Tomatoes that are not stepchildren how to grow in a greenhouse

Everyone who starts growing tomatoes is faced with the fact that they need to be pinned. But how to pinch tomatoes, novice gardeners often do not know.

You shouldn't be surprised at this, because the vast majority of people have long been accustomed to buying food in stores and no longer imagine growing it. This skill was lost in just 2-3 generations. Therefore, such a simple and understandable method for people living on earth, like pinching a tomato, at first causes confusion and misunderstanding among city dwellers. This is also not surprising, because everyone is taught from childhood to protect nature and not to tear the branches and leaves of plants, and the method of pinching tomatoes consists precisely in removing unnecessary shoots. Therefore, at first glance, it seems to many to be blasphemy.

What is pinning, and why is it needed

To understand and understand what tomato pinching is, you need to know that the very biology of this plant implies that an additional shoot appears in the axil of each leaf of the tomato. It is these shoots that are called stepchildren. They are called so because if you let them grow freely, then the plant will give all its strength to the growth of the green mass, and the fruits themselves on it will be few and they will be small.

It may also happen that the fruits will be tied, but subsequently fall off unripe. Because, first of all, the plant spends energy on the growth of green mass.

From here comes the understanding of the basic meaning of pinching. It consists in increasing the quantity and quality of the tomato crop. In addition, this technique contributes to a faster ripening of the first tomatoes and an increase in the fruiting period of the bush, which is especially important when grown in greenhouses.

Basic rules for pinning

Novice gardeners, looking at a tomato bush, are almost always afraid to remove the future fruit cluster instead of an unnecessary shoot, because they do not know how to distinguish them from each other. This can be done in two ways.

• The first distinguishing feature is that flowers first form on the fruit cluster, and only then leaves. On the stepson, even when he is very small, leaves immediately appear.
• The second distinguishing feature is that the fruit cluster, unlike the stepson, never grows near the trunk itself. She always grows at some distance from him. The stepson is located directly between the trunk and the base of the leaf.

It is not at all difficult to pinch tomatoes correctly. It is necessary to remove the stepsons by pinching at a distance of 1-2 cm from their base, thus leaving a small stump.

It may seem to many especially careful people that it is better to remove the stepson at its very base, but this is not so. First, if you remove it at the very base, you can damage the trunk. And secondly, if you do not leave a small stump, then another stepson will grow up in this place. It is necessary to remove the stepsons when they reach 3 cm, but not more than 7 cm. If the stepson has outgrown, then when removing him, you need to leave a larger stump. Tomato picking should be carried out throughout the life of the plant in order to direct all its forces to the setting and ripening of fruits.

It is advisable to carry out pinching of tomatoes before 11 o'clock in the morning, because the stems of the plant until this time of day are filled with water and are not too fragile, at the same time they break off quite easily.

In this case, the hemp spots will have time to heal until the evening, when high humidity may come. On the day when tomatoes are pinched, it is not recommended to water them. Pinching should not be carried out in the rain and before the rain.

The last stepchild should always be left under the topmost tomato bunch. There are times when a fruit cluster appears on the main stem, and then the plant stops growing. If the last stepson is left, then in this case a new shoot is formed from him and the plant continues to grow. If you remove all the stepchildren, except for the last, then on the first formed brush, the first fruits will ripen faster.

For an even faster ripening of tomatoes, along with pinching the tomatoes, it is worth removing from the plant those leaves that cover the bunches of flowers or already set fruits from sunlight.

Grassing tomatoes (video)

The difference in the formation of bushes of determinant and interdeterminant varieties

Often, pinching is called the formation of a plant, because, leaving this or that stepson, you can set a certain shape for the future bush.

Tomato varieties are determinant and interdeterminant. Determinant varieties are often called non-sanguine, which misleads people. In fact, varieties with limited growth are called determinant. Bushes of such varieties grow up to 70 cm. Interdeterminant varieties are distinguished by unlimited growth. They can grow over 2 m.

How to pinch interdeterminate varieties correctly? They are formed into one trunk, for which all stepchildren are removed from it, except for the one located under the uppermost fruit brush. The planting pattern for tomatoes formed into one trunk can be denser. How to pinch determinant varieties correctly? They are formed, as a rule, in 3 trunks, for which, in addition to the stepson under the upper brush, stepchildren are left at the base of the two lowest leaves, from which lateral stems will subsequently develop.

Features of pinching in the greenhouse

For a greenhouse, in contrast to open ground, it is of great importance not only to increase the yield, but also to increase the fruiting period of the plant. Compared to open ground, it will be correct to pinch tomatoes in the greenhouse much more often, because the conditions for the growth of tomatoes in the greenhouse are more favorable and they develop faster in this regard.

The scheme for planting a tomato in a greenhouse is different than in an open field. Plants are often placed closer together to save space in the greenhouse, preferring to plant tall varieties of tomatoes. Therefore, when pinching tomatoes in a greenhouse, it is very important to form a bush into one trunk.

How to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse (video)

Tomatoes are vegetables loved by many. They are equally good both fresh and canned. They are used to prepare salads, juice, sauces, add to soups and borscht, stews and pizza. And how pleasant the aromatic salted tomato is in winter! Therefore, it is quite understandable the desire of gardeners to grow these vegetables and the desire to get a rich harvest.

