After your tomato plants have grown well in June, you should regularly pinch the plants. In this article you can find out when, how and on which varieties the stinging shoots are removed.

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. When and how often to exhaust?
  3. Why max out?
  4. Chop up the tomatoes
  5. Further use of the stinging shoots
  6. Other plants that can be pinched
  7. FAQ

    8. the essentials in brief

    • Tomatoes are pinched weekly from June as soon as the first side shoots grow
    • Pinching promotes fruit growth and reduces susceptibility to late blight and late blight
    • The stinging shoot is located in the leaf axil between the main and side shoots
    • Stick tomatoes are always pinched, with cocktail tomatoes only certain varieties
    • Vine and bush tomatoes are occasionally pinched, wild tomatoes not at all

    When and how often to exhaust?

    Some types of tomatoes, especially wild tomatoes, do not need to be pinched. However, if you have Statomats, start pinching as soon as the first side shoots form. Then check your tomato plants weekly from June to September on greed.

    Why max out?

    If you remove the stinging shoots, the remaining shoots have more nutrients available to develop large fruit on the bud sites. Another advantage is that the plant dries faster on the side shoots due to the reduced leaf mass. This makes it less susceptible to late blight. A regularly pinched tomato also grows in a more controlled manner, while a stick tomato that is not pinched tends to become bushy.

    Between the main shoot and side shoot is the leaf axil with stinging shoot. This is the shoot that is being removed.

    In the past, tomatoes were consistently pinched from the start of the season to the end. This attitude is slowly beginning to change. A little later in the year, the stingy shoots no longer have to be pinched as consistently as at the beginning of the season. The plant then has more leaf mass that it can use for metabolism and energy metabolism. The fruits ripen better towards the end of the season.

    Chop up the tomatoes

    Look closely at the tomato plants and look for new shoots in the leaf axils. You can leave the stinging shoots in the uppermost part of the plant. Remove any other stinging shoots by clipping them off with your fingernail. Garden shears are recommended for a thicker shoot so as not to damage the plant. Make the cut as close to the stem as possible.

    1. First look for the stingy shoot, 2. Grab the young shoot with your index finger and thumb, 3. Carefully snap off the shoot with your fingernail

    These tomato varieties are pinched

    Pinching for the purpose of maintaining the shape is only carried out on tomato plants that have been grown as single shoots. These are also called stick tomatoes. In the case of cocktail tomatoes, only certain varieties are used to the full. Tomato plants with multiple shoots, such as the bush or vine tomato, are only occasionally pinched. In principle, you don't have to exhaust wild tomatoes.

    The need for pruning and pinching varies with the tomato variety selected

    Further use of the stinging shoots

    Grow new tomatoes from stinging shoots

    To get an offshoot from the tomato plant, leave the stinging shoot on the plant a little longer. Ideally, it is already 15 to 20 centimeters long. Then separate it, remove the bottom leaves and put it in a glass with water. The shoot forms small roots after a week. Plant the offshoot five days later in a fresh substrate.

    The cultivation of stinging shoots is only worthwhile until the end of June. Otherwise the plants will no longer be big enough to produce fruit in the same year.

    Mixed culture - stinging shoots as a defense against insects in cabbage plants

    If you don't know what to do with the plucked shoots when you're pinching the tomato plants, just throw them with the cabbage. These are used for natural pest control, so that your cabbage plants are protected from cabbage white caterpillars. Ideally, plant tomatoes and cabbages right next to each other. The cabbage whites do not like the intense scent of the tomato plants.

    Other plants that can be pinched

    Physalis. As far as physalis is concerned, not all gardeners agree on whether it makes sense to use it or not. In principle, the same applies here: more light reaches the flowers and the fruits ripen better.

    With the physalis you have to note that the flowers form in the leaf axils. Exactly in the place where people normally go to extremes. Therefore, only pinch out unnecessary shoots when they are big enough to see which ones are budding and which are not.

    Cucumber. In the case of cucumbers, pinching can have even more advantages than just an improvement in yield. If you pinch off young shoots at the bottom, you prevent the young fruits from lying in the ground. It is worth pinching the side shoots in the area of about half a meter in height. When pinching, be careful not to damage the main shoot.

    FAQ

    What happens if I don't max out?

    If you don't max out your vine tomatoes, you'll get more fruit, but the plant won't be able to provide all of the fruit with enough nutrients. Furthermore, less sunlight will penetrate through the leaves and thus negatively affect the taste. Due to the reduced air circulation, the plant would dry out more slowly after a downpour or watering. This would promote the development of fungal infestations such as late blight and late blight.

    What happens when a stinginess breaks off?

    If a stinginess breaks off, that's no big deal. After all, pinching is about removing those shoots. Just remove the remaining shoot with your fingers. If it is a stinging shoot that has already grown thicker, take a pair of pruning shears and pinch off the shoot at the leaf axil.

    What happens when a stinginess has grown too big?

    You can also remove large stinging shoots. If the stinging shoot is in the lower area of the plant, do not remove it if the stem is already woody. The risk of an open, non-healing wound would be too high.

    When should the last time be exhausted?

    You should stop cutting when the growth phase of the tomato plant is slowly coming to an end. As early as the second half of August, you no longer have to exhaust yourself as consistently as you did at the beginning.

    How many shoots should I remove from a plant at once?

    It doesn't matter how many shoots you remove from the tomato plant at one time. Especially in the first half of the season, remove any stinging shoots that appear. In addition, you should regularly cut off old and diseased shoots and leaves using secateurs. This keeps the tomato plant vital and healthy.

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Vegetable garden