Proper pinching of tomatoes in the open field

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In order to successfully grow tomatoes, you need to know about some rules and secrets. A mandatory procedure is the formation of bushes and pinching side processes. Novice farmers do not always use pinching technology. At the same time, the crop may simply not have time to ripen, or the rows may turn out to be too thick. In this review, we will consider why it is necessary to carry out pinching of tomatoes, how this procedure is carried out and how the methods of formation depend on the variety and type of plant.

What is technology?

Let's take a closer look at this. When a tomato bush is too branched, new flowers, shoots and ovaries can form on it. Stepchildren are inactive kidneys located in the sinuses. They can sleep until a certain time. After the plant throws out all the ovaries, and the formation of fruits begins, side processes are formed from these buds. As a result, full-fledged stems may appear from them, on which ovaries are formed. At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this. After all, whatmore fruit, the better.

However, not everything is so easy. A large number of ovaries does not mean an increase in yield. Extra stepchildren negatively affect the number of fruits and can interfere with their ripening. If you do not timely pinch tomatoes, then the already formed fruits will reduce the rate of ripening, and the newly formed ones will be too small.

What harm can stepchildren do to tomatoes:

1. They reduce yields.
2. Fruits are shrinking.
3. Maturation time increases.
4. Stepchildren make plantings too thick, which can cause diseases and infections.
5. A large number of fruits contributes to the breakage of shoots.
6. Stepchildren take energy from the plant, which is required for it to ripen quality fruits.
7. Stepchildren can lead to a strong growth of bushes and a change in their shape.

Do side shoots need to be removed?

So what do you need to know about this? Pasynkovanie tomatoes in the open field is not necessary. But in greenhouses, this procedure should be carried out without fail. This is due to the fact that early ripe determinant varieties are usually planted in open ground. They differ in that after a certain number of ovaries appear on the bushes, side shoots stop growing naturally. Such varieties do not need additional control. Exactly as many stepchildren will grow on the bushes as necessary to get a good harvest. This applies only to super early and earlydeterminant varieties. On them, tomatoes can finish ripening in the middle of summer. In most regions of our country, the climate is such that long rains begin in August, and the first night frosts appear in early autumn. Therefore, plants can be exposed to diseases and drop ovaries along with young tomatoes.

Recommendations from experienced growers

How to grow tomatoes? Care, pinching, garter is best done using the advice of experienced gardeners. It is believed that only fruits that were formed before August 1 will have time to ripen. What happens to other inflorescences and shoots? They need to be crushed. This is called the procedure for pinching tomatoes.

The peculiarity of indeterminate varieties is that additional shoots and shoots are formed on them all the time. At the same time, the main stem does not stop growing. To monitor the number of fruits and the formation of a bush, it is necessary to carry out the correct pinching of tomatoes. Experienced gardeners are advised to remove stepchildren even during planting seedlings. Already at this stage, side shoots are formed on the seedlings of indeterminate varieties. Stepchildren actively appear after 5-7 ovaries appear on the bushes. From this time on, the gardener needs to periodically inspect the bushes and remove excess shoots.

When growing indeterminate varieties, pinching tomatoes in the ground is carried out in a special way. In this case, it is necessary to remove not only the lateral processes under the leaves. Remove the top of the main stem. If this procedure is not carried out,the bush will continue to grow and form ovaries. As a result, the ripening of fruits is inhibited, and the plant itself weakens. Abundant pinching can be a sign of excess nitrogen in the soil. You should always keep an eye on this.

Varieties that do not require pinching

There are quite a few of them. Breeders have done a great job of developing varieties that do not require pinching. They just don't form additional stems. This greatly facilitates the care of the culture. It is enough just to plant tomatoes and water them regularly, waiting for the crop to appear. These varieties include hybrid and superdeterminate tomatoes. These varieties form a certain number of ovaries. When they appear, the bushes simply stop growing further.