Undoubtedly, the yield of tomatoes depends on the quality of seeds, soil, and the regularity of feeding, but the most important procedure in growing tomatoes is pinching, if, of course, the task is to get a lot of fruits, and not a lush beautiful bush.

What is pinching?

Stepsons are lateral processes that grow from the leaf axils on the tomato stem. While developing, they take food from flower brushes and fruits. Removing these very processes is called pinching.

Grasshopping is the process of tomato formation, due to which the power of the plant is directed to the development and ripening of fruits. If you ignore it, you can be left without a crop. Grazing helps to extend the fruiting period, increase yields, and helps to obtain earlier production. Almost all varieties of tomatoes need pinching, the only exceptions are standard ones. This is a kind of determinant varieties that does not need any formation or support, since they have a strong short stem and are edged, forming 3-5 fruit clusters. These varieties are usually planted outdoors.

Pinching technology

Novice gardeners often wonder how to distinguish a flower shoot from a stepson. Indeed, it is worthwhile to figure it out, so that due to incorrect pinching not to be left without a crop. Stepsons have leaves from the very beginning of their growth, which are very visible even on a small plant.

The flower shoot has no leaves, it is only a bare raceme with flower rudiments. The leaf and the stepson actually grow from the same point, but first the leaf appears, and above, in its bosom, a lateral shoot develops. This is exactly what you need to break out, that is, the upper sprout above the lower leaf. They begin to form a bush after the appearance of a stepson under the first flower brush, preventing its development by more than 5 cm so that the plant does not waste its energy. In addition, it is quite difficult to remove a strengthened stepson without damaging the bush, and this can provoke an illness.

You should regularly inspect tomato plants so as not to miss the appearance of stepchildren. Pinching procedure preferably in the morning in dry and warm weather... Periodicity of removal of stepchildren - once every 7-10 days... You should start with strong healthy bushes, weak and with signs of damage, leaving at last.

Stepsons break out with their hands, without using any tools, since mushroom spores are transferred from bush to bush on their surface. The sprout is grasped with two fingers and must be pinched leaving a stump up to three centimetersso that the stepson no longer appears in this place. When pinching, in no case pull down, so as not to peel the stem.

Depending on what you want to achieve the final result, tomato bushes are formed into one, two and three stems.

1. Formation into one stem - this method is most often used in polycarbonate film or greenhouses. It provides good illumination and air penetration between the bushes. As soon as the first brush is formed, the stepson is removed under it, while removing the lower leaves, which will contribute to better ventilation. Often they are not thrown away, but folded right there, mixed with weeds and cut grass. When organic matter decomposes, it releases carbon dioxide, which plants need. All lateral processes that will appear in the future break off, only flower and fruit brushes remain on the bush, up to fifty of them are formed. The formation of tomato bushes into one stem in polycarbonate film and greenhouses prolongs the fruiting period, avoids plant thickening, which reduces the risk of diseases in conditions of poor ventilation and high humidity in greenhouses.
2. Forming into two stems perform as follows: leave only one stepson, which is located under the first flower brush. Any leaves and side shoots growing below are removed, as well as those that appear later.
3. Forming into three stems: stepchildren delete all but two. One - the one that is located under the first flower brush, and another, the most powerful, as a rule, it grows above the first abandoned stepson.

> Formation of determinant tomato varieties

Determinant bushes, after the development of stepsons up to 5-7 cm, usually form into three stems. You can, of course, leave one or two, but these varieties are still most efficient to grow in three stems. Determinant tomatoes complete their growth by forming a flower cluster at the end of the stem. To extend the fruiting period, each time a stepson is left, who, in which case, will replace the completed main stem. If it continues to grow, pinch the spare sprout.

Formation of semi-determinant tomato varieties

Semi-determinant tomatoes are usually grown in greenhouses. The following methods of plant formation are recommended:

• into a single stem, leaving the top stepchild at all times, which will continue to grow once the main stem is complete. All other stepsons are removed;
• in the case when the height of the plant is greater than the size of the greenhouse, and it does not tip, but continues to grow, the bush, formed into one stem, is pinched about a month before the last harvest;
• in two stems, leaving the second stepson below the first flower cluster. When two brushes are tied on the side shoot, it is pinched. With this method of formation, 8-12 brushes develop on the plant.

Formation of indeterminate tomato varieties

Indeterminate tomatoes are plants growing up to two or more meters. Usually they are formed into one stem to teach larger fruits. To do this, stepchildren break out in the axils of all leaves, the crop ripens only on the central stem.

When a bush is formed into two or three stems, one or two more shoots are left on each additional one, which are pinched over time. In this case, you will get more flower brushes, but the fruits will be much smaller than when formed into one stem.

Passion-making is a technique that needs to be applied systematically, you cannot carry it out once and limit yourself to this. In addition, it is necessary to control the condition of the leaves of the bush, removing old, yellowed and brown ones. Upon detection of their unnatural appearance, work begins to protect against diseases and pests.

