Plants that are mature should be pruned every two weeks. When your plants have reached their full maturity, you should trim them once every two weeks to keep them in check. According to the instructions provided by Aerogarden, you should “prune the new growth” from the top of the plant, being sure to remove the tops of each stem.
Should I prune AeroGarden tomato plants?
Optional This is a really lengthy video’s title. The developers of the AeroGarden seed kits ensure that all of the tomato types they choose have compact growth patterns to ensure the greatest amount of success possible in the device. In spite of this, every single tomato plant is one of a kind, and as they reach their mature stages, some tomato plants will start growing and extending more than others.
Always make sure that the light you use extends at least three to five inches out from the tops of the plants. If you are using an AeroGarden model that has a smaller amount of vertical growth space and you are afraid that your tomato plant may extend too near to the grow light, the following are some trimming strategies that will ensure your tomatoes stay compact and under control.
In the first week, often known as the germination phase, you will want to provide your tomato seeds with cold water from the tap and the plant food that is advised for optimal growth. This will give your seeds the greatest possible chance of sprouting.
Before each feeding, you should give the bottle of nutrients a good vigorous shake. In the second week, also known as the germination phase, you will want to harvest just the largest sprouts so that you may get the most harvest from your seeds. Thinning is the name given to this type of early pruning, which allows your tomato plant receive the greatest amount of energy without being stressed out by competition.
Check each seed pod for several tomato plants after the sprouts on your tomatoes have reached a height of about one inch. Remove the weaker plants by snipping them off at the base of the stem with scissors. There should be one strong tomato plant remaining in each seed pod.
- Give us a call after 21 days if the tomato seeds you planted don’t sprout, and we will gladly send you replacement pods at no additional cost.
- There is no need for any care during week 3 (the Germination Phase).
- A fun fact about tomatoes is that when they are grown outside, they seldom require any kind of pruning.
On the other hand, we advocate trimming tomatoes produced in AeroGardens so that they remain tiny and compact and yield the most fruit possible. Week 4: (Mid-Growth Phase) (Mid-Growth Phase) There is no requirement for maintenance. (The seedlings you have are too young to prune at this stage.) It’s time to prune your plant now that it’s in the middle growth phase (week 5)! Cutting down the main stem to just above the fifth branch is something we recommend doing.
- To prevent your tomato plants from being shocked, you should skip the first two “leaves” during this count.) This technique serves to reinforce the plant’s main stem, which in turn stimulates the plant to branch out and generate more flowers that can be pollinated.
- A sturdy main stem can hold the weight of a huge tomato harvest without breaking or toppling over.
This is because it can handle the load. As an illustration, start at the bottom of the plant and work your way up the main stem, passing all of the branches, until you reach the colas. At this point, the main stem branches out into a Y-shape, which is where the flower buds begin to develop.
- The output of colas can be increased by cutting them slightly below the Y-shape.
- The arrows in the figure below point to the areas of the plant that need to be trimmed.
- Week 6: (Mid-Growth Phase) If you want your tomatoes to keep their compact shape, you should clip any branches that are growing outside of the light hood every now and again.
Continue to follow the branch until you reach the point where it converges with another branch, and then make the cut slightly before this point. At around 5-7 weeks, you should start to notice yellow blossoms appearing on your tomato plants. This is the mature plant phase.
Flowers that have not been pollinated by bees will eventually wither and fall off of their respective plants without producing any fruit. This is one of the most common reasons for failure while developing tomato and pepper plants. In order for many plants to produce fruit, pollination is required. Some examples of these plants are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons.
HOW TO PRUNE TOMATOES – [ #01 ] Aerogarden
This essential process is carried out by the elements, animals, and various insects and wind when plants are grown outside. If we want to enjoy vine-ripened tomatoes in the middle of winter, we need to “be the bee” and conduct this duty ourselves when growing inside.
- Otherwise, we won’t be able to have that option.
- Once they begin to blossom, you will need to pollinate them on a regular basis, at least once every other day, and you should only do it when the lights are on.
- Week 8: (Mature Plant Phase) (Mature Plant Phase) If, at the end of the eighth week, you have not observed any evidence of blossoms or fruiting, be sure to examine the following: In order to provide the best possible care for your plants, you will need to check the operation of your pump, aerator, and airstone and flush away any plant build-up.
To get the most out of your AeroGarden, familiarize yourself with the proper ways to clean and disinfect it. Another option for reestablishing a healthy nutritional balance is to do a fast rinse and refill. Tomatoes are a crop that are grown during the summer because the fruit needs warmth to mature.
The temperature range of 70–76 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for fruit to set. If your AeroGarden is facing a sunny window, you might want to consider moving it to a different place to minimize any potential difficulties. Is there a large quantity of flowers? This reduces the amount of fruit set. You may try taking away some.
As your tomato plants become older, you might notice that some of their leaves have turned brown or yellow. This is very typical behavior. Using scissors, remove these leaves off the plant. Additionally, cut down any older branches that are brown and lifeless.
Week 9-12: (Mature Plant Phase) (Mature Plant Phase) It is time to begin gathering your tomato harvest! You should use your fingers to carefully pick the tomatoes. When fully ripe, a tomato has a hard texture but gives slightly under pressure. Yellow tomatoes that are ready to be picked will have some green on them.
Pick tomatoes right before you want to consume them for the sweetest flavor. You should keep pollinating the tomato blooms so that you can have another harvest. Remove the newly emerged branches from the top of your tomato plants as soon as they begin to put forth new ones.
When you are trimming the tops, you should check for the newest leaves, which are often the tiniest ones, and be careful to remove these. The growing tip of the plant is not the portion of the plant that is physically the highest point; rather, it is located just a little bit below that, in the V formed when one stem branches off from another.
Continue to cut back the new growth at the top of the plant approximately once every two weeks, making careful to remove the developing tip each time. As soon as the plant realizes that growing higher on the stem is not possible, it will begin to send out new branches further down the stem.
Eeping the tops cut down enables for more light to reach the young leaves that emerge at the base of the plant, which is another benefit of this practice. Continue to train it in this manner until the plant has acquired a shape that is more compact, at which point it will start to blossom throughout its height.
There are further articles on this website that you may read if you want further assistance, or if you have any other queries concerning your AeroGarden or Seed Kits.
