Tired of having the same yield over and over? Well, did you know that you can enhance the yield of each tomato plant in your garden? Through simple practices like super cropping, this is possible.
I will now discuss the five most important characteristics that must be present for exceptional tomato production.
It entails selective training and pruning that inspires the plant to produce more fruits.
Over the years, plant manipulation techniques have improved. Nowadays, there’s even technology for growth automation and monitoring.
But even so, the human touch still plays a critical role.
There are several techniques that commercial farmers leverage to maximize tomato yield on their farms.
And some of them are resourceful throughout the lifecycle of the plant.
Here are a few things that you can leverage to supercrop your tomatoes:
What is Super Cropping?
To begin, the act of super cropping can be understood in a wide variety of ways, depending on who you ask.
However, the notion that does not appear to be conveyed is the application of various manipulation techniques to the plant in order to improve both its quality and its yield.
High-stress training, sometimes known as HST, is an umbrella term that encompasses all of these various methods.
Despite the fact that the degree to which each method is applied can differ. There are also those that are on the milder end of the spectrum.
The key to success with this strategy is to reorganize your plant such that it is in a position to produce a high yield.
In addition, the majority of the procedures are paradoxical when viewed from the perspective of the health and wellbeing of the plant.
By way of illustration, the plant is able to redistribute its resources from the leaves that are shaded to the those that are exposed when those leaves are trimmed.
In a similar vein, breaking off part of the branches of a tree in a controlled manner enables the rest of the tree to grow healthier and more robustly.
Your plant will be in better health and produce more vigorously if you practice effective super cropping techniques.
Pros
- You don’t need to invest so much in equipment to get the best results
- When you do this successfully, your crops’ health and yield increase tremendously
- If you want to contain the plants’ height, this technique can help you manage that.
- Most of these techniques are easy to master and implement. You don’t have to invest in an expert.
Cons
- Leaves your plant susceptible to infections
- It may take your plant more time to recover
- Sometimes the technique can be costly
Can You Super-Crop Tomato Plants?
Tomatoes, like other crops, have the potential to produce more fruit if the farmer employs agricultural techniques that are analogous to those that are utilized in the cultivation of other kinds of plants.
Any gardener, regardless of their degree of experience or expertise, is more than capable of accomplishing this goal provided they have the appropriate tools and a well thought-out strategy.
You won’t have to make a significant investment in order to do this task at all. In addition to your own two hands, the only other essential gardening equipment you will need is a select few crucial pieces of equipment.
Continue reading if you are interested in learning how to get the most out of the harvest that your tomato plant produces and how to do so in the most efficient manner.
How to Super Crop Tomatoes?
1. Axillary Growth Pruning
As the tomato plant matures, the auxiliary buds frequently develop at an excessive rate and take up all of the available space in the garden.
However, if you cut back the lateral shoots that grow between the leaf petiole and the stem, more resources will be redirected to the bud at the very top of the plant.
You will have more control over the amount of spacing between tomato plants if you use this strategy.
Additionally, it will be less difficult to gather the fruit.
Better air circulation, light penetration, and overall plant health are some other advantages.
In addition to that, the plant will remain alive for a longer period of time, which will result in a greater harvest for you.
2. Leaf and Truss Pruning
Your tomato plant will produce a whole new set of leaves at the beginning of each new growth stage.
Newer leaves have greater access to light and so produce more fruit than older leaves that are located lower on the plant.
You can remove damaged and aged leaves from the plant while taking into account aspects such as its height.
When you do this, you need to make sure there are enough of new leaves.
You can enhance the ventilation in your garden, which will in turn improve the yield, as well as the harvesting period, if you remove the lower leaves.
In addition to this, you will have an easier time tending to your garden.
During the season of fruiting, certain tomato plants can be overly ambitious, particularly with regard to the development of trusses.
There are several types that are capable of producing more than two dozen tomatoes on each truss.
It is possible for the tomatoes to reach their full potential if the truss is pruned so that there are only a manageable amount of fruit on it.
When pruning the truss, you can use the state of the surrounding environment as well as the type of plant as guiding elements.
3. Trellising and Clipping
The plant is able to reach a height of fifty feet because it undergoes consistent trimming of its auxiliary growth.
Because the stem of the tomato plant is not particularly robust, you will need to provide support for it in order to maintain this height.
This plant is frequently encouraged to grow high, sometimes even reaching the ceiling of commercial gardens where it is grown.
In certain circumstances, the direction of their growth is manipulated to be horizontal.
The majority of the time, strings or clips are utilized in order to maintain their position in the air.
Do not wait until the plant has reached full maturity before beginning this activity. Doing so will prevent you from getting the greatest possible results. Instead, you should begin once the plant has developed two apical buds.
During the process of training, the release of additional growth hormones is triggered by even the slightest bend in the training process.
As a direct consequence of this, the plant will develop at a quicker rate.
When the plant is about a third of the way through its growth cycle, commercial growers start guiding it so that it spreads out horizontally rather than growing upwards.
The harvesters will have an easier time getting their hands on the fruits as a result of this.
In the meantime, it forms a homogeneous canopy that enables light to pass through. And this is what is required to accomplish one’s goals and obtain one’s desired outcomes.
4. Proper pollination
It is a common misconception that tomato plants may act as hermaphrodites and pollinate themselves. However, such is not the situation.
They need to be moved slightly in order to initiate the discharge of pollen from the anthers into the surrounding air.
When they are grown in open areas, pollination is assisted by both the wind and insects.
If you are farming in a greenhouse, on the other hand, you will need to provide artificial pollination for your plants.
This is accomplished by physically shaking the plant in order to loosen the pollen that is attached to the anthers.
The afternoon is the optimal period for mechanical pollination, which will produce the best results.
The conditions of the plant’s surroundings, including temperature and humidity, are ideal. You can move the plant by shaking the wire, stakes, or string that is supporting it.
Alternately, you might use a vibrator to shake each plant individually. If you would rather take a more natural approach, you can use bees.
5. Maintaining Balance
It is possible for the tomato plant to cycle between reproductive growth and vegetative development depending on the ratio of fertilizer and the ambient circumstances.
You will need to strike a specific balance in order to ensure that your plant has a long and healthy life.
It is expected that this will encourage consistent reproduction and improved yield. Your tomato plants’ vegetative growth may benefit from an increased proportion of nitrogen in their soil. Phosphorus, on the other hand, is known to boost crop output.
There are a few signs that may be looked for in order to ascertain whether or not your plant is maintaining a healthy growth status.
Examples of key stem characteristics include elongation, thickness, and the distance between the terminal flower and the apical meristem.
For instance, a reduction in stem thickness is indicative of healthy reproductive growth. In addition to this, it is indicative of environmental stress. If, on the other hand, the stem is becoming thicker, this indicates that the plant is undergoing vegetative development.
What happens when you super crop plants?
Improving the plant’s overall production is the major objective of the super cropping technique. As a consequence of this, it will develop into a healthier, bushier plant that produces more buds than it did previously.
Training under intense pressure will bring to the activation of the plant’s defense mechanism.
Because the plant perceives that it is in danger, it will increase its yield in order to ensure that there will be enough seeds for the subsequent generation.
Because of this, you are able to gather a greater quantity of food than you typically would.
Conclusion
The goal of every farmer when it comes to any crop is attaining maximum yield. And with the above techniques, you can super-crop tomatoes and achieve the best results.
The best part is that you don’t need tons of equipment to attain the desired results.
Some of the techniques are even simple for beginner farmers to implement successfully. But you can always consult the expert when necessary.