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How to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse correctly: recommendations for caring for an adult plant

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Of course, it is a pity to pluck the inflorescences that have just appeared, but this is a necessary measure: this way you will save large shoots.

The need for pinching depends on the variety of tomato. For example, indeterminate varieties such as Shaman F1, tall and able to grow indefinitely, branch very strongly. Determinant and hybrid varieties that do not stretch upwards can also produce many stems (Lyalafa F1, Blagovest F1).

Why is it needed

Fruiting brush

Octopus;

These simple manipulations are about caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse. With a little effort and patience, you will soon have delicious tomatoes on your table.

Pinching.

If you leave 1-2 stems and 2-4 inflorescences, then the tomatoes will grow in early July, that is, 13-16 days earlier than usual (without pinching). Of course, the number of fruits from the bush will be less, but they will be large and ripen quickly. To increase the yield, you can plant the plants a little closer: after 25-30 cm, and not after 35 cm.

• Grassing is the process of removing excess vegetation from a bush. Grazing tomatoes is necessary so that the plant does not waste its plastic substances on excess vegetation.After pinching, the plant distributes its nutrients between the fruits and leaves from which they feed.
• When forming such a bush, all stepchildren who are laid in the leaf sinuses are subject to removal.
• With this approach, by the evening, all damage will be partially tightened, which means that the likelihood of microorganisms and pests entering the wounds will decrease.

Grazing tomatoes in a greenhouse is a must in many cases. Some greenhouse farmers prefer not to waste time on this, and in vain - after all, as a result of such connivance, the tomato crop in the greenhouse is much smaller, and the fruits themselves do not have time to fully ripen.

Bush forming technology

General rules of work

Tomato pickling in the open field

The green mass of the plants will decrease slightly after the fruits appear on the first inflorescences. But they will pour in slowly, since new flowers and an ovary of a couple of dozen tomatoes have already appeared on the bush, which need nutrition. A high yield can be achieved, but the fruits will not grow to the desired size, and it will take longer to wait for them to ripen.

• The main differences between a stepson and a fertile brush:
• Major;With good care, tomatoes begin to actively grow not only upward, but also grow in breadth, releasing additional shoots above each of the leaves. Such appendages are called stepchildren. In order for the plant not to give up most of the nutrients to the tops, it is necessary to know the scheme of how to properly pinch the tomatoes in the greenhouse.
• In addition, tomatoes need to provide the necessary lighting, temperature, and prevent diseases and pests.
• By the way, if you live in central Russia, then you can get a good harvest without pinching. Then you should choose the varieties Boni, Betta, Gavroche, MM, Yamal, Raketa, Alaska, Red Banana, Watermelon. The formation of fruits and their number directly depends on the weather. The warmer the summer, the more abundant the tomato harvest.Types of formation-pinching of tomatoes.In addition, as the plant grows, it is worth cutting off the lower leaves. It also significantly increases yields.

Work best in dry weather. When shaping the bushes during the rain or immediately after it (even in an enclosed space, the humidity will increase), you should disinfect the pruning tools and wipe the damaged areas on the plant with a solution of potassium permanganate.

In our article, we will tell you how the formation of a tomato bush is carried out, as well as what recommendations should be followed when performing this type of work.

Another way is to remove excess shoots every 10 days. In this case:

In our latitudes, gardeners rarely give preference to indeterminate, or tall varieties, choosing mostly undersized ones. This can be attributed to the fear of not being able to cope with growing large bushes. However, when handled well, tall varieties are much more productive. Their advantages include the following points:

For tall varieties

The most important difference between the stepson and the fruitful brush is that the leaves are immediately visible on it, even on the smallest one. And the rudiments of flowering are noticeable on the brush;Happiness.The root system of tomatoes distributes nutrients evenly throughout the plant. The more the bush grows, the more substances are spent on feeding the green tops, rather than on flowering and growing fruits. To reduce the consumption of food for greens, and direct substances to the development of fruits, it is necessary to pinch the bush.

Watering

• Scheme of pinching tomatoes.
• Stepchildren should be removed when their length does not exceed 3-4 cm, otherwise wounds will remain on the stem of the plant, and the nutrients will already be consumed on them.
• Pay attention! Work on cutting out lateral shoots and leaves should be carried out no more than once a week.
• It is worth removing only those shoots that have grown
• In order for the harvest to be large, you need to remove excess shoots on time.

If the bush is formed into one stem, then only the main shoot is preserved;

For undersized varieties

Such varieties have high yields;

The brush of the ovary does not grow from the leaf axil; it begins to branch off directly from the stem of the plant.

