How and why to pinch tomato seedlings correctly?

Why pinch tomatoes?

This is a necessary operation in the cultivation of indeterminate, non-standard and tall varieties. During growth, a large amount of vegetative mass and stepsons are formed. As a result, the plant does not have enough nutrition and strength to ripen all the fruits.

To ensure proper formation of tomato bushes, be sure to remove all excess shoots by pinching the crown. In some cases, gardeners slightly shorten the central root. This stimulates the plant to grow a more powerful root system.

After the procedure, the following positive effects are achieved:

• the volume and quality of the harvest increases;
• the plant becomes bushier, 2-3 main stems remain;
• the number of ovaries is reduced, the fruits become larger;
• old and dried leaves are removed;
• the marketability of fruits improves;
• the growth of the plant at the desired height is limited;
• the illumination and ventilation of the bush increases;
• prolongation of fruiting time;
• The period of fruit ripening is shortened.

Pinching and pinching - the same thing or different things

The first thing we will start our conversation with is a debriefing - the differences between pinching and pinching. Many summer residents perceive these words as synonyms that are identical in meaning. But in fact, everything is exactly the opposite. Pinching is the removal of side shoots, which is carried out in order to increase the supply of the central stem. Pinching sets itself a fundamentally opposite task. By pinching plants, the gardener removes the tops of soft shoots so that the stems continue to branch. Below are a brief list of the goals that tweezing pursues to varying degrees:

• redistribution of supply flows;
• activation of lateral branching;
• aging of wood;
• inhibiting the growth process.

It is believed that such interference in plant development is minimal. The injuries that a representative of the flora receives during the tweezing process are quite mild and heal very quickly. There is no need to completely pinch out all the plants in the garden. Some plants really can't do without it. For others, such a procedure is simply dangerous. You will not find universal recommendations regarding the pinching procedure in any authoritative source. The whole point is that in each specific case, each specific plant must be taken into account. Pinching of a particular culture also depends on the surrounding circumstances. For example, from climate or weather conditions. But certain rules of the game still exist, it’s true. We will begin our acquaintance with pinching with them.

Which varieties need to be pinched?

Almost all tomatoes require shaping. The procedure is mandatory for hybrids and indeterminate species. Almost all of them have the ability to grow upward almost indefinitely.

The roots simply cannot provide the necessary nutrition to a plant whose height is more than 3 m. Such a bush needs to remove the growth point when it reaches 2-2.5 m. Otherwise, the fruits become small and of poor quality.

Standard varieties with determinate varieties do not need this procedure. These species are genetically limited in growth. Remove only all unnecessary side branches (stepchildren) to get a good harvest.

Mechanism for pinching tomatoes in open ground

Immediately after planting, you need to monitor the plant!

Having planted seedlings, the vegetable grower must, in addition to watering and fertilizing, carefully monitor the condition of the shoots. If the tomato is indeterminate, then as soon as the stepson appears and its size reaches 3 cm :

• break out;
• pluck;
• cut out.

During this period, the stepson is fragile and pliable. To carry out the procedure, you can use your own nail or scissors. It is better to do this in the morning, when the tissues are filled with moisture.

A young shoot breaks off easily if it is bent down.

It makes no difference whether the “ stump ” is left or the stepson is twisted to the ground. Disputes on this issue do not subside, but time and experiments have shown that stepsons grow depending on the stepson-forming properties of the variety.

Overgrowth should not be allowed because:

1. The stepson takes a lot of nutrients from the plant .
2. Having outgrown, the shoot becomes large and the wound after its removal is quite large . Such damage to the shoot can serve as a gateway to infection for the mother plant.
3. Overgrown stepsons interfere with air exchange and are a place where pests and infectious agents .

How often to stepchild?

The answer is clear - all the time. It all depends on the stepson-forming qualities of the hybrid or variety.

Pruning is performed after the first leaf appears on the side shoot.

Some people have to step-son 5-6 times , while others need 1-2 . When describing a variety (especially modern selections), this quality is specified.

The laws of stepsoning are as follows:

• If the formation is carried out in one shoot or stem . Stepsons clean everything and constantly.
• When forming 2-3 shoots , I leave the lower 1 or 2 stepsons, the rest are promptly removed.
• Determinate and small-fruited - do not take stepson.

Features of the procedure

Pinching is performed using only a sharp and sterile instrument. To prevent infection of an open wound, sprinkle a small amount of ash over the cut area.

You cannot remove more than 1/4 of the volume of the tomato crown at a time.

On the windowsill

If you plan to grow tomatoes in an apartment, you will have to resort to radical shaping of the bush. This process may seem cruel, but it is truly necessary.

Growing in limited conditions (for example, a flower pot), the roots of the plant can provide complete nutrition only to a small and not very tall bush. The smaller the container in which the tomato grows, the lower the plant should be. Do the following:

1. Shorten the main shoot.
2. Remove side branches before they reach a length of 3-5 cm.

When growing seedlings on a windowsill, you may encounter the problem of them being pulled out too much. As a result, by the time of transplantation to a permanent place, the plants are very long and weak. In this case, gardeners shorten the crown. But such a procedure is undesirable.

It is not recommended to pinch tomato seedlings unless absolutely necessary, even when they are very overgrown. This applies to both the crown and roots.

If the procedure is carried out incorrectly (for example, removing too much), there is a risk of plant death. Simply deepen the elongated seedlings a little deeper when planting them in a hole in a permanent place.

Grow only special low-growing varieties on the windowsill. Such plants are compact and do not require radical shaping of the bush.

