Pasynkovanie tomatoes - this is one of the methods of obtaining a good, high-quality crop. It depends on how well the bush is formed, how large the fruits will be and how many will be on this plant. How to pinch tomatoes, we will describe in this article. To begin with, we will determine what a stepson is and why it should be removed. Stepsons are shoots that grow from the sinuses of leaves. They must be removed (pinched) so that they do not take away the forces from the plant, which are necessary for the formation and maturation of a good crop. If the stepchildren are not removed, then on them, as on the main shoots, leaflets will begin to form, and second-order stepchildren will grow from their sinuses. In addition, ovaries will form on the stepsons, as on the main stems, and this will take away the strength of the plant. Therefore, you need to pinch tomatoes on time, preventing the shoots from growing to a significant size. This technique is especially effective on varieties of indeterminate tomatoes, which are tall. Some novice gardeners, not knowing how to pinch tomatoes, do not do this at all, considering that it is sufficient that they grow seedlings, harvest weeds, feed and water the plants. And then they are surprised: so much effort has been spent and all in vain - the crop is small.
How to pinch tomatoes?
When the stepson reaches the size of 5-7 centimeters, it should be removed. In this case
leave a small stump (about 1 cm) - this will prevent the shoot from growing
repeatedly, that is, at this place the shoot will not grow anymore. In addition, a tomato bush can be formed into one, two or three stems - this is at your discretion, but you should not leave more shoots on one bush, otherwise the fruits will be small. If you decide to form a bush in one stalk, then you should remove all stepsons. And how to pinch tomatoes if the bush is formed in two or three stems? There is one rule: we remove all stepchildren that are above the first flower brush. We leave the stepson, which is located immediately under the first flower brush, - so we form a bush in two stems. If you want to form a bush with three stems, then leave the stepson, which is even lower, for example, the second from the flower brush from below. There is another way of pinching: the lower stepsons are not removed, but are rooted, and the bush develops with an even more powerful root system. How to pinch tomatoes in this case? Opposite the necessary stepsons, which have already grown by 8-10 cm, make grooves and lay the side shoots there, bury them so that the very tops remain above the ground. Thus, the tomato bush receives additional nutrition, which increases the yield. The remaining stepchildren can be removed.
How to accelerate fruit ripening?
To the question of whether to pinch tomatoes, we answered. Now let's figure out how to accelerate the ripening of fruits. Here, again, pinching technique will help us, only now we will pinch not the stepsons, but the main stem. This is done in the first half of August, when the bulk of the fruit has already reached the filling stage. Pinching is carried out over the third or fourth brush and all the ovaries are removed: they will no longer have time to form a full-fledged crop, and the forces will be taken away from the plant. In addition, you can still cut off the extra leaves that hide the fruits from the sun, tear off part of the roots or make a through longitudinal section on the stem - all these techniques will accelerate the ripening of fruits at the end of summer, if the weather conditions are not too favorable.