Leaves play an important role in the life of all plants, they are responsible for the nutrition and development of tomato bushes. Over time, the lower leaves become stained due to the aging process, in which case it is imperative to get rid of them in order to prevent the occurrence of diseases. Also, during the growth of tomato fruits, the leaves no longer play a significant role and, on the contrary, can slow down their development.
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What leaves should be removed in time
Yellowed foliage will not benefit the plant, and can also become a source of various infections, so it must be removed immediately. When fruits appear, excess greens should also be thinned out. You can remove foliage growing in the shade, it does not participate in plant nutrition. Leaves growing above green tomatoes interfere with full ripening, as they cover the fruits from the sun, so it is better to remove them too. At the end of the season, it is necessary to remove new emerging shoots so that they do not take energy for development and do not interfere with the full ripening of the fruits.
Basic rules for removing foliage
In order not to harm the tomato bush, you should not neglect the foliage removal rules:
- When cutting foliage, press down on the stem at the base and tear off the leaf in an upward motion. Be sure to be very careful when cutting or cutting foliage, do not leave scuffs that lead to drying out of the bush.
- Do not severely injure the bush by unnecessarily removing the foliage. It is better to pinch off no more than three leaves during this procedure and carry out this procedure no more than twice a week.
- First of all, old obsolete leaves and leaves with signs of any disease should be removed.
- During the rainy season, this procedure should not be carried out, the leaves are cropped in sunny weather, in the morning. If tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, then this procedure can be carried out at any convenient time.
- Together with the procedure for removing excess foliage, pinching is carried out.
- The leaves begin to be removed from the bottom of the bush, continuing until the third fruit ovary. Above, you can start removing only in the process of pouring the color and ripening of the tomatoes.
- At the end of the season, in regions with a rainy, cool climate, pinch the tops so that the plant does not spend its last strength on growth, but gives all its energy to the fruits.
In order not to infect an infection during foliage cropping, take special protective measures:
- All pruning tools must be clean and disinfected.
- The procedure is carried out with rubber gloves.
- So that the cut sites do not become sources of disease damage, you can treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Carry out the procedure in a timely manner for the best tomato yield.
Do you know how to properly cut the leaves of tomatoes?
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