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In favorable conditions with enough moisture and fertilizer, tomatoes grow actively and form a large number of shoots. Such intensive development thickens plantings and reduces crop yields. That is why experienced gardeners recommend to carry out the formation of tomatoes, which consists in pinching and pinching plants. These activities must be carried out with skill, in order not to harm the tomatoes, but to help them successfully bear fruit.
How to form tomato bushes of various types
Farmers divide all varieties of tomatoes into indeterminate and determinant. Sometimes on seed packages you can see exaggerated synonyms for these concepts, that is, “tall” and “undersized” tomatoes. This rough classification allows the purchaser to select varieties with specific cultural characteristics. Care for indeterminate and determinate tomatoes is fundamentally different. When purchasing one or another type of tomato, it is worth considering the features of cultivation, including the rules for the formation of bushes.
Determinant tomatoes
No wonder the division of all tomatoes into indeterminate and determinant varieties is called a rough classification. The thing is that each of these species has its own subspecies. In general, determinant tomatoes are called plants that independently regulate their growth. As a rule, determinant tomatoes do not form more than five fruiting clusters on one shoot, including the main one.
Superdeterminant varieties
Superdeterminant varieties limit their growth early enough. The fruits of such plants ripen together in the middle of summer. Superdeterminant tomatoes do not form large stepchildren, so crop care is quite simple, it involves removing only the lower leaves. It is not necessary to pinch and pinch the plants.
Determinant Varieties
“Simple” determinate tomatoes are sometimes called medium-sized. In the process of growing, they must be formed by removing stepchildren. Otherwise, tomatoes will actively increase their green mass, and their fruits will be tied in small quantities and slowly ripen. When growing determinant tomatoes, 2-3 additional side shoots are usually left, on which ovaries will form after the growth of the main stem stops.
Standard varieties
Standard tomatoes are a great option for lazy gardeners. The advantage of standard tomatoes is independent growth regulation and slow growth of stepchildren. Caring for such tomatoes is very simple, because they do not need to be formed by pinching and pinching, it is enough to periodically remove the lower leaves of tomatoes.
All types of determinate tomatoes form the first fruit cluster above 5-7 leaves. Further, the laying of inflorescences occurs after 1-2 leaves. It is recommended to grow such tomatoes in open ground, however, in the northern regions, planting determinant plants in protected ground is fully justified. In the growing process, superdeterminate and determinant tomatoes need a garter. The garter of standard varieties is carried out as needed.
For the determinant type of plants, you can watch a video of the formation of a tomato bush:
Indeterminate Tomatoes
Increasingly, indeterminate tomatoes are the choice of professional growers. They are able to grow and bear fruit indefinitely throughout the entire warm period. Most often they are grown in greenhouses or heated greenhouses. In the presence of the latter, the tomato crop can be harvested from indeterminate plants year-round.
Indeterminate tomatoes can grow up to 3m tall. In the absence of the formation of bushes, stepchildren are formed in large numbers and thicken the planting, depriving plants of the strength to form and ripen fruits. The first inflorescence in such tomatoes appears above the 9th leaf. All above inflorescences are tied through 3 leaves. Over the entire life cycle, indeterminate tomatoes can form up to 50 fruiting brushes. Such tomatoes require a garter to a stable support and careful formation of bushes into one stem.
A video of the formation of an indeterminate-type tomato bush can be seen on the video:
Thus, when purchasing tomato seeds, it is imperative to pay attention to the agrotechnical characteristics of the variety. Having chosen “simple” determinate, semi-determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will need to form bushes in a certain way, using the methods of pinching and pinching a tomato. Superdeterminate and standard tomatoes will not require special care, however, and their yield will be relatively lower.
Bush formation rules
As it has already become clear, various types of tomato bushes are formed into one, two or more stems. At the same time, pinching and pinching a tomato perform very specific functions, and activities must be carried out in compliance with clear rules.
Stepson procedure
The correct formation of a tomato always includes the stepping procedure. For beginner farmers, identifying and removing stepchildren can cause some difficulties, so we will try to talk about this in more detail.
What is a stepson
The stepson is a side shoot that forms in the axil of the tomato leaf. In the process of growth on the stepchildren, as well as on the main stem, green leaves and fruit clusters are massively formed. Such active growth of stepchildren requires a lot of nutrients, which can provoke the formation of smaller fruits on the main stem and slow down their ripening period. If you do not remove the side stepchildren, then the landings are very thickened. The lack of normal air circulation between the bushes causes the development of diseases and rotting of the fruit.
