When to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes? When and how to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes in a greenhouse - pruning scheme When to cut off leaves from a tomato

To obtain good harvest tomatoes, it is necessary to adhere to a number of agrotechnical rules. Many gardeners are wondering if it is necessary to remove the lower leaves from tomatoes. Today we will tell you whether it is necessary to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes and when is the best time to do it.

To begin with, it must be said that there is no unequivocal opinion as to whether it is necessary to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes. Some gardeners insist on the obligatory pinching of tomatoes, as this procedure increases the yield; others recommend being very careful when removing leaves from tomato bushes. Indeed, there are cases when, after cutting the lower deciduous part of the bush, the plant stops growing and developing.

improved air circulation;
an obstacle to moisture stagnation;
improvement of photosynthesis;
reducing the risk of infection with various fungal and infectious diseases;
increase in yields.

Which leaves should be removed

When deciding whether to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes, you must first figure out which leaves need to be removed and which ones can be left. Take a close look at each tomato bush and remove any dried leaves. You don't have to wait for them to fall off on their own. If the leaf plate dries, then it will no longer bring any benefit. At the same time, we draw your attention to the fact that not only the lower dry leaves should be removed, but also those located in the central or upper part of the bush.

Be sure to cut off any yellowed foliage. Yellow or mottled leaves are considered an ideal environment for development. various diseases characteristic of tomatoes.

Answering the question “Do I need to trim the lower leaves of tomatoes?”, Experienced experts recommend periodically thinning out tomato bushes and getting rid of excess landscaping. How to perform this procedure, you ask? Thinning a tomato bush is carried out similarly to the procedure for thinning shrub pruning. However, you need to cut only those leaves that are with north side. Thus, you improve air circulation and prevent the possibility of infection with various fungal or viral infections.

Terms and rules of the procedure

Not sure when to cut off the bottom leaves of tomatoes? It would seem that it could be easier than to go around the garden area where tomatoes grow, inspect the plants and remove all yellow, dry and damaged leaf plates. However, an incorrectly or untimely performed procedure can lead not only to low yields, but also to the death of tomatoes. For this reason, we recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the terms and rules for removing leaves on tomatoes.

So, when should you cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes? In no case do not rush to perform this procedure immediately after planting seedlings in open ground. The seedlings should take root and get a little stronger, for this it will take about 7-10 days.

How to understand if the seedlings have already taken root? If new shoots and sprouts have begun to appear on the bushes, you can start inspecting your garden possessions. You need to start with those vegetables that look bad or have clear signs any disease. First, remove the lower leaves and only then proceed to thinning the bushes. Having processed all drooping and injured vegetable crops, you should repeat this procedure with healthy plants.

Now you know when and how to properly cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes. Your future harvest may depend on the correctness and sequence of pinching, so do everything thoughtfully and without too much haste. Indeed, in a fit of “I would like to do everything quickly and correctly”, you can cut off the necessary and viable leaf.

If you are still in doubt and can’t decide whether to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes, we bring to your attention a few tips from experienced gardeners:

“I have been growing tomatoes for more than one year. At first, after listening to the advice of friends, I decided to stepchild and tie up tomatoes. To my great chagrin, the harvest was very poor. I decided to deal with the reasons and find out why the tomatoes were not ugly.

After reading a lot various literature, after reviewing dozens of videos, I found out that not all varieties should be plucked. So, determinant or undersized varieties, whose height barely reaches 1 m, does not need to be cut off, but to improve the yield of indeterminate or tall crops, pinching and tying are recommended. (Olga, Orenburg)"

"Tomatoes are my favorite vegetable crop our entire family. For this reason, I had to thoroughly learn how to plant and grow tomatoes, when to pick off the lower leaves and how to do it correctly. However, not everything is as simple as it might seem at first. It turns out that it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the weather and climate region.

If you plan to grow tomatoes for more than one year, then get yourself a diary where you can note everything about planting, care and yield of each planted tomato variety. (Ekaterina, Arkhangelsk region)”.

Video "Do I need to cut off the leaves of tomatoes"

From this video you will learn about whether to pick off the leaves of tomatoes.

Kira Stoletova

Trimming the leaves of tomatoes is extremely important when cultivating a crop. Consider how to carry out the procedure correctly.

The Importance of Pruning

Tomato leaves are one of the most important plant organs. They are responsible for processes such as:

absorption of nutrients;
breath;
temperature control;
preventing moisture loss.

