The article discusses the reasons for the need to garter tomatoes in a greenhouse. Various ways to garter a tomato in photos and videos, what materials can be used and what should not be used. Gardeners' opinion about the procedure.
Many summer residents, having plots next to their houses, grew early harvests of vegetables on their own. Not long ago, our grandparents planted vegetables in glass greenhouses. Thanks to the development of science, glass was gradually replaced by polycarbonate: a durable, lightweight material that holds heat well and evenly transmits light flows into the structure.
Although the polycarbonate walls are quite thin, only 4 mm, they have increased strength: the structure will withstand hail, heavy rain, strong physical impact, as well as other misfortunes.
Carbonate was first mentioned by scientists in the 19th century. German inventor Alfred Einhorn discovered it by accident when he was trying to obtain an anesthetic from ether. After some time, German and American scientists obtained polycarbonate.
In the 70s of the last century, honeycomb (or cellular) carbonate was obtained as a sheet material. At these times, in Israel, where agriculture and livestock farming were actively developing in hot conditions, they became interested in the new discovery.
Glass was expensive and fragile, acrylic did not hold the required temperature, and polycarbonate was ideal for solving the problem.
Why do you tie up tomato bushes?
The nightshade family requires special attention. If you forget about them for a week, the bushes will greatly change their appearance:
- They will grow and produce stepchildren.
- Heavy branches will fall to the ground or even break under heavy load.
- The worst may happen: the tomatoes will get sick, wither and drop their fruits.
Why tie up tomatoes? To keep the stem intact and give it the opportunity to support the growing fruits. In addition, the stem carries the necessary nutrients from the soil to the berries, without which one should not expect a harvest.
Something else important: the plant does not like moisture on the leaves and may die from water. If the bush is raised up, then it is convenient to water the plant without harming it: right under the root.
In this position of the plant, the stepsons (additional shoots that need to be removed) are clearly visible, making it convenient and pleasant to harvest the ripe crop.
Tied bush:
- takes up much less space
- well lit by the sun,
- it is easy to handle,
- air circulates evenly between the branches,
- does not contact the soil, which protects it from diseases,
- reliably protected from slugs.
There is a wide variety of varieties, and tomato bushes come in different heights.
Low-growing tomatoes , strong and small, grow well without support. Tall tomatoes reach 1-2 and even 6 meters in height and, of course, need support. The tall stem of a tomato, despite the powerful root system, will not withstand the weight of the fruit.
And if you planted tall varieties to have a good harvest, tying is important and must be done!
Some vegetable growers in open ground get a harvest from tall varieties of tomatoes without tying them up. This requires a lot of free space. You need to plant the bushes away from each other; their stems will spread along the ground and even send out additional roots.
If we consider this growing method to be correct, it is not suitable for a polycarbonate greenhouse.
Benefits of tying tomatoes
It is impossible to single out one “most convenient” way of tying a tomato, since, firstly, the procedure can be difficult or simple from an individual point of view, and secondly, all these methods, one way or another, are equally convenient, they are just used in different circumstances:
- outside the greenhouse;
- in a greenhouse;
- in a small greenhouse or a large one, etc.
However, all these methods are united by the fact that their use provides solid practical benefits, which are reflected not only in the fact that spoilage of fruits and stems lying on the ground is prevented, but also in the following advantages:
- the entire green part of the plants, including stems and leaves, receives excellent ventilation, since air circulation is significantly improved by straightening the bushes;
- plants that now have no contact with the ground, with the exception of the root part located in it, free up space for more convenient processing, which consists of hilling them, watering, weeding, etc.;
- It is very easy to inspect tied plants from all sides, and remove the so-called stepsons - shoots that need to be removed from the bush to form a single direction of its growth.
Gartering a tomato involves certain advantages that affect the quality and quantity of the harvest you receive.
As a result, a plant tied according to all the rules will bear fruit of high quality, which means you will no longer have to observe tomatoes spoiled by rot and pests.
Please note: most often, tomato gartering is carried out in countries with temperate or cold climates. In hot countries, they prefer to grow varieties of tomatoes that can spread along the ground, however, this is quite rare.
Materials for tying
- Wooden beams or metal rods,
- twine (twine), long strips of cotton fabric,
- garter tool (tapener).
For these purposes, you can tear an old sheet or nylon tights that are no longer in use into strips of 5-6 cm. Nylon tights as a garter material are soft, elastic, durable.
If the garters have been preserved from last year, they can be reused after sanitizing.
Boiling and disinfection will protect the bushes from diseases.
