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The owners of the greenhouse try to use every centimeter of its area in order to grow the maximum crop. And this is understandable - in most regions of our country, summer is short and not warm. In order to grow a lot of tomatoes, you need to follow all the rules of agricultural technology. Gardeners water and feed the plants, but do not always take care of the formation of the tomato plant. The sad result of such inattention is a tomato jungle and, despite all efforts, a small harvest. So that our efforts are not wasted, let’s take a closer look at this agricultural technique.
Forming tomatoes in a greenhouse includes several operations, each of which cannot be neglected. Only if carried out on time and in full, they will ensure the result that every gardener hopes for: a wall of ripe tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Stages of formation of tomato bushes
Correct formation of a tomato bush in a greenhouse consists of several techniques
- stepsoning;
- removing leaves below a fully formed brush or lightening the bush;
- pinching the tops of tomato bushes.
Stepsoning
The most labor-intensive and time-consuming procedure is growing tomatoes in a greenhouse. Sometimes novice gardeners feel sorry for these additional shoots, which look powerful and strong. It seems that they will produce just as big a harvest. But the stepsons produce a flower cluster 10 days later than the main stem, therefore, they delay the formation of fruits and the ripening of the crop. And when every day is important for the development of a tomato, this is an unforgivable luxury. Nutrients spent on their growth and development will be taken away from the main stem, weakening it.
Stepsoning begins when the stepson reaches a length of 4-5 cm and continues throughout the entire season of growing tomatoes in the greenhouse. This must be done constantly with a certain frequency, without allowing the stepchildren to outgrow.
A correctly removed stepson should leave behind a stump with a height of 1 to 3 cm. Then there will be no more growth of stepsons in this sinus. To prevent possible disease of tomatoes, pinching tomatoes in a greenhouse is carried out in the first half of the day on tomato bushes that are not wet, starting with the healthiest and strongest. Bushes that are questionable about the disease are pruned last. This is necessary so as not to provoke the possible spread of a fungal infection, for example, late blight.
A necessary technique is to disinfect the instrument used for pinching in a disinfectant solution. Most often, a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate acts in this capacity. If work is carried out with gloved hands, they should also be disinfected.
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is shown in the video:
Lightening bushes
This is an important technique for better ventilation of the space under the bushes. Carry this out as many times as the number of clusters formed on the tomato bush. Remove the leaves under each cluster, which has formed fruits of the desired size and has begun to ripen. The leaves that fed it are no longer needed by the plant.
Pinching or finishing
Pinching tomatoes in a greenhouse is carried out a month before cold weather sets in, so that the rest of the fruits on the bush have time to ripen. To do this, remove the tip of the shoot, leaving 2-3 leaves to feed the previous brush. Each region has its own deadline for completion. If the autumn is long and warm, the tomatoes that have reached the top of the greenhouse can not be pinched, but, thrown over the upper trellis, gradually lowered down, observing an angle of 45 degrees.
Choosing a tomato variety for a greenhouse
There are several types of tomato bushes, which differ in the vigor of growth, its continuity and productivity.
- Indeterminate varieties They have no restrictions on growth; it is stopped only by the onset of cold weather. They are prone to forming a large number of stepchildren. The distance between adjacent brushes is quite large and can reach 30 cm.Theoretically, such tomatoes can grow up to 4 m and produce up to 40 fruit clusters.
- Semi-determinate varieties. The maximum number of brushes on such tomatoes is 12, after which their growth stops. The main advantage of such tomatoes is the small distance between adjacent trusses, a maximum of 18 cm, which allows you to harvest a good harvest from them. This type of tomato produces many stepchildren.
- Determinate varieties. As a rule, they are not tall, they do not form more than 7 clusters on the main stem, and then the growth of such a bush in height ends. The number of stepchildren is moderate.
- Superdeterminants and standard varieties. They are distinguished by their small height and small number of tassels on the central shoot. The harvest is early, but small. There are few stepchildren.
To make the most of the greenhouse, it is better to give preference to the first two groups of tomatoes, which have many varieties and hybrids that produce an excellent harvest of high-tasting fruits.