Pruning leaves from tomatoes improves air circulation in the bush. The procedure helps the plant to redirect its forces from growing greenery to the formation of fruits and prevents the development of putrefactive diseases.

When removing excess green mass, the fruits become larger, their ripening time decreases.

When to prune

Pruning of leaves in tomatoes is carried out, taking into account a number of recommendations.

The first pruning is carried out during the dive of the seedlings. The lower plates are cut off so that 1/3 of the entire mass remains. Do this to strengthen the root system.
Pruning is carried out if the seedlings are too elongated. In this case, it is correct to cut off the lower greenery, and put the seedlings on the ground and deepen.
First of all, old leaves are cut off from tomatoes: they turn yellow and often become stained, which contributes to the development of fungal diseases. Spots are especially dangerous for tomatoes growing in a greenhouse.
Greenery growing in the darkened part of the bush takes little part in photosynthesis, so it is also removed.
The greenery growing below the first fruiting brush is removed. This procedure has a positive effect on the development and quality of the fetus.
Cut the greens over the grown fruits. The fruits of tomatoes themselves are involved in the process of photosynthesis, so they do not need an additional shadow.
Remove one half of the plate if this part is in the shade and does not participate in photosynthesis.
It is advised to remove new shoots, as they take strength from the plant and contribute to improper fruit development.

How to cut

Pruning is done with disinfected scissors or secateurs. Also, the leaves are cut off, pressing the base up, carefully so as not to damage the stem.
The frequency of the procedure depends on the rate of development of the seedling. Yellowed lower leaves are harvested about once every 15 days. Pruning of the main mass begins after the formation of small fruits. Sluggish foliage is removed as it appears. AT greenhouse conditions cultivation pruning start earlier.
AT open field prune in the morning. So, during the day the wound has time to dry and tighten, which does not allow the development of gray rot. In the evening or on a rainy day, tomato pruning is not done.
Pruning of leaves from tomatoes in a greenhouse is done at any time. The only condition is the cancellation of airing on this day.
No more than 3 sheets are removed at a time.
After harvesting, from the first brushes, pruning is carried out to the second, and then to the third fruit ovary. Above the third brush, it is better not to prune, because, left without greenery, the seedling will die.
At the very end, cut off the top of the bush. One ovary is chosen, a little greenery is left on it, everything else is removed: this is how the tomato spends more energy on nutrition and fruit growth.

Bush formation

The formation of the bush depends on the variety of tomato:

determinant;
determinate;
superdeterminant.

On a tall variety, 1-3 stems are formed, a stepson is left under the first flower brush. To properly remove it, press the base against the stem and pull upwards so as not to damage the stem. The lower leaves are removed until the height from the soil to the foliage is about 30 cm. Cutting off will prevent fungal diseases, provide access to light and air to the stem of the plant.

As soon as about 8 brushes have formed on the plant, cut off the top.

determinant grade

The determinant variety is distinguished by the formation of a fruiting brush after a 5-7-leaf plate. Having formed 4-5 brushes, these varieties stop growth. To prolong the fruiting period, the growth point is transferred to the side shoot.

Ideterminant variety

An indeterminate variety of tomatoes forms only one shoot. The first fruiting brush is formed after a 10-11-leaf plate. To increase productivity, side shoots are removed. Removal of stepchildren is done after the formation of one flower brush on them. This procedure is carried out once a week.

A.N. (Nikolaev)

The question is whether it is necessary to cut off the leaves on the tomato bushes so that it feels better? And if so, when?

Healthy, green tomato bushes in a greenhouse, bearing large bright fruits, are always pleasing to the eye.

But often plants improper care covered yellow leaves, on which spots, necrosis are formed, serving as the entrance gate for infections. Such leaves are best removed in a timely manner.

First of all, you need to help the plant get rid of the lower, oldest leaves, which are the first to be covered with all sorts of black and dry spots - they change color.
Following this, strongly thickened leaves of tomato bushes oriented to the north are to be removed. Removal extra leaves, improved ventilation of tomato plantings is achieved, especially if the plantings were thickened during the establishment of greenhouse beds.
Mandatory removal of fattening shoots from tomatoes improves the fruiting of bushes.

