Tomato, side shoots.

[Jonthefish]

Hi everyone, should I remove this side shoot, seems a shame as it has flowers on it. Feels like I am asking a daft question, because surely the name of the game is to get fruit from it? Should I be removing the side shoots sooner?

[Jonthefish]

By side shoot I am referring to the tiny stem where the first bud is apperaing

[darcyvuqua]

I'd wait maybe another week then remove pop it in a bowl/cup/container of water wait till it roots and wallah free tomato plant

[veggiechicken]

What sort of tomato is it - a vine or a bush?
It looks like a bush tom from your photo - so I'd leave it
Tomatoes / Royal Horticultural Society

[Capsid]

You don't have to remove side shoots, it's just easier to manage the plants when they get to a large size. So if it's a cordon variety they grow tall and will need supporting, having lots of side shoots adds to the weight and you can't access the fruit so readily. If it's a bush variety then they will remain compact and support isn't a problem.

[Jonthefish]

That's a cracking idea Darcyvupua, but I don't want anymore plants, I would like fruit. So I should remove the shoot still?

[Jonthefish]

It's a vine variety, make sense not having the plant too top heavy, which was my concern. Ok I will leave the flowers on and use my nogging in not allowing the plant to become too heavy on top by pinching out some of the later side shoots.

Phew I was getting worried about loosing a tomato :-) thank you everyone.

[rustylady]

Don't do anything till you tell us what variety it is.

[rustylady]

And do you have a photo of the whole plant?

[Jonthefish]

Ok hold on (jon runs to the green house, jumps over Jack Russell (called Eric).....it's called a F1 orangino.

[Jonthefish]

Bloody hell, runs back to greenhouse to take pic (loving this really)....

[Jonthefish]

growing me beauties, grow. :-D

[veggiechicken]

Right, JTF. First tip - stand your tomato up and don't leave it horizontal
Second - Orangino is a grafted plant according to this Get Ahead With Grafted Veg | Hayes Garden World It says you should remove side shoots but your plant seems to have forked. My money is on leaving everything to flower and fruit
Mary and Rosie say Hello to Eric!

[zazen999]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]36172[/ATTACH]

Hi everyone, should I remove this side shoot, seems a shame as it has flowers on it. Feels like I am asking a daft question, because surely the name of the game is to get fruit from it? Should I be removing the side shoots sooner?

You have two choices. Either remove it or don't. It's only the UK that removes side shoots, everyone else leaves them be. To be honest, with the summer we are having, I'd save every flower if I could. I don't remove side shoots myself, after working out that the tomato knows best. I grow them up nets and let them do their thing.

[rustylady]

The shoot on the left with the flower truss doesn't appear to have a leader, but the one on the right does.

I would pinch out the sideshoot that is forming between the leaf and the flowers, and grow the other shoot on as the main leader.