Tips on when to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes and how to do it correctly. Is it necessary to pick off the leaves of a tomato When to pick off the leaves on tomatoes

Tomatoes are loved and grown by many gardeners. After all, these vegetables are able to decorate any dish or complement it. It is not difficult to grow a culture, but it simply needs careful care. Why? This is the only way to get a rich and tasty harvest. The plant needs not only watering, fertilizer and hilling. It is also necessary to eliminate the "extra" leaves on the tomato bushes. The procedure must be carried out certain rules familiar to all professional gardeners.

There are several opinions as to whether it is necessary to cut off the leaves of tomatoes and their seedlings. Experienced gardeners insist that the procedure is useful, and therefore obligatory.

There are several reasons why tomato leaves need to be cut:

• The massive lower organs of the plant evaporate a large number of moisture and "feed" on minerals intended for the formation of fruits.
• Due to its size lower leaves interfere with the free movement of air masses, which provokes high humidity. Namely, in such an environment, bacteria harmful to the culture multiply.
• Wet tomato leaves, touching the ground, begin to rot, which contributes to the reproduction of harmful microorganisms and provokes various diseases. For example, late blight very often begins with foliage located at the bottom of the bush.

It is worth noting that it is also necessary to immediately eliminate yellow leaves with spots and necrosis, because they are an ideal environment for the development of diseases. This reaction of the plant is caused by improper care of it.

First of all, and as often as possible in the future, it is necessary to eliminate the old dry sheets located at the bottom of the bush. It is these plant organs that are covered with spots. different nature and colors.

You also need to cut off the thickened foliage of tomatoes, located on the north side. It is worth removing the "useless" organs of tomatoes for better ventilation of the bushes. In addition, it is necessary to trim the “fattening” stems to increase productivity.

To avoid diseases, you can treat tomatoes with products that contain copper. But such a "treatment" has a bad effect on the fruits of culture. Therefore, it is best to remove the lower leaves.

When to cut off and how?

Why is it sometimes not enough to simply remove tomato leaves for the desired effect? Because it is worth doing the procedure correctly and at the right time.

If the leaf began to dry out partially, then the affected share should be cut off, and the healthy one should be left. After all, it is thanks to the green parts of the plant that the process of photosynthesis and nutrition of the culture takes place.

From time to time, a vegetable needs clarification. To reach it, it is worth picking off the foliage located on the north side and growing in the depths of the bush. It is in the shade and is not so important for photosynthesis.

The leaves of tomatoes located below the inflorescence must be cut off in stages. Sometimes after the appearance of flowers, the stem continues its growth, provoking the appearance of new inflorescences. But it is worth remembering that this is an additional burden for the vegetable, so it is better to cut them.

Leaves above the first inflorescence should be cut off gradually so as not to injure the tomatoes. If the main color has turned into a small amount of tomato fruits, you can leave a few ovaries on the newly grown shoot.

There are also a number of rules, following which it is easy to get the maximum positive result:

• It is better to remove leaves and side shoots of seedlings in the morning (until 12 noon) in good warm weather. Under such conditions, the culture will heal wounds faster, and pathogens will not be able to penetrate the vegetable.
• With the elimination of leaves, do not be zealous. Several times a week, 2-3 pieces is enough to grow healthy tomatoes from their seedlings. But at the same time, it is worth constantly monitoring the vegetable. The frequency of the procedure is adjusted based on each specific case.

The culture tolerates the removal of 3 shoots twice a week. But it is worth noting that sometimes this plant organ needs to be eliminated on a large scale: at the risk of developing diseases.

Multiple removal of foliage does not affect further development plants.

When the first tomatoes appear from seedlings, the leaves growing from the fruits below are eliminated.

When August comes, in regions with a comfortable climate, tomato tops are dived. Why? It is generally accepted that new fruits will not be able to fully form due to weather conditions, and the culture itself no longer needs so many of its green parts. Leave only 4 top sheet. There must be an intact pair of leaves above the upper brush. Only then will the movement of juices through the plant be normal.

Sometimes determining when to eliminate tomato leaves is very simple. Watching the planted plants, you can see how the leaves of the seedlings turn yellow and fall off. It goes without saying that such culture organs should be removed. It's time to dive when the bushes have grown enough, and the individual organs of the seedlings began to "fatten".

Removing vegetable sheets in a greenhouse has its own characteristics. Why? Because growing a crop in greenhouse conditions is somewhat different from growing in open soil.

After planting seedlings in the greenhouse, the bushes begin to form through pinching. But the removal of the lower leaves of the bushes, most often, is caused by thickening. It is because of it that the air in the greenhouse does not circulate well and becomes excessively humid.

When the humidity in the greenhouse is increased, the leaves of the seedlings fall off. Such an environment also provokes the development of pathogens.

