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 with yellow leaves, on which spots, necrosis are formed, serving as the entrance gate for infections. Such leaves are best removed in a timely manner.

1. 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.
2. Following this, strongly thickened leaves of tomato bushes oriented to the north are to be removed. By removing excess leaves, improved ventilation of tomato plantings is achieved, especially if the plantings were thickened during the establishment of greenhouse beds.
3. 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 during development. 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

"Oh, why are your tomatoes so bald?". From time to time you have to answer such questions either on the forum or in the comments ... Let's talk about whether it suits tomatoes short haircut, up to the bald head, and how to pluck them correctly.

Which leaves should be removed and when?

A tomato leaf is the same full-fledged organ of a plant as a root or stem; it is responsible for nutrition and respiration. Therefore, at first glance, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bremoving leaves seems somewhat blasphemous - why cripple a plant? The answer to the question is not at all so unambiguous - it often happens that you really don’t need to cut off the leaves. A healthy, green and well-lit leaf is a friend and helper.

But everything has its time, its age. Old tomato leaves often turn yellow with age, become covered with various spots, weaken, and such leaves serve as the initial cozy "house" for various fungal sores. Therefore, old, yellowing and spotted leaves should be removed first.

Following them, it is worth lightening the bushes from time to time - cut out the leaves that face the north side, or are located in the depths of the bush, or in the shade of other bushes. Such a shaded leaf will still not give us much benefit in terms of photosynthesis, and by removing excess leaves we will improve the overall ventilation of the planting, especially when it comes to a greenhouse.

Another type of leaf that needs to be removed is growth from the brush. It happens that after a flower brush, the growth of the shoot does not end, but continues - the stem, leaves, and again flowers grow. Many people are even happy with this turn, but in fact, if all the tomatoes are tied in the brush, then it is better to remove this "addition" so that the brush develops fully. At the same time, if the main brush turned out to be empty, then you can leave a couple of tomatoes to continue.

How much and when to cut?

Usually it is recommended to remove 2-3 bottom sheets 2 times a week, but this is too general a "rule". It is necessary to look at the growth rate of the plant as a whole, sometimes you have to remove 5-6 leaves at a time, and this has never done any particular harm to the tomatoes.

The main rule that should be observed is that if all the berries have not yet tied up in the brush, then most of the leaves should be intact above the brush. And vice versa - if all the tomatoes have already started in the brush, then BELOW this brush you can safely remove all the leaves.

Towards the end of July-beginning of August in middle lane in the greenhouse, they usually begin to pinch the tops of the tomatoes already. That is, it is assumed that all further brushes still do not have time to form a crop. So, after such a pinching, when, in principle, we do not need to increase the vegetative mass, you can remove all the leaves, except for the top 3-4. This is a good prevention of diseases, although it looks a bit wild.

Always leave 1-2 sheets above the topmost brush so as not to disturb the sap flow.

Disputes around the question of whether to cut off lower leaves near the tomato bushes, have not subsided for many years. Some experienced gardeners argue that it is absolutely necessary - this protects tomatoes from diseases and increases the yield, other no less experienced vegetable growers are categorically against, they say, picking off the leaves just leads to infection of the tomato bushes and then quickly burns out from phytophthora. Whose truth, now we'll figure it out.

According to the biological characteristics of nightshade plants, which include tomatoes, the average leaf life is 3-3.5 months. That is, having served their due date, they begin to dry out.

Naturally, the first to die are those that first appeared - in the lower part of the bush. Such leaves, which have begun to turn yellow, are already a burden for the plant and they must be removed.

The second reason for the need for this procedure is that a large vegetative mass takes away the strength of the bush for its maintenance to the detriment of fruiting. The bush fattens, the fruits on it are small and tasteless, but the leaves are huge, bright.

Cutting the leaves from below will help save the tomato crop, moreover, quite radically. Such an operation stimulates plants to bloom, set fruits and ripen them.

Additionally, during rain and watering, if the beds are not mulched, water drops break off the soil and settle in the lower part of the leaf blades that are in contact with the soil, infecting them with pathogenic microflora.

When Bottom part the stem is bare, such a danger is reduced tenfold. All lower leaves located below the first brush with ovaries can be safely removed.

The advantages of manipulation include the fact that if you cut the leaves of tomatoes, then the loss of moisture by the plant itself will decrease due to a decrease in evaporation, and this is very important in places where there is a problem with irrigation.

In addition, the presence large leaves covers the soil, does not allow air masses to freely circulate between the bushes, moisture from the soil surface does not evaporate.

