When growing tomatoes, you need to know how to form tomatoes in a greenhouse, what rules to follow when watering, feeding, maintaining temperature and humidity. With the correct formation of the plant, it is possible to obtain a good harvest even from one bush. To do this, you should familiarize yourself with the basic recommendations, instructions and diagrams for the formation of tomatoes of various varieties in greenhouse conditions.

Gardeners advise various methods of forming a bush. However, they also have in common: no more than 3 stems and 8 brushes are used.

The formation of tomatoes in the greenhouse is carried out as follows:

1. The first pinching should be carried out a few weeks after the seedlings were planted in the greenhouse. In the future, a procedure is required every 2 weeks.
2. The stem on which there are first flowers is considered to be the main one.
3. All shoots formed between the leaves and the main stem are stepchildren. When their size approaches 5-6 cm, removal will be required.

It should be noted that the removal of stepchildren of a tomato bush is recommended by breaking off. The procedure is carried out in the morning. Stepchildren are broken off not at the root, but leave a few centimeters, which can prevent the appearance of repeated shoots in this place.

When single-stemmed tomatoes are formed in the greenhouse, you need to remove every single shoot. If a tomato bush is grown in a greenhouse in several stems, then the shoot that is below the first brush and the one closest to it is left. The shoots are removed on the second stem in the same way as on the main one. On each stem, you need to save no more than 4 brushes.

The formation of a tomato bush in a greenhouse implies that the plants must be tied with pegs, so that the tops of the stems will not break from the load of fruits.

To access the bushes with a sufficient amount of light and facilitate care, it is used scheme 30x40 or 50x50 cm, taking into account the type of plant. Mostly such recommendations can be found on the seed packaging, since each variety has its own degree of branching. At a shorter distance, moisture retention is possible, which provokes the appearance of certain diseases, and if watering is too abundant, the yield decreases.

After “accepting” the tomatoes by the soil (usually this happens after 2 weeks), it is worth visually inspecting the bushes. During this period, the first stepchildren are formed - processes that grow from the leafy sinuses. They are removed only when they reach 3-5 cm.

It should be noted that uncontrolled pinching is prohibited, since the shoots can take the required nutrients for the ovary. The pinching procedure is carried out every 10-14 days.

When stepping is carried out, it is worth adhering to the following rules:

1. If the stepson is small, then you need to pinch it off with your fingers.
2. The process is not removed at the base, so that a growth does not form. If plucking is carried out in this way, then the development of the following processes may be delayed.
3. If the process is more than 5 cm, it is worth using a pruner. In this case, the wound on the stem will heal much faster, because microbial and pathogenic microorganisms can enter through the unprotected area.
4. Pasynkovanie is carried out in the morning, so that the wounds can already heal by the evening.
5. Watering should not be carried out immediately after cutting off the shoots to prevent the ingress of excess moisture or bacterial microorganisms that are in the water.

Pasynkovanie tomatoes (video)

Pinching the tops and pruning the plant

After a sufficient number of flower brushes have appeared on each stem, you can begin to pinch the tops. This procedure is necessary in order to prevent further growth of plants in height and the appearance of new ovaries. They will still not be able to grow and keep up, so you should not waste nutrients on them.

In the middle lane, topping must be carried out from July 15-31. The tops are removed as follows: a few leaves are left above each brush with flowers, and the rest can be mercilessly cut off.

There is no consensus on pruning tomatoes. Some people tend to think that after the fruits have been formed, they should be removed and left on top of 2-3 leaves to provide better light and ventilation, which also reduces the risk of fungal diseases. But others argue that if you do this, you can disrupt the nutritional process and photosynthesis, so you need to cut off only the lower yellowed or withering leaves. How to proceed is up to you to decide.

You can experiment: remove the leaves on one bed, and leave on the other, and then evaluate the result.

When such capricious plants as tomatoes, cucumbers or bell peppers are grown, even the smallest lack of care can significantly affect the yield. An important point is the timely and correct implementation of all agrotechnical measures, where the main thing is the removal of stepchildren.

Formation of a tomato bush (video)

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If you seriously decide to go into viticulture, you have to master a lot of specific agricultural techniques. One of them is the formation of vine bushes and their pruning. Only by regularly performing these procedures, it is possible to achieve good growth of the vine and, as a result, abundant fruiting. How to form grapes correctly, and in what ways can this be done?

Grapes are a powerful liana, in natural conditions without difficulty climbing trees, the height of which is several tens of meters. Like all creepers, grapes have a growth polarity, that is, every season the growth of shoots comes from the topmost buds capable of germination. In nature, this is important, because to start fruiting you need to take a comfortable place under the sun. For grapes growing in culture, such an upward aspiration can be considered useless - the most illuminated places are already chosen for vineyards. However, plants cannot give up their "natural habit".

Why is it necessary to carry out the formation and pruning of grapes? If a tree or shrub, even without proper care, still retains its shape and bears fruit, then the grapes quickly turn into a "web" of thin, poorly ripening shoots. And one cannot hope for good fruiting: all that can be obtained from such a plant is small berries of poor quality, collected in underdeveloped brushes. In addition, neglected plants are more prone to disease, winter worse, it is difficult to cover them for the winter without damage.

For proper pruning of grapes, you need to know the biological characteristics of the plant well and imagine what this or that action will lead to. Incorrect pruning can lead to complete loss of the crop. But no matter how difficult it may seem, it is necessary to learn how to properly form a grape vine, because only such pruning will allow you to bring out the desired shape of the bush, maintain its condition for many years and get rich harvests of the highest quality.

Grape pruning and shaping methods

Even in ancient times, people paid attention to the fact that plants, the vines of which are eaten by animals, yield better quality crops compared to those that remained unharmed. Trying different ways and methods of pruning grapes, growers realized that in order to obtain the maximum quality of the crop, no more than 50% of the total annual growth should remain on the bushes. It happens that 90% of all shoots and even perennial wood are removed.

Depending on the age of the plants, the timing and the goals pursued, different types of pruning are distinguished. Pruning, aimed at creating the planned shape of the bush, is called forming. Regulating and stimulating fruiting - pruning for fruiting. Removal of diseased or damaged vines - sanitary pruning. Receptions held in the summer are green operations.

The basic rule for pruning and shaping grapes is to make sure that the plant is optimally loaded with shoots and fruits. To do this, some vines are cut out completely, while others are shortened.

Pruning vines can be carried out to different lengths. It depends on the ability of the variety to form fruitful shoots, the method of grape formation, and the winter hardiness of plants. With long pruning, more than 9 eyes are left on the shoot. For a culture in the Non-Black Earth region, this method of shaping grapes is justified if there is a danger of partial freezing of the buds. With an average pruning, 5-8 eyes are left, it is used for the vast majority of varieties, regardless of their formation and type of culture. With short pruning, 3-4 eyes are left on the shoot. This type of grape formation is used for varieties that can form fruitful shoots from the lowest eyes. There are relatively few of these varieties; among the winter-hardy ones, Agat Donskoy, Aleshenkin, Rusven and some others can be attributed to them.

