Someone has vandalised my tomatoes

[esbo]

Someone has vandalised my tomatoes



Someone or rather something has bitten off the top of the main stem on two of my tomato plants.

Worst thing is they have gone for my most valued plants, my cherry tomatoes, I only had a few seeds germinate so I can't really afford to lose any. Plus the are the first to ripen, and hence much prized.

I think I read squirrels might do this? But why?

It seems odd they only targeted the cherry toms as if they knew what they were after.

Is it wanton vandalism or could it perhaps be they want a low plant for easy pickings?

In which case they are taking the mickey cos I have seen them 30 foot up trees and indeed on the roof.


Further bad news, the wasp I had last year seem to have moved....about 5 metres!!

I think there might be a nest right next to the garage door now.

It is gonna have to go, I have threw a bit of a tarpaulin over were I think it is (on the ground, bare earth next to a grass verge). I am not gonna let the numbers build like I did last year!! (unless they sting me )

[esbo]

Sorry about the misspelt title.

I have had a good and can't see anything about squirrels attacking the plant in this way.

It could perhaps be next doors cat too. It's done about 18'-26' inch up the plant and it only seems
to be the cherry toms, I have too many plum tomato plants, why couldn't the attack them instead?

It is like they have 'topped' them, I noticed one about a week ago and then another today.

They do not seem to have re-attacked the first one.

I find what I think was the bit bitten off and I think it has some flowers developing.

[Snadger]

Thats not really too much of a problem. Just allow a single side shoot to grow from near the top of the remaining plant and this wil become your main leader.

[Philthy]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, esbo. As long as the rest of the plant(s) is intact, just train one of the side shoots back towards the cane and have that as your leader.

Deer are a nuisance in my locality. I've had limited damage myself, but neighbours have been most put out by the animals' night time activities. They like to bite the tops off a wide variety of plants and shrubs, especially roses I can think of easier things to chew!

[Philthy]

Snadger, you beat me to it

[Snailfox]

I just planted some of mine out, so I can only imagine how infuriating that must be...

[solanaceae]

Went to go and bring my plants in late at night on a day last week and found my tomato plant's growing tip had been snapped too. On closer inspection found a slimy trail on the stem, so it must have been a slug or snail.

Maybe you could try putting some slug pellets around your plants?

[esbo]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, esbo. As long as the rest of the plant(s) is intact, just train one of the side shoots back towards the cane and have that as your leader.

Deer are a nuisance in my locality. I've had limited damage myself, but neighbours have been most put out by the animals' night time activities. They like to bite the tops off a wide variety of plants and shrubs, especially roses I can think of easier things to chew!

Yes I think they might be OK they tend to sprawl all over the place anyway, or they did last year anyway.
So I think they are determinate? (the term confuses me) but they are not the type that tend to have one main stem anyway so I might be lucky in that respect.

But it does look like they were 'targeted' as none of the the other varieties seem to have been touched!!

[esbo]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, esbo. As long as the rest of the plant(s) is intact, just train one of the side shoots back towards the cane and have that as your leader.

Deer are a nuisance in my locality. I've had limited damage myself, but neighbours have been most put out by the animals' night time activities. They like to bite the tops off a wide variety of plants and shrubs, especially roses I can think of easier things to chew!

No deer in my tiny back garden I'm sure!!
I'm not sure what did it but it almost looks like it have been pruned!!
Last year they were just a sprawling mess like a bush so I probably won't make much difference.
I looked like sharp teeth of a shape bird bill did it, but it is puzzling how it got up so high!
Neighbour has a cat, but it's hard to how it could have done it without knocking the plant over, maybe a slug perhaps, I don't really know.

[esbo]

Went to go and bring my plants in late at night on a day last week and found my tomato plant's growing tip had been snapped too. On closer inspection found a slimy trail on the stem, so it must have been a slug or snail.

Maybe you could try putting some slug pellets around your plants?