• If the tomatoes are not blooming as abundantly as you want, you can safely cut the lower ovaries. The first fruits grow more slowly and are harder to fill. After liberation, the plant will throw out many more new fruits. When pinching tomatoes with a determinant bush in a greenhouse, a two or three-stem formation scheme is used. This means that, before forming the entire bush, it is necessary to leave 1 or 2 main stepsons on it. Fruitful brushes are subsequently formed on them: the left processes turn into additional stems. All other shoots are removed. After the appearance of inflorescences and new leaves on each of the additional branches, the stems are pinched.
• Additional shoot (stepson) on a tomato bush
• When you transplant the seedlings, immediately pour warm water over them. In the future, you need to be careful with water. Abundant watering of tomatoes in the greenhouse begins only when warm days are established and fruit ovaries appear. Before that, it is enough to moisten the soil once every two weeks, or even less often. It all depends on what the weather is outside the greenhouse. As a rule, when seedlings are planted (this is about the beginning of May), it is cold outside, so the plants have enough moisture that they received after transplanting, and they can get its lack from the formed morning dew. As soon as the first fruits began to appear, then it is already possible to increase irrigation, using about 10 liters per square meter. You need to pour strictly at the root.
• It is necessary to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse in order to lengthen the fruiting period and obtain higher yields per unit area.
• What if your stepsons have already grown 4 cm? Can I leave them? Of course. The bushes will grow rapidly, branches will extend from each sinus, and additional stems will also appear on them. But in this case, remember that the harvest will completely depend on external conditions and on the variety, and it is not known what to expect in the fall.Low-growing (so-called determinant) tomato varieties can also be grown indoors.Up to 5-7 cm

On specialized Internet resources, there are often questions about how to pinch cucumbers in a greenhouse or how to form a bush in tomatoes. At the same time, ordinary farmers often neglect pinching, considering this procedure unnecessary. Let's try to figure out whether this needs to be done, and if so, for what purpose.

If in two, then a stepson is added to the main shoot from the axil of the leaf under the first inflorescence;

Conclusion

When agrotechnical rules are followed, they are less susceptible to late blight disease;

Advice! If it is difficult for you to distinguish the stepson that has grown by 5 cm from the stalk, leave him for another day. At the end of the day, the difference will be visible to the naked eye.

Is it necessary to pinch tomatoes?

When a bush is formed into 2 stems, 5 - 8 inflorescences are left on the plant. In this case, the fruits will ripen on time, and more of them will develop. To form a bush of 3 stems, you must initially plant tomatoes in increments of 30 cm. The bushes will not close each other, and the amount of the harvested crop will increase.

Grasshopping is the removal of additional shoots that the plant releases for the growth of the bush. This operation is also called the formation of a bush, because this process determines the number of main branches of the plant. The stepson is formed in the leaf axil, growing between it and the main stem of the plant. In order not to grow new shoots, they must be removed correctly.Formation should be carried out throughout the season, at the moment when the shoot grows no more than 5 cm.

Stepping

If you want to get a crop in a short time, then use determinant varieties (see above).

It is worth remembering that not only indeterminate varieties (with unlimited growth) are very branching, for example, the Shaman F1 variety. Determinant varieties with 5-7 inflorescences also give a lot of extra inflorescences, for example, varieties La-la-fa F1 or Blagovest F1.

They are characterized by the following processing techniques:

When is it recommended to pinch tomatoes?

... In this case, you should not leave the stumps, since they will either rot or continue to grow.Plant diagram. The arrows show the stepsons.

If in three, the next stepson from below is also added.

The fruiting period stretches from mid-summer to mid-autumn, despite the fact that the ripening of low-growing varieties is almost simultaneous, and this is inconvenient for fresh consumption;

Gardening concerns begin. The owners of summer cottages are engaged in seedlings of vegetable crops, and it's time to think about how much we know about the proper care of plants from which we expect a bountiful harvest? Today we will talk about how to pinch tomatoes, and why you need to do it.

Stepson under the first brush: indeterminate tomato (top) and determinant tomato (bottom)

Important! Remove stepsons, breaking them not upwards, but away from you, so that the plant sap does not fall on your hand. This reduces the risk of infecting healthy tomatoes after pinching one patient.

Consider pinching tomatoes on determinant varieties and hybrids

Caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse also consists of pinching. To get an early harvest, you need to grow tomatoes in one stem. To do this, pinch the top of the stem, while no more than 8 brushes should remain on one stem. The plant itself must be tied to a trellis. Passion-picking is carried out in the morning hours. This should be done periodically, that is, as the processes grow.

And if your region allows you to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse for 4-5 months, then semi-determinant and indeterminate are suitable. A good semi-determinant tomato variety is Magnus F1, which limits growth after 8-10 inflorescences have formed on the main stem.

The growth of green mass is noticeably reduced during the appearance of the first fruits. But these fruits are poured for so long that more than a dozen new ones are formed on the tomato during this time, as a result, all these tomatoes share nutrients among themselves, which are not so much (after all, everything was spent on the "fodder" of the greens). In terms of quantity, the harvest is quite large, 15-20 fruits from one bush, but in terms of quality they are small, and they ripen for a very long time.

Standard varieties, which are characterized by a short, strong stem, practically do not need to be pinned. The early ripening varieties have a standard form, and therefore all the fruits have time to ripen before the mouth begins to grow.

Cutting out an overgrown shoot

How to pinch tomatoes in greenhouses?

Grazing is the purposeful removal of lateral shoots, the so-called stepchildren.

First of all, decide how many stems you want to keep on the plant. This may depend directly on the variety of tomatoes.

Tall varieties are easier to pinch;

Table of Contents

The following determinant tomato varieties are planted in the greenhouse:

The process of pinching a tomato bush

Top dressing

In these varieties, it is recommended to leave 1 stem and a continuation shoot under the first inflorescence. As soon as 2-3 inflorescences and several leaves appear on this shoot, it should be pinched to stop the growth of the bush.

