Pickling tomatoes of different varieties: when and how
Content
Why do tomatoes stepchild
Immediately after planting in the ground, all the forces of the plant go to building up the green mass, after the formation of fruits, it is advisable to redirect these forces to their development and ripening. For this, pinching is used. How to pinch the tomatoes, when it needs to be done, or not pinch the plant at all - everyone decides for himself. Some varieties of tomatoes without pinching sometimes fully yield in their natural environment can do without such a procedure, for example, there are low-growing tomatoes that do not require pinching.
The lateral green branches on the tomato are completely useless. Being an extra green mass, they are undesirable for a rich harvest. If you remove them, the fruits will receive more nutrients. The size of the stepchildren for removal is 3-5 centimeters. Removing large ones can damage and affect growth. Only persimmons do not require pinching, as a tomato variety that grows independently, although many vegetable growers also pinch persimmons.
However, it is worth learning that a rich harvest can only be obtained from healthy plants, and many gardeners fully resort to fertilizers and other methods to achieve the desired result. Accordingly, the removal of excess shoots is a process that can give strength to the sprout, save trace elements and nutrients for the fruits, without spending extra energy on germinating side shoots.
Plant care is not limited to controlling the growth process and creating favorable environmental conditions. Lateral stems can overgrow, causing a drop in yield. Almost all varieties of tomatoes without pinching lose in the harvest. Normally, only some tomatoes can grow without outside intervention, for example, a persimmon variety, if the owner does not set himself the goal of growing large fruits. Persimmons grow up to 1 m in height; when cultivated in a greenhouse, they are usually stepson.
How to do it right
Determinant tomato varieties are sure to be pinned. They stop growing on their own, and branch weakly. The ways to achieve the desired result are pretty simple. How to pinch tomatoes? Before 3-4 brushes appear on the plant, the stem should be left alone. After the sprouts appear, two stems are left, and one of them should be stronger. The frequency of the brush placement is also very important - each brush after the first is placed after 2 or three sheets. The fewer such brushes on a plant, the more it needs shaping from the gardener.
Determinant plantings are pinned in such a way that one stem remains. Several inflorescences will help you harvest earlier. It is not necessary to pinch the growth point. A couple of leaves are left - all this is necessary to enable the inflorescences to ripen at the same time.
The fewer stems left on each tomato, the better the harvest will be.Low, that is, determinant varieties of tomatoes sometimes grow quite richly, their stems branch out quite strongly. Five to seven inflorescences per plant can produce an acceptable yield. The first fruits suspend the tillering process. However, these varieties are very slow to feed their fruits, since a large number of them require many vitamins of the same type.
The harvest is given much later - one bush must feed already grown tomatoes, and at the same time provide a complex of minerals and vitamins for the same small fruits, which can be from 10 to 15. For the same reasons, the size of the fruits can suffer - we get very small, although we win in their quantity.
Indeterminate tomato varieties have a very strong one main shoot, yield more yields and ripen later than undersized varieties. Almost all varieties of tall tomatoes lend themselves to pickling. 2-3 stems form the full growth of the plant. Subspecies - "cream", and the like, require more sprouts. They also depend on weather conditions, if summer lasts longer than usual, then more fruit brushes can be left, as well as growing stems. Indeterminate tomatoes tend to grow very vigorously on their own, so the growth process must be controlled in order to get a rich harvest.
It is important to have time to remove the shoots even before the first brush with fruits appears. 6, 8 or 10 leaves are a sign that a fruit cluster will appear soon.
Branches appear in the axils of each leaf, and can grow large enough until the time we require. The shoots that grow lower try to faster - the benefits of them in this case are obvious. Therefore, tall indeterminate types of tomato are necessarily pinned - after all, a high stem makes it possible to grow very strongly, bush and create lateral processes that require moisture and energy.
When is the best time to pinch
The best option for pinching tomatoes would be to carry out the procedure once a week. However, this period is not unique or mandatory. When grown indoors, remove excess shoots more often. The process of mechanically removing such shoots in low-growing species is a little more difficult, because they are lush and it can be difficult to get to the required areas.
When to start pinching tomatoes? The sprouts are best cut or removed with gloved hands while still small, 3-5 centimeters long. A large shoot can cause problems in plant growth. The tomato does not notice the removal of the shoot with its small size, and it will not get sick.
In the greenhouse
Carrying out pinching of tomatoes when grown in a greenhouse should have its own separate goal - to extend the fertility of each plant. Another task is to increase the yield. In the greenhouse, the determinant varieties of tomatoes are bred most often. Greenhouses can be used for almost six months, hybrids and indeterminate varieties are suitable for greenhouse cultivation to the fullest. Different varieties are processed in different ways.
Determinant varieties grow in such a way that the main stem should be left to them. How and when is it correct to carry out pinching in the greenhouse? This should be done much more often than outdoors. Medium and tall tomatoes should not have reserve shoots, since the development of inflorescences does not affect growth. Since in the greenhouse there will be fewer inflorescences on the main stem than usual, you can plant the tomatoes closer to each other.
In the open field
In the open field, it is correct to remove sprouts even before the appearance of the fruit part. It usually appears after 6-8 or 10 leaves appear. The sinuses of each leaflet are capable of producing lateral processes. How to pinch tomatoes in the open field? The answer is simple - as soon as the first fruit cluster appears, such stepchildren can already be quite large.In addition, the lateral stems are located below the shoot and feed faster.
If you do not follow the established pattern, the fruit clusters will be forced to lay through the leaf, and in the bosom there will be a stepson, sufficiently developed for growth. Thus, the grower can get a huge amount of green mass and very little harvest. Therefore, pinching should not be neglected. Tomatoes that do not need pinching will not create a critical mass, which qualitatively affects the yield increase.
In especially undersized shoots, 1-2 stems are left after the processing process. So the fruits will ripen only on the first inflorescences. On one stem, one shoot is left, on two - one stepson is left, and on three - another one below. Each of them must create up to three inflorescences. Three stalks create the likelihood of getting green unripe tomatoes among the fruits.
Video "Grassing different varieties of tomatoes"
A note on how to properly pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse. After watching the video, you will learn how to form bushes of indeterminate and semi-determinate tomatoes.