Have I over pruned my tomato plants?

[Sunflower86400]

Hello Grapes.

I looked at my tomato plants today (first time I've grown anything) and thought they needed a good tidy up. I did a bit of research and saw this How to Prune a Tomato Plant: How to Set Up a Low Maintenance Garden | eHow.com on another thread on this forum.

So out I go. Well, I wasn't as severe as the chap in the clip was, but did remove a fair bit of foliage . I have also been pinching out regularly.

Before:



After:



I have trimmed off the lower leaves under the trusses that have tomatoes, approx 3 on each plant. I have 3/4 clusters of flowers (are they still called trusses at this stage?) that have yet to set, but I have kept all the foliage here.

This is another three plants that I also 'tidied' up, but I don't have a before photo.



They have all gone into a Y shape which I believe is that I didn't pinch out properly some where along the line.

Today I also have tipped the tops because each plant has 6 trusses, one might have seven, can't remember unless I go and recount.

Have I been a bit over-enthousiastic and brutal? I haven't done them any harm have I?

Regards.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I think you'll be OK. I've trimmed my plants down like you have and made sure that there are no leaves covering the fruits so that (hopefully!) they'll ripen. I'm sure that more experienced grapes will be able to advise you better than me.

[cheery tree]

ive done the same as ive got loads of tomatoes but leaves were covering them so i snipped loads of it aint done no damage so fingers crossed

[smallblueplanet]

They've got more leaves than ours have got - but not as much fruit. In this cool/muggy/damp weather I want as little opportunity as possible for the toms to get blight - but even now its not looking good, raining again here.

[Florence Fennel]

I hope it's fine tomorrow (it's lashed it down all day today here too). I have about 20 tomatoes in buckets that are very bushy so I'd better get rid of some of the foliage. What about Garden Pearl, I thought they could be left alone, but should I prune those back too?

[Sunflower86400]

Thank goodness for all your positive replies. I'm soooo relieved.

Here we've had a total wash out for a July. I think there has been about 3 or 4 days that have been slightly sunny, but it has rained every day at some point, sometimes very heavy.

I'm quite pleased with my crop though. I have so far (that have turned into tomatoes) No: 14; No2: 9, No3: 17, No4: 8, No5: 19(whehay!!), No6: 11. So not too bad.

Yes, lets hope the sun comes out soon. I've almost forgotten what it looks like.

[ckfe]

i scalped mine yesterday too.. just hope i didn't do it too early, they've got flowers but no tomatoes yet.. mine look even balder than yours sunflower

[ckfe]

So out I go. Well, I wasn't as severe as the chap in the clip was, but did remove a fair bit of foliage . I have also been pinching out regularly.

omg i just watched this clip... the guy is a savage!!

[BumbleB]

I have bunches and bunches of green tomatoes and a few red ones too :-)
I have been trimming lots of the side branches for weeks now, but they grow again so quickly! I think that as long as they have some top leaves and branches then they will be ok.

[maytreefrannie]

I've trimmed the cordons (4 plants)but not the bush ones (Tumbling Toms). Today, visiting my daughter, my son in law showed me where he trimmed the Tumblings right back to let the fruits get as much sun as possible.

[RickinDarwen]

When pruning...

Do you just snap off? Or use a knife/secateurs?

I read that using clippers or a knife could encourage disease, is this correct?

[rob the roller]

Snap off if you want to be absolutely safe. The leaves usually respond to a firm push up or down and break away cleanly.

I sometimes snap off, sometimes cut using a clipper or pair of scissors, especially if the leaf is close to the truss and could damage the fruit. So far as I know there has never been anything untoward occur as a result of using a cutter. However don't cut if there is any sort of disease among the plants as cutting will inevitably transfer it unless you clean the tool after each cut. Similarly, make sure that any diseased leaves removed are kept clear of the other plants.

One advantage of using a cutter is that you need not clip flush with the stem. The resulting hook makes tying the plant to the support (cane, etc)that much easier.

[Solitaire]

I gave mine a good prune a whle back and now half the fruit has been picked I've left the plants put out new shoots for more toms

[Sunflower86400]

Yes, he was a bit keen with the clippers. I wasn't as brave as him and I'm still learning so was cautious how much I did remove. But I thought that my tomatoes were so hidden that they needed a bit of sun and we've had very little of that lately. Then I was reading the forum after my attack with the cutters and read that you should only remove under the first truss, so panick struck in. I'm glad to hear others have done the same or similar to me. Fingers crossed, I'm hopeful all ours will be fine.

I have read conflicting advice as whether to use knife or pull off. I did both. On the larger branches I cut and the smaller ones I pulled. Yes, I used the 'hooks' to help tie back.

Incidently, I read here somewhere, again, after I'd chopped away, that it's a good idea to remove every other leave/branch. I will do this next year as it seems like a sensible idea.

I hope you all have some good sunshine where you are. Here it doesn't look that good for the next week. Solitaire, I envy you. I expect you are soaking up the sun. I wish I could be at our house in France more often.

Regards.

[Sunflower86400]

Incidently, do you throw your cuttings in the compost bin?

I watched another video clip, again an American, who put his aside for the bin. But I also have read that you shouldn't just incase of disease. So I took all mine out of the bin. They'd only been in there no more than 15 mins.