Practice shows that the most "extreme" day for pinching is August 1.

What is the maintenance of tomatoes in a greenhouse?

Taller tomatoes usually form with two or three stems.To do this, after the plant reaches a certain height, the upper shoot with the growth point located on it is removed.

Advice! It is not necessary to cut out smaller sprouts - there is a possibility of confusion with young flower clusters.

These shoots are laid in the leaf axils and are responsible for the branching of the plant stem. In the process of forming a bush, the farmer cuts or breaks out some of these shoots, thereby controlling the growth of the tomato.

• If you want to get a high and, most importantly, an early harvest from undersized superdeterminate varieties, then you will need 1-2 stems. In this case, the fruits will ripen on the first 3-5 inflorescences, while 3 inflorescences will form on each stem.
• It is easy to work with such bushes, it is easy to harvest from them without bending over;
• 7 Video on the correct pinching of tomatoes

Openwork;

It is correct to form tomato bushes in a polycarbonate greenhouse in the morning: at this time of day, tomato stems are soft and break better. The stepsons should be removed by breaking off with their hands, and not cutting them off, so as not to damage the rest of the plant with scissors or a knife. If you do decide to cut off your stepchildren using cutting tools, please note:

In the greenhouse, you need to provide your tomatoes with nutrients - planting and caring for them involves reusable feeding at all stages of growth. As soon as the seedlings take root, you can start fertilizing. To do this, use liquid products containing phosphorus and potassium. They are introduced into the soil before the harvest. During the fruiting period, nitrogen is also added to these fertilizers. The amount of dressing depends on the condition of the soil. Therefore, before planting, it would not hurt to study its composition, especially if you are growing plants on it for the first time. If tomatoes have been harvested on this land for more than one year, then feeding is carried out according to the old scheme.

If semi-determinant and indeterminate varieties are grown for 4-5 months without stepchildren, they simply stop growing. That is why a reserve shoot should be formed, which is located under 2-3 inflorescences from the top of the bush. Otherwise, the continuation shoot will not grow. Then we observe the continuation shoot: if it grows, then the reserve shoot is removed, and a new one is left closer to the top of the stem.

Experienced gardeners and gardeners are advised to leave on the bush only those fruits that were formed exactly before August 1. It is believed that inflorescences and shoots formed later only waste and take away useful substances from fruits, which could fill up and increase in size much faster.

From the remaining side stepsons, you need to choose two or three of the strongest, and remove the rest.

These are just the most general instructions for growing and pinching tomatoes in a greenhouse, but following it will help you avoid complications after the formation of bushes. Now let's figure out which sprouts need to be removed in this or that case.

This procedure solves a number of problems:

If you keep 3 stalks, then the number of tomatoes will be much higher, but there will be a lot of green fruit. Inflorescences will develop almost simultaneously, but maturation will slow down.

The most interesting of the new varieties are the tall ones.

Grasshopping is the removal of excess shoots from plants.

Bourgeois;

The blade should be as sharp as possible so that cutting does not resemble sawing;

Tips & Tricks

It is recommended to pinch tomatoes, tomatoes in the greenhouse much more often than in the open field, once every five to seven days.

In order not to give away nutrients in vain, it should be on the specified day (+/- 1 day)

In the future, periodic pinching should be carried out at least once every 10 days, removing all lateral processes.

Stepping into: its conduct and features

Different forms of tomato bushes

First, the removal of the lateral shoots allows the plant to be shaped to the desired shape.When space is limited inside the greenhouse, it is very important that the bushes are as compact as possible.

To get an early harvest on determinant and hybrid varieties, which have more inflorescences on the main stem, you need to leave one stem and 2-3 inflorescences. Save a few leaves after the last inflorescence and pinch the growing point. It is not necessary to do this, but in this case, the fruits on all inflorescences may not fully ripen.

Yes, indeterminate varieties require compulsory pinching. Among the disadvantages is that, in addition to the usual care, such a bush will definitely need an appropriate support and frequent garter. But taking into account the final result - a larger yield - you can simply ignore this feature of growing tomatoes.

The tomato bush tends to grow upward and in breadth, and because of this, the root system works to supply the tops with useful substances, instead of paying all attention to the fruits.

Doll.

• Removal must be carried out with a sharp and precise movement so as not to harm the stem;
• 1. If your greenhouse is fully equipped with a heating and lighting system, then tomato planting can be carried out already at the beginning of April, but if it is heated only by the sun's rays, then not earlier than May.
• If the formation of tomatoes has occurred on medium and high branches, then there is no need to leave a reserve shoot. After all, the appearance of inflorescences on the reserve shoot does not stop the growth of plants. "Low-growing" tomatoes in a greenhouse are also good in their own way, they can produce more tomatoes and ripen in a short time.

Cutting scheme for overgrown tomato seedlings.

Scheme pinching indeterminate and determinant varieties of tomatoes

It is also worth controlling the number of flower brushes: one plant can provide ripening

The technology of forming a bush largely depends on the cultivated variety. As a rule, tall varieties are chosen for indoor ground - the so-called

Secondly, reducing branching reduces shading of neighboring plants.

