'Y' shaped tom plants.

[gardening_gal]

No idea how this happened, whether it was a normal thing for these particular plants (Roma) or whether I took my eye off the ball and let side shoots grow when they should have been removed, but I now have 3 plants that have two main leading branches.

Do I just leave them to let them get on with it at this stage (the branches are at least 18" - 2 foot tall from where the 'Y' split happens and are as equally thick as each other, the whole plant is maybe 4 foot tall) or should I remove one branch, leaving one as the main stem?

[Fleurisa]

I have found that beefsteak tomato plants are more inclined to do this, I just removed one of them

[BertieFox]

Roma is a DETERMINATE variety and should NOT have any sideshoots removed at all. It will make a spreading bush and all the fruit is borne on the sideshoots. If you treat it like an indeterminate (cordon) variety you will reduce your crop very substantially and it won't go on growing after it sets a few fruit.

[Alison]

Actually I think that Roma is a semi-determinate so not bush or cordon but something in between. I've not grown it for a few years but when I did I seem to remember leaving on some side shoots and taking off others to keep it a sensible shape but it still made a pretty tall plant.

[gardening_gal]

Thanks all. I'll leave well alone from now on I think. I did think there were few flower trusses forming, if I've been removing the side shoots they were meant to grow on, I guess that would be why.

Appreciate the help.

[redser]

Was reading about this but in relation to San Marzano. Apparently beef or large plum types can do this. They're not as well behaved and predictable as typical cordon types. Problem is that they can suddenly go blind so if you nip one stem out too early you might run into trouble. So it is advisable to let both grow for a while then select the one that appears to be strongest and behaving more like a main stem. Remove the other.
I looked into it because all 6 of my San Marzano's have split like this! I'm going to leave 3 of them as they are and remove one shoot from each of the other 3. See what the difference in the yield is.

[gardening_gal]

So it is advisable to let both grow for a while then select the one that appears to be strongest and behaving more like a main stem. Remove the other.

That's part of my difficulty, the two main stems are literally as tall, thick and strong as each other. There isn't one you could say is any weaker or smaller or straighter than the other.

I'd worry about leaving a large cut, on the plant also. The stems are very nearly as thick as my finger so it would mean a sizeable 'wound' where one was removed.

On balance, I'm going to leave them I think.

[veggiechicken]

Have a look at this old thread http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...oes_65737.html
One of my Purple Cherokee tomatoes is forking at the moment.

[gardening_gal]

Have a look at this old thread http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...oes_65737.html
One of my Purple Cherokee tomatoes is forking at the moment.

My life, some of those plants were decidedly triffid-like.

They put my poor plants into perspective though. Will definitely be leaving alone now.

[BertieFox]

I stick to my guns that the Roma variety, an Italian plum tomato, normally grown sprawling across the fields for paste tomatoes, is a determinate variety and will do far better if not side shooted. I have just double checked several Internet sites which confirm what I believe. While you can train any determinate variety as if it is an indeterminate one, you will reduce yield, and I have never managed to get Roma to grow very high before it loses its vigour. San Marzano and the other more advanced plum types are indeterminate and do not face the same problems (though I have found blossom end rot a particular problem with SM).

[Bill HH]

I stick to my guns that the Roma variety, an Italian plum tomato, normally grown sprawling across the fields for paste tomatoes, is a determinate variety and will do far better if not side shooted. I have just double checked several Internet sites which confirm what I believe. While you can train any determinate variety as if it is an indeterminate one, you will reduce yield, and I have never managed to get Roma to grow very high before it loses its vigour. San Marzano and the other more advanced plum types are indeterminate and do not face the same problems (though I have found blossom end rot a particular problem with SM).

Have to agree with you I grew them last year and they reached a decent potato height whilst sprawling all over the place, I had a massive yield too. I didn't pinch out any side shoots.

[Scarlet]

I grow Roma and treat it as a bush (mine ladt year was as tall as me, I try to string them up to stop the sprawling mess BUT you can also get several semi - bush varieties. Roma VF being one of them....

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/veget...-roma-vf/259TM

[brownfingers]

Well I'll be hornswaggled! I didn't know that about Roma. Mind you, I've never grown them before and was given the seed in an unmarked packet. I have already done a few sideshoots, but I'll let any others that develop get on with it. I might just try one as a cordon though to see what happens.

[binley100]

Last year all my spare toms were chucked in a bed and left to do their own thing no matter whether they were determinate or not... I had a huge fantastic crop , no sideshooting or stopping , in fact didn't even really bother feeding them regularly....

[BertieFox]

Last year all my spare toms were chucked in a bed and left to do their own thing no matter whether they were determinate or not... I had a huge fantastic crop , no sideshooting or stