Tomatoes: whether to pick off the lower leaves. Full information

The article discusses tomatoes: whether to pick off the lower leaves, what is the benefit of this, the danger of excess foliage, how to carry out the procedure correctly.

Tomato is an annual or perennial herbaceous vegetable crop from the nightshade family. At the moment there are more than a thousand varieties. Tomatoes are very common in gardens and plots. Nowadays it is very difficult to imagine a garden that does not have tomato bushes. Often, gardeners and gardeners organize competitions. These competitions compare the quality of the fruit and its taste. You can consider yourself a real gardener if every year you get a good harvest and quality fruits.

Tomatoes: should you pick off the lower leaves? Two points of view on the problem

Tomatoes are not the most difficult crop to grow; they are quite unpretentious, but each crop has its own nuances. So, removing excess leaves, is it really necessary and is it as easy as it seems? In fact, this operation does not only involve tearing off excess lower leaves; you must follow the rules so as not to injure or harm the plant. There are two types of people, the first believe that removing leaves is mandatory, the second holds the opposite point of view. Later in the article you will find out whether this is necessary and how to do it correctly.

How to properly break off leaves on tomatoes?

Many beginners wonder how to properly break off leaves on tomatoes. This question is very important, and we have collected a number of tips on how to pick leaves from tomatoes so that the plant only benefits from this procedure.

• It is better not to break off the leaves, but to cut them with pruners or scissors, in order to avoid damage to the trunk;
• The leaves are cut at the “root”, up to the trunk, without leaving a “stump”;
• The cut is not treated with anything, but it is recommended to spray or fertilize the plant “per leaf” only after 24 hours.

Is it necessary to pick off the lower leaves of tomatoes and what is the point?

As mentioned above, people are divided into two camps, those who are for and those who are against. Often people who have not been growing tomatoes for long believe that since the leaves are created by nature, the plant definitely needs them and removing them can cause great harm. Experienced gardeners and scientists most often argue that removing the lower leaves of tomatoes is simply necessary for both the plant and the person.

Is it necessary to break off overgrown sprouts from potatoes when planting?

Is it necessary to break off the sprouts (very long ones) or not?
Why? How to do this correctly?

Spring came.

Spring has come, it’s time to sow and plant everything. What gardener can do without planting potatoes? Potatoes are one of the main crops that both amateur and professional gardeners grow in their garden plots. Professionals already know all the nuances of how, when, where and what to plant, and how to do it correctly, but amateurs or beginners may have questions even about such a simple crop as potatoes.

If the potato tubers were stored correctly, then by the time of planting they will look something like this:

Planting such potatoes will not be difficult.

But if the potato seeds were stored incorrectly or they were simply taken out of the cellar too early, and they waited a long time for their time to be planted, then they may look like this:

Or even like this:

In such cases, planting potatoes will be associated with certain inconveniences.

What to do in such cases?

• If the sprouts are very long, and the tubers are all intertwined with sprouts that cannot be untangled, then, of course, the sprouts need to be torn off, carefully, choosing the thinnest ones, so that several sprouts remain on the tuber.
• If the sprouts are long, but not tangled, and the potatoes can be separated from each other, then there is no need to pick off the sprouts; you can plant them with the sprouts, making the holes wider.

Ideally, of course, the sprouts should be no more than 1 centimeter. Before planting, potatoes do not need to be taken out early; a couple of weeks are enough for them to warm up. It is also better to wait and plant in warm soil than to rush and plant early in cold soil. This won't make him grow any faster.

This information may be useful to you:

Very often, due to improper storage conditions or because the winter was too warm, potatoes begin to sprout early. Sometimes sprouts up to 20 centimeters long are formed.

The question arises: is it necessary to break off potato sprouts?

• If these are tubers intended for food, it is necessary to pick off the sprouts, since the beneficial properties of the tubers are lost. This needs to be done as early as possible, and you may have to repeat this procedure more than once.
• But when it comes to seed potatoes, the answer is the opposite - breaking off sprouts leads to a reduction in yield by up to 25-30%. Breaking off sprouts is extremely undesirable.

With each breaking off, the sprouts become thinner; subsequently, bushes may not form from such sprouts. It is advisable to break off only the sprouts that are intertwined with each other. It is advisable to break off the sprouts only once, before starting special germination. To quickly activate other eyes of the tuber, you can spray them with a solution of succinic acid.