In the process of how to form a grape bush on the links of fruiting, a mixed type of pruning is used. The fruiting shoot is most often shortened to an average length, fruit-bearing vines will grow from its eyes. And the replacement knot is shortened by 3 eyes, from the shoots formed over the summer, a new fruit link will be formed next year.

Methods for forming a grape bush and their description

There are methods of shaping grapes, in the description of which the name of the tool that is used to perform the work is never used. Do not be surprised - indeed, such methods do not require a knife or a pruner. We are talking about fixing the vines on the trellis, or garter.

Vine trellises are usually a wire support stretched between two poles. Support poles can be installed before planting. How to form grapes in this way? The wire is pulled in the second year before the start of the growing season. For support, you can also use metal or wooden gratings and other devices, as long as they are strong enough. The garter is carried out in spring and summer. In the spring, a dry garter is used - to fix perennial parts of the plant freed from winter shelter on supports; in the summer they use a green garter - for growing shoots. With the help of a garter, the bushes are given the desired shape, providing optimal conditions for growth and fruiting, as well as for the convenience of caring for plants.

As you can see in the photo, when forming grapes, fixing the vines in a horizontal or inclined position allows you to overcome the polarity:

Due to this, the awakening of the eyes and the growth of shoots occurs along the entire length of the vines, and not just in their upper part.

The formation of a grape bush depends on the chosen system of bush management, that is, on which supports the plant will be fixed, and what orientation of the branches in space is supposed to be. This, in turn, is determined by climatic conditions and winter hardiness of varieties.

Growing grapes is possible both on supports and without them. It is more expedient to grow grapes on supports, the best of which are various trellises. The unsupported method has some advantages: the grapes get good lighting, and there are no costs for installing and maintaining trellises. But still, it has more disadvantages, and the main ones are as follows:

• vines lying on the ground are more prone to fungal diseases, and carrying out protective measures in such conditions is difficult;
• harvesting is more laborious, and the berries themselves are heavily polluted;
• such cultivation requires fairly large areas, and is mainly suitable for low-growing varieties.

This video shows how to form grapes on a trellis and a garter:

Technique and timing when pruning grapes

For pruning grapes, the usual tools for every gardener are used: a pruner for working with young wood that has a small diameter, and a garden saw for durable perennial parts of the plant. The secateurs must be kept clean and perfectly sharpened.

When following the technique of pruning grapes, it is important to ensure that the cutting blade is on the side of the part of the plant that is left, and the supporting blade is on the side of the unwanted part to be removed. This will help avoid tissue damage near the cut.

The garden saw differs from the usual one in the special dilution of the teeth and their sharpening. This allows you to easily, without much effort to make neat cuts. Thanks to the special shape of the blade, the garden saw can remove branches even in inconvenient places. After removing the branch with a garden saw, the cut is corrected with a garden knife.

If it is necessary to shorten the one-year growth, then an oblique cut is made 2-4 cm above the node. The lower edge of the cut should be directed in the direction opposite to the eye. This is an important point, because if you do the opposite, the sap flowing from the cut can damage the eye. When removing perennial branches (sleeves), small, about 1 cm high, stumps are left. Annual growths must be removed at the very base, leaving not even very small stumps, but also without delving into perennial wood.

And when do grapes are pruned in the middle lane? In the conditions of the Non-Black Earth region, grapes are pruned twice. The first time the bushes are pruned in the fall, in the first half of October, just before the shelter of the plants for the winter. This cut is preliminary. When it is carried out, weak shoots are completely cut out, as well as coppice and spinning tops, unless, of course, they are needed to form new sleeves. Remove broken or diseased parts of the bush. The rest of the vines are only shortened, but their length should be 2.5-3 times longer than necessary for the final pruning. All stepchildren on them are cut off above the first knot. Pre-pruning makes it easier to shelter the bushes for the winter.

In the spring after the removal of shelters - the second term for pruning grapes: it can be done both before the leaves bloom and after. If this event is carried out early (in April), then the sap will actively flow from the slices. This phenomenon, called weeping, occurs due to the fact that the root system is already intensively working, but there are no leaves yet. When the leaves open, the weeping stops. Many growers believe that a strong current of apiary can lead to some weakening of the grape bush. However, these fears do not have significant evidence - the nutrient content in the apiary is negligible.

It is permissible to carry out pruning and shaping of grapes in May. At this time, the leaves are already blooming and you can accurately determine whether the plant overwintered well and how long the growth should be shortened so as not to be left without a crop and not to overload the plant. Thus, the period of spring pruning of grape vines largely depends on the winter hardiness of the variety.

Formation of a stem of grapes in the middle lane

It is easy to guess that pruning and shaping of grapes in the middle lane, as in other regions, is carried out during the growing season. Green operations are not auxiliary, their implementation is as necessary as pruning, top dressing or shelter for the winter. Summer work on the grape plant is aimed at preventing thickening of the bushes, giving the shoots the correct position, improving the quality of the crop and improving the maturation of the vines.

As shown in the photo, the formation of grapes in the summer begins with the removal of excess shoots:

The first time it is carried out when the young shoots reach a length of 5-10 cm. At the same time, shoots of twins and tees are removed - only one shoot should grow from each eye. Unnecessarily, it is not necessary to leave the shoots formed on the perennial part of the bush from dormant buds. The breaking of weak shoots is repeated after the appearance of all inflorescences. This time is easy to determine by the tendrils that appeared on the shoots above the inflorescences.

If a large number of inflorescences have formed, then some of them must be removed when forming a stem of grapes. This is true for varieties such as "Aleshenkin", "Beauty of the North" and some others. Weak and underdeveloped clusters should not be left - the quality of the crop will be higher.

Before cutting the grape vine, artificial pollination is carried out on plants of varieties with functionally female flowers: pollen is collected from plants with bisexual flowers of other varieties, and then applied with a brush to the desired inflorescences. Grapes are pollinated by wind, but not every year the weather conditions are conducive to getting a good harvest, so it's always better to play it safe and carry out artificial pollination.

Growing shoots are tied to the trellis as necessary. This technique is called the green garter. For good lighting, the distance between the shoots should be at least 10 cm. In no case should they be tied in armfuls.

When pruning grapes, beginners should not forget that the antennae must also be removed, since the plant spends a lot of plastic substances on them that could be used to form a crop. In addition, they interfere with proper shaping and make it difficult to remove the plant from its supports for shelter for the winter.

To improve the quality of berries, thinning of the lower leaves that shade the clusters is used. At the same time, ripening bunches receive more sunlight and the influx of assimilation products to them increases.

It is especially useful to carry out this operation in years with rainy summers - the risk of the spread of fungal diseases is reduced.

At the end of summer, the growth of shoots gradually stops. A decrease in growth processes is evidenced by the straightening of the tops of the shoots, bent down during the period of intensive growth. Around the same time, in mid-August, it is useful to carry out chasing - the removal of the upper growing part of the shoot.

On the one hand, this contributes to better ripening of the shoots, on the other hand, it has a positive effect on the yield. After all, for the growth of the vine in length, nutrients are also needed, therefore, when the growth point and developing leaves are removed, all assimilation products will go to the berries.