Proper pinching of a tomato allows you to harmoniously form a plant by adjusting the ratio of green mass and the number of fruits. As a result of pinching, plants do not experience strong overvoltage and can safely bear fruit until the end of the growing season. After watching the video of pinching tomatoes, you can appreciate the importance and necessity of this procedure.
How to correctly pinch a tomato
It is necessary to pinch tomatoes 10-15 days after planting seedlings in the ground. The size of the stepchildren should be approximately 5 cm. After the initial stepping, it is necessary to regularly carefully inspect the plants and carry out an additional stepping of the tomato every 2 weeks.
A video of pinching tomatoes will allow you to avoid some mistakes and clearly see the implementation of the event:
When forming a bush in one stem, all the resulting stepchildren are removed. Such pinching of a tomato is carried out for indeterminate, tall varieties. If we are talking about stepping tomatoes of a semi-determinant type, then in the process of removing shoots, it is necessary to leave one of the strongest stepchildren. This will allow the plant to form fruit clusters on the stepson at a time when the growth of the main stem has already been stopped. When pinching tomatoes with a determinant type of bush, two, and sometimes more side shoots are left. The scheme of pinching tomatoes into one, two or more stems is shown below.
It is worth noting that the lower stepchildren on plants are always removed. The same applies to shoots growing from the root of the plant.
For determinant tomatoes, in addition to the proposed scheme for the formation of plants in two and three stems, you can use a step-by-step scheme for pinching. So, under the first fruiting brush of a short or medium-sized plant, a stepson is left. This lateral shoot develops safely and also forms fruiting brushes. Under the first of them, it is also necessary to leave one stepson. After its growth, the step-by-step pinching procedure is repeated. This allows undersized and medium-sized tomatoes to form into one stem, while new stepchildren will constantly bear fruit, replacing the main stem that has stopped growing. Such pinching of tomatoes can be seen in the diagram below.
It is important for every farmer to remember that pinching and tying tomatoes should be done at the same time. This will remove the load from the resulting fruits and leaves from the plants.
A video on how to properly tie up tomatoes can be seen here:
pinching tomatoes
Tomato pinching is carried out only when growing tall, indeterminate or semi-determinate varieties. This allows you to stop the growth of the plant and direct all its forces to the ripening of already existing fruits. Tomato pinching is carried out in the fall, a month before the expected end of the growing season.
Important! Determinate tomatoes are also sometimes pinched for accelerated fruit ripening.
When growing tomatoes in a stepped pattern, you can also use pinching the main shoots.
The pinching procedure for tomatoes in open areas of land and in greenhouses is carried out in the same way. To do this, remove the top of the main stem to a height of two sheets. Leftover tomato top leaves will act as a “pump”, pumping micronutrients out of the soil and up the stem. After pinching, the tomatoes begin to actively grow lateral shoots, however, they must also be removed by pinching. If you do not remove the side stepchildren, then the procedure for pinching the tops of the tomatoes will be meaningless.
You can see the procedure for pinching tall tomatoes and hear the comments of an experienced farmer on the video:
Removing leaves
Experienced gardeners and professional farmers know that removing leaves can also speed up the ripening process of tomatoes. Such a thinning of foliage on tomatoes is carried out starting from the beginning of June. Regularly, every week it is recommended to remove 1-3 leaves located under the lowest fruiting brush. This allows the plant to supply all the nutrients directly to the fruit without wasting energy on providing the leaves.
Leaves must be removed carefully so as not to damage the skin of the plant. To remove the leaves, you can use a pruner or break them off by hand by bending to the side.
Conclusion
Thus, when growing tomatoes in open areas of soil and in a greenhouse, it is very important to carry out the correct pinching of a tomato, pinch the plants in a timely manner, tie it up and remove the lower leaves. A complex of such measures will allow removing excessive load from plants, speeding up the process of fruit ripening, and preventing the development of viral and fungal diseases. Pinching and pinching a tomato must be carried out in compliance with the described rules, adhering to the chosen scheme. If the rules for the formation of a bush are violated, it is possible to reduce the yield of a crop, slow down the growth of plants, or even destroy them.