonate greenhouse, as well as improved fruit quality.

To distinguish unnecessary shoots is not so difficult: if you look closely at the leaves, you can see that a small sprout appears from their base. It develops quite actively and grows leaves, as well as elements of the second level. These shoots must be removed immediately at the moment when they reach a size of 3-5 cm. Then the plant will not waste strength on the development of processes.

Important! It is not recommended to procrastinate with pinching, otherwise breaking off already grown shoots may injure the bush once again.

Do I need to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse

If the gardener decided to neglect pinching, then this, of course, will not bring much harm to the tomatoes. Bushes of tomatoes will grow fluffy, branched and can even bear fruit well. But at the same time, the fruits become quite small due to lack of nutrients. The optimal number of ovaries for one bush is the number of up to four ovaries, then the tomatoes will be larger.

It is very important to make pinching to high and indeterminate varieties of tomatoes. They are most often greenhouse plants and have many advantages over other varieties; they are not susceptible to late blight. These bushes bear fruit right up to the very frosts, therefore, for such a long period of time they manage to give a fairly impressive crop. Pinching the stepsons in these plants is much easier than in ordinary varieties.Inexperienced gardeners often have the question of whether to remove stepchildren. Everyone decides for himself. But in order to understand the need for pinching, the first thing you need to understand is why, in principle, this procedure is carried out:

• after harvesting the overgrowth, the plant will receive more light, since unnecessary leaves will not prevent the rays from penetrating, including the fruits;
• fruit branches will receive more micronutrients which, without pinching, would be directed to the development of extra branches;
• plant productivity will begin earlier, and end later, due to the fact that the tomato will have enough strength to form fruits throughout the season;
• nothing will interfere with the proper development of the bush and the full ripening of tomato fruits.

If you decide to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to remember that this culture loves light very much, and for proper ripening, tomatoes need to provide good lighting, so do not plant the bushes too close to each other, otherwise a full-fledged plant will not be able to protein synthesis, which will lead to poor growth. This reason is another prerequisite for mandatory stepsoning.In addition, a dense landing and an abundance of stepsons will not allow air to circulate normally, and in this case late blight can appear on tomatoes.

A large crop of tomatoes may not be as happy for a summer resident as we would like without pinching. The thing is that the abundance of greenery does not allow the fruits to ripen, and gardeners are forced to pick them green and bring them to ripeness, simply by decomposing the houses in the sun.

When and how often do you need to remove excess shoots

Gardeners need to remember the importance of timely stepsoning, otherwise delaying the process will make it very difficult to distinguish unnecessary shoots from fruiting branches. Stepsons can release buds and form an ovary, after which you do not want to pick them, new processes may also appear.

Important! Stepsoning is carried out every week at least once, the countdown begins with the appearance of the first process. Such actions will allow time to identify new branches and form a bush.

You can start pinching already from the moment the first shoots of the stepsons grow on the bush and reach a length of 3 cm. During this period, the shoot does not yet have time to absorb the beneficial substances from the tomato, and pinching the shoot will not harm the plant, which is inevitable when cutting is already great escape. In addition, this procedure is not one-time, but is carried out constantly as the bush grows and new shoots appear.There are no well-defined deadlines for starting the removal of side shoots. Some gardeners begin to conduct it from the beginning of August, guided by the fact that for the remaining period, the newly emerged fruits do not have time to ripen and pull on excess nutrients. Thus, all fruits will slow down in growth and ripening.

There is another opinion, whose followers begin to remove the stepsons when new inflorescences form on the tomatoes. The procedure for forming a bush is also carried out regularly, until the end of fruiting.

Did you know? If you shake a tomato plant before pinching, then in this way you can better pollinate adjacent bushes.