The main stem is tied with a soft strip of fabric or pieces of tights; the branches can be tied with ordinary twine, folded in half or three.
A special tool called a tapener will help you perform the operation super quickly and without knots. They weigh little and are easy to work with.
This device is specially designed for tying climbing and creeping plants: grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, raspberry bushes, currants, roses. He secures the bush with an elastic band and secures it with a metal bracket. In the photo below you can see an example of his work:
Advantages of growing tomatoes with a support
Any experienced gardener will tell you that in order to get a full harvest of tomatoes, the plant must be tied to a support, especially for medium-sized and tall varieties.
This simple technique achieves several goals at once:
- the weight of the fruit partially moves to the support, which unloads the stem of the bush;
- the tomatoes themselves do not come into contact with the ground, so the risk of putrefactive diseases becomes minimal;
- the open surface of the bed is convenient for watering tomatoes at the root, for mulching and weeding; there is little chance of slugs, snails and other pests on it;
- the bed becomes more open to the sun and air, this speeds up the ripening of tomatoes;
- convenient to remove ripe fruits.
How to tie tomatoes in a greenhouse, stages
- Stepsoning,
- preparation of equipment and materials,
- garter using the chosen method,
- watering.
It is interesting to know that plants in the greenhouse and in the garden, if they are the same varieties, are tied up in the same way. The only difference is that in a greenhouse where more favorable conditions are created, they grow faster and give a better harvest.
Possible mistakes
When gartering tomatoes, you should give preference to natural materials, despite the fact that they will only last one season. Synthetic materials have a negative impact on vegetation.
It is important to know that you cannot use thin materials: rope or fishing line! They interfere with the movement of nutrients, crush the stems and simply destroy the entire future harvest.
Tying methods
The simplest one is using wooden pegs up to 1 meter high. The upper part of the stem is fixed to it. As the bush grows, tying is repeated.
The remaining methods are performed without stakes.
Linear (horizontal)
Strong wooden blocks are installed at the edges of the bed. Stretch a wire between them and secure the bushes to it using a rope.
This method is good because re-tying is not required: the plant will catch on the wire, securely wrap around it and be securely attached.
Wire frame in the form of a prism or cone
This method is suitable for fastening medium-growing or low-growing varieties. Can be costly if planting large numbers of tomatoes.
More labor-intensive - trellis
A trellis is a special vertical support for growing vegetables in a greenhouse. The principle of operation is as follows: the plants are fixed to the ceiling, and during growth they are pulled up. This is very convenient if the plot is small or it is a greenhouse.
Today there is a wide variety of its designs: made of wood, metal, plastic in the form of a mesh, and other available materials. In specialized stores it is easy to purchase ready-made ones for every taste.
You can do it yourself. From various available materials: even from hockey sticks. The method allows you to leave stepsons.
Tie or prop up?
Gartering tomatoes with hooks and chains:
Low-growing varieties: garter tomato in open ground
When growing such tomatoes, it is extremely important to exclude possible contact of the fruit with the soil. To do this, the stem and, if necessary, branches are tied to a pre-installed support.
The procedure should be repeated as the bush grows. Typically, for low-growing varieties, the time for tying occurs after the first ovary appears.
The stem needs to be fixed in the middle. The limiter is a wooden peg, a metal or plastic rod, or a rope stretched along the bed.
How to grow different vegetables in one greenhouse
A greenhouse is a rather expensive structure. Why not grow different vegetables in it? Let's take a closer look at how to do this correctly.
Tomatoes are native to South America, where the climate is mild with abundant but infrequent rain. They bear fruit at a temperature of 20-25 degrees and do not like heat.
Cucumber once grew in the wild of India, where it is hot and humid, it, on the contrary, likes frequent watering at high temperatures (above 25).
Tomatoes need frequent ventilation, cucumbers do not. They also have different soil moisture requirements. What should I do?
It is possible to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in one greenhouse, but they must be divided into three parts:
- northern cool - plant with cucumbers,
- central - the most ventilated, under the windows, allocate to tomatoes,
- offer southern, sunny and hot flavors to sweet peppers.
It is necessary to note the fact that one crop in the greenhouse feels better, ideal conditions can be created for it, but in the event of a compromise, everyone loses a little.
Let's sum it up
Tomatoes are a nutritious vegetable crop, without which we can no longer imagine our table, either holiday or daily. So, most often salads are prepared from tomatoes, but these vegetables can be used in hot dishes, soups, various sauces, and so on.
