A tomato plant left without proper attention will reduce its yield by half. Indeterminate varieties and hybrids especially need bush formation due to the unlimited growth of the top. Determinate varieties stop growing tall when a flower cluster appears at the top. Standard bushes are limited in growth genetically.
Pinching as a shaping method
Pinching or pinching is the removal of the top portion of a tomato plant to stop its growth. In the middle zone, pinching in open ground begins in mid-July and ends in early August. In a greenhouse, the deadline is shifted by 3–4 weeks.
The method must be used on tall varieties; on determinate varieties it is desirable; standard bushes can do without pinching.
Leave 2-3 leaves above the upper full raceme with the ovary or flowers and cut off the rest of the top. The procedure will stop height growth, but may cause the appearance of side shoots (stepchildren), which must be regularly broken out.
Pinching tasks
Plants are pinched to obtain a high yield and improve the quality of the fruit. The desired result after removing the top is achieved:
- concentration of the bush’s forces on the formation of the crop;
- targeted supply of minerals from the soil to the fruit, which has a positive effect on the taste;
- reduction of ripening period;
- increasing fruiting time.
Without this procedure, part of the crop will not have time to ripen, and some of the fruit will be crushed.
Pinching rules
Like any technological operation, pinching is carried out following certain rules.
Choose early morning or evening in clear, not rainy weather, so that the wound heals quickly after removing the top.
The work is carried out wearing thin gloves. Secateurs and knives must be sharpened and disinfected for use. The cut is made with a quick movement. Experienced gardeners advise sprinkling the cut on the stem with wood ash for better healing.
Having chosen the optimal height of the plant, the growing point is removed above the flower raceme and two leaves above it. On a tall bush, 8–9 clusters with ovaries are left.
There is a way to form the crown of a tomato bush with repeated pinching. The first time, seedlings with 6 leaves are pinched. At this stage of plant development, the top can be pinched off with your fingers. This procedure will help strengthen the root system of the seedlings.
The deadline for pinching is one month before the final harvest.
Allowing the plant to develop without formation means growing plants with lush greenery, in which you will have to look for tomatoes. Productivity and ripening time largely depend on correctly pinched fruit.