If you leave 2 stems with 4 to 8 inflorescences on them, then the tomatoes will ripen on the bush. Determinant and hybrid varieties do not form 3 stems.

• Indeterminate tomato varieties yield good yields
• Therefore, some shoots are separated at a certain point in order to correctly and effectively distribute the plastic substances of the plant between the tomatoes and the leaves that protect them.
• Advice! To get large tomatoes from determinate varieties, you should cut off several unripe fruits from each of the clusters. The tomatoes remaining on the brush will immediately begin to grow and can double in size.

Pinning tools must be disinfected after processing each bush.

2. After pinching, you need to help the plants to pollinate, for this, shake them early in the morning, if they are tied to a wire, then just shake it.

The main rule of greenhouse cultivation is the following: the less time tomatoes are in the greenhouse, the fewer inflorescences they will have on the main stem, therefore, the plants can be planted denser than usual.

To carry out pinching. This procedure is carried out only once, absolutely all stepchildren should be removed from each plant (bush), while leaving 2-3 leaves over the already set fruits, do not forget to pinch the growth points on the productive shoots. Of course, it is a pity to pluck the inflorescences that have just appeared, but still do it in order to preserve the large shoots.

• No more than 5-7 at a time
• Indeterminate varieties
• Well, and most importantly, by removing the stepchildren, we reduce the number of flower brushes. At the same time, exactly as much ovary remains on the bush as it can grow and ripen without compromising the quality of the product. If we leave all the fruits, then they will turn out to be small, tasteless, and even ripen extremely slowly.

Proper care and timely pinching will give you a good harvest of fruits.

Returning to the question of whether it is necessary to pinch tomatoes, personally I say an unequivocal "Yes". It is a mistake to assume that a large green bush will produce many fruits. There can be two options here: either you are greening the site, or you are striving for a harvest, and this applies to all vegetable crops. Good results depend on adequate, properly distributed power and lighting.

Grassing hybrid tomato varieties

Stepsons should be removed when they are still small, from 3 to 5 cm.Do not miss this period, because:

In order to improve the ventilation of determinant bushes, as well as accelerate the ripening of tomatoes, the lower leaves should be removed in addition to the stepsons. It is necessary to tear off all sheets before the first branch. Do not remove more than 3 sheets from 1 plant at the same time, so that the fruit does not deform.

Advice! Do not water or feed the plants before pinching.

How to distinguish a stepson from a tomato fruit cluster

3. If the greenhouse is not heated, it is recommended to dilute the fertilizer in warm water.

All gardeners should be aware that caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse is fundamentally different from caring for them outdoors. What is the reason for this? Firstly, a microclimate is formed in the greenhouse, which has a beneficial effect on plants, but at the same time contributes to the development of diseases and the appearance of pests. Secondly, to create this very microclimate, you need to make a lot of effort (more than in the garden).

There is another way to deal with excess vegetation. You need to get rid of it regularly, every 10 days. Use the following rule: if the formation goes in 3 stems, we save the main shoot and 2 lower stepsons, in 2 stems - we save the main shoot and the lower stepson under the first inflorescence, in 1 stem - we save only the main shoot.

1. ​.​
2. ​.​

That is why many consider the correct pinching of tomatoes in a greenhouse as one of the keys to obtaining high yields. And if these arguments have convinced you - let's figure out what needs to be done.

If your tomato bush consists of 1-2 stems with 2-4 inflorescences, then the fruits will appear before mid-July. This is almost 2 weeks earlier than if you did not pinch. With this planting pattern, you will get fewer fruits, but there will be more tomatoes ripening on the branch.

Please note: the mass of fruits from a bush rarely depends on their number. You can get many small tomatoes, or several large ones. This will not affect the overall yield.

• An overgrown stepson means that the bush has already spent useful substances on its growth;

What is pinning and what is it for

Hybrids that have a superdeterminate type of bush are pinned in a special way. Hence the question: "How to cut off stepchildren from hybrid varieties of tomatoes in a greenhouse?" And the peculiarity is that if you remove all additional shoots up to the first fruit cluster, then in the future they can not be pinned.For tall (indeterminate) tomato varieties, a 1-stem formation scheme is recommended. When to start pinching tomatoes in the greenhouse depends on how quickly the plant develops. This process is usually combined with tying tomatoes to supports. With good care, the first stepchildren appear when the 6th - 8th leaf has developed - about 9 days after planting. And from each leaf sinus a young shoot begins to grow.4. The lower leaves are advised to be removed, since they still do not take part in the development of the plant (this should be done gradually, removing 2-3 leaves a week).

How to start caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse?

• How do you determine how many stems to leave? This number will tell you the selected plant variety. To get the earliest, you should choose undersized varieties, such as Leopold F1, Biathlon F1, 1 or 2 stems should be left on them.In this case, the tomatoes will ripen in the first 3-5 inflorescences. Remember that 3 inflorescences are laid on each stem. Therefore, if you leave a bush with three stems, then the crop will ripen much later than on a neighboring bush with one stem.
• Bush formation options

Growing tall tomatoes in one stem

As we noted in the previous section, when pinching, you need to remove the processes from the leaf sinuses. Which sprout to cut off and which one to leave, we will tell below, but here we give only the most general tips for doing the formation of a bush with your own hands.