The ideal length of sprouts when planting is from 1 to 5 cm.

When planting heavily sprouted tubers, make the holes wider and deeper, place the potatoes in the center with the sprouts up and lightly sprinkle with soil.

Tomatoes: whether to pick off the lower leaves, the benefits of the procedure

Above in the article are the reasons that leaves need to be removed now, a little about the advantages.

• #1. Removing the lower leaves will allow air to pass more freely between the shoots of plants and reduce the risk of various diseases. Of course, the risk does not go away completely, but it decreases.
• #2. Late blight and other fungal diseases begin precisely from the lower leaves, therefore, by removing them, the gardener reduces the risk of developing the disease throughout the plant.
• #3. Leaf removal is the removal of excess green matter. Since a fairly large amount of nutrients and moisture from the soil is spent on excess leaves, after their removal it will go to the fruits, which improves their quality.

From the history of the issue

Potatoes appeared in Russia a little over 300 years ago. But they began to actively cultivate it only in the 19th century. It was noted that during the growing season, potatoes spend a quarter of nutrients on the growth of green mass (stems and leaves), half of them go to the formation of tubers, and the remaining quarter goes to flowers and berries. Theoretically, if the flowers are removed, the tubers will receive more nutrition.

The Poltava peasant S. Pryadko thought about this and conducted an experiment, which the Agricultural Newspaper wrote about in 1894. He planted two rows of potatoes in June, picked off the flowers on one, and left the other alone. In September, the harvest was harvested, and the results were impressive: where the flowers were cut off, significantly more potatoes grew (20 bags versus 12 from the ridge where the berries were ripe).

This experience began to be put into practice, but the process was labor-intensive. Therefore, in 1913, the Department of Agriculture recommended using a roller between rows of potatoes during the flowering period in large fields so that it breaks the stems. In smaller areas it was necessary to break off the tops with your hands or trample them with your feet. A corresponding experiment was even carried out. True, in the latter case the yield was only 10% higher than in the control plot.

Experiments continued during the Soviet period. Old-timers remember how whole classes of schoolchildren went to pick flowers from potatoes in the collective farm fields.

However, in 1946, Soviet scientists, after conducting experiments, came to the conclusion that breaking off flowers on potatoes in central Russia was inappropriate. Experiments showed that in groups of plants from which inflorescences, apical buds and upper shoots 10 cm long were removed, the yield decreased compared to the control group, where nothing was done to the crop.

This is explained by the fact that new potato varieties developed as a result of selection produce fewer buds and spend only 3 to 5% of nutrients on flowering. And a damaged plant is forced to spend strength and energy on restoration.

This topic has ceased to interest scientists, as they are looking for other ways that really help increase productivity.

But people in their areas continue to experiment.

When to pick off the bottom leaves of tomatoes? Rules

Above, you learned why you need to cut leaves, and now you need to find out how to do it correctly. There are several recommendations.

• Before the process of removing leaves, the bushes need to grow a little, that is, you cannot remove the leaves immediately after planting, the bush has not yet had time to get stronger. Hasty removal of leaves can lead to slow growth and insufficient formation of future fruits. Two weeks after planting, the bushes will be sufficiently strong and it will be possible to remove the lower leaves.
• First you need to inspect all the plants and remove leaves that are modified. As we said above, a change in color may indicate infection of the leaves. After harvesting the infected leaves, you can also cut off the healthy ones.
• If for some reason you are afraid to remove the leaves the plant needs, then you can carry out the treatment on the north side, where the leaves are not constantly exposed to the sun and are not so involved in the process of photosynthesis. On the north side the leaves are in the shade. In this case, removing such leaves will not affect the growth and development of the plant in any way.
• It is important to carry out removal carefully and accurately. Sometimes, after removing the lower leaves, new inflorescences begin to grow in this place. It is better to remove them if the plant’s flowering process is normal. If there is an insufficient number of flowers and few fruits are formed, then you can leave the inflorescences. The number of flowers should be determined by determining the variety of your tomato.
• The correct technique for removing leaves is very simple, you press the base of the petiole and gently pull upward. If done correctly, you will sort of rip the leaf out of its place. When pulling out, it is better to support the main stem of the tomato so that it does not get damaged. The movements should not be sudden, because if you move too quickly, the leaves can become like a puff, and it can make a wound on the stem. Infection can enter the wounds and lead to infection of the entire plant.
• The ideal weather for removing leaves is sunny, without rain. It is important to remove excess leaves in the morning, around eight o'clock. When a leaf is pulled out, a small wound remains in its place on the plant. It will heal faster under the influence of sunlight. When the wound heals, the risk of contracting any infections will decrease.
• It is recommended to take some precautions when removing excess leaves. It is not recommended to remove leaves more than twice a week. And it is better not to remove more than two or three sheet plates at a time. With this removal mode, the plant will receive minimal damage.
• There is a main rule that must be followed. If the removal of leaves occurs on a cluster on which the fruits have not yet begun to form, you cannot remove more than one leaf. If the fruits on the cluster have already formed, then almost all the leaves can be removed, with the exception of a few at the very edge of the shoot. The rule applies only to the lower tier of leaves on the bush. We do not touch the upper part of the bush.