Of course, store-bought tomatoes, grown in such a way that their quantity causes a deterioration in quality, cannot compete in taste with home-grown tomatoes. That is why the residents of Russia, who from time immemorial have been accustomed and preferring natural, clean food, are engaged in growing these vegetables in their dachas and gardens.
It doesn’t matter whether your tomatoes grow outside or are in a greenhouse, you still need to tie them up
To grow a good harvest, you need to remember that it is important to perform every step of working with this vegetable correctly:
- sowing seeds;
- growing seedlings;
- landing in the ground;
- watering and fertilizing ;
- tying, etc.
Despite the fact that gartering tomatoes is not the most difficult and time-consuming stage, it is still important to do it correctly in order to avoid deformation and breakage of the stem, and at the same time achieve the ultimate goal - to rid the tomatoes of rot, diseases and many other, no less important problems.
Video - Garter of tomatoes in a greenhouse
Methods for tying tomatoes
There are a lot of opinions about how to tie up tomatoes. Each gardener chooses the tying method that is most suitable for himself and the variety of tomatoes. Let's look at the most common of them.
The most common method is tying tomatoes using stakes . A wooden block is driven into the northern side of each bush and the plant stem is tied to it with a rope (or a piece of fabric). Before use, all garters must be boiled for 5–10 minutes so as not to infect the plant. The stem is tied to the rail almost at the very top of the head. Make 2-3 turns around the peg and tie it into a knot. The main disadvantage of this method is that as the bush grows, the rope must be moved along the stem or a new garter made throughout the season.
Tie each tomato bush to stakes
Another good way is linear. This is gartering tomato bushes in a greenhouse for stretching. At each end of the bed, dig 2 bars (each width is at least 5 cm). They should not be thin in order to withstand the load of tomatoes. A wire is stretched along the entire bed, to which a piece of fabric or rope is tied above each bush. The free end secures the tomato stem. The method is convenient because the bush itself will wrap its top around the rope and there is no need to tie it up again.
Method for tying tomatoes using wooden supports
The trellis method is the most technically complex, but the most reliable type of tying tomatoes. Along the entire length of the bed, structures (trellises) are constructed, consisting of wooden or metal frames and rods stretched horizontally, like strings. Instead of rods, wire or thick twine is often used. So, to build a frame you will need several (depending on the length of the beds) wooden or metal stakes. The length of the vertical ones depends on the height of the plant, and the horizontal ones should total equal to the length of the bed. Do not pull on the rope or wire too often. It would be correct to take a step of 30-35 cm. As the bush grows, the stems are tucked in from different sides of the wire, according to the principle of a wicker fence. If you have heavy fruit clusters, you can also tie them up or hang them on hooks, this way they are more likely to be preserved and will definitely not break under the weight of the filled fruit. With the trellis method, it is not necessary to leave only one stem. To increase the yield, you can leave several stepsons at once. They are also passed through wire as they grow.
Trellis structure for tomatoes
What will a tomato garter give us?
- The plant will not break from its own weight;
- tomatoes will be out of reach of slugs;
- in open ground during the rainy season the plant will not rot;
- the bushes are well ventilated and warmed up;
- It’s convenient to spray tomatoes.
- In greenhouses, the plant is usually formed into 1-2 stems and tied tomatoes are much more convenient for pinching.
- Makes watering easier—tomatoes don’t like moisture on their leaves, so it’s best to water at the root.
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Useful tips
Experts recommend when carrying out the tomato garter procedure:
- use disposable material that is destroyed after full harvest to prevent fungal diseases;
- pegs, rods, sticks for support (should be treated with disinfectants to prevent certain diseases). A concentrated solution of manganese in a proportion of 0.02 g per 1 liter of water is well suited for this purpose;
- maintain a distance of 1–2 cm between the support and the stem;
- tie tomatoes in the open ground when the bush begins to bend toward the ground;
- twist the garter rope clockwise, and do this under the leaves, and not under the brush;
- about 20 cm of the top of the bush should be free;
- To fix the plant, two turns of the bandage are usually sufficient;
- The garter method should be chosen according to the tomato variety and plant growth. For some varieties, a nearby peg is enough, while others require multi-tiered structures for fixation;
- A more complex design will secure the plant more reliably.
Did you know? In southern latitudes, tomato gartering is not practiced. The stem, sent along the ground, takes root and receives additional nutrition for better fruiting, and the rooted top can be used to renew the plant.
In our climate, staking tall bushes is necessary, otherwise the tomatoes will deteriorate under the influence of unfavorable factors due to contact with the soil. In open ground, bushes can be tied up in different ways, and in greenhouses it is preferable to use trellises, which are installed before planting tomatoes.