Please note: when planting tomatoes, you can place them closer in a row, 25-30 cm from each other. After pinching, productivity will not be affected.

The term, which is very important for every gardener who grows tomatoes in the open field, is August 1. By this time, only fruits that have set before this date grow and ripen on the bush. The shoots and inflorescences that have arisen later will waste useful substances that will be needed for the growth and ripening of almost finished tomatoes. To prevent this from happening, you need to get rid of excess sprouts.

Which variety should you choose?

After removing the overgrowth, a large wound will remain on the stem.

• Grassing hybrid tomato varieties
• The indeterminate type of tomatoes, unlike undersized ones, does not limit growth with the appearance of inflorescences and bears fruit throughout the season. When pinching, the amount of the crop also increases.
• 5. To prevent the leaves from curling, spray them with boric acid.
• The first step is to prepare the greenhouse itself and the soil in it. The room must be equipped, that is, it must have vents, doors, lighting fixtures and other necessary fixtures. In the fall, peat, humus are introduced into the soil, and if it is clay, then straw is also introduced. In the spring, when digging up the ground, do not forget to add fertilizers and ash, and after all the preparatory procedures, pour hot potassium permanganate solution (for disinfection). The greenhouse is now ready to plant tomatoes. Caring for them consists of many activities, but the main ones are:
• For early harvests, choose determinant varieties. Grow tomatoes in greenhouses, leaving one stem and 2-3 inflorescences. When the extra stepsons are cut off, do not forget to pinch the growth point. Otherwise, the ripening of tomatoes will take a long time.
• This pinching scheme allows you to get a strong and hardy plant that provides the ovary with a sufficient amount of water and nutrients. In addition, the bush itself turns out to be very strong, and can grow with little or no support.

The main feature of indeterminate tomatoes is the constant growth of the shoot. This means that the bush is constantly growing in size, forming more and more flower brushes.

Photo in the process of removing the stepson

It is known that tomato is a thermophilic plant, and our latitudes are not always pampered by long hot summers. Therefore, breeders took care of breeding varieties that will bring a good harvest in the open field without pinching.

Grasshopping is carried out once for the entire period of development of the bush.

When to do pinching of tomatoes grown in the open field

Tomatoes do not need to be pinned. But in this case, a good harvest will depend not only on proper care, but also on external conditions, and especially on the variety. The bushes will grow rapidly, the branches will be pulled out of each sinus and become new stems. Those, in turn, will give new shoots. A large tomato bush rich in greens does not guarantee a large harvest of fruits, more often the opposite.

Some of the hybrid varieties with determinant growth, such as Verliko, are best formed into one stem until the tomatoes have ejected 3 fruitful clusters. Then one of the strongest stepson is left and an additional stem is formed from him.There are also semi-determinant tomato hybrids. Such varieties do not perch (do not finish their growth), as determinant ones, after the ejection of the first fruit cluster. Their peculiarity is that they can stop growing at any time. Nevertheless, they are well suited for growing in polycarbonate greenhouses. It is better to grow them in 2 stems.Types of tomato bushes6. In order to avoid fungal and other diseases, water the tomatoes abundantly with potassium permanganate.

Watering;

You can leave 2 stems and 5-7 inflorescences on them, tomatoes will reach on the bush. Formation of inflorescences from 3 stems is impossible.

• We hope that the information provided in the article on how to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse will be useful to you. Do not neglect this event, because by removing excess shoots, we provide more comfortable conditions for ripening fruits - and they are our ultimate goal (also learn how to grow a large and tasty watermelon in a greenhouse).
• This feature, by the way, largely explains the high price of seedlings, because with proper care in the greenhouse, you can grow one plant for more than a year, regularly removing fresh fruits from it.
• To reduce the likelihood of infection, it is better not to cut the side shoot, but to break it off with your hands. Naturally, it is worth doing this with gloves.

These varieties include:

1. In the last days of July and at the beginning of August, all stepson shoots are removed on each plant, 2-3 leaves are left over the set fruits and the growth points on the productive shoots are pinched.
2. So that the bush does not grow in breadth and upward, stepchildren should be removed

Plucking the determinant varieties and hybrids correctly

Pinching should be carried out with special care and attention. Instead of an unwanted shoot, there is a risk of removing the flowering brush from the plant, which will lead to a decrease in tomato yield. In order to avoid mistakes, you need to conduct a thorough examination of the removed process.

The most common varieties of indeterminate tomatoes are:

6 Carbon dioxide is good for plants, so dry ice carbonation is used.

Top dressing;

Scheme of pinching determinant tomatoes

The video in this article will help you understand the pinching technique in more detail, so you can get to work soon!To get a good harvest from such a plant, you need to limit the lateral growth of the bush as much as possible. For this, the plant is formed into one or two stems. The second option is less common and is used when tomatoes are planted at intervals of at least 50 cm.

The optimal time for pinching is early in the morning.

click on the photo to enlarge

The technology of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse includes: preparing seed material, sowing and growing seedlings, transplanting it into a prepared greenhouse, care (including watering, feeding and pinching, garter), if necessary, treatment for diseases, and the most pleasant thing - harvesting.

How to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse

If you are interested in how to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, then first read the article on how to properly grow tomato seedlings, and then consider planting indoors.

Planting tomato seedlings in an unheated greenhouse usually occurs in May, in different regions in different ways - some at the beginning, some at the end of the month, depending on the climate.

Before planting seedlings, if you do not have a new greenhouse, it is advisable to treat it from the inside with some kind of copper-containing preparation, for example, copper sulfate. This is done to prevent tomato diseases. It is advisable to remove the top layer of last year's soil in the greenhouse (10-15 cm).

If the soil in the greenhouse is poor, add a bucket of humus for each square meter.

It is best to plant seedlings in a greenhouse on a cloudy day, or in the evening, when there is no scorching sun. The soil temperature must be at least + 12- + 15 degrees, otherwise the plant roots may start to rot.To make the soil in the greenhouse warm up faster, you can cover it with a black film in advance.

Tomatoes should be planted in damp ground. To do this, 5-10 liters of water is poured into the prepared hole, do not forget that the plant will feed on this moisture all the time it takes root in a new place, that is, it does not need to be watered for at least 10 days.

Do not deepen the plantings - make holes deeper (only if the ground in your greenhouse at this depth has warmed up to +12 g), plant a plant, sprinkle it with earth to the level at which the earth used to be (near the seedlings), and when the bushes take root, fill it holes to the general level of the garden.
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Tomato planting scheme

The scheme for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse is determined by the variety and method of plant formation.

The beds, as a rule, are split along. The width of the beds is usually 50-80 cm, depending on the size of the greenhouse, the width of the passage is 50-60 cm. Usually, tomato seedlings are planted in a checkerboard pattern.

Low-growing early ripening varieties that are grown in 2-3 stems, plant in 2 rows in a checkerboard pattern, leaving a distance between the rows of 50-60 cm, and the distance between plants - 35-40 cm.

Tall varieties of tomatoes are also planted in a checkerboard pattern. In this case, the width of the bed should be at least 70 cm, otherwise there will be little space for the bushes. It is advisable to leave the distance between the rows and between the plants about 70 cm.

Determinant and standard tomatoes are grown in one stem, they can be planted thicker than the previous ones. Leave 50 cm between rows, and 25-30 cm between plants.

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Greenhouse tomato care

Caring for tomatoes in greenhouses includes: timely watering, feeding, tying, pinching, treatment for diseases.

Experienced gardeners recommend starting watering only 10 days after planting the seedlings in the ground, when the plants have already taken root.

Water for irrigation should not be cold, that is, it is absolutely impossible to water tomatoes directly from the water supply system. Do this in the morning. Before flowering, water the tomatoes 2 times a week, and then judge by the weather so as not to flood. Use about 5 liters of water per 1 square meter.

After the flowering begins, water according to the same schedule, but already twice with plenty of water. Try not to get on the leaves of the plant during watering, water at the root.

A couple of hours after watering, it is advisable to ventilate the greenhouse. The greenhouse should not be too humid, as excessive moisture leads to such serious diseases of tomatoes as late blight and cladosporiosis.

As a rule, tall tomatoes grow in the greenhouse, which must be tied up so that later the stems do not break under the weight of the fruit. The main thing for the garter is to take such material that will not injure the plant by crashing into it.
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How to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse

Stepsons are lateral shoots growing from the axils of tomato leaves. Grassing a tomato in a greenhouse is the removal of side shoots. You need to break out the stepsons leaving a small stump so that a new one does not grow in this place. If the stepchildren are left, then the bush will be too branched, the plant will spend a lot of energy on these shoots, taking them away from the main ones. Flowers and fruits also appear on the left stepchildren, but the likelihood that they will ripen is small.

click on the photo to enlarge

click on the photo to enlarge

In regions where the summer is short, it is imperative to pinch the tomatoes, otherwise you can not wait for the harvest at all - the tomatoes will begin to ripen only in August, and there are cold nights and, hello, late blight.
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Productivity of tomatoes in the greenhouse

Of course, even when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, a lot depends on the weather. If the summer is dry and warm, the yield of tomatoes is much higher, since the more sun, the faster the process of ripening of tomatoes goes and the less diseases they suffer.But at the same time, if there is a strong heat during the flowering of tomatoes, the plants are poorly pollinated and there may be very few ovaries.

The following question is often asked: - How many kg is it possible to collect tomatoes from 1 bush? It means under favorable conditions and proper care.

According to gardeners, a high yield is 10 kg of tomatoes from a bush when grown in a greenhouse. Also, the variety is called productive if it is harvested from 5 kg of fruit. For open ground, this is 4-5 kg ​​per plant. But there are very undersized varieties, from which 2.5 kg of fruit is the norm.

So, we have described some of the intricacies of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, now it's up to you - grow correctly and enjoy an unprecedented harvest!

We will be glad if in the comments you describe your secrets of growing tomatoes, that is, those techniques that help to increase the yield.
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How to tie tomatoes in a greenhouse video

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