Can you get a tomato plant to grow at a 90 degree angle?

[Leeds_lad]

The tomato plants have hit the greenhouse roof and seem to be struggling up there now due to it. Is there a way I can force the plant to grow along the inside of the roof, supporting it as it goes?

[Bigmallly]

You can but ideally you need to be stopping it at around 6/7 trusses.

[veggiechicken]

On strings wound around the stems?

[zazen999]

Cut it off, and reroot in it's own pot.

[tamsin]

They'll grow wherever you point um, they are 'vines' without support they'd be crawling 90 degrees across the floor

Is it too late to start new plants from cuttings? My sister just lost all her beefsteak toms to blight, and I was thinking about doing her cuttings from mine (I've only the one) but I didn't think they'd have time to root, grow, flower and ripen.

[Leeds_lad]

You can but ideally you need to be stopping it at around 6/7 trusses.

Well they are only on about 4 right now.
Thinking about just cutting the growing tip out and letting a sucker lower down become the new one

[Potstubsdustbins]

Tomatoes originated in South America, the Aztecs were using them about 700AD, in reality they are a jungle vine.

For that reason I think you you are asking to much of the plant this year in very rainy, dark Britain. While ever it is using its energy to produce green growth it will be slow to produce fruit.

I have cut my plants back to 4 trusses and am now eating toms with the promise of a half decent harvest.

Colin

[binley100]

Has been a very bright sunny britain here for a few days and my toms have come on in leaps and bounds ....not cutting mine back yet. Tamsin , its always worth a go .If she's already lost all her toms then she's nothing to lose by trying some cuttings......

[Potstubsdustbins]

Binners I bet your glass is always half full, where as mine is usually half empty.

Forecast in this area is now down hill for the next week.

Colin

[bearded bloke]

Oi less talk of the sploshy please,I got another 96 tec screws to get into my roof before the precipitation recommences

[binley100]

They will still ripen indoors till quite late ....

[Paulottie]

The trouble is that while main stem maybe horizontal; all growth will still tend toward the light...ie into the roofglass causing scorch and botrytis. Better to concentrate the plant on producing quality fruit

[Paulottie]

Binners I bet your glass is always half full, where as mine is usually half empty.

Forecast in this area is now down hill for the next week.

Colin

I'm a realist...I have half a glass...neither half full nor half empty!

I think you may struggle to take cuttings now....use the time and space more productively

[binley100]

Sounds like a challenge to me ..........I like a challenge

[Potstubsdustbins]

Binners I agree toms will turn red on the window sill.

However the sweetness of a tomato is determined by its sugar content, this sugar is produced by the action of sunlight on the leaves of the plant. Once the fruit is removed from the vine it can get no sweeter and its 'acid bite' will also remain the same.

As most supermarket tomato's are picked green one of the problems that they are addressing is the blandness of their product. There is at this time GM trials on a sweetening gene to try and help. If that happens no more toms from the supermarket for me.

Colin