Help needed, please with my tomatoes!!

[Herbsandveg]

I have three seemingly very healthy, indeterminate tomatoes growing in my greenhouse, that have reached the stage where they need a bit of thinning. In order to learn how to do this I went to the relevant growing guide on our lovely Grow Your Own website, and found the following advice. However, I'm still not clear about a couple of specific points, and could do with a bit of help. First off, then, the quoted advice:


[I]"Allow up to six trusses to form on greenhouse cordon tomatoes or four on outdoor tomatoes; as soon as this number is reached pinch out the tops of plants".
[/I]

Question: Does this mean that I limit the entire crop of each tomato plant to just six trusses, or will others grown in succession to the initial six.


"Tie in cordons as they grow onto their supports and pinch out sideshoots that form where leaf stalks join the main stem. If sideshoots are left to grow they will form a new branch, drawing energy away from fruit formation"

Question: Does this mean I am to remove all stems below the lowest shoots bearing trusses, and do I remove all non-truss bearing stems in between these? Is it the case that the only shoots I am to retain are those bearing the trusses? I could really do with knowing this as I'm away on holiday for a week from tomorrow morning, and could do with getting the pruning done before close of play today. Any help would thus be muchly appreciated...

[rustylady]

First of all, you do not remove any leaves or flower trusses.

The only things you remove are the sideshoots that form between the leaves and the main stem.

Have you any photos of your plants at the moment, I have a feeling you haven't pinched out any sideshoots yet and these will be quite big by now.

[Herbsandveg]

First of all, you do not remove any leaves or flower trusses.

The only things you remove are the sideshoots that form between the leaves and the main stem.

Have you any photos of your plants at the moment, I have a feeling you haven't pinched out any sideshoots yet and these will be quite big by now.

Many thanks for this, Rusty, I'll pop some photos on here in the next couple of hours...

[Herbsandveg]

Here are the pics...

Hello again, Rusty et al...

Here are the pics I promised of the tomatoes. Although they sit quite happily in sufficient (I hope!) room at the rear of a very big and deep growing bag, I'm not sure it was all that bright of me to stick a couple of Tomatilloes and Cucumber at the front as fellow housemates - the Tomatilloes, certainly, might yet have to come out. You'll see some pretty thick shoots that have branched out from the Tomato plants just above ground level, and I'm wondering if I should trim these out, and let the entire 'family' have a bit more space to breathe. I realise the photos are not all that clear, but the Toms are basically very 'bottom heavy' with shoots, and in what looks like pretty desperate need of a trim. There's a lot going on in there, but no real sense of a united effort to act together, Hope that makes sense. Any comments, anyone, and want's your considered pinion, please, Rusty?...

[veggiechicken]

As RustyLady thought. you've left a lot of sideshoots in place - that's why it looks a jumble!
In the first photo, on the left, you can see the flower truss coming off the main stem. Below that, in the junction of the main stem and a leaf (what we call the armpit) is a small shoot - this is a side shoot and should be taken out. I can see some very big sideshoots near the bottom of the plants but they are so big you may be better off leaving them to grow on - with support.
Removed sideshoots can be put in a glass of water and will grow roots. You can plant these up and have more tomato plants

[Herbsandveg]

6pm update...

All is looking better now with the tomatoes! Have taken the excess shoots out, and everything looks to have a bit more breathing space. Many thanks to the fellow Grapes who came to the rescue - that's 'Yet again' in the case of me - I do lead you a merry chase, don't I???...

[rustylady]

Pleased to be of service

[Greenfingerpaula]

I didn't know about putting the excess shoots in water, helpful to know for next year I guess ........ would it be too late to do this now as my tommy plants have some rather large sideshoots still coming out????

[veggiechicken]

I do it all the time Paula. If nothing else its good practice for you - to see how it works for next year

[Greenfingerpaula]

If I did it now, hopefully the new shoots that would develop in the water would survive for next year? Or do you have to grow toms from new each year? Sorry, might be a sill question but I'm pretty new to all this lol


🐞Every ☁has a silver lining🐝Every 🌸 has a 🌿

[veggiechicken]

They won't survive outdoors. They might survive indoors given enough light and warmth. I tried last winter but no luck - but I'll try again this year.
You grow tomatoes new each year - from seed sown January - March or from plants bought about March/April. Using the sideshoot propagation method - you can buy a big bushy plant and use it to create several others

[Greenfingerpaula]

Oh ok, but I presume, similar to chilli plants, I can use seeds taken from the fruit that has come from the plant, dry them out and plant them in January?

[veggiechicken]

Good advice on seed saving here How To Save Your Own Seed at Home You need to ferment tomato seeds

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am afraid both my friend and I cheat when it comes to tomato seed neither of us do it correctly.

Pick a nice large juicy well ripe tom (try not to eat it) that's the hard bit over. Place tom in plastic cup and write name on side of cup. Place cup on shelf in greenhouse and forget till next year. Eventually take cup down from shelf and pour mouldy mess into SWMBO's kitchen sieve hold under running tap until seed clean and plant. Wash sieve before you get a cuff round the earhole and wait for seedlings.

When you think how many seeds there are in a tom and how many plants you need, cuts out all the faff, idle mans way of doing things.

Potty

[Greenfingerpaula]

LOL potty I like your style!!! Especially if it works!!!


🐞Every ☁has a silver lining🐝Every 🌸 has a 🌿