Well I guess that is possible, I will put some pellets down but never had slug problems on the tomatoes last year, they preferred my tobacco plants which they stripped to the leave veins, I think they developed a nicotine addiction!!!

[BertieFox]

As someone else said, you should be able to train one of the lower side shoots to make it take over from the main growing point that you have lost. As it is also still only mid May, I would be tempted to root some more of your side shoots of your cherry toms as cuttings (you say you don't have many) so you can bring on some 'back up' plants too. In any case, this should give you some healthy strong plants to plant out in a month or so for a later crop of the same cherry toms.

[esbo]

As someone else said, you should be able to train one of the lower side shoots to make it take over from the main growing point that you have lost. As it is also still only mid May, I would be tempted to root some more of your side shoots of your cherry toms as cuttings (you say you don't have many) so you can bring on some 'back up' plants too. In any case, this should give you some healthy strong plants to plant out in a month or so for a later crop of the same cherry toms.

Well I have just had a look and it seem I have two other cherry plants which are undamaged so I should be OK, I am running out of garden space to plant the cutting anyway. The cherries are supposed to be my early toms, I will have pile of other tomatoes later on.

One plant looks better than the other, it already has another good shoot which can double are the main.

The other one is not so good it just has a shoot at 90 degrees and a rather small 'sucker' growing at the base of that, it is rather sorry looking as you can see!!



This other one has faired much better



THe side shoot has taken over, the old broken main shoot now looks like a side shoot.

But I can't understand what cut it, not sure if it has been tied close to the cane since but
I am baffled as to what could cut it so cleanly so high up. I have kind of ruled out a slug
as what is left is tough like wood.

Just had a thought!!1 Maybe my next door neighbour has taken a cutting!!!

Oh and I suspect some wasps were trying to build a nest under where that green tarpaulin is
so I hope that makes them move else where!!

[Mikey]

Determinate or bush forming shouldn't be a issue if you lose the main stem as it fruits on all the side shoots as well.

Indeterminate or cordon means it grows straight up on a single stem and you need to pinch out the side shoots as these are suckers and will reduce your overall crop if left on.

I fancy having a go at growing a tomato tree next year, if I can finally find a new greenhouse, if you haven't heard of one check it out.

[mothhawk]

That's awesome Mikey, and awesome is a word I hate using because it is so over-used by the young these days, but no other word will describe that tree!

[esbo]

Determinate or bush forming shouldn't be a issue if you lose the main stem as it fruits on all the side shoots as well.

Indeterminate or cordon means it grows straight up on a single stem and you need to pinch out the side shoots as these are suckers and will reduce your overall crop if left on.

I fancy having a go at growing a tomato tree next year, if I can finally find a new greenhouse, if you haven't heard of one check it out.

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Yes I know from last year they were an 'indeterminate' (in the none gardening definition of the word) sprawl, that is why I find the term so confusing, as the plants look the opposite of what you might think. I had runners shooting out left right and centre so I am not overly concerned about 'vandalism' other than that it will set the plant back a little for a while.
All my tomatoes were grown outside last year (I don't have a green house) I ended up with tonnes of toms, however it was particularly good summer, I may not have so much luck this year, but they seem to be doing fine so far, so fingers crossed

I only did some half hearted pinching out last year as I was unsure what I was doing, but I ended up with lots of toms anyway, more them I needed.

I have them better labelled this year so I know what is what, apart form one lot I labelled 'new', I am not sure that that means, It might mean new alicante, or some other new seed I got. I think it mean new alicante seeds but I'm not 100% sure, it should be come pretty clear what it means over time, but I am sure they are a determinate type ie not plumb or cherry.

Just checked out the tomato tree thing, I might have a go at one of those next year but it would be out doors.

Not having a greenhouse does not put me off really I have grown lot of 'greenhouse' stuff out doors and they seem to have done well, ie cucumber and chillies, they only thing which held them back was being in smallish pots I think.

I'm loving this global warming