This leads to increased development of molds and the risk of various, in particular, late blight, is maximum. This operation is especially relevant in a greenhouse, where ventilation is complicated due to lack of wind.

Simultaneously with the lower leaves, the fattening shoots growing in the lower part of the bush should be removed, all throughout the bush (he no longer needs them).

Shoots growing above the brush with ovaries, leaves from the northern or shaded side of the bush covering the ripening brushes will also be useless (but if there is a risk sunburn It's better to leave them.) Subject to the rules of leaf picking, the risk of infection will be minimal, and tomato bushes will delight you with an excellent healthy harvest.

Arguments against removing leaves from tomatoes

There are few, only two.

1. The first is that nature has laid down how the bush will develop, when, in what order and how the leaves die. You cannot interfere with this process.
2. The second argument is that after the leaves are cut off, the bushes just start to hurt, as pathogens enter the tissues through open wounds.

These are the counterarguments. Do you rid the vine bush of extra shoots, old leaves? This contributes to an increase in yield and protects the bush from diseases. Without such operations, the grapes return to the wild state, if they do not die from oidium and mildew.

Similarly, a tomato bush - if you do not help it, then it will overgrow with wild shoots, quickly get sick and “burn out”, and there will be a minimum of fruits or even the entire crop will die. And if you follow this logic, it is necessary to abandon pinching and the formation of indeterminate varieties. So what?

According to the second - if you cut off the leaves of tomatoes correctly, as shown in the video, then the wounds heal very quickly and no infection occurs. The thinning technology is described below.

When and how to pick off the leaves of a tomato?

So, the answer to the question of whether it is necessary to pick off the leaves of tomatoes is definitely positive. But when is the time for this manipulation and how to perform it?

And the process must adhere to the following rules:

• manipulation should be carried out in the morning, on a hot sunny day - so the wounds will quickly heal;
• you can’t rush when to start picking off the lower leaves;
• you can not remove many leaves at a time;
• all removed parts of the bush must be burned (and never thrown into compost).

The first wave of removal should be carried out only after the tomato seedlings have taken root in a permanent place, which is 8-10 days from transplantation.

First you need to remove the yellowed lower leaves and those that have gray or brown spots. Next, you can remove healthy leaves that are in contact with the soil and greatly thicken the bush. You can do this to the bottom flower brush. Often such an operation even stimulates the bush to throw out new flower stalks, which increases the yield.

In the first wave, you can also include leaves located on the north side and located in the shade. They simply do not take part in photosynthesis, but simply take away the vitality of the plant. Feel free to remove them, especially since they are always underdeveloped.

The second stage is associated with the beginning of fruit ripening. At this time, you should cut off all the leaves below the first brush and some of those that cover the ripening fruits. Tomatoes need sun to accumulate useful substances. And only in the south, where tomatoes can simply boil from the heat - protection must be left.

Trim or cut off?

It's also a subject of controversy. And in fact, there is no difference. It’s easier for you to do this with scissors or secateurs - cut it off, only when moving from plant to plant, the instrument must be sterilized - in strong potassium permanganate or soda solution.

If you manually break off, then keep the trunk of the bush nearby, do not pull the leaf down, up - the petiole will gently break off.

And so that the plant does not become infected through the wound, it must be disinfected - the easiest way is to crush it with ashes, in extreme cases - with soda.

At the same time, pinching and tying bushes are carried out - and for the next 2 weeks, care for the formation will be completed.

04.02.2018

Hello dear readers! Almost every one of us grows tomatoes on our plot or has come across this occupation for one reason or another. special scientific knowledge this process does not require, but here are some care efforts you need to make. At the same time, one of the main questions is this: is it necessary to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes? This is what puzzles gardeners now and causes considerable controversy.

Is there a need to trim the leaves?

Opinions differ widely on this issue, but experienced gardeners they are inclined to believe that this has a very good effect on the condition of the plants and on the future harvest, therefore it is necessary to cut off.

There are several reasons for this:

• the lower leaves, due to their large volume, are able to evaporate a lot of moisture and consume a significant amount of minerals that are necessary for the normal formation of fruits;
• lower leaves often touch wet soil and can begin to rot, which provokes the growth of bacteria and the occurrence of diseases;
• the free movement of air can also be hindered by the massive lower foliage, which allows harmful bacteria to multiply.

Due to improper care may appear yellow leaves with stains that should also be removed. Otherwise, they can form an environment for the development of dangerous diseases. The same should be done with dry sheets. A thickened crown also needs to be thinned out periodically to improve ventilation and reduce nutrient consumption.

When and how to cut off the lower leaves?

