How to properly plant tomatoes in a greenhouse

The climate in Russia has its own characteristics that even in warm regions, many vegetables do not have time to ripen in the short summer. There are methods for growing tomato crops, which involve a long period of growth of vegetables in closed rooms, so that by the warm season they can begin to bear fruit.One of these methods is pre-growing seedlings in the warmth and further planting in the greenhouse, for example from polycarbonate, before the summer months. That is why the gardener needs to know how to properly plant tomatoes in the greenhouse for their successful growth and development.

Rules for planting tomatoes in the greenhouse

This rule especially applies to heat-loving tomatoes that do not withstand the cold Russian outdoors in the spring. Weak and unstable tomatoes need to be grown in greenhouse conditions to get a plentiful and tasty crop. Growing a plant in a greenhouse, it is necessary to form its foliage and trunks correctly, otherwise there are practically no resources left for fruiting.In addition, the abundance of leaves obscures the ripening fruits. Green tomatoes do not get enough sun to ripen properly.

Preparing seedlings

In order to get a good tomato crop, it is important to plant the seedlings correctly. The planting scheme is as follows: seedlings are planted at a distance of 22 cm from each other. It is also important to maintain the required row spacing, which should be 135 cm. In order for the foliage to receive the required amount of sun and air, tall greenhouse tomatoes must be supported. As a rule, this is a metal base in the form of the letter “T”, to which a thick rope or metal wire is tied in two rows. But if the funds do not allow the plantation owner to immediately order and install a plant stand, you can use the old grandfather method with wooden pegs. They are also suitable as a support for plants.

Further, as they grow, tomatoes will rise on their stand. To help the tomato stay on the support, it is necessary to wrap a young shoot around the rope counterclockwise. If the support is a wooden peg, then the growing tomato variety is tied up in the traditional way.

The first steps to plan the future harvest are the proper planting of seedlings and the creation of supports. Then after 10-14 days it is necessary to conduct the first stepsoning.It is believed that the first herding is one of the most difficult, since the seedlings are still very small. These are just two green leaves that appeared from under the ground. You need to know that the leaf is shown first from under the ground, and only then its stepson.

What is pinching a tomato?

Pinching a tomato in a greenhouse is the destruction of excess shoots that are forming in the sinuses of the plant. It is necessary to get rid of extra sprouts competently and only in varieties with a high trunk. It is these varieties that are desirable to grow in greenhouses, therefore, for greenhouse tomatoes, stepsons must be removed. As a result of planting tomatoes, the plantation owner will receive a beautiful crop that is well ventilated and sunlit. Harvesting is easier when the plant does not have too lush green mass and the steps of pinching are carried out regularly.

Stepson for tomatoes

Before you begin the procedure of forming a tomato bush, you must figure out step by step where the stepsons are located in the plant so as not to accidentally cut off the necessary leaves. You need to carefully study the place where the tomato leaf is attached to the stem. Between the leaf and the stem, a process begins to appear, which forms an unnecessary green mass. It is it that should be pinched off when the sprout reaches a length of 3-5 cm. If older shoots are removed, this can seriously injure the plant and negatively affect its condition.Therefore, it is very important not to miss the moment the stepchildren appear and grow them to the optimum length.

How to properly tomato the stepson?

It’s better to carry out the procedure in the morning

Some gardeners believe that the process of removing stepsons is quite complicated and many varieties grow well and without pinching. In fact, this is not so, the main thing in this matter is to know how to pinch tomatoes in the greenhouse correctly, without prejudice to planting. If you understand well where stepsons are located and follow all the rules, then you can easily cope with this task even for a beginner gardener. The first time stepsoning is carried out 10-14 days after transplanting seedlings into the ground. Next, the tomato stepsoning in the greenhouse is carried out every 10-12 days.

This period of time is necessary in order to prevent the growth of large shoots that you will pinch off. If the procedure is carried out in a timely manner, the foliage is well formed and will give a rich harvest of large fruits. Stepsons can also produce crops, but tomatoes will be small on them. Therefore, do not be afraid of pinching and extra shoots must be ruthlessly removed in order to protect future fruits. For proper removal, there is a whole scheme that any gardener involved in growing tomatoes should take into account.