Tomatoes require careful care. Almost everyone can grow a vegetable from seedlings and use it productively, the main thing is to follow the rules and recommendations. Removing the lower shoots from tomato bushes has a positive effect: the fruits become larger, ripen faster, and the culture itself practically does not get sick.

Video "Why cut the lower leaves of tomatoes"

Find out why you need to trim the lower leaves of tomatoes and how to do it right.

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.

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 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

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 cover 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 fungal infection 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 indoors have grown strongly, immediately start cutting off the leaves. There are no specific rules for cutting off the excess part of the vegetative mass, however, experienced gardeners It is recommended to carry 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 ground

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 lack will lead to a decrease in yield. Closely planted tomatoes will suffer from high humidity and lack 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 a "permanent 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.

crop to open field tomatoes also need external organs of the vegetative mass, 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 of 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 soil surface 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.

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetable crops, so they are very common in gardens. And what is a garden without a tomato bush ?! Indeed, in this case, it looks somehow clumsy. Often, summer residents have a kind of competition for the largest fruit, the most delicious, and so on. In general, if you manage to grow tomatoes year after year, getting high yields, skillfully avoiding traps in the form of late blight and other diseases and pests, then you are a real gardener.

It cannot be said that tomatoes are a culture with complex agricultural technology and increased requirements for cultivation, however, you cannot call tomato bushes completely simple. Take, for example, the question of removing “extra” leaves: everything seems to be tritely simple - he took it and tore it off or cut it off, but in reality it turns out that you need to follow the rules and almost learn this. The controversy surrounding the need to remove leaf blades of tomatoes and the effectiveness of this "event" has not subsided so far. Let's figure out what, how and when to do so that the plants do not harm, but help by picking off the leaves.

Do I need to cut off the lower leaves of tomatoes?

Let's start by finding out in general the need for this procedure, is it really necessary for the plant, and for you and me? Opinions here, as often happens, two - it is necessary or not at all necessary. But beginners often say that it’s better not to touch tomatoes at all, they say, why climb into nature, the plant itself will decide how many and what leaves it should have. Beginners often say this for the simple reason that they are corny afraid of doing harm, well - and from a lack of knowledge, of course. Professionals in their field unanimously say that it is necessary to cut off or cut off the leaves of tomatoes, and this will be useful for both the plant and you and me.

In favor of the fact that a number of leaves in tomatoes are still superfluous and they need to be removed, says that usually the more leaves and shoots on the plant, the more actively these same plants evaporate soil moisture and absorb nutrients only in order to feed it vegetative mass and only after that pay attention to the fruits. Consequently, often powerful tomato bushes, with an abundance of green mass, delight the owners with a small harvest, and the fruits themselves are not always tasty.

But that's not all, for example, the lower leaves of tomatoes, due to their sometimes rather large size, quite noticeably interfere with the normal movement and circulation of air at the base of the plants, therefore, they tritely inhibit the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the soil and adjacent leaf blades, which creates favorable environment for the development of fungal infection, including phytophthora.

In addition, such leaves of tomatoes, if they are not cut off, when watered or under the influence of raindrops, often lean to the very ground and even touch it, which leads to their decay, the formation of foci of infection and the development of concomitant diseases. It has been noticed that late blight of tomatoes starts from the lower leaves and slowly rises up the plant.

What tomato leaves to remove?

If the lower leaves turn yellow and spots appear on them, then they must be removed immediately. This is an ideal environment for the development of most tomato diseases. The yellowed lower leaves of a tomato, among other things, are often a kind of marker of improper care, that is, if they turn yellow, then this means that you are doing something wrong. At the same time, the yellowed leaves have already, one might say, died, so they must be removed immediately.

In addition to removing the lower leaves of tomatoes, both healthy and yellowed, it is also desirable to remove leaf blades that begin to dry out: it does not matter where they are located - in the lowest part or slightly higher and there are also leaves under them. Tomato leaves sometimes dry out simply because of their age: since the plant no longer needs them, you need to help it remove them, otherwise the infection will get to them.

In addition, thinning of the middle of a tomato bush can also be done, similar to thinning pruning of shrubs, but it is appropriate to remove the leaves from the side of the bush that faces north. This will provide better ventilation for the tomato bush and reduce the risk of various fungal diseases and other infections. Fattening shoots, if they grow from the very bottom, can also be safely removed, they are of little use, and they draw water and nutrients onto themselves very strongly.

Benefits of Removing the Bottom Leaves of Tomatoes

So, we hope it has become a little clearer for what purpose we recommend removing the lower leaves of a tomato, but we have not told what the advantages of this removal are, but they certainly are.

First plus- this is that after removing the lower leaves, the plant becomes a little more open, air masses circulate freely at the base of the bushes, moisture evaporates normally from the soil surface and from leaf blades, the risk of tomato phytophthora, as well as other infections, is sharply reduced (but does not disappear completely !).

