Tamina Tomato w/ 2 Main Stems?

[GrimChili]

I'm not sure and I wish I hadn't knackered my camera battery so I could have got a flick but one of my greenhouse tomatoes - Tamina, appears to have two main stems? It seems to have split almost as if it had been topped.

Both stems have trusses, what should I do? Keep them both, pull one off or am I mistaken and its a side shoot or something?

Am I right in thinking a side shoot would not produce trusses and fruit?

Any advice or answers on this would be great! Thanks!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Side shoots will grow to a very large size, they will also produce flowers and fruit.

Potty

[veggiechicken]

We had a thread last year about Forking tomatoes http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...oes_65737.html

[GardenNinja]

I'm growing the same variety and similar to yours, there appears to be two main leaders instead of one. Even if there was only one, I would have let a side shoot develop so that I can have two stems producing instead of just one. On my cherry tomatoes, I let the main stem and 3 other side shoots grow grow out but prune the rest. I have found that every side shoot that you allow to grow will always produce fruit.

Btw if you want to look up more info on 'Tamina', search for 'Matina' instead. They are the same variety.

Here's a picture of my two stems. As you can see, both have developed trusses:

[marchogaeth]

My Tamina did the splits a couple of weeks ago while I was away so the leaders were both the same size by the time I spotted them - it's in a confined space so I really wanted to keep a strict cordon! Just get a second support line in and train accordingly or you can stop one shoot. Lots of mine forked last year (see VC's link) and I let some side shoots go as well. I think the main thing is to keep water from splashing lower leaves, keep humidity to the minimum and ventilate well.

[Irish-Veg]

I'm guilty of missing a few side-shoots on 2 of my Gardner's Delight's, almost the same thickness as the main stem now, and only have a very tiny truss forming with a few fruits and masses of foliage (in other words wasting the plants energy and it made me realise why side-shoot removal is necessary) but im going to let nature do what it wants now

and also I have 2 "beefsteaks" toms which are just starting to flower and one of them (out of 9) has me baffled, its half the size of the others and has masses of side-shoots and is more like a bush variety or something, anyone know what could have happened here? unless maybe by mistake when they were younger I pinched out the growing tip by mistake??

[marchogaeth]

Is it me or are some of its leaves quite a different shape to its mate?

The side shoot thing must vary from variety to variety. I'm only growing two cordons this year all the rest are bushes. The other is a Stupice, the ones I grew last year produced fairly equal amounts of fruit up both splits and the odd side shoot I left.

[Irish-Veg]

yeah that's what I was thinking /: no idea whats going on with it lol Time will tell I guess

[marchogaeth]

Herbicide damage?

[binley100]

I've got forking toms again this year and it's not side shoots that have been missed and it's most certainly not herbicide damage........it's forking plain and simple , you can see where the main stem has divided. One of mine last year ended looking like a tree . Very healthy and loads of fruit . Don't even think it's the same varieties that have done it but will check . Anjoying if you want a strict cordon but I actually it.....

[Irish-Veg]

deffo no herbicides near mine either, only thing I can think of of that I might have damages the growing tip as it was the first plant to develop sideshoots prolifically and now within 2 weeks its got a multitude of thick sideshoots/stems whereas the others are tall and no sideshoots at all.. weird.

[Kestrel]

Absolutely, Binley.
Have a distinct fork that is definitely not a sideshoot or herbicide. Also, it is on a Tamina of mine. Tamina are a potato leaved type, perhaps they are especially prone to it. Just a guess. No problem, though, will just let it get on with it.

[Tripmeup]

Has happened to some of mine again this year too... Can't remember variety but I am going to leave them to it....

[marchogaeth]

I didn't mean to imply herbicide damage caused forking. I was only contemplating I-V's bushing plant. Also, of course it doesn't have to be herbicide you have applied or even used, it can drift in.

[treepixie]

I have a yellow tomato that has forked, took out a large side shoot couple of weeks ago, and noticed yesterday that the main stem had split into two.