Sometimes removing the lower leaves does not give a satisfactory result. This can be explained by the fact that the procedure was carried out incorrectly or out of time. If the first signs of leaf drying are found, then the dried part should be removed immediately.

Do not be too zealous when removing parts of the crown of the bush, because it is she who is responsible for such important processes like photosynthesis. Only those foliage that is located in the northern part of the bush and in its depth should be removed.

The leaves located below the inflorescence are cut off in several stages, gradually. Why such difficulties? Why, the stem can still continue to grow and form new flower stalks, but they will only additionally load the plant, so it would be better to remove them. A newly formed shoot with inflorescences is left only if few fruits are set on the main one.

Removing leaves and shoots from tomatoes

Many gardeners do not know how to properly remove leaves. It is better to perform the procedure in the morning, choosing for this a clear and warm weather. In this case, the wounds on the plant will heal quickly and the bacteria will not have time to penetrate there.

It is necessary not to overdo it when removing foliage. How often and how much to do it? The best option is a couple of pieces per week, but this number can be adjusted for each case individually. Larger scales can be tolerated when there is a high risk of developing diseases.

As soon as the first fruits appear, it is recommended to remove all the leaves located to the bottom of the first brush. However, the time for their elimination can be determined earlier: often, when the plant develops, the leaves turn yellow from below and die off. Of course, they need to be removed in a timely manner.

In the greenhouse, this procedure has its own characteristics. Here the bush is formed due to pinching, and the need to remove the leaves arises due to the large density and poor air circulation. Its humidity begins to rise sharply, which not only causes foliage to fall off, but also a good environment for the development of bacteria and harmful microorganisms.

AT open field these processes occur somewhat differently and it is somewhat easier to ventilate the bushes, since there is a natural air circulation.

Tomatoes are quite painful and problematic crops, especially in regions with a damp climate. And so they need constant good care and disease prevention. In this part, leaf cutting has proven itself very well as an effective preventive method.

In addition, this procedure contributes to the enlargement of fruits and their early ripening, which sometimes plays a very important role. The plant will not lose energy and nutrients on unnecessary elements, and will be completely focused on the ovary and fruiting.

However, it is also necessary to maintain certain distances when planting between the bushes in order to avoid a large accumulation of plants. This distance directly depends on the variety and size that an adult bush can reach.

Growing tomatoes in the middle lane also has some peculiarity. In addition to removing the lower sheets, you should also pinch the top of the plant in the month of August. The newly formed fruits are unlikely to have time to ripen before the end of the season, and the plant will lose a lot of strength on them.

Some gardeners practice rooting these tops for additional yield, but this requires some practice and dexterity.

Cherry tomato varieties are much less demanding on “plucking”. Their crown is not so dense,

and the fruits are quite small, which provides good ventilation.

The main thing is not to allow the leaves to touch the soil.

The need to remove leaves is determined by appearance and the state of the bush. You should not use any other tips and recommendations, because instead of a positive result, you can harm the plant. Too weak a crown will cause insufficient photosynthesis processes, which is extremely harmful for tomatoes.

The leaves also protect the fruits from sunburn and the effects of negative factors. environment, therefore, the complete absence of greenery, although it will not lead to the death of the plant, will have an extremely negative impact on its health and fertility. It is quite possible that you will not wait for fruiting from such a "bald" bush.

Along with leaf picking, additional processing of tomatoes with various preparations can also be carried out, but it is recommended to do this before fruiting begins.

Under no circumstances should you use chemicals at the time of the beginning of the ripening of tomatoes!

You also need to remember that root fertilizers and medicines can be absorbed and, together with the juice, get into the fruits, which you will then eat. That is why think very carefully before giving preference to one or another method of plant protection: will it harm your own health?

Even after full survival, grown or purchased, tomato seedlings, gardeners should not relax. Young seedlings must be carefully looked after throughout the season, providing plants with water and nutrients in a timely manner.

The grown bushes should be loosened after each watering, and the lower leaves are cut off. However, not all gardeners know why they need to get rid of leaves and how to properly carry out the procedure.

