Experienced plant growers know this, but for novice farmers this news may come as a surprise – tall tomatoes should definitely be side-sonned.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh, an expert of the online publication BelNovosti, agronomist and landscape designer, spoke about the negative consequences that occur if the procedure is ignored.
If you neglect pinching, tomato bushes risk becoming too dense, which will result in a lack of light inside the bush.
In addition, stepchildren are the main competitors of the main stem of the plant, with whom it has to fight for access to nutrition.
And the final disadvantage is that unstep-sonned tomatoes, unlike their counterparts with which this procedure was carried out, are more susceptible to various diseases and pests.
The main rules for pinching out tomato shoots
It is worthwhile to start removing side shoots from tomatoes at the beginning of June, when leaves and side shoots begin to actively grow on the bushes, the stem thickens, and flower clusters appear.
Pinching is most conveniently done with your fingers – when the side shoots reach 5-7 cm.
Important: when pinching out the side shoots, do not get rid of the lower leaves, which the bush needs for photosynthesis.