If the tops are removed during the formation of the grape vine in the early stages, this can provoke the rapid development of stepchildren, and in the later stages it is practically useless. The tops are removed above the 15-16th leaf, the shoots should not be cut too low - this will lead to weakening of the bushes.

See how the formation and pruning of grape vines is carried out in the video below:

Types of shaping grapes and a scheme for pruning bushes for beginners (with photo)

For many centuries of grape cultivation, a huge number of various formations have been developed.

The grape bush consists of perennial and annual parts. Since fruiting does not occur on perennial wood, its share in the volume of the entire vine should be small. It makes up the skeleton of a bush, represented by one or more sleeves, the length of which is limited. Since fruitful shoots are formed only on last year's growths, the main task is to renew them annually. At the same time, the number of increments and their length are determined by the type of formation and variety, but can also be adjusted for a particular plant.

Depending on the power of the bush, each plant must have a certain load. By load is meant the number of eyes on the bush, and therefore the number of shoots, and the size of the crop. If the load is small, then a large number of powerful top shoots with a thickness of more than 1.5 cm are formed on the bush. Such excessively growing shoots do not ripen well by winter and get sick more often. In this case, the load of the bushes should be increased, that is, when pruning, leave more eyes. With excessive load, the quality of the crop decreases (the berries become smaller, their taste becomes worse, underdeveloped clusters form), and the shoots become weak and thin. Therefore, the load of the bush must be reduced - to carry out a stronger pruning.

For the annual production of fruitful shoots and at the same time maintaining a certain volume and shape of the bush, fruit links are formed on the perennial parts of the plant. Using this type of shaping of a grape bush, in order to remove fruit links, the shoots formed directly on the sleeve are greatly shortened after wintering, so that 2 eyes remain on them - now they are called horns. At the beginning of summer, they make sure that only one shoot appears from each eye, which grows freely throughout the season. The next spring, the growths on the horn are shortened: a fruit arrow is formed from the top (medium and sometimes long pruning is used), and a replacement knot is used from the bottom (short pruning). All shoots formed on the fruit link grow freely, during the season they carry out the whole complex of green operations. Fruiting occurs on the fruit arrow, 2 barren shoots grow on the replacement knot. In the spring of the following year, the entire fruit shoot with the growths on it is cut off above the replacement knot, while capturing part of the three-year-old wood of the horn.

Look at the photo - with this type of shaping of grapes, a new fruit link is obtained from the increments formed on the replacement knot:

The upper growth will become a new fruit arrow, and the lower one will become a new replacement knot. This grape pruning scheme is repeated annually. If only one shoot suitable for further formation has formed on the replacement knot, a new fruit link can be derived using the lower increment on the old fruit arrow. In any case, it is important that the replacement knot is always at the base of the fruit link.

How to properly cut a vine and form a vine bush (with photo and video)

All existing forms can be divided into 6 groups: capitate, cup-shaped, standard, fan and semi-fan, cordon, combined. If you are a beginner, then before pruning grapes, you need to have a good idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat each of these shapes is.

Capitate - the simplest covering forms of crowns. They consist of a perennial overgrown part (head) and one or three fruit links located directly on it. This form is very easy to display and easy to cover for the winter. Such bushes begin to bear fruit earlier than others, and a small load allows you to get excellent yields of excellent quality. However, incomplete loading of the bushes often leads to the emergence of a large number of tops. As a result of the low position of the head, all cuts are close to the ground, which increases the risk of disease. In addition, a small amount of perennial wood quickly leads to a decline in plants. Despite the shortcomings, capitate forms are often used in small farms and in private gardens.

The derivation of the capitate form is based on the stemless version of the Guyot system. To form a grape bush in this way in the first year, as mentioned above, it is necessary to grow 2 strong shoots. In autumn they are slightly shortened, removed from the support and covered. In the second year, the shoots are cut short, leaving 3 eyes on them - these are the horns on which the fruit link will form. During the summer, 6 shoots are formed (all twins must be removed). They are covered for the winter. In the spring of the third year, pruning is carried out for fruiting: the upper vines - fruiting arrows - are shortened to an average length. The second vines - replacement knots - are cut short. Of the two lowest growths, one is removed, and the other is cut short and left for safety net (recovery knot), it is saved from year to year in case the bush needs to be restored. Having deduced the final form of the bush, it must be maintained throughout the life of the plant. Every year in the spring, the fruit links are cut according to the scheme already considered. When normal
Under the prevailing circumstances, fruiting begins from the third year after planting.

Watch a video on how to cut grapes in this way:

Cup-shaped bushes suggest the emergence of a rounded crown, consisting of three or more sleeves directed in different directions. Usually they are carried out according to the stake system, that is, instead of a trellis, stakes are installed in the right places, on which perennial parts of the bush are fixed. Such forms of bushes are difficult to cover for the winter, and in the conditions of the Non-Black Earth Region they, as a rule, are not used. Not suitable for the northern regions and the formation of bushes on high boles.

Fan and semi-fan crowns are widespread in viticulture. They consist of three or more sleeves located in the same plane. Usually leave an even number of sleeves. Fan forms differ from semi-fan in the direction of the sleeves. The latter have sleeves directed in one direction, which allows you to cover the bushes for the winter. And, of course, for the northern regions, the bushes are taken out without boles.

When breeding semi-fan type bushes in the first two years, the plants are grown in the same way as for breeding the capitate form.

These photos show how to prune grapes to get a true and half-fan crown:

In the spring of the third year, sleeves are formed: they choose the right number of vines, preferably three, directed in one direction, and cut them at a height of 40-60 cm, and closer to the center of the bush - shorter, further - longer. How to properly cut grapes to form sleeves? To do this, one vine is cut short, this is a restoration knot, the rest are completely removed. On the sleeves, 2 upper eyes are left, and all located below blind. During the summer, 2 shoots develop on each sleeve. They are shortened a little at the end of summer, and in autumn the bushes are untied from the supports and covered for the winter. In the spring of the fourth year, last year's growths are cut off for fruiting, forming one link of fruiting at the end of each sleeve. Thus, the first fruiting with this formation will occur in the fourth year.

The grape pruning video shows how the sleeves are formed:

If the plant is strong and begins to grow well in the first year, the onset of fruiting can be accelerated. In this case, in the second year, all overgrown vines are shortened at the desired height at the beginning of summer, and fruit links are formed from the formed stepchildren in the spring of the third year and the first harvest is obtained in the same year.

In the future, if the load of the bush is too low, the links can be formed with two fruit arrows. For this, replacement knots are cut one kidney longer. If it is necessary to replace the sleeve, coppice shoots are used.

Cordon forms, as a rule, provide for a rather high stem, but for the conditions of a covering culture, a stem can be formed quite small. In any case, it will not be very convenient to cover such a bush. Nevertheless, cordons have a huge number of modifications, allow you to optimally position the plant in space, and are simply indispensable for non-covering varieties located on pergolas, arches or walls of buildings and decorating them. Cordons are one- or two-arm, and may consist of four arms arranged in two tiers.