It is recommended to remove leaves in two stages.

What is the benefit of removing tomato leaves?

According to the biological characteristics of nightshade plants, which include tomatoes, the average leaf life is 3-3.5 months. That is, after serving their allotted time, they begin to dry out.

Naturally, the first to die off are those that appeared first - in the lower part of the bush. Leaves that have begun to turn yellow are already a burden for the plant and must be removed.

The second reason for the need for this procedure is that a large vegetative mass takes energy away from the bush for its maintenance, to the detriment of fruiting. The bush is fattening, the fruits on it are small and tasteless, but the leaves are huge and bright.

Cutting the leaves from below, and quite radically, will help save the tomato harvest. This operation stimulates plants to flower, set fruit and ripen.

The third reason why it is recommended to tear off the lower leaves is that almost all of them are in contact with the ground, and excess moisture can cause fungal spores to enter the plant.

Additionally, during rain and watering, if the beds are not mulched, drops of water are repelled from the soil and settle in the lower part of the leaf blades that are in contact with the soil, infecting them with pathogenic microflora.

When the lower part of the stem is exposed, this danger is reduced tenfold. All lower leaves located below the first cluster with ovaries can be safely removed.

The advantages of manipulation include the fact that if you trim the leaves of tomatoes, the loss of moisture from the plant itself will be reduced due to reduced evaporation, and this is very important in places where there is a problem with watering.

In addition, the presence of large leaves covers the soil, does not allow air masses to circulate freely between the bushes, and moisture does not evaporate from the soil surface.

This leads to increased development of molds and the risk of various fungal diseases, in particular late blight, is maximum. This operation is especially relevant in a greenhouse, where ventilation is complicated due to the lack of wind.

At the same time as the lower leaves, fattening shoots growing in the lower part of the bush should be removed, as well as all yellowing and drying leaves throughout the bush (it no longer needs them).

Also useless will be shoots growing above the brush with ovaries, leaves on the northern or shaded side of the bush, covering the ripening brushes (but if there is a risk of sunburn, it is better to leave them). If you follow the rules for tearing off leaves, the risk of infection will be minimal, and tomato bushes will delight you with an excellent healthy harvest.

Arguments of opponents of removing leaves on tomatoes

There are not many of them, only two.

1. The first is that nature has determined how the bush will develop, when, in what order and how the leaves die. You cannot interfere in this process.
2. The second argument is that after the leaves are torn off, the bushes begin to hurt, since pathogens enter the tissues through open wounds.

The counterarguments are as follows. Are you ridding a grape bush of extra shoots and old leaves? This helps to increase the yield and protects the bush from diseases. Without such operations, the grapes return to a wild state, unless they die from oidium and mildew.

The tomato bush is similar - if you don’t help it, it will become overgrown with wild shoots, quickly get sick and “burn”, and there will be a minimum of fruit or even the entire crop will die. And if we follow this logic, we must abandon stepsoning and the formation of indeterminate varieties. And what?

According to the second, if you pick off the leaves of tomatoes correctly, as shown in the video, then the wounds heal very quickly and no infection occurs. The thinning technology is described below.