Second plus- this is that we remove tomato leaves that are at risk, because, as we mentioned above, they are the first to usually get sick, this is also a plus in order to minimize the risk of phytophthora in your area.

plus third- we remove the excess parts of the vegetative mass of the tomato bush, therefore, we somewhat reduce the evaporation of moisture by the plants themselves (that is, its consumption from the soil, which is especially important for suburban areas) and reduce the consumption of substances to maintain the existence of these leaves, which leads to the fact that these the very substances will go to the formation of fruits.

When to cut off the leaves of a tomato and how to do it correctly?

So, we have firmly learned that it is necessary to remove the lower leaves from a tomato bush, now let's figure out when this can be done and, most importantly, how to do it correctly.

Firmly remember that in no case should you rush to remove tomato leaves: for example, if you remove them immediately after planting the seedlings, you can only make things worse, the plants may well stop growing or slow down a lot. You can remove the lower leaves only when the seedlings grow up and get stronger, for this it should take from seven to ten days. You can understand that tomato seedlings have taken root by activating its growth processes.

Before proceeding with the removal of tomato leaves, inspect all plants, first of all, remove those lower leaves that for some reason began to dry out and turn yellow, here the risk of infection is higher, and only then proceed to remove the lower leaves from healthy plants.

In the event that you still doubt the advisability of removing the lower leaf blades of a tomato, we advise you to carry out this procedure first with the leaves located on the north side of the bush. The fact is that these leaves, in addition to being below, are also located in the shade, so they practically do not participate in the processes of photosynthesis, and therefore are not needed. By removing them, you definitely will not harm the plant.

When removing tomato leaves, do not rush, follow a certain phasing, for example, by removing a couple of lower leaves, do not forget about the plant, follow it. It happens that the removal of leaf blades from a tomato provokes it to lay new inflorescences, such as good flowering plants before they appear, it is better to remove, since this is an additional and inappropriate burden on tomato bush. It is possible to leave new ovaries only if the flowering was very sluggish before the leaves were removed, fewer inflorescences were formed than usual or than is typical for this particular tomato variety.

Try to remove the lower leaves of the tomato by pressing the petiole of the leaf at the base and pulling it up, that is, along the stem, and not across it, as if pulling it out of the nest. At the same time, try to support the tomato stem and do not pull the leaf very hard, because there is a risk of breaking off or breaking the stem. You can’t pull the leaves down either, if you do this, then you can also tear off the skin of the stem, the skin will stretch down for the torn leaf and you will get a wound into which any infection can quite easily and very quickly get.

It is advisable to remove the lower leaves of a tomato not in cloudy and cool weather, as for some reason many people do it, but, on the contrary, on a sunny and fine day, but always in the morning (at 7-8 in the morning, when the sun is already shining with might and main) when plants are at maximum turgor. The fact is that on a sunny day, the wound left in place former leaf, will drag on much faster than on a cloudy one, and the risk of infection getting into the wound will be minimal.

When starting to remove the lower leaves of a tomato, you should not be too zealous, the main rule applies here - do no harm. Leaves can be removed no more than twice a week at one time by removing or cutting out two or three sheets, no more. Only such a removal of leaf blades will not injure the plants too much, and they will survive this procedure without problems.

The basic rule when removing the lower leaves of a tomato, which must be firmly learned, is the following: if the fruits have not yet set in the brush, then on the shoots on which the brush itself is placed, it is advisable to remove no more than one lower leaf, but if all the fruits in the brush have already started, then below this brush you can break out absolutely all the leaf blades, leaving literally a bunch of leaves only at the top. But just below the brush, the lower leaves of the tomato, and not the upper ones.

The first wave of leaf removal can be safely carried out after the entire ovary has formed, and the second wave can be carried out when the tomatoes are finally formed and begin to color. In this way, maximum amount we will send nutrients to the fruits, but at the same time as removing leaf blades, it is important to moderate the amount of watering, otherwise excess moisture can cause fruit cracking. If it rains, then watering the tomatoes should be completely abandoned and more often loosen the soil at the base of the plant in order to increase evaporation and prevent moisture stagnation.

So, as we understood: it is not only possible, but also necessary to remove the lower leaves of tomatoes, in this way you can solve a bunch of problems - provide nutrition and moisture to the fruits, improve their taste and weight, increase yields and even reduce the risk of mushroom infections to a minimum. The main thing at the same time is to do everything correctly and on time.

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. In greenhouse growing conditions, pruning starts earlier.
• In open ground, pruning is carried out 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. They choose one ovary, leave a little greenery on it, remove everything else: this is how the tomato spends more strength for 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 light and air access to the stem of the plant.

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

determinant variety

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 growing. 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 performed once a week.