When breeding a two-shouldered cordon in the first year, the plant is grown as usual. In the second year, one vine is shortened at the height of the shoulders, but so that at least three eyes remain on it, if more remains, then the lower ones must be broken out. A recovery knot is formed from the second vine.

See photos of grape pruning for cordon forms:

Until the end of summer, the shoots grow freely, in the fall the bush is removed from the supports and covered for the winter. In the spring of the third year, 4-5 eyes are left on the top two vines. The resulting sleeves are fixed horizontally on the trellis. The third vine is removed. And how to cut the grapes if you need to form a second tier? To do this, the shoulders of the first tier are formed from two lower vines, and the uppermost vine is cut approximately at the height of the second tier (70-90 cm) and fixed vertically. On this vine, 3 upper eyes are left, and the rest are broken out. The next year, the second tier is formed in the same way as the first.

On the sleeves fixed horizontally along the entire length, shoots are formed, which, as they grow, are tied vertically on a trellis. Inflorescences may form on these shoots. It is better to remove them to form a stronger bush. If the variety is covering, it is closed for the winter as usual. In the spring of the fourth year, the plant is fixed in the desired shape, and all last year's growths on the sleeves are cut short, leaving 2 eyes each. During the summer, the plant grows freely, only green operations are carried out on it. In the spring of the fifth year, pruning for fruiting is carried out.

When forming a cordon, the longest period passes before the first fruiting. However, by this time the gardener gets a strong, well-developed plant. In addition, this is the most decorative form, and if the variety is not covering and serves as a garden decoration, then it is worth choosing it.

As you already understood from the description, photo and video of pruning and shaping grapes, the choice of form depends on many factors. In some cases, you can use a combined formation, which includes different techniques.

Vine root cut

During the growing season, in addition to green operations, cuts are carried out. It provides for work aimed at the formation of a deep root system. On young plants, rolling is carried out twice: in June and August, on fruit-bearing bushes - once, in spring. To cut the roots of grapes, carefully rake the soil around the plant to a depth of 15-20 cm and completely remove all the dew roots formed in this soil horizon with a pruner.

If in any year the cathartic was missed, then the next year, in order not to weaken the plant, the removal of dew roots is carried out in several steps. However, if the depth of the fertile layer is shallow or groundwater is close, it is necessary to remove the surface roots with caution, since at a greater depth the roots may be poorly developed.

​Related Articles​

How to form tomatoes in a greenhouse?

To get a high yield of tomatoes, we remove the leaves below the first ovary. When the next brush is formed, we again remove the leaves to this brush.

• This group includes the shortest varieties of tomatoes, and, as a rule, they do not require stepsoning. When growing such varieties, you must carefully read the recommendations of manufacturers on the formation of a tomato bush, which are given on the package of seeds.
• indeterminate;

How many stems will your greenhouse tomatoes have. Depending on the type of tomatoes and the area of ​​​​the greenhouse, you can form a bush in one, two or three stems.

1. 3-5 cm long

If you do not remove stepchildren, the price of such inaction is a huge amount of leaves, with a small harvest. That is why you should not give up pinching, you just need to clearly understand how to pinch tomatoes in a greenhouse correctly so that the plants get all the necessary nutrients and can please you with a good harvest. Let's take a closer look at how and when to pinch, as well as how to distinguish a stepchild from a leaf.

1. An indeterminate tomato is a plant with unlimited growth. It usually grows up to 2 meters or more in height. A determinate tomato grows to a certain height, on average 50-70 cm, sometimes even lower.

Regular application of nutrients due to the superficial root system;

1. On three stems.

Most varieties of tomatoes and eggplant need to form a bush to get a good harvest. From the axils of the leaves located on the main stem, numerous shoots - stepchildren - strive to grow. If they are not removed, the plants will turn into multi-stemmed bushes, and the fruits that have set will not have time to ripen and fall off.

The main rule that should be observed is that if all the fruits have not yet tied up in the brush, then most of the leaves should be intact above the brush, even if another brush is formed there. And vice versa - if all the tomatoes have already started in the brush, then you can safely remove all the leaves below this brush. At one time, you should not remove more than one or two leaves from the plant, so as not to provoke it to restore green mass to the detriment of fruit ripening. The leaves of tomatoes break off easily if done correctly - pressing the petiole at the base up along the stem. If you pull the leaf down, then often a long strip of skin from the stem stretches behind the torn off leaf, which harms the bush. We do this procedure in the morning on a sunny day, so that the wound dries up in a day.

First of all, the bushes of the most valuable varieties of tomatoes, as well as the most healthy plants, are pinched. All tomato bushes that have any spots, yellowing and other troubles, stepchild last.

Most often, it is on low-growing plants formed into one stem that tomatoes get an early harvest. For this you need:

semi-determinant;

. This is necessary so that the plant does not waste nutrients on their growth, and also so as not to unnecessarily injure the bush by removing large shoots.

How to form eggplant in a greenhouse?

• The formation of a tomato bush of indeterminate and determinant varieties occurs in different ways. An indeterminate plant must be formed in such a way that only one main stem remains. To do this, it will have to remove all stepchildren.
• good and timely watering;
• By analogy with the second method, you need to leave two stepchildren, who will have 2 brushes with fruits. The main stem will get a load of 3 fruit brushes.
• To grow tomatoes in protected ground does not give negative results, you need to follow a few rules. These recommendations are aimed at how to properly form a tomato bush in a greenhouse. All actions should be aimed at forming 5-6 brushes with fruits on the plant. This is done with the help of pinching. Because the formation of a tomato bush is to remove stepchildren.
• Tall varieties, in addition to removing stepchildren, you also need to pinch - remove the crown to stop growth, leaving 1-2 leaves above the topmost brush. In central Russia, they do this towards the end of July-beginning of August. That is, it is assumed that all further brushes still do not have time to form a crop. After such a pinching, when, in principle, we do not need to increase the vegetative mass, we can remove all the leaves, except for the top 3-4. something and a good prevention of tomato diseases.
• It is better to break out stepchildren, trying to prevent the plant juice from getting on your hands.

Remove all stepchildren.

determinant.

According to experts in the field of agriculture, the single-stem type of tomato bush formation is the most suitable for greenhouses. Experienced gardeners do not agree with them: in their opinion, the more stems the tomatoes have, the higher the yield of fruits can be obtained from each greenhouse bush.

Given the simplicity of this procedure, the answer to this question will be very simple: as soon as you saw stepchildren on a tomato bush. They are most actively formed after the first flower brushes appear on the bushes.

Tomato stabbing is the removal of all excess side shoots - stepchildren that grow from the axils of the leaves. It is necessary to carry out this procedure, since stepchildren take most of the nutrients that come from the roots to the aerial part of the tomato.

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Formation of a tomato bush: fewer stepchildren - a better harvest

On the package with determinant tomato seeds, they sometimes also write "non-stepchildren", thereby misleading people. Of course, such tomatoes will also perceive the formation of a bush positively. But stepchildren need to be removed not all. A determinate plant is formed into two or three stems. It is necessary, in addition to the central stem, to leave one or two lower stepchildren, respectively (the first is under the flower brush, the second is the strongest of the remaining ones), from which lateral stems will form in the future.

constant humidity, which is achieved by mulching row spacing;

An ideal tomato bush is 5-6 brushes with fruits and about three dozen leaves. Such a plant will enable all nutrients to be directed to the growth and ripening of tomatoes.

