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Greenhouse Plant Training Remove Shoots Between Leaf Petioles

Plants should be trained as single (main) stems by removing all side shoots or suckers that develop between leaf petioles and the stems. Remove shoots by snapping them off, not cutting, as diseases can be transmitted on the knife blade. Vines can be supported by plastic or binder twine loosely anchored around the base of the plants (non-slip loop) and to overhead support wires (11- to 12-gauge) running the length of the row. Overhead wires should be at least 7 feet above the surface of the bed and be firmly anchored to support structures.

Twine should be wrapped clockwise around the vine as it develops, with one complete swirl every three leaves. The vine should be supported by the twine under the leaves, not the stems of the fruit clusters. Also wrap twine in the same direction, using clips or tape to keep vines from slipping down the twine. Do not try to wrap the twine around the growing tip because the tip may break.

When plants reach overhead supporting wires, untie the twine and lower vines and twine at least 3 feet. After lowering, vines should all lean in one direction in one row. Vines in adjacent rows should lean in the opposite direction. Retie twine with the vines to the support wire. Be sure to leave at least 4-5 feet of extra twine for this purpose when initially tying vines. Remove any leaves that lie on the soil.

About 40-45 days before terminating harvest, plants can be "topped" by pinching out the terminal growing tip. Keep two leaves above the top flower cluster. Topping vines will force remaining food reserves into maturing fruit already present on the vines. Continue to remove any suckers that develop.

As fruit mature on the lower part of the vine, pinch off older leaves below the fruit. This will provide better air circulation, which helps to reduce the incidence of disease and opens vines up for spraying and harvesting.

Growers should remove any deformed, immature fruit which will ultimately become culls. Removing excess fruit also will result in larger tomatoes at harvest that can be sold at a premium price.

Common Misspellings include allready alreayd, aready alsot, aslo adn, anbd aroud, arround, arund baceause, beacuse, becasue, beccause, becouse, becuase bedore, befoer, befor betwen, bewteen inbetween, vetween bu circulaton develope desease, desease eveyr feat, fet, fete fomr, frome guage initally, intially inot knive lief leanr lenght nto, onot oposite perphas remaing runing, runnung smae shoudl, shoudln, sould sould wupport surfce taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe htis, thsi, tihs threee tomatos twpo ultimely useing wehn, whn hwihc, whcih, whic, whihc, whlch, wich iwll, wille, wiull
 Gardening Tips  Garden Tools  Spring Planting  Organic Gardening  The Western Garden Book  Solar Greenhouse Basic Construction  Now on to Keeping Heat constant  Solar Greenhouse Covering  VEGETABLE GROWING IN THE SOLAR GREENHOUSE  Root Cellar Storage  Poisonous Plants  Greenhouse Location  Greenhouse Construction  Greenhouse Temperature Control  Greenhouse Soil or Hydroponic Culture  Carbon Dioxide and Pest Management  Greenhouse Tomato Planting  Greenhouse Plant Training  Green House Carbon Dioxide Enhancement  Greenhouse Integrated Pest Management  Green House Diseases  Green House Insects 

 Gardening Tips  Garden Tools  Spring Planting  Organic Gardening  Links 

Greenhouse Plant Training Remove Shoots Between Leaf Petioles

Plants should be trained as single (main) stems by removing all side shoots or suckers that develop between leaf petioles and the stems. Remove shoots by snapping them off, not cutting, as diseases can be transmitted on the knife blade. Vines can be supported by plastic or binder twine loosely anchored around the base of the plants (non-slip loop) and to overhead support wires (11- to 12-gauge) running the length of the row. Overhead wires should be at least 7 feet above the surface of the bed and be firmly anchored to support structures.

Twine should be wrapped clockwise around the vine as it develops, with one complete swirl every three leaves. The vine should be supported by the twine under the leaves, not the stems of the fruit clusters. Also wrap twine in the same direction, using clips or tape to keep vines from slipping down the twine. Do not try to wrap the twine around the growing tip because the tip may break.

When plants reach overhead supporting wires, untie the twine and lower vines and twine at least 3 feet. After lowering, vines should all lean in one direction in one row. Vines in adjacent rows should lean in the opposite direction. Retie twine with the vines to the support wire. Be sure to leave at least 4-5 feet of extra twine for this purpose when initially tying vines. Remove any leaves that lie on the soil.

About 40-45 days before terminating harvest, plants can be "topped" by pinching out the terminal growing tip. Keep two leaves above the top flower cluster. Topping vines will force remaining food reserves into maturing fruit already present on the vines. Continue to remove any suckers that develop.

As fruit mature on the lower part of the vine, pinch off older leaves below the fruit. This will provide better air circulation, which helps to reduce the incidence of disease and opens vines up for spraying and harvesting.

Growers should remove any deformed, immature fruit which will ultimately become culls. Removing excess fruit also will result in larger tomatoes at harvest that can be sold at a premium price.

Common Misspellings include allready alreayd, aready alsot, aslo adn, anbd aroud, arround, arund baceause, beacuse, becasue, beccause, becouse, becuase bedore, befoer, befor betwen, bewteen inbetween, vetween bu circulaton develope desease, desease eveyr feat, fet, fete fomr, frome guage initally, intially inot knive lief leanr lenght nto, onot oposite perphas remaing runing, runnung smae shoudl, shoudln, sould sould wupport surfce taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe htis, thsi, tihs threee tomatos twpo ultimely useing wehn, whn hwihc, whcih, whic, whihc, whlch, wich iwll, wille, wiull
 Gardening Tips  Garden Tools  Spring Planting  Organic Gardening  The Western Garden Book  Solar Greenhouse Basic Construction  Now on to Keeping Heat constant  Solar Greenhouse Covering  VEGETABLE GROWING IN THE SOLAR GREENHOUSE  Root Cellar Storage  Poisonous Plants  Greenhouse Location  Greenhouse Construction  Greenhouse Temperature Control  Greenhouse Soil or Hydroponic Culture  Carbon Dioxide and Pest Management  Greenhouse Tomato Planting  Greenhouse Plant Training  Green House Carbon Dioxide Enhancement  Greenhouse Integrated Pest Management  Green House Diseases  Green House Insects