Be sure to remove stepchildren

There are no rules for removing tomato leaves - it is usually believed that the plant will endure the removal of up to 3 leaves 2 times in 7 days. Sometimes a plant requires a more global removal of leaves, especially with the development of dangerous diseases.

Large-scale removal of the leaf mass of tomatoes does not affect the growth, development and ripening of fruits.
Caution is required to remove leaves above the brushes, where fruit ovaries have not yet formed, especially above the upper brush. It is required to leave a few leaves above the top flower brush of tomatoes.

Tomato leaves do not need to be trimmed. - they break out easily, while you need to make sure that the separation does not occur down the stem, otherwise a strip of the upper skin will come off the stem.
Leaves are cut in warm, dry weather.

How to remove tomato leaves: video

This question torments many summer residents, regardless of the experience of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse or under film cover. It seems to be clear that the lower leaves that come into contact with the soil should be removed as early as possible, because they are the gateway for pathogens of late blight and other diseases. The fact is that the pathogens are in the soil, when watering the leaf is wetted, if it is cool at night, then there is a big risk for the plant to get sick. You can, of course, constantly spray the plants with copper preparations, you can even insert a copper wire into a hole in the stem. That's just the extra copper in the plant, and hence the fruits, will definitely not add health to the eaters. Therefore, important agricultural practices are the removal of leaves in contact with the soil and watering strictly under the root. Ideally, the soil should be covered with a thick layer of hay or straw mixed with dry nettles.

In addition to the lowest leaves, others are also removed. The question is when and how much. All leaves below the flower brush are removed gradually, no more than 2 at a time. Moreover, they begin to cut them off from the moment when the first ovary in the brush approaches the ideal in size (according to the characteristics of the variety). Above the first brush, the leaves are also removed gradually, again focusing on the size of the first fruit in this brush. If you remove a lot of leaves and stepchildren at once, then the plant will experience severe stress, which will affect the size and fruit set.

Always trim and remove stepchildren in sunny weather and in the morning - ideally between 9.00 and 12.00. This will allow the wounds to quickly heal and become inaccessible to the penetration of pathogens.

But what if the plant has leaves with signs of disease, damaged fruits? They must be removed without delay. If, on the whole, the leaf is healthy, and only one lobe is affected by drying or graying, then for a start you can cut off only the damaged part, leaving the leaf itself. It must always be remembered that leaves play an essential role in photosynthesis. Therefore, a tomato should become a “palm tree” with a tuft of leaves at the very top only when at least 7-8 fruit clusters form on the plant, and even better at the very end of July.

One more question is often asked to me: the sheet should be cut off or cut with scissors. I prefer to cut with scissors, like stepchildren. Only after processing one plant, I always wipe the scissors either with vodka (horror-horror!) or a strong solution of potassium permanganate (almost black). I always have a bottle of disinfectant in my greenhouse. This precaution allows you to avoid re-infection of plants, even if they are all healthy according to external signs.

In tomato bushes, after the appearance of the first brush with fruits, you can cut off the lower leaves, but no more than two or three at a time. be sure to cut off the stepchildren that form in the axils of the plant. with the appearance of yellowed, twisted leaves and with the appearance of leaves with brown spots, they must be removed. This is how the first signs of phytophthora appear. If the tomatoes are standard with a compact, not high bush, then they are usually not stepchildren and the leaves are not cut off. It is not worth cutting off a lot of leaves from plants at a time, they are involved in the photosynthesis of the plant. If you leave completely bare bushes with tomatoes, then they will stop growing, everything needs a measure.

As if to see all this in pictures, it is clear in words. can someone drop

Yellowed and blackened. It is not necessary to remove the remaining leaves from tomatoes. I don't cut leaves. Only if I see that the sheet is completely empty, I will tear it off, since it no longer makes sense.

It can be said for sure that cutting off the leaves of tomatoes benefits the bush, accelerates the growth of fruits and increases their size. Moreover, if late blight spots appear on the leaves, they will need to be removed immediately. Also, the removal of excess leaves will help the bush to direct all its forces into the fruits, the removal of the lower leaves will act as a prevention of diseases caused by decay.

In no case should you remove all the leaves immediately after planting the bushes, you need to wait until the bush gets used to the soil, because planting in a new place is stressful. It is also better to cut off several leaves for a week, and not massively, as this can lead to diseases and a general weakening of the tomato bush.