Rules for pinching tomato bushes:

When forming bushes in two stems, we leave the main shoot and stepson growing under the first flower brush. It is usually the most powerful.​

You can learn more about how to correctly pinch a tomato in a greenhouse from the video materials located here.

Leave 2-3 inflorescences, removing all the rest.

When forming a bush, all stepchildren are broken into one stem, as well as the so-called "twins" that form when the stem is bifurcated, but all flower brushes are left, including the lowest one.

The most difficult thing to do is pinching tomatoes in a greenhouse if you haven’t cut off stepsons for quite some time. The most difficult thing is to understand which of the large grown stems is the stepson and which is the real one.

The goals of stepchildren are:

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Stepping tomatoes in a greenhouse, why is it needed?

Stepchildren are removed as soon as they reach 7-10 cm in length. They need to be broken with the thumb and forefinger. And it is to break it out, and not cut it out with a knife or scissors. It is also impossible to pluck and pull out - after such pinching, the plant receives a wound that does not heal for a long time, open to a fungal infection. In general, the wounds from pinching remain in any case. In order for them to heal faster, the formation of a tomato bush should be carried out on a clear sunny morning.

And the mandatory formation of a plant.

To reduce the number of leaves on the plant, you need to gradually remove them. A few sheets a week is better. Otherwise, the tomatoes will be stressed and grow more slowly.

What is stepchildren?

Start pinching plants as soon as they go into intensive growth,

In the photo, the yellow arrow is the stepson, the white arrow is the flower brush. We immediately tie it up and follow the two trunks in the same way. All other stepchildren - above and below regularly, about once a week, break out.

Almost every gardener grows tomatoes on his plot. But not everyone manages to harvest a large crop, for someone the entire crop “goes into the tops”. To get a good crop of tomatoes (tomatoes), they must be correctly pinched.

1. After the last inflorescence, a few leaves are left and pinch the top - the growth point.
2. Each of these species has its own characteristics of formation and pinching. You can watch video materials on how to stepson tomatoes in a greenhouse.
3. Advice: you can determine the stepson by its location: they usually grow from under the first flower brush.

How to distinguish a stepson from a leaf?

Formation of a bush in the required number of stems: in one or several.

Having broken the stepson, in its place you need to leave a small stump 1-2 cm high. If this is not done and the shoot is completely broken, the stepson will again begin to form from the same place.

The plant is left with only one stem if it is weak or there is not enough space in the greenhouse. In this case, you need to leave one strong shoot, which must be tied to a wire or stick. The ovaries that the plant gives need to be thinned out, and the tops of the shoots with fruits are pinched. All newly appeared shoots and buds are immediately removed. How to stepson tomatoes in a greenhouse. Stepchildren are removed, leaving a small stump.

When should you stepchild?

If it is decided to leave three stems, we leave the stepson under the first flower brush and choose the most powerful of those located below, or the one that is located immediately or one above the inflorescence and grow them as additional stems, tying each to the supports. ​

Why stepson tomatoes and what are stepchildren, unfortunately, some gardeners do not know. Stepping is the removal (breaking out) of all unnecessary shoots - unnecessary stepchildren. What are stepchildren? Stepchildren in plants are all lateral shoots emerging from the axils of the leaves. In order not to confuse stepchildren with leaves, carefully look at the bush. The photo clearly shows what a stepson is.

Important: when forming semi-determinant and determinant varieties of tomatoes in one stem, with 3-4 flower tassels preserved, tomatoes on such bushes will appear a couple of weeks earlier.

These are varieties of tomatoes that do not have growth restrictions. Such varieties, as a rule, form in one stem. This is due to the fact that indeterminate plants tend to form many lateral processes.

When forming tomatoes in two stems, they leave not only the main stem, but also the first stepson, as a rule, the strongest and most actively developing. It is located directly under the very first flower brush of the bush. All other stepchildren are removed. This is clearly visible in the photo.

How to carry out the correct pinching

The most favorable time to spend staking tomatoes in a greenhouse, according to the video, is morning. It is at this time that they most easily break off. In addition, in a day the wound formed after breaking out the stepson will heal.

1. Get an earlier fruit harvest. (See How to set up beds for a good harvest) When a gardener starts to form a tomato bush, he must clearly distinguish between a stepson and a flower shoot. Some unknowingly break out flower shoots instead of young shoots, thereby naturally reducing the yield of tomatoes. Although there is a significant and clearly visible difference between them. The stepson always has leaves, even when he is still very small. There is not a single leaf on the flower tassel. A strong plant with enough space in the greenhouse is given the opportunity to grow into several branches, and this will be the correct formation of an eggplant bush.
2. In order to get high yields to grow large tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to properly form a stem near a tomato bush.

Several methods are used to carry out activities aimed at the formation of a tomato bush.

Formation of a bush in one stem

It is possible to remove all stepchildren up to 3-4 brushes on determinant and semi-determinant varieties, then leave one most powerful stepchild.

Stepchildren do not grow on a bare stem. First, a leaf grows, and only then from the leaf axil (between the leaf and the main stem) an shoot appears - a stepson that is constantly growing. New leaves and “their own” stepchildren of the 2nd order appear on it. Thus, the bush begins to branch. Stepchildren must be removed in a timely manner when they reach a length of 5-7 cm. Experts advise not to cut them off, but to break them off with your fingers, directing them to the side, leaving a 2-3 mm stump to prevent a new stepson from growing in this place. something better to do in the morning. when stepsons break off easily. If the optimal timing is missed and the new stepson has outgrown, then it should still be removed, since the plant will spend juices on it. Stepchildren should be from the first appearance of stepchildren after planting the bush in the ground until August itself, if you miss the time, everything will go into the leaf mass and there will be few fruits.

Formation in two stems

In conclusion, a small instruction on the general rules for pinching tomatoes grown in a greenhouse:

To form a tomato bush in one stem, it is necessary to remove all stepchildren. It is advisable to leave a “stump” at the site of the remote shoot, about 1 cm high. This contributes to the slower formation of new shoots. On such a tall plant, as a rule, about 10 flower shoots are left, removing all the rest.

Formation in three stems

To get three stems on one bush, tomatoes need:

1. Important: in order to prevent the spread of various viral diseases from one plant to another, the stepson must be broken out, trying to prevent the juice from getting on your hands.
2. Lengthening the fruiting period of tomato bushes.
3. In addition to pinching, the formation of a tomato bush in a greenhouse also includes pinching, i.e. removal of the growing point on the saved shoots. This is done in the first half of August.​

Peculiarities of pinching different types

In order to grow a compact eggplant bush with well-developed side shoots, it is necessary to remove the top of the main stem. This is best done when the plant has grown to about 25-30 cm. Bushes with a pinched top begin to branch quickly. Of all the shoots that have appeared, it is most reasonable to leave only 4-5 upper branches (stepsons), and remove the rest. On the left shoots, a crop will form. At the same time, 16-20 fruits are left on eggplant plants. The plant may not be pinched, but it is necessary to remove the extra stepchildren.