The basic rules of pinching

In order for the harvesting of side shoots to positively affect the crop and not harm the bush, the gardener must adhere to the following rules:

1. Although it is allowed to pinch off stepsons from 3 cm in size, but many experts do not advise doing this, because during this period it is still not clear which one forms a brush, so it is better to cut off those shoots that have grown to 5 cm.
2. Before removing the shoots, you need to carefully consider which of them are suitable for the formation of the trunk, and leave them.
3. If the stepson continues to grow after circumcision, then it is better to leave it, while limiting the growth of the shoot by pinching.
4. Performing pinching is recommended only for greenhouse tomatoes, as removing street shoots can be very harmful to street tomatoes.
5. It is best to pinch tomatoes in the morning when the plant is poured with juice. This makes it easy to break off the stepson, as well as to avoid sluggishness of the bush due to the low activity of the sun in the morning.
6. If you remove the shoot with your hands, then in this case you need to take the stepson with two fingers and turn in different directions until it breaks off from the bush. After this, damage forms on the plant, which does not need to be attempted to close. By evening, it will naturally be covered with dried juice so that bacteria do not get into it.
7. In case of cutting off the processes with scissors, you need to take care of the sharpness of the blades, and the cut itself should be done quickly and accurately, without damaging the adjacent stems. New stepchildren may appear at the place of the cut, so that this does not happen, it is recommended to leave a small stump, about 1.5 cm in size.
8. All cut processes must be removed from the greenhouse, then they will not become a source of infection during decay and will not harm the growing bushes.
9. When stepsons begin to grow again on the tomato, the procedure is repeated, removing all unwanted shoots, even when they arose from a previously sleeping bud or on old branches.

Step-by-step tomatoes in the greenhouse step by step

Before pinching, it is important to determine exactly how many stems you want to leave. Usually, bushes are formed from one, two or three stems. It is not recommended to make more branches on the tomato, as thick greens will harm the crop, or plants will have to be planted at a great distance from each other.

In 1 stalk

Many scientists believe that for a greenhouse garden a single-stem cultivation of tomatoes is considered the most favorable:

1. All shoots on a tomato are broken out, leaving only peduncles, and even those located at the very bottom of the bush.
2. In addition, it is necessary to break out all bifurcated shoots, and if the tip has split in two, it is recommended to leave the strongest side and remove the weaker shoot.
3. The removal of shoots must be carried out with a frequency of 7 days, which will allow the bush to take the maximum amount of light and ventilate well.

Also, when growing single-stalked tomatoes, the scheme proposed by the Midlider is usually used, according to which all tomatoes should be planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other, and the rows should be separated by 140 cm from each other.

Important! If you did not break the shoots on time, and they grew, then it would still be better for the crop if you remove them.

In 2 stems

In contrast to scientific thought, there is an opinion among experienced gardeners, according to which more stems bring a larger crop. That is why in the plots you can often find bushes with two to three stems:

1. In order to form a tomato with two stems, it is necessary, in addition to the central trunk, to leave the very first lateral process or the one that is best developed. Usually it appears under the first peduncle.
2. All other stepsons are removed regularly, once a week.

3 stems

The process of forming a three-stem bush is not like growing a tomato in 2 stems:

1. In this case, in addition to the stepson under the first brush with flowers, they leave another process lower, usually this is the strongest and most solid branch.
2. After you decide on the necessary lateral branches, you will need to carefully remove all remaining unnecessary shoots. The bush is cleaned in the same way as in the previous versions - once every 5-7 days.

Common mistakes at work

Pasynkovka, although not a complex process, but rather time-consuming and demanding. Many gardeners make many mistakes when they decide to do stepsoning, this is especially true for novice summer residents. The most common oversights are as follows:

1. Trimming Tightening. Some gardeners believe that there is nothing wrong with the fact that they did not have time to cut the bush on time and reached the next time. In fact, the stepson has already begun to actively develop and has become a full-fledged part of the bush, and cutting it off means injuring the plant.
2. Hemp. You can leave hemp only if you cut the stepsons with a knife or scissors, otherwise you can severely damage the tomato. In other situations, it is strictly forbidden to do this, since the stump can rot, and the infection will go all over the stem.
3. Irregularly shaped bushes. Gardeners sometimes regret to remove sturdy shoots or pinch the top of the stem, in this case the bush grows beautiful and sweeping, but there are no fruits on it.
4. Infrequent herding. Due to the fact that vegetable growers sometimes pinch bushes only a few times a season, crops suffer greatly. After all, this procedure allows not only to regulate the size of the bush, but also prevents the appearance of diseases. In addition, if such a mistake is made, the fruits become less tasty, small, and their number decreases.
5. Tear off a tomato completely. Some gardeners mistakenly think that if you cut off the excess, then do not spare anything. Both leaves and already formed fruits are used. This should not be done, since stepsoning alone already gives enough light to tomatoes, and if you remove the leaves, there will be more lighting, but burns will be added to the fruits.

Did you know? Doctors believe that regular use of tomatoes and products from them can protect against the risk of cancer.

What varieties of tomatoes do not need to pinch

The pinching procedure is useful for obtaining good yields, but there are varieties that do well without it, yielding tasty and large fruits, and these varieties are also suitable for planting in open ground. Among these varieties, the following are popular:

1. Chio-cio-san - This is a mid-early variety that ripens within 120 days after the seedlings are accepted on the site. The bushes are large, can reach two meters in height, so they need to be tied up in a timely manner. Fruits throughout the growth period. Fruits are like a fan, the fruits themselves are pink, sweetish in taste. During the season, up to 4 kg of the crop can be harvested from the bush, with one tomato weighing about 35 g on average. Tomato is resistant to various diseases and can adapt to different climates, and its fruits are suitable for both preservation and cooking of various dishes. The plant is unpretentious in care.
2. Rocket - This variety is considered determinant and is suitable for both greenhouses and open ground. Harvest of these tomatoes spets already on the 110th day from the moment of planting. The bush itself is low and reaches a height of no more than 60 cm, is covered with a small number of leaves, and inflorescences with fruits are located on the main stem. One inflorescence gives a crop of 3 to 8 tomatoes. The tomatoes themselves are red, oblong with the top, and their weight is from 35 to 60 g. The plant is unpretentious in care, and the yield from 1 m² is up to 7 kg. Tomatoes can hang on the bush for a long time without overripe, have a good taste and are suitable for canning in a holistic form. But at the same time, the plants are very sensitive to excessive watering and top dressing, in this case cracks appear on the fruits, and weather can also become another reason for this phenomenon. Bushes are planted at a distance of 70 cm from each other and 30 cm between rows.
3. Fighter - an early ripe variety that ripens in 95 days from the time of planting. The bush reaches up to 50 cm in height and is characterized by abundant flowering. The fruits of this tomato are yellow and red with smooth skin, the shape resembles a cylinder, and the average weight is about 100 g. The tomato is juicy, fleshy, slightly sour, suitable for fresh consumption and for preservation, but poorly stored. The yield per 1 m² is 8 kg. Unpretentious in care and resistant to disease. You need to plant no more than 9 bushes per square. To improve productivity, abundant watering, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and loosening of the soil are desirable.
4. Oak - This is a variety of fairly early tomatoes that ripen in 85 days. The tomato bush is low, about 50 cm, and has few branches. From 4 to 6 inflorescences are located on the main stem, on which round red ribbed fruits are formed (no more than 6 per peduncle), which grow to an average weight of 50 to 100 g and ripen evenly. Tomatoes taste good, have acidity and are suitable for cooking any dishes and preserving. Oak is not whimsical in its care, and even if you forget to water it or, on the contrary, go too far with water, this will not affect the plant and fruits. In addition, he is immune to disease. In leaving, loosening, fertilizing and hilling are welcome. Just like any culture, you need to carefully weave it. Oak is planted at a distance of 70 cm between the bushes and 50 cm between the rows. Up to 8 kg of tomatoes, which are stored for a very long time, can be collected per square meter of the garden, and their seeds can be collected for sowing next year.
5. Blizzard - an early ripe determinant variety, the height of the bushes of which can reach 70 cm.The leaves of this plant are medium, the tomatoes are red and round in shape, the weight of one tomato reaches about 100 g in weight, but sometimes tomatoes weighing up to 200 g can come across. The fruits are fleshy, dense, in a thin smooth peel. These vegetables are characterized by versatility in use and can be stored for quite some time. Caring for plants requires maintaining low humidity, watering with warm water, as well as regular fertilizing and loosening. Usually this variety is planted in the amount of 6 bushes per 1 m². It has a very high yield and is popular with many summer residents.
6. Bonnie MM - maturity in this variety occurs very quickly, in 80–85 days. The bush itself is stunted, no more than 50 cm. The fruits are round and flattened, weighing from 60 to 80 g. Yield is not too high - up to 2 kg of fruits can be harvested from one bush, but the variety adapts very well to various conditions and is not very susceptible. diseases. Unpretentious in growing, you need only regular watering and top dressing with organic or mineral fertilizers. From Boni MM you can cook as pickles for the winter, as well as various dishes, as well as eat them fresh. Usually up to 9 plants are planted per 1 m².
7. Shuttle - This variety is early and spets already on the 85th day. Bushes reach 50 cm in height and have few branches, compact enough, which saves space on the site. The fruits are dark red in color with an island tip, weigh up to 70 g. Inside, the tomatoes are fleshy and taste sweetish. The shuttle brings good crops in which up to 8 kg of tomatoes, suitable for any use, can be harvested from 1 m². Fruits the bush long enough and does not require special care. The disadvantage of this variety is that it is unstable to certain diseases, and therefore requires regular attention and treatment. Up to 4 bushes can be planted on 1 m² of land.
8. Alpha - the variety is characterized by low plants (from 40 to 55 cm), and the fruits begin to sing on the 85th day from the moment of planting. The tomatoes themselves have a weight of about 50 g, round and flattened, red. It tastes juicy and sweet. The care is unpretentious, and the yield from 1 m² is about 6.5 kg of fruit. Tomatoes are quite fragile and are not stored for long, besides they are very difficult to transport without damaging the tomatoes. Designed for fresh consumption.
9. Danko - this mid-season variety bears fruit already on the 120th day of cultivation. The bush is not more than 60 cm high, has few leaves, not many branches. The fruits are quite large, weighing up to 170 g. They have a red color and a glossy peel, and resemble a heart in shape. From the bush per season, you can collect up to 3 kg of tomatoes, which are widely used in cooking. In addition, the variety is unpretentious in care and is able to stay without watering for a long time. The only drawback of this tomato is its poor tolerance to transportation. Usually this variety is planted with 5 plants per 1 m².
10. Winter cherry - This variety ripens early enough, already on the 95th day after planting. The bush has a height of about 70 cm and lush branches. Raspberry fruits are large enough and weigh about 100 g. Tomatoes are quite dense, do not crack, and are well stored. It can be used for whole canning. The productivity of Winter cherries is high, since up to 10 kg of product can be collected from 1 m². This tomato is resistant to many diseases and unpretentious in care. During planting, you need to observe a distance between the bushes of about 25 cm, and the rows are best placed 40 cm from each other.

Important! In addition to the well-known varieties of tomatoes, there is also a superdeterminant, which steps in to the first brush, after which no longer overgrown with greenery, so varieties such as Moskvich and Yamal, do not require frequent pinching.

Thanks to herding, all the forces in growing tomatoes are not spent on developing the bush, but on getting good yields. In addition, this procedure allows you to prevent the emergence of diseases in plants, and you do not have to deal with their processing, so it is better not to be too lazy and form a bush, so that you can enjoy good crops.

Watch the video: The Beginner's Guide to Greenhouses (November 2024).