You can learn about pinching tomatoes in the following video:

In open ground and greenhouse

In most cases, a tomato bush forms exactly one stem. To economically use the space in the greenhouse, let the plant grow to 2-2.5 m (here it all depends on the height of the ceiling).

The rules for pinching seedlings grown in a greenhouse or open ground are simple:

• Carry out the procedure only after 4-5 full leaves are formed on the plant, not earlier. The cutting site itself should be above this number of leaves.
• Do not break off the top of the head with your fingers. Take sanitized sharp scissors and carefully cut off part of the plant. This makes the healing process of the cut much faster.
• Until a scar appears on the top of the head, keep watering the plant from a spray bottle to a minimum. If moisture constantly gets into the cut site, this not only slows down the healing of the wound, but can also cause a serious illness.

The main disadvantage of the procedure is that flowering begins a few weeks later, since the plant directs all its energy to the formation of foliage and new shoots.

You can pinch not only the crown, but also the root of the seedling. The procedure is carried out to stimulate the development of a stronger and more robust root system. This is not necessary for tomatoes.

Transplant the tomato seedlings to a permanent place along with a lump of earth. Tomatoes do not require additional root pruning. The plant independently grows a powerful root system without any additional manipulation.

Timing for pinching plants

Pinching, implemented within a specific time frame, allows you to achieve completely different goals. This is important to understand when preparing for the pinching procedure.

Early pinching. If you cut off the tips of the green shoots of flowering shrubs before flowering, the bush will become more lush and begin to branch well. But at the same time it will bloom later than usual. Sometimes early pinching leads to smaller corollas of the flowering plant. And in dahlias and chrysanthemums, for example, early pinching provokes a lack of flowering: a bush that has undergone pinching simply does not have time to bloom.

Pinching in the first half of the summer season. This period coincides with the phase of the so-called active growing season. Pinching performed within the specified time frame allows you to achieve the following results:

• the plant begins to actively bush;
• Fruitful buds appear in place of growth buds.

Pinching at the end of summer. Pinching in August, closer to the beginning of the autumn season, leads to the fact that tomatoes, for example, produce more fruits, and the quality of vegetables increases significantly. In some plants, pinching in late summer stimulates wood formation.

Please note that to increase the yield on tomatoes, pinching at the end of the summer season must be combined with minimizing nitrogen nutrition. Only in this case can the maximum effect be achieved.

Pinching at the end of summer in the northern regions. This is a very dangerous action, since instead of benefit it can bring quite a lot of harm. Pinching crops such as raspberries and grapes, instead of stimulating lignification, on the contrary, delays this process. Pinching trees growing in northern regions stimulates growth instead of slowing it down. Ultimately, the plants tolerate wintering very poorly, and some of them even die.

If you do not know whether and when to pinch plants, it is better to refuse the procedure. The absence of pinching is always better than an illiterate procedure that harms the plants.

Is it possible to pinch seedlings to prevent them from stretching upward?

Tomatoes are among the plants that have virtually unlimited growth capacity. Control this process. If the bush is allowed to develop freely, the plant will be very lush, but with a small number of small fruits.

Tomatoes that have managed to bud will not ripen until September. This happens because the plant directs all its strength and nutrition obtained from the soil to the formation of new branches.

Timely removal of excess greenery helps to obtain a strong bush that brings a good harvest.

The process of growing tomato seedlings is quite simple and does not require special skills. When the time is right, pinch the top of the plant to form a beautiful bush and prevent the crop from wasting all its energy on growing greenery. Otherwise, the first harvest will not be collected until autumn.

Basic Rules

If a vegetable grower does not know what species his tomatoes belong to, then you should pay attention to the following points.

Counting leaves

Schematic difference between growth types: A – determinate tomatoes; B – indeterminate tomatoes.

If the main shoot has already grown 9-11 leaves , but the flower cluster has not yet been thrown away, you have a tall indeterminate plant . It should be stepsoned and led into one escape.

If an inflorescence begins to grow after 5–6 leaves , this is a determinate variety and cannot be heavily pinched, as this will greatly affect the yield and reduce it. However, if the variety is large-fruited, then it does not bear all the fruits and should be rationed;

Take a closer look at how the top ends

If a shoot has grown to 40–60 cm (or even lower) and has formed a flower raceme, the plant is determinate.

Additional shoots will behave in the same way. In this case, you need to think about how many stepsons to leave, depending on the nutritional value of the soil;

Monitor soil nutrition

The more nutritious the soil, the more massive the bushes, shoots, and stepsons will grow. In this case, they say that the plant is fattening.

Signs of fattening of tomatoes are when the plants increase their leaf mass without limit, without rushing to lay inflorescences.

It should be understood that the number of stepsons does not depend on the soil (this is a genetic trait), but the thickness of the shoot and the size of the leaf plate on oily soils will be greater.

If the soils are nutritious, they will be able to feed the crop and the stepsons should be removed sparingly . On poor lands a good harvest and in large quantities cannot be obtained. Therefore, you should push hard, in the hope of getting at least something.

Many vegetable growers are simply too lazy to carry out pinching, and for some this causes allergies. In such cases, it is better to give preference to low-growing tomatoes that do not shoot.

Briefly about the formation of a cucumber

In addition to pinching and pinching, the formation of a cucumber involves several more manipulations:

But you shouldn’t remove barren flowers.

Bee-pollinated cucumber varieties produce not only female flowers, but also sterile male flowers that do not set fruit. However, the absence of such flowers means the impossibility of pollination and loss of harvest.

Few female flowers and many barren flowers appear in cold and damp weather, with a lack of light. Pruning male flowers does not affect the balance.

Effective methods of control are mulching to insulate the roots and forming a bush for good access to light.