When and how to pinch tomatoes

The future harvest of the plant depends on the formation of the bush. To do this, you need to remove new shoots (stepchildren) in time, directing the power of the bush to a higher yield and its rapid ripening. To form the right bush, you need to know when and how to pinch tomatoes.

Stepchildren are formed in the axils of the leaves. If they are not removed in time, they will quickly grow, and the flower raceme will lag behind in development. Stepchildren should be removed until they reach 5 centimeters. In this case, the bush will tolerate pinching painlessly, because the wounds will heal faster, and the shoot itself breaks off easily. Stepchildren are removed starting from the tenth day of disembarkation, and this process is repeated every two weeks.

Methods for pinching tomatoes

The formation of a tomato bush depends directly on the variety of tomatoes. And there are three different ways to form a stem:

1. In one stem. This method is used for tall varieties of tomatoes. Pinching costs the whole summer. In addition to tearing off the stepsons, it is necessary to pinch the top of the main stem so that the nutrients flow into the fruit, and not into the stem itself.
2. Double-stem formation system. Along with the main stem, a stepson is left, which will be slightly behind in development. This method gives a larger yield, but the ripening of fruits is significantly inhibited, which can lead to tomatoes not ripening before the first frost.
3. Three-stem formation system. The strongest stepsons are left under the first flower brush.As in the case of two-stemmed bushes, there is a risk of fruit not ripening. Therefore, this method is applied to early varieties of tomatoes.

If you don’t know when and how to pinch tomatoes, then there is a guarantee that the amateur gardener will grow a lush bush of a plant with a meager harvest. But we must not forget about thinning the tomato ovaries, which allows you to get a large, beautiful, regularly shaped harvest.