How to prune

Follow the recommendations

• Pruning is done with disinfected scissors or pruners. Also, the leaves are torn off, pressing the base up, carefully so as not to damage the stem.
• The frequency of the procedure depends on the speed of seedling development. Yellowed lower leaves are removed approximately once every 15 days. Pruning of the main mass begins after the formation of small fruits. Drooping foliage is removed as it appears. In greenhouse growing conditions, pruning begins earlier.
• In open ground, pruning is carried out in the morning. So, within a day the wound has time to dry out and heal, which does not allow gray rot to develop. Tomatoes should not be pruned in the evening or on a rainy day.
• Tomato leaves can be trimmed in a greenhouse at any time. The only condition is the cancellation of ventilation on this day.
• Remove no more than 3 leaves at a time.
• After harvesting from the first clusters, pruning is carried out to the second, and then to the third fruit ovary. It is better not to prune above the third cluster, since if left without greenery, the seedling will die.
• At the very end, trim the top of the bush. They choose one ovary, leave a little greenery on it, remove everything else: this way the tomato spends more energy on nutrition and fruit growth.

Only remove diseased, injured or old foliage! Don't get carried away with pruning. All plant leaves work to form a crop.

How to plant potatoes with long shoots

If the previous options are not suitable, then when planting, the potatoes must be placed in the hole as follows.

• If the length of the shoots is 5-15 cm, the potatoes are planted in the hole, pressing the sprouts at an angle to the ground. Afterwards, carefully sprinkle the hole with soil so as not to break the delicate embryos.

• Length 20 cm or more. The tubers are placed in a row at a distance of the length of the sprout. Then we carefully cover it with soil so that the shoots do not break off under its weight.

Tubers with long sprouts cannot be planted in the same row as potatoes without sprouts. In this case, the potatoes can crush the fragile shoots, that is, there will be a lot of tops, but there will be no tubers from them.

To slow down the further growth of shoots on potatoes, take them out into the light 1-2 weeks before planting and lightly spray them with water from a spray bottle every day.

How to conduct an experiment with picking off potato flowers

Before experimenting with yield, you need to take into account the weather conditions and soil and climatic characteristics of the region. In dry and windy areas, the pollen is often sterile, so flowering does not affect the crop. And strong winds can cause flowers to fall off. And frequent rains help better absorption of nutrients, which will be in abundance for the full development of the entire plant.

For the purity of the experiment, it is necessary to plant potatoes of the same variety. Divide the test plot into two halves. On one, break off the flowers from the plant, on the second, let them bloom and form seed pods.

Potatoes of early varieties and varieties that produce few or no flowers are not suitable for the experiment.

As practice shows, under the bush where the buds were removed, there are usually more potatoes, but they are smaller. In the same place where the plant has completed its full development cycle, large, even tubers grow.

When asked whether it is necessary to pick flowers from potatoes, the answer is “no” rather than “yes.” It will be better for the plants if you do not interfere with their development cycle. They will hurt less and form more large tubers. Refusal to remove flowers will help to obtain higher quality seed material.

Bush formation

The formation of a bush depends on the tomato variety:

• determinant;
• indeterminant;
• superdeterminant.

On a tall variety, 1-3 stems are formed, the stepson is left under the first flower cluster. To remove it correctly, press the base against the stem and pull upward so as not to damage the stem. Remove the lower leaves until the height from the soil to the foliage is about 30 cm. Trimming will prevent fungal diseases and provide access to light and air to the plant stem.

As soon as about 8 brushes have formed on the plant, cut off the top.

Determinate variety

The determinate variety is distinguished by the formation of a fruiting cluster after a 5-7-leaf blade. Having formed 4-5 brushes, these varieties stop growth. To extend the fruiting period, transfer the growth point to a side shoot.

Ideterminate variety

An indeterminate tomato variety produces only one shoot. The first fruiting brush is formed after the 10-11-leaf blade. To increase yield, side shoots are removed. Removal of stepsons is done after the formation of one flower brush on them. This procedure is performed once a week.

Superdeterminate variety

The superdeterminate variety is distinguished by early ripening and small growth, no more than 60 cm. The first flower cluster is formed after 6-7 leaves. After the formation of 4 inflorescences, shoot growth is limited. There are three ways to form a super-determinate variety:

• remove all side shoots and form one stem;
• leave the stepson from the first inflorescence and get 2 stems;
• form 3 stems if you leave the stepsons of the first and second inflorescences.