Removing side shoots on toms

[taff]

I've de-sideshooted almost all of the tomatoes in the greenhouse, and that's down to space. There isn't enough space to let them do what they want to do, and next year, I'll have learned to put less in there.
I've done it to the ferlines and shirleys in the garden, again, down to space [ air circulation].
I've left the plum tomatoes and costolutos to do their own thing in the polytunnel, the first because my aunties do that with theirs and the weather this year has been exceptionally hot and dry, the second because I only want them for green tomato chutney, and both really as an experiment.

I think the reason we're advised to do that is because we live in a country that doesn't have the weather for growing outside for the most part, it's mostly done in greenhouses, space is limited, and by removing sideshoots you're almost guaranteeing yourself a good crop, barring blight and other nasties.

[salilah]

I started off fairly well I think taking out sideshoots - but I've planted too many in the (new) greenhouse, and they are getting away from me! I'm sure it's deliberate - they wait until I leave on Sunday afternoon, then massively grow sideshoots in the week, so when I get back on Friday night, they are 12" long (and some just split the leading edge in 2, to confuse me!)...

What I missed was a number of sideshoots right at the bottom, which are now really long, and I will have to cut short - and some that have grown up the back behind the main plants, which I can't reach...

I think also I should try taking off some lower leaves - they really are quite crowded, which I guess is not good. I also planned to grow them across the roof of the greenhouse (to meet the cucumbers coming up the other side) but may only allow a few to do this.

What I haven't done is count trusses - I'd prefer to let the plants grow, but does this risk reducing the yield? Some are already around 7ft high, there are lots of little green tomatoes but only one that is orange so far. They did go in late though (6 June).

Salilah
(enjoying experimenting!!)

[teakdesk]

Does this technical description from Crop Profiles - Tomato help explain it... or does it just confuse matters??


Growth habits: determinate vs. indeterminate. The primary shoot of a young tomato plant produces 5 to 10 leaves, then produces a flower cluster. Each flower cluster is referred to as a 'hand'. In indeterminate cultivars, the shoot continues to grow upward and flower clusters appear to develop to the side of a main shoot or main stem. In greenhouses, main stems are sometimes allowed to grow indefinitely and can reach 10 to 20 feet in length. In order to make harvest easier, older leaves are pic ked off and the bare stems lowered to the ground. Only the youngest 6 to 7 feet of plant growth, which includes the developing fruit clusters, are trained upright. In this training system, that vegetative side shoots or suckers which form in leaf axils are removed.

Although indeterminate plants appear to have a single main stem, this is actually not the case. The growth of the primary shoot ends with the formation of the first flower. Upward growth continues because the last leaf initiated before the flower cluste r (which actually grows to occupy a position above the cluster) produces a side shoot. This side shoot produces three more leaves before it terminates in a flower cluster. The process of initiating new growth from a side shoot of the last leaf initiated before the flower cluster continues indefinitely, giving the appearance of a mainstem with a flower cluster between every three leaves.

In determinate cultivars, the process differs in that the side shoot above the first flower cluster produces 0 to 2 leaves and a flower cluster but no further vegetative shoots. This ends the upward growth of the plant, making the apparent main stem much shorter. Many side shoots arise from the primary shoot, giving the plant a bushy appearance, but each eventually terminates in a flower cluster. The simultaneous growth of many flower clusters promotes earliness and concentrates fruit maturity compared to indeterminates. Shoots of semideterminate plants produce several flower clusters to the side of an apparent main stem, like indeterminates, but eventually the shoot terminates in a flower cluster, as in determinate plants.


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I've had to read that many times before starting to understand it and it really only helps if you have a plant that is correctly identified as indeterminate, semi-determinate or determinate... or rather the text will allow you to identify your plant type correctly.

I suspect that many plants sold as cordon are actually semi-determinate (I know some sellers describe plants as "semi-determinate normally grown as cordon" which can confuse the grower).

[hamsterqueen]

trouble is we all live in different regions, with differing requirements....

so my reckoning if it works for you ...........


btw. green tomatoes make a fantastic curry

edited to add...well actually it's me that makes curry from the tomatoes, I haven;t managed to breed cookery skill into them ..YET

[womble]

I thought I'd update this with my findings this year.

Ferline, stopped at one truss and allowed 2 low sideshoots to grow to one truss each.
Very very very bad idea Does not work well, note to self, please don't do this next year.