Removing stepchildren: instructions

How is the stepping of tomatoes carried out? Photos, detailed instructions and feedback from gardeners will help you perform this operation correctly. The best time to grow tomatoes is in the morning. In the morning, tomatoes are saturated with moisture to the maximum. Because of this, the stems will be elastic and brittle. Such a stepson is easier to break off, and the plant itself will not be injured. Before the end of the day, there will still be quite a lot of time for the wounds to dry out. This reduces the risk of infections.

How to correctly determine when it is time to remove stepchildren? If the length of the processes reaches from 3 to 5 cm, then they can be safely cut off. They have not yet had time to take a lot of strength from the plant. In addition, the placethe cliff will be imperceptible, and the wound will be small. If large processes are found, breaking them off is not recommended. If you did not have time to remove the shoots at a young age, it will be enough just to pinch the tops of the shoots. Experienced farmers recommend manually processing stepchildren, after putting on gloves. So you can avoid infection in the wounds. The process must be clamped with two fingers and slightly shake from side to side, thereby breaking it off.

You can also use scissors or a knife to remove, just make sure the blades are sharp enough. Otherwise, there is a high risk of injuring the plant. After performing the procedure on each bush, it is necessary to disinfect the instrument using any available means. Do not throw ragged stepchildren to the ground. They can cause the spread of infections and diseases, so they should be collected and thrown somewhere far away. In place of the removed stepchildren, new shoots may appear over time. They need to be broken in time. In order to stop the growth of new shoots, experienced vegetable growers recommend leaving small “stumps”, the length of which does not exceed 1.5 cm.

Formation in the open field

This process will depend on many factors. Here are just a few:

• Type of tomato (indeterminate or determinant).
• Varieties (with or without developmental arrest).
• Maturation speed.
• Climatic conditions. If the weather in your area is cool and overcast,then even determinant varieties may not give a full harvest. For this reason, it is necessary to thin out the bushes a little, removing stepchildren.
• Farmer's requirements. For some, the number of fruits is important, others are interested in their size and taste characteristics. If yield is more important to you, then tomatoes can be grown on several stems.

Growing tomatoes in one stem

Usually this method is used in greenhouses and greenhouses. However, it can also be used outdoors if you have indeterminate varieties. According to this method, the gardener must remove absolutely all stepchildren, leaving only one central one. As a result, a certain number of ovaries characteristic of this variety will be formed. The peculiarity of this method is that the farmer has to constantly monitor the condition of the bush and check it for new shoots. The disadvantage of this method is that it reduces the number of fruits. There will be only 3-5 ovaries on the bushes. This method is usually used when it comes to preparing tomatoes for sale. The plant throws all its strength into the formation of the first fruits. Thus, you can get a harvest earlier than a week or two. It is during this period of time that the price of tomatoes is as high as ever. If you are going to grow tomatoes using the single stem method, then you will need to use 2-3 times more seedlings. So you can independently control the amount of harvest.

Growing tomatoes in two stems

Gardeners more often thoughuse this method. It makes it possible to significantly increase the yield. To get two trunks for each bush, you need to remove all the processes and leave only the one that is located under the first brush. This shoot will play the role of a full-fledged stem. Almost as many fruits will ripen on it as on the central trunk. Thus, it is possible to double the tomato yield, and the ripening rate will be much less. At the same time, the tomatoes themselves will be a little smaller than if the bush was formed in only one trunk.

Growing tomatoes in three stems

This option is considered optimal for the formation of bushes. It can be used even when planting in open ground. First of all, it is necessary to determine which shoot is the central one and select the first ovary. All you need to do next is just watch the formation of leaves below this ovary. Leave only those stepsons that grow from the axils of the first and second leaves. This method allows you to get the maximum yield, while the fruits will be ripe and large.

If you prefer to grow undersized tomatoes, pinching in this case is carried out in a similar way.

Conclusion

How to grow tomatoes in your garden? Pinching and tying are mandatory procedures that are required to obtain a quality crop.

Pinch and remove shoots when working with indeterminate varieties is a must. In other cases, the gardener independentlymust decide whether or not to stalk tomatoes.