The formation of each group of tomatoes has its own characteristics
Semi-determinate varieties and hybrids are usually medium-sized. In terms of ripening, they are most often mid-season and late. But there are many early ones. The modern assortment of varieties and hybrids often confuses the beginning gardener. To decide, you need to know well for what purpose tomatoes are planted.
Large-fruited varieties with a rich, bright tomato flavor are suitable for fresh consumption. Among them there are giants that produce fruits up to 1 kg or more. This tomato is enough to feed a whole family. Hybrids are more suitable for canning; they are characterized by increased yield, uniformity of fruits, resistance to diseases, but they are often inferior in taste to varieties.
Semi-determinate varieties
Growing semi-determinate varieties in a greenhouse and forming their bush has its own characteristics. This type of tomato, if not properly cared for, may end prematurely and not reach its full potential. Prolonged cloudy or cold weather can also lead to this result, which worsens the development conditions for half-children. Semi-determinate varieties tend to be overloaded with yield. Therefore, its regulation is an important part of the formation of a bush of such tomatoes in a greenhouse. A large load of fruit can also provoke premature harvesting.
To prevent this from happening, some of the fruits are removed from the first cluster that begins to set, leaving no more than 4, especially for deformed fruits. The same needs to be done in the second brush. If the size of the fruits is large, their number can be reduced to 2.
For this type of tomato, it is necessary to provide a reserve stepson, which will be a continuation of the shoot in case of premature termination of the plant. Another feature of this type of tomato is that on the first cluster the tomatoes are small and underdeveloped, especially if seedlings that have not yet been planted bloom.
It is very important to ensure that there is a sufficient number of leaves so that the plant has enough strength to feed all the fruits formed, especially when it is dry and sunny. A semi-determinate tomato bush should not have less than 20 leaves. For other types of tomatoes this amount is less.
At pinching tomatoes For this type of growth in the greenhouse, leave 2 spare leaves for the non-fertile stepchild to increase the number of leaves.
Semi-determinate tomatoes require increased balanced nutrition and sufficient watering, especially during fruiting. They can be formed as follows.
- In one stem. A sufficient number of brushes on it will give a significant harvest. To insure against premature finishing, always leave a reserve stepchild under the newly forming brush. If the bush grows safely further and forms the next cluster, then the reserve stepson will already be under it, and the one that was left before must be removed by pinching it into 2 leaves.
All other stepsons are removed by planting tomatoes as usual. Pinching the tops of semi-determinate tomatoes in a greenhouse is done a month before cold weather sets in. It is carried out, leaving 2 sheets after the top brush. - With the transfer of the growth point to the stepson after the formation of up to 3 brushes on the main stem. The strongest stepson is chosen as the continuation escape. After the formation of 3 brushes on it, it is also pinched, forming a continuation shoot from a new stepson. More than nine clusters are left only on strong plants with a known high yield. All other stepsons on the bush must be removed.
- Pinch the top of the main shoot after the 6th brush, leaving as a continuation shoot, the stepson after the 4-5th brush. It continues to be formed throughout the entire period of plant growth.
Way formation of determinate tomatoes selected according to the variety and condition of the plant.Details about the formation of tomatoes in a greenhouse are shown in the video
Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes
These varieties are most often chosen by gardeners for planting both in conventional greenhouses and in polycarbonate greenhouses.
It is easier to care for such tomatoes; the formation of tomatoes in a greenhouse, if the variety indeterminate It won't be difficult either. Most often, indets lead into 1 stem, completely removing all stepsons.
For some varieties it is possible to form 2 stems, the second of which will be the stepson under the first flower cluster. Caring for tomatoes is easy. In a greenhouse, the scheme for forming tomatoes into one stem looks like this:
And this is the scheme brought to life:
How to properly plant indeterminate tomatoes in a greenhouse can be seen in the video:
Two stepsons that grow from the leaf axils will form two trunks in adult plants.
Results
Tomatoes in a greenhouse require more than just proper care. It is very important to carry out all the operations to form a tomato bush, then the harvest will not be long in coming.
