Pinching out the tops (toms)

[binley100]

Clearly I need to raise the roof on my gh ........Some have more trusses than others and on a couple the fruit didn't set on the first truss.

[redser]

ah ok, wasn't thinking of the eaves Middle of my tunnel is almost 8 foot high. Thanks guys, snip snip it is. Although might leave a couple to see what happens.

[binley100]

I was thinking about training mine across the top of the gh .......but there's nothing to fix anything to

[redser]

That's what I'm thinking too. How about some sort of bamboo frame? Or drill a couple of small holes in the frame and thread some string or wire through?

[Paulottie]

You can get a few things to fit into greenhouse channel...i have bolts with little keyrings on (came with some shelving system).... but even the little green things for holding up bubblewrap have holes to stretch wire/twines and form a large mesh net....or as you say drill holes.

However IMO this is much more useful for melons or cucumbers. One horizontal wire to attach the upright twines to is enough for toms..they don't grow well into the ridge of the house...You are very much better to stop the plants @ 6 or 7 trusses.... to have healthy large fruit rather than loads of unripe, small things or disease from overcrowding. This is the brutal Darwinian reality of gardening....Tomato plants don't have feelings! so choose the best don't bother with cuttings unless you actually have enough space.

[Thelma Sanders]

I give the ones at the sides the chop when they reach the eaves, but the ones at the end I leave to grow as tall as they want.
That's why I plant my cherry toms there, it extends the fresh tomato season quite a bit

[ItsEssexRob]

When you saY 'pinch off' the tops, do you literally mean snap off the top of the plant?

[Thelma Sanders]

yes, I do mine while it's a small growing point - rather than wait till the stem has thickened up.

[taff]

beware though, snapping off the top will encourage it to put out new sideshoots even in elbows where you've already removed them, so keep an eye out for those.

[ItsEssexRob]

I pulled off a side shoot today and it left a graze cut in my tomato plants stem. Will this heal or will it destroy the whole plant? Its a grafted one so its one arm of the two. Will it kill both?

[Chocolate8me]

I haven't had to remove the tops of my Shirley toms as they seem to have stopped growing at around 4' and are concentrating on flowers/tomatoes.

I don't know if that is the variety that just grows to that height or whether it will shoot up even more at some point.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I would think your Shirley have been tricked by the weather into thinking its autumn so are trying to make sure they reproduce. When/if the weather changes for the better they will grow larger.

Colin

[binley100]

I always can find space for cuttings ...........it's height I don't have . Anyhoos I plan on overwintering some ready for a head start next year.

[taff]

essex rob, it'll be fine, it'll dry out and heal [that's if you mean you pulled off a strip..if you pulled out a chunk, you might have to splint it]

[Jelliebabe]

I have one plant that has reached my conservatoire roof and does not yet have 5-6 trusses should i stop it or train it over the roof?........???