• Remove stepchildren and take care of plantings in the morning from 9 to 11 o’clock so that the wounds heal by the evening.
• In the morning, stepsons are easy to remove because they are more fragile than in the evening .
• If the procedure is carried out with bare hands, after working with each plant you need to wash your hands or disinfect them so as not to accidentally transfer the disease.
• If the step-by-step procedure is carried out using tools, you should leave a little stump 2-3 cm long. Later, new branches will no longer grow in its place.

Varieties of pinching

After the appearance of the first sprouts, pinching can be carried out in different ways. Specialists distinguish two main directions of removal of shoots from tomatoes: determinant and indenter.

• Determinant is suitable for preparing a bush for an early harvest. In this case, almost all green mass is removed. It is very important to maintain the central stem without destroying it during the procedure. And 2-3 flower brushes should remain on it, which will give a full harvest of fruits. That is why the determinant stepsoning is more complex and requires careful attention to the procedure and a certain experience.
• Indeterminate implies the preservation of one or two main stems near the bush. The indeterminate method is used for tall tomatoes.

Different types of pinching are applied to different varieties of tomatoes and the scheme of action in this case will be different. Experts believe that in greenhouse conditions it is better to grow determinant varieties. These are tomatoes of the varieties Yamal, Alaska, Boni MM.

Experienced gardeners experimentally found that it is not always necessary for tomatoes to leave only one shoot.

If you leave more shoots then with careful care you can get a good harvest. However, in general, shoots should not be more than three. More shoots may impair crop quality. Also, there should not be too many flower brushes on the bush. A smaller number of ripening fruits will enable them to form large and ripe. 3-4 brushes are left on each branch, but in total there should be no more than eight, the rest need to be ruthlessly deleted.

How to correctly form a bush with one stem?

Formation in one stem increases the yield of the plant

Picking the tomato in the greenhouse can be done while forming one stalk, which will be the main one. In this case, one main stem is left, and all stepsons are eliminated in the process of plant growth. The twin of the main trunk is also removed if the bush bifurcates during growth. Floral brushes starting from the bottom must be preserved.Experts consider this method of formation, the most optimal for abundant yield of tomato. But experienced gardeners think differently, because they believe that two or even three trunks can yield a larger crop, so for the purposes of the experiment, you can use the method of forming a bush with two stems or even three.

Formation bush with two stems

To form a bush with two trunks, only the main stem is left. The lateral shoot, which releases the main stem, is usually strong and strong. It grows under the first flower brush at a small distance from it. It is also retained, forming the second main stem from it. Next, all stepsons on two trunks are removed every week.

Formation of a bush with three stems

In this case, the main stem is left. And then, under the first flower brush, not one shoot is left, as in the creation of a tomato bush with two trunks, but two located one above the other. Both side shoots must be strong and strong, otherwise the three stems do not make sense. Two more main stalks grow from the side shoots. As in the case of a bush with two stems, stepchildren on all trunks of the bush cut off so that the tomato gives the best possible crop.

Other methods for improving the quality of the crop

, which in the process of growth produces a branch of tomato. But sometimes new shoots grow near the bush from under the ground.They also degrade the quality of the crop, taking the strength of the plant. Therefore, they must be deleted. In addition, pinch the tops of the tomato. This is done so that the tomato does not form too much flower ovary, which does not have time to grow and ripen. In the second half of July, the upper part of the foliage is removed from the bushes. 2-3 leaves are left over the flower brush, and the top is cut to allow the crop to ripen. This procedure limits the growth of the bush in height and the tomato does not waste energy on excessive greens, directing them to ripen the fruits.

Different types of pinching allow you to create a different type of bush. Before you start planting, you need to decide why tomatoes are grown for early, medium consumption for food or for preservation. For different purposes, leave a different amount of fruit blossoms and thus in one greenhouse from simultaneously planted seedlings you can get different results.

In addition a good harvest can be obtained by competent watering and fertilizing plants in the greenhouse, which should also be paid attention to. The work of growing a greenhouse crop and the care of it must be competent, so that there is a return on the effort expended, and the crop will please the owner and be his pride.Therefore, if you want to start growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay a lot of attention and monitor seedlings. But the result will not be long in coming and the beautiful rows of plantings with juicy fruits will please the gardener.