• It is only necessary to form tomato bushes in 1 stem - the main stem goes up, and it is also tied up. The leaves of the plant, also on the main stem, and then flower brushes will grow on it, which then turn into fruit brushes. And there should not be a single stepson (additional stem). It is especially scary when stepchildren come out of the ground, next to the main stem. These are wild stepchildren, they need to be removed. Therefore, after the formation of a tomato bush, you should have a stem, leaves and subsequently flower brushes on it. Nothing more.​
• On one stem.
• Leaving more stems on one plant is not rational. Since tall tomatoes are practically unlimited in growth, it will be difficult for the roots to “feed” more than three stems. - something will affect the size and quality of the fruit. If the harvest is important to you, then in no case should you thicken the plantings. The plant can fully grow only in bright light. And in thickened plantings there is less light, so the plant is not able to fully bear fruit. With a large number of fruits on the bush (without pinching), their ripening is greatly delayed. That is why many do not wait for the ripened crop, and the tomatoes ripen already in the plucked form. In the thickened bush, favorable conditions are created for the most pernicious nightshade disease - late blight. The bush must necessarily and very well ventilated.

Before pinching tomatoes, first of all you need to decide for yourself how you will form a bush. Indeterminate varieties, with unlimited growth, up to 2 meters or more are grown, as a rule, in one stem, determinant, semi-derminant (low) - in 2-3. You can decide on the variety by reading the information on the package with seeds. On a bush in one stem, the fruits will ripen faster, since less energy will be spent on the development of green mass in the plant. Of course, they must be either tied up on a trellis or on a support.

Stepping tomatoes only in the morning, in sunny and dry weather. When stepchildren are removed at this time, the wounds heal well and the plant does not get sick. If you have to remove stepchildren in wet weather with high humidity, then the tool that will be removed must be disinfected with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate after working with each plant.

Indeterminate varieties

If the size of your greenhouse allows, then you can form such bushes in two stems. (See Polycarbonate greenhouse dimensions) To do this, leave the first or second stepson, after which the bush is hilled and mulched. On the second stem, you can leave 4-5 flower brushes, be sure to remove all side and basal shoots.

We leave the stepson located under the first flower brush.

Before proceeding with the removal of all unnecessary shoots, you need to decide on the following:

Semi-determinant varieties

​Obtaining more high-quality fruits per unit of greenhouse area.​

A good prevention against fungal diseases of tomatoes will also be the removal of their lowest leaves touching the ground. This should be done with all leaves growing on the stem in the "30 cm zone", starting from the surface of the soil.

Removed stepchildren can be laid in a compost heap in the country or they can be mulched with soil on berry beds or under fruit and berry bushes, blackcurrant will especially appreciate this.

Determinant varieties

Formation of a low-growing tomato bush: Low-growing tomato varieties do not need pinching and pruning. Tall tomatoes of indeterminate and hybrid varieties are prone to rapid growth. It is low-growing tomato varieties that are recommended for growing in greenhouses for more efficient use of the area of ​​protected ground.​

In this technique, it is supposed to remove all stepchildren from the main stem so as to leave 5-6 brushes with fruits on it. Behind the brushes with future fruits, you need to leave a few leaves. This is necessary for the proper circulation of juice in the stems of the plant.

1. 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.
2. When forming bushes in one stem, we leave only one main stem, we remove almost all stepchildren. When forming determinant varieties in 1 stem, it is better not to touch the uppermost stepson, just in case. It happens that the bush ends early, the main stem stops growing, then there is a spare stepson, on which ovaries and fruits will also develop.
3. It is necessary to pinch greenhouse tomatoes weekly, it can be combined with the removal of leaves.

Semi-determinant tomatoes can grow up to 180cm. If the plants are not planted very densely, then they can be formed both in two and in three stems.

We find and leave another strong and well-developed stepson. Usually it is located directly under the first stepson.

In the photo, red marks indicate stepchildren that need to be removed.

Instructions for pinching and pinching tomatoes.

Tomatoes are a common vegetable that grows in many southern latitudes. It's no secret that it is in warm regions that tomatoes ripen very quickly and their huge harvest is observed. But in the northern latitudes there is not such a large amount of light and heat, so it is necessary to take care of the tomatoes correctly in order to get a decent result. Otherwise, the bushes will not have enough time, light and heat to produce a large number of good quality fruits.

When do you need to form tomatoes?

It is worth noting that in order to get a good crop of tomatoes, it is necessary to form them. Formation refers to pinching and pinching bushes. All these manipulations are necessary in order to develop a special agricultural technique that will allow you to get a huge harvest without loss.

It is worth noting that in almost all southern latitudes, tomatoes grow quite well and ripen quickly. This is due to the optimal temperature regime, and humidity and light. In the northern regions, due to low temperatures, the ripening time of tomatoes is lengthened. This is caused by low temperature and possibly high moisture content. In such conditions, it is necessary to accelerate the ripening of fruits. It is for this that it is used in the formation of a bush. That is, pinching it and pinching it.

In many southern latitudes, tomatoes are considered not annuals, but perennials. In our latitudes, things happen a little differently, because the temperature is not the most optimal for the growth of this crop. Therefore, if the tomato is allowed to grow as it wants, with a large number of side shoots and stems, then the root system will not have enough strength to provide the tomatoes with useful substances and for the fruit to ripen. Forces will be expended mainly on the growth of shoots and leaves, and not on the formation, ripening of fruits. It is for this purpose that the formation of bushes is carried out.

Gardeners have several options and ways to form a tomato bush. It all depends on whether they grow outdoors or in a greenhouse. It is worth noting that the first pinching, that is, the formation, is carried out 10-12 days after planting the seedlings. In this case, the uppermost part is plucked off. After that, again after 10-12 days, the next pinching is carried out. In this case, the main stem and shoot are already determined. Based on its definition, pinching and pinching is carried out.

How to properly form tall tomato bushes in a greenhouse and open field: schemes, recommendations

The formation of a bush depends on which variety the tomatoes belong to.

• Early ripe. If you grow early-ripening varieties, then in principle they ripen quite quickly and most often it is very convenient to care for such tomatoes. There is no need to remove side branches, because the fruits ripen very quickly. In this case, the tomatoes practically do not need to be looked after and you will spend a minimum of time pinching off the side branches. Because the fruits themselves ripen very quickly and nutrients in a small amount are spent on the growth of lateral branches.
• Tall bushes. Most often, they are recommended to be left with one stem, that is, approximately all lateral additional stems are removed. This is done approximately once a week. It is necessary in order to increase the amount of harvest and speed up the ripening process.
• Medium bushes. On medium bushes, there is no need to grow in one stem, you can leave three. That is, to create a real bush with side shoots. The main side shoots should be 3. Additional branches and stepchildren are removed. It is carried out according to the main scheme.

That is, tall bushes are most often grown in one stem. This is especially true for greenhouses. This method is very convenient for growing in greenhouses. In this way, it is possible to achieve a huge harvest of tomatoes. All nutrients are spent on the main stem and on the brushes with the fruits that develop on them. The root system does not work for side shoots, because they are removed every 10-12 days. Only one stem remains.

