KEYS TO HAVING A TOMATO PLANT IN ITS MAXIMUM SPLENDOR

The cultivation of tomato is one of the major players in the garden. Leaving aside some vegetables that are also very important, when we talk about a garden, one of the first vegetables that comes to mind is the tomato. Therefore, it is important to know how to take care of them through these tips. Let’s look at some forgotten tasks in tomato cultivation.

To catch up with tomato cultivation we have prepared two articles that are closely related to it. One is tomato cultivation , where we discuss the main characteristics of its cultivation (climate, soil, irrigation, fertilizer, pests, etc.). Also another important issue is knowing how to choose the best variety. We can know that with the article on the varieties of tomatoes.

Since we are taking shape with the article now we are going to know some tasks to better (even more if possible) our tomato plant. Tomato cultivation is an arduous and laborious task but from which great results are obtained.

PRUNING THE TOMATO PLANT

As we already mentioned in pepper pruning , herbaceous plants also need maintenance pruning from time to time. With this we manage to improve the general condition of the plant and collect fruits of better quality and size.

FORMATION PRUNING IN TOMATO CULTIVATION

Said pruning when we take care of our tomato plant begins when lateral stems begin to sprout, which we will eliminate. We must also do without sick or old leaves , or those that are close to the ground (even if they are healthy and young). In this way we facilitate the hilling technique , avoid the spread of certain diseases and improve the aeration of the main stem.

BLUNT

With the topping or deburring  what we are looking for is to give greater importance (greater contribution of nutrients) to the main stem, to the detriment of the secondary ones. It is usually done in the summer with a frequency of once a week (more spaced in winter).

EYE! The material with which we are going to make the cuts is very important. It must be disinfected or at least be sure (although we cannot know it) that there are no viruses , bacteria or fungi in the cutting materials . If so, we are spreading disease and leading our garden to disaster.

IF OUR TOMATO PLANT HAS TOO MANY LEAVES …

If you have followed the advice of growing tomatoes and the plant is strong and vigorous, it is possible that the density of the tomato plant is excessive. With this, we are presented with problems of aeration, homogeneous maturation and the possibility of certain pests or diseases being installed. We must defoliate.

This technique is carried out in the following way. We must eliminate leaves that overlap or are very close together and those that are very close to the fruits, preventing the homogeneous entry of light throughout the fruit. On the other hand, we have to tell you not to be generous with such an operation . The leaves of the tomato plant are quite large and an excessive elimination of these parts can lead to a decrease in photosynthetic assimilation, in addition to exposing the fruits to direct sunlight.

Don’t remove more than 3-4 sheets at a time. That is, one day you find 2 or 3 sheets that you don’t like and remove them, another day others. Without reducing the density excessively.

 THE IMPORTANCE OF STAKING IN TOMATO CULTIVATION

Many times we discussed the entutorado in certain crops that require it . One of them (perhaps the most) is the tomato.

There are several techniques to guide the tomato plant , as you can see in the previous image. Raffia threads or wires are usually used, depending on the system. With this technique we manage to improve aeration, guide the growth of the tomato and facilitate harvesting.

WEEDING OR ELIMINATION OF WEEDS

Unfortunately, the tomato plant is a very sensitive crop to pests and diseases. For this reason, it is important to eliminate any possible attraction of insects or plants that carry viruses or diseases. We do not want weeds in our garden. The best system is manual weeding. We take our hoe and little by little we eliminate it. If we do it frequently, at the end of the day we will not have to work much. Chemical weeding is much more effective but here the use of pesticides and organic crops come into play. Each one to analyze how they want to grow their garden . In our opinion, since you have a small and family garden, that is ecological.