The need to remove leaves

After planting in the ground, young seedlings, subject to all agrotechnical practices, grow several times in breadth, building up a powerful vegetative mass. Even if the distance between the bushes is 50-70 cm when planting, the plants that have grown in one and a half to two months close each other from getting sun rays. In the struggle for a “dose of ultraviolet radiation”, tomatoes further increase the vegetative mass, the growth of which takes all their strength. In order not to be left without a crop, there is a need to trim excess foliage. It is worth knowing how to properly trim the bushes. The main reasons why you need to remove leaves:

• large lower external organs of tomatoes consume a lot of moisture, delaying the process of photosynthesis, gas exchange and transpiration of the plant itself. Taking most of the sun, the lower leaves do not convert it into chemical energy, due to which the fruit is formed. Therefore, foliage growing near the soil surface should be cut off periodically;
• thickened plantations of tomatoes suffer from violations of temperature and humidity conditions. This negative process can lead to plant damage by pathogenic spores and insect pests;
• wet after rain or watering, the lower part of the vegetative mass is in contact with each other and the soil, in which tens of thousands of pathogenic spores live. To protect tomatoes from infection with a fungal or viral infection, the lower leaves should be cut off.

Important!

If all the fruits have already formed on the flower brush, then you can safely cut off all the vegetative organs below the ovary. However, if the formation of fruits in the inflorescence continues, it is desirable to save most of the leaves until its completion.

in the greenhouse

To understand that greenhouse plants need pruning foliage, take a closer look at the bushes. If tomatoes growing in closed ground, have grown strongly - immediately begin to break the leaves. certain rules there is no cutting off the excess part of the vegetative mass, however, experienced gardeners recommend carrying out the procedure in the greenhouse at least once or twice a week. If plants are damaged in closed ground by any infection, it is not worth postponing the event and immediately cutting out all diseased leaves. To be trimmed:

• blackened and shrunken vegetative organs;
• foliage with brown-brown, black spots and dots;
• part of the vegetative mass that interferes with normal air exchange in heavily overgrown bushes;
• lateral processes growing in the area between the base of the leaf and the stem;
• external organs grown in the fruiting brush;
• old vegetative organs touching the soil.

In the open field

For tomatoes that are cultivated in open ground conditions, exposure to the vegetative mass of ultraviolet radiation is the main condition for the normal development of the plant. With dense plantings, its deficiency will lead to a decrease in yield. Closely planted tomatoes will suffer from high humidity and lack of nutrients necessary for the normal formation of fruits. To prevent this trouble, it is worthwhile to carry out timely pruning of the lateral processes and excessive vegetative mass.

The lower vegetative organs of the bushes that touch the soil should be removed as soon as possible, since touching the leaves will provoke the development of:

• late blight;
• alternariosis;
• anthracnose;
• septoria;
• phomosis;
• powdery mildew;
• bacteriosis;
• mosaics.

Most pathogenic organisms live in the soil and easily move along the lower leaves, finding " permanent place residence" on tomato bushes. It is possible to fight pathogens with fungicides, however, processed vegetables will no longer be environmentally friendly. Therefore, until the infection of tomatoes for the purpose of prevention, you should take sharp scissors and remove the lower foliage.

It is also necessary to cut off the external organs of the vegetative mass in the open ground of tomatoes, which prevent the main stepchildren from developing normally. It is worth starting the event when the plant reaches the age of 40-50 days. Leaves that cover the stem from sunlight and external vegetative organs growing in the shade are also subject to pruning.

Important!

After pruning foliage, plants experience "stress" for several days. To help them recover faster, spray the bushes with a solution of Epin or Zircon growth stimulator.

Terms of circumcision

Some gardeners start pruning the lower part of the vegetative mass of tomatoes as soon as the flower ovary begins to form. However, most vegetable growers begin to remove foliage at the time of fruit pouring. For the normal formation of flower brushes and the formation of fruits, plants need nutrients that come to the ovaries from the lower part of the plant. After 10-14 days, the fruits will begin to synthesize on their own, and the lower foliage can be safely removed.

Which method can be best learned by dividing the existing tomato plot into two parts. On each of them, prune plants in different dates checking the results later. It is simply unrealistic to establish the exact timing of pruning, since each variety or hybrid of a tomato has its own characteristics and ripening dates. Much depends on the characteristics of the climate where the vegetable is grown.

The main guideline for gardeners to start trimming the vegetative organs of tomatoes is the moment of ejection of flower brushes and the formation of fruits. As soon as the vegetables begin to turn brown and pour, the foliage near the surface of the soil should be cut off in stages. If on a healthy bush the leaf plate of the organ is partially yellowed, cut off only the part that has changed color. A healthy part of the leaf will continue to function, and the process of photosynthesis will proceed in its cells, nourishing the plant.

In late July - early August, in regions with a temperate and cool climate, pruning of leaves and growth points at the tops of the crop should be carried out. Activities are carried out so that with the approach of autumn, new fruits do not form, which do not have time to ripen before the onset of frost, and the old ones have time to completely turn red.