How to properly form low tomato bushes in a greenhouse and open field: diagrams, recommendations

Standard varieties are low grades. This is a variety of determinant varieties that are distinguished by a short and very strong stem. At the same time, the leaves are similar to the crown of a tree. Such varieties are very easy to care for and do not require any formation or pinching. That is, there is no need to remove the side branches, because the variety itself does not give side shoots, but only the main lush crown is formed at the top of the bush.

Sometimes pinching is carried out in 3 trunks. It turns out a lush bush.

How to properly form a tomato bush in 1 trunk: diagram, description

Forming into one tomato stem is a common technique used in growing tomatoes in greenhouses and outdoors. This applies to determinant varieties. The method of forming a bush is quite simple.

Instruction:

• After you planted the seedlings in the ground, after 10-12 days you will see side shoots that need to be pinched. That is, absolutely all side leaves must be removed.
• Only one main trunk remains, it is on it that brushes and new fruits will form. After you see a huge amount of fruits closer to autumn, you will need to pinch the top.
• In this way, you will make it clear to the plant that its growth is over and it is necessary to speed up the process of ripening of the fruits themselves.

The method of forming into one trunk is quite common and many of us could observe it. Most often, experienced gardeners can see in the beds just such a way of forming bushes. It turns out that one trunk sticks out, there is a huge amount of fruit on it. And there are practically no leaves and shoots. This method allows you to speed up ripening and is ideal for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse.

How to properly form a tomato bush in 2 trunks: diagram, description

The double-stem method is ideal for determinants that do not grow very well. The number of brushes on the tops is limited, so you can increase the number of fruits by increasing the number of main stems.

Instruction:

• In this case, the formation is carried out in two stems. To do this, after the appearance of each additional shoot, they wait for two leaves to appear.
• The stepson is removed, in exactly the same way, all side branches are removed. As a result, a decent number of branches is obtained on the stem, from which 2 stems depart.
• This method helps to speed up the process of fruit ripening, as well as increase their number. The method is ideal for growing outdoors.

How to properly form a tomato bush in 3 trunks: diagram, description

Gardeners also use the principle of forming bushes in three trunks. The method itself is based on getting three trunks from a huge bush, on which cysts with fruits will form. It is carried out according to a certain scheme, in which stepchildren are removed after two. That is, 2 is not removed, after that one is removed, a very lush bush is obtained. Below is a diagram of the formation of a bush in three trunks.

Tomatoes Dubrava, Cherry, Bull's heart: how best to form a bush?

The method of forming a bush is selected depending on the variety and yield of tomatoes. If we talk about certain varieties, then oak brava or Oak refers to the early maturing. Therefore, it ripens quickly enough, respectively, in order to form a bush, it is necessary to choose a method in two or three trunks. Also, many summer residents note that it is possible not to pinch and form a bush at all. Since it is undersized and early ripening. Therefore, tomatoes in any case will have time to ripen, even with a large number on the brushes. The most interesting thing is that this variety is ideal for beginners and gardeners with no experience, who still do not quite know how to stepchild and form bushes correctly.

Cherry differ in the small size of the fruit and are very often used in salads.

Growing features:

• It is worth noting that the culture grows very quickly and is characterized by the development of a huge number of lateral branches. That is, the tomatoes are very bushy. If you let everything take its course, you can get a tomato jungle with a minimum number of fruits.
• Therefore, it is necessary to pinch and pinch this culture almost every week. The bush is formed in 2 or 3 trunks. In this case, absolutely all lateral and lower leaves are removed.
• By mid-September, the upper branch may ripen quite slowly. If you notice that it is starting to get colder, then the upper brush, along with green fruits, must be completely removed. This will speed up the ripening of the other two side stems and the fruits on them.
• At the same time, green tomatoes must be folded into boxes, they will ripen directly in them.

Tomatoes Dubrava

How many trunks is better to form tomatoes: tips

The principles of the formation of bushes, as well as the choice of the number of main trunks, depend on the variety. If these are early ripe varieties, then in principle there is no need to bother with them. Since the fruits will have time to ripen quickly enough. Accordingly, the formation can be carried out in 2 or 3 trunks. Since tomatoes ripen quite quickly.

If these are late-ripening varieties or varieties that grow in greenhouses, then it is best to leave one main stem. Because such tomatoes ripen for a long time and it is necessary to provide an influx of necessary substances into green fruits and accelerate their ripening. It should be noted that mostly hybrid varieties are grown in one stem, as well as indeterminate ones.

How to pinch the tops of tomatoes, stepson: tips

Pinching is the removal of the top itself, it is carried out mainly in order to let the bush know that it is necessary to stop the process of formation of stems and side leaves, as well as stepchildren. Thus, the growth of the bush itself in height stops and all forces go away so that the fruits ripen as quickly as possible.

Instruction:

• Pasynkovanie and pinching is carried out early in the morning on a sunny day. It is necessary to do this so that by the end of the day the place from which you remove the branch has time to dry out, the infection does not get inside.
• Many gardeners recommend treating the cut site with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Pinching and pinching can be done with fingers or secateurs. Who is more comfortable.
• The process itself is carried out every 10-12 days, some varieties need to be pinched every week. These include Cherry tomatoes, which are very bushy, give a large number of side shoots.

What happens if the tomatoes are not formed?

Many gardeners are wondering what will happen if you do not form bushes, do not pinch. It all depends on which bush you planted. If these are undersized, early-ripening bushes, then in principle you will get a more or less decent harvest. Initially, there is no great need for pinching and shaping such bushes. Because they give a small amount of side shoots and branches.

But if you grow plants that are very bushy, then in this case you will get an impenetrable jungle of tomatoes with very few fruits. This is due to the fact that all the forces will be spent on the growth of side shoots, stems and leaves. As well as their food. At the same time, nutrients will not be enough to feed the fruits themselves and the development of brushes. Therefore, you risk getting a weak harvest, or you will get a large number of green tomatoes that will not have time to ripen on the branches.

As you can see, growing tomatoes is not at all easy, because in addition to watering, tying up and fertilizing, you need to regularly pinch and pinch the bushes. This contributes to the good development of the bush, as well as obtaining a huge crop of tomatoes.

VIDEO: Stepping tomatoes

It's time to start trimming ornamental shrubs. The work is not as simple as it seems at first glance, and requires an understanding of the biology of plants, the characteristics of their growth.

Jasmine (mock orange)

Do not pick up a pruner without a clear understanding of the purpose of the pruning. And the goals are different ...

1. Sanitary pruning, or cleaning. We remove all dry, broken, diseased and damaged branches.
2. Formative, or structural pruning. Let's look at the bush from the side and imagine the image of the plant, which we will strive for for several years. Having determined the optimal shape of the bush, we remove all unnecessary, cut out intersecting, shading each other or branches growing towards the center.
3. Anti-aging, or deep cut. Once every three years, we cut out part of the old branches to the base.
4. radical pruning, or "stump landing". Every year in early April, we cut the entire bush into a short stump.