Stripping leaves from a tomato
Some leaves of a tomato must be removed already when planting in the ground for permanent place. You don’t need to remove a lot right away, since the bush will already hurt after transplantation. Usually, the leaves of tomatoes are removed gradually, but a week after planting in the ground, you can remove all the leaves before the first flowering or before the first ovary. This is done so that the bush uses its strength for the development of fruits, and not for the growth of leaves, since nutrients, which could go to the growth of tomatoes, will be spent on the growth of the lower leaves.
When the first (lower) bunch of tomatoes begins to ripen, you can also remove the leaves that are higher than the bunch, just don’t overdo it, otherwise I somehow unnecessarily removed it, so that the lower bunch turned out to be uncovered with leaves, and the weather turned out to be very hot and sunny, so the fruits in the sun burned (turned white).
And as you remove the lower bunch, so boldly cut off the leaves further.
The leaves of tomatoes are also cut off when signs of phytophthora are noticed on them. They do this so that the disease does not go further and other nearby bushes do not become infected.

The lower leaves need to be trimmed only in high varieties of tomatoes, this measure prevents the development of fungal and bacterial infections in the bushes. If the bushes have grown too large, it makes sense to thin them out slightly so that the leaves do not take all the juices onto themselves.

In addition, you should definitely get rid of yellow, dry and black leaves. They interfere with fruit development.

At the beginning of the growing season, stepchildren are removed - that is, not just leaves, but shoots. Moreover, it is better to pinch the stepchildren so that a small stalk remains - otherwise a new shoot will grow in its place soon. Also, in some varieties, the top is pinched, the top is cut off - all this is done so that the plant does not grow, but stimulates fruiting. That is, to form not a violent crown, but more ovaries.

And in the middle or end of summer, damaged leaves are usually removed. In our non-hot regions, it has been cold nights since August, and the plants begin to hurt - the lower leaves are usually damaged - they darken, dry up. There is no benefit to plants from diseased leaves, and they already need to be cut off.

Remove the lower leaves that touch the soil. There is a risk of plant infection with phytophthora. And they remove excess leaves along the stem so that the nutritional forces of the plant go into fruits, and not into greens

My friend told me that after this procedure, they collected tomatoes in bags.

He trimmed several leaves with scissors. I looked at the plant, if it is too branchy, there are a lot of leaves and you can’t get close to tie it up, he calmly cut 5-6 leaves from one stem below the tassel. The leaf was trimmed at the very stem. Didn't touch the top. The stems were bald at the bottom and a cap of leaves at the top. That is, sheared those leaves that interfered. So he explained. Plants got more sun and enough water for everyone

Stepchildren are also removed. They are also removed to obtain a larger harvest and to avoid diseases.

Stepsons are lateral shoots, a photo of the stepson is below. They are removed when the first tomato tassel begins to bloom and there are already 2-3 leaves on the stepson.

Unlike leaves, stepchildren must be broken out. But if the lateral shoot has grown strongly, then it is better to cut it so as not to damage the stem. And then you need to put a small stump-stem, and not cut off at the very edge

Pruning leaves from tomatoes to increase yields. But it needs to be clarified that there are different varieties tomato. If you have stunted tomatoes, then you do not need to stepson them. They do not develop a large rosette, and there are no stepchildren in such tomatoes. At most, you can cut off (it is better to cut with secateurs) the lower leaves to protect the tomato bush from diseases.

If you planted tall tomatoes, then stepchildren also need to be wisely. Some summer residents remove all side branches, doing irreparable damage to the plant. Side branches do not need to be removed. With a secateurs, carefully cut off the young shoots (stepsons) in the axil of the branches, as well as the top of the tomato bush. At the same time, leave three or four well-developed side branches.

You can view video how to pinch tomatoes:

At the end of July and beginning of August, important condition is: remove no more than two or three leaves from the bush per week. Ask why ?, then so that the juice is gradually directed to other channels, where the tomatoes hang ..) In order for the tomatoes to pour as much as possible .. The main thing is smoothness in this process, two or three leaves a week, otherwise they will crack ..

I know about the growth point, that is, they cut off the top so that the bush gives lateral branches, and does not go in length ... and even with late blight, blackened leaves must be cut off

For better ripening of tomatoes at the beginning of the appearance of fruits, it is desirable to remove the lower yellowed leaves from them. This should be done in such a way as to remove all the leaves by the end of ripening. It is better to do this in the morning on a sunny day, so that the places of cuts dry out.