The principle of pinching determinant tomatoes
There are quite a lot of questions about how to correctly pinch tomatoes. Even the most experienced gardeners do not really know the answer to this question. This topic is quite relevant due to the fact that every person at least once in his life, but grew tomatoes in his garden. But not everyone knows about proper care. Most people think that pinching determinate tomatoes is the same as removing leaves. The only problem is that these are completely different procedures for caring for plants.
The principle of pinching determinant tomatoes
What is the procedure for?
Pickling is essential for a successful harvest. The main reasons for removing shoots are:
- the harvest will come much faster and will be of better quality;
- the plant itself does not have to expend nutrients for extra parts;
- the substances will be distributed evenly throughout the entire stem of the plant.
Forming the right stem is a rather complicated process that not every person can do. The removal of stepchildren should take place at a time when they are small. Their size should be no more than 3 cm. If you started the development of stepchildren, then you don't even need to try to correct the situation. The problem is that the plant has already used up a large amount of nutrients in order to feed the unnecessary element. In addition, if you carry out pinching of large areas, you will cause wounds to the plant.
All tomatoes are different from each other and each of them has its own rules for pinching. For example, indeterminate tomatoes are tall. It is the indeterminate tomato varieties that never stop growing. For this reason, indeterminate tomatoes have the most unnecessary stepchildren. Hybrids, more precisely determinant tomatoes, can also have a large number of unnecessary stems. Their number gradually decreases after the fruits begin to ripen.
Stealing - when carried out
Every gardener knows that tomatoes need to be pinned at the beginning of August. It was during this period of time that the fruits were already set, but not yet ripe. After this moment, all new shoots will take away the strength of the plant, prevent the fruits from ripening. If the removal of the stepsons is not done on time, then the harvest will come much later than the planned date.
Removal of stepchildren must be done on time
In order to avoid such situations, determinant tomatoes should be pinned. Such actions need to be carried out only once for the entire season. If you thought that the procedure is carried out monthly, then you were wrong. As soon as the fruits begin to ripen, everything unnecessary must be removed from the plant. Usually, only a few leaves are left over the already set fruit. Many people feel sorry for pinching tomatoes, as they are worried about freshly ripe flowers. But, it is important to remember that it is they who will inhibit all the processes of fruit ripening.
Some experts are convinced that it is possible to carry out pinching of determinant varieties of tomatoes every one and a half weeks. The essence of this method is that only the main shoot should remain. Each stem will have about 3 flowers. So that the ripe fruits please you and you can harvest a good harvest in general, these procedures will be quite enough.
The correctness of pinching in the open field
To harvest as early as possible, pinch the determinant tomato varieties as follows. You only need to leave 1 stem and literally 2 flowers. This will be enough for an average yield. The more stems you leave, the longer the fruit will ripen.
If you decide to leave 2 stems, then it is important to make sure that only 6 blooms remain. Determinant tomatoes are not designed to have more than 2 stems left on them. If you neglect this advice, then you will not get early yields. All the fruits simply do not have time to fill with the desired shade.
The less you leave flowering and stems, the faster the long-awaited harvest will come. Practice has shown that 2 stems and 2 inflorescences can speed up the yield process by 2 weeks. Agree, an amazing figure. Determinant tomatoes should be planted at a certain distance from each other. If indeterminate products are planted at a distance of 0.5 m, then determinant products should be planted at a distance of 25 cm from each other.
How is pinching in greenhouses carried out
Grasshopping in greenhouses must be carried out correctly. It is the determinant tomato varieties that are best suited for these purposes. If there is a shoot under the first inflorescence, then it must be left. You need to pinch it after the inflorescences are formed on it.
Quite often, hybrid varieties of tomatoes are grown for a long time. This time can be up to six months. If there are no stepsons on it, then the bush will simply stop growing and the inflorescences will not form. This is fraught with a decrease in yield. The growth process can always be restored. For this, it is recommended to leave an additional escape. It can be found at the top of the bush, more precisely under the second inflorescence. After the growth process is restored, the reserve shoot can be removed and a new one left.
Tomatoes should be grown in greenhouses much more often than in open areas. It is recommended to remove shoots and extra inflorescences every few days. If you are not thinking about getting an early harvest and are not trying to increase the number of inflorescences, then you can plant plants in close proximity to each other. If you need a quick harvest, then you should observe the correct proportions of the distance between the bushes. It should be at least 35 cm. The advantages of determinant varieties include the fact that they ripen at the same time, and do this relatively early.