The timing of pruning depends on the type of pruning and the characteristics of the growth of shrubs.

• Early spring. Pruning, which is carried out from the end of frost to bud break, coincides with the natural rhythms of plant life and therefore stimulates the powerful growth of shoots.
• Early summer. After the completion of active sap flow, at the beginning of shoot growth, spring-flowering shrubs and vines are cut.
• Summer pruning. Until August, branches are selectively removed to restrain vegetative growth.

Trimming technique

The cut should be smooth, without damage to the cortex and cambium, which will “tighten” the wound. Thin branches (up to a centimeter in diameter) are removed with a pruner, thicker ones with a garden file or a lopper. Shortening the branches, make a "cut on the kidney."

Slices are immediately covered with garden pitch or sealed with adhesive tape. Sections with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm can be left untreated.

The need for pruning various shrubs

Features of pruning a shrub depend on the characteristics of its growth. Conventionally, shrubs can be divided into several groups.

First cropping group

These are deciduous shrubs that bloom in spring and early summer. They always form new shoots in the lower part of the bush or in the middle of last year's branches, and flower buds - on last year's growths.

Shrubs of this group are pruned immediately after flowering. Sanitary pruning is applied to them in the spring and maintenance pruning (once every three years) in the spring after flowering, while about half of all old branches are completely removed. If the bush has not been trimmed for a long time, try to rejuvenate it by cutting it almost to the base.

This group includes tall spring-flowering spirea(sharp-toothed, Thunberg, Wangutta, crenate, oak-leaved, nippon, gray, or ashy), forsythia, mock orange(garden jasmine) action, weigela, Japanese kerria, ornamental currant, tree peony and other early flowering shrubs.

Most of them age quickly: noticeably fewer flowers form on old branches, the branches become bare and the bush loses its decorative effect.

Kerria Japanese.

Japanese kerria, often freezing in winter, you can cut it all short, it has time to grow up to a meter in a season and even bloom. The resulting bushes have a neater shape than the old ones falling apart. Particularly interesting are the variegated forms of kerria planted on a stump.

Weigela Red Prince.

Weigel theoretically, it is impossible to prune strongly (it will not bloom). But weigels have a fairly high shoot-forming ability, so frozen plants can be safely cut “under zero”: by autumn they even bloom with a few flowers.

Forsythia European.

forsythia, in which the most flowers are formed on three-year-old branches, they do not touch without urgent need, they only carry out sanitary pruning.

Second trim group

This group includes deciduous shrubs that bloom in mid-summer and autumn, in which flowers form on the shoots of the current year: buddleya, summer-flowering spireas(Japanese, Douglas, white-flowered, loose-leaved), hydrangea paniculata, hydrangea tree, cinquefoil shrub.

In order to preserve the compact beautiful shape of these shrubs, last year's annual shoots are radically cut in early spring - into a short stump 10-15 cm high. Thin weak branches are cut to the base. Withered inflorescences are also cut off, but in hydrangeas, inflorescences that retain their decorative effect until the end of the season are not touched.

Hydrangea

Annually pruned Japanese spireas form dense, profusely flowering, bright plants.

This group also includes deciduous shrubs: caryopteris, lavatera, lavender, fragrant rue. The shoots of these plants are woody only in the lower part, and the upper part, as a rule, freezes over in winter.

They are cut not early in the spring, but a little later, when the buds wake up in the lower part of the bush and you can see how much to shorten the stems.

Third cropping group

This group includes deciduous ornamental deciduous shrubs (white derain, different types of elderberry).

Deren differs not only in beautiful leaves, but also in very bright red or cherry bark. But this happens only on young shoots, with age the bark turns gray, the leaves become smaller.

Always bright branches can be achieved only by annual or every two years "landing on a stump", that is, by early spring short pruning (stumps of 10-15 cm are usually left). Do not be afraid to do this: the turf grows over the season.

Almost all species need strong pruning in the spring. elderberry. In addition, elderberry varieties freeze heavily in black winter. Elderberry, after pruning, grows quickly and appears in all its glory of its large carved leaves.
Tamarix and Myricaria also freeze. But they are severely pruned every year even in countries with a mild climate (so as not to stretch). After pruning, the shoots of plants grow by 1-1.5 m and look wonderful, surprising with delicacy.

Fourth trim group

It includes all shrubs that do not form regularly replacing shoots at the base of the bush. Shrubs that produce new shoots only from the apical and upper lateral buds along the periphery of the crown bloom and remain viable even without maintenance pruning. Older branches are not superfluous here - they form the crown.

All types of hawthorn, shadberry, lilac, deciduous euonymus, cotoneaster, viburnum, tannery, ornamental varieties of cherries, plums and apple trees, bushy maples need only sanitary pruning and thinning of the crown.

More than others needs special pruning lilac. Without pruning, flowering becomes scarce, growths and inflorescences become smaller.

Lilac flower buds are located at the tops of last year's growths located in the upper part of the crown, so they cannot be shortened. In a well-developed bush, you can remove some of the shoots with flower buds, leaving the strongest and most well-located, then the remaining inflorescences will be larger. For the same purpose, all weak and inward-growing crowns, intersecting, competing shoots are cut into a ring.

Pruned lilacs in the spring, before the start of sap flow. Before setting the seeds, faded panicles are removed, trying not to damage the nearby shoots with leaves on which new flower buds are laid.

Fifth trim group

This group includes evergreen shrubs and creeping forms (rhododendrons, evergreen species of viburnum and cotoneaster, laurel cherry, dwarf forms of willow and gorse). Due to uniform growth along the perimeter of the crown, they form a strong beautiful bush without pruning. Only diseased or frozen shoots are removed on them in the spring.

Subtleties of cropping

• Branches with long internodes are shortened a few millimeters above the outward bud. This applies to bush maples, hydrangeas, weigels, as well as shrubs with hollow shoots (forsythia, elderberry, some honeysuckle).
• The vitality and splendor of flowering of very many ornamental shrubs is stimulated by pruning, or maintenance, when, by removing old branches, they make room for younger and stronger shoots. Shrubs that have been neglected or have been improperly pruned for years can be put in order with the help of rejuvenating pruning.
• Pay attention to the natural shape of shrubs. It is hardly possible to keep a bush small for a long time or make it grow in an unnatural way without harming the flowering. With maintenance pruning, try to preserve the natural appearance of the plant, and not cut all the branches "one size fits all". Start pruning from the bottom of the bush, moving up. This will save you from double work, as thinner branches are removed at once with the whole branch.
• In most cases, the dying off of old shoots in shrubs is a natural process and should not cause particular concern.

To understand at what interval to cut out old shoots to rejuvenate a bush, you need to know the life expectancy of one shoot: in spring-flowering spirea and cinquefoil shrub -3-5; in mock oranges, wild roses, weigels, barberries - 5-10 years.

Shoots of tall shrubs (lilac, hawthorn) live much longer. Old branches are identified by weak side branches with many short growths.

Ornamental vines are pruned after the leaves bloom in late spring or summer. Early spring pruning is dangerous due to strong sap flow. More often, only dry and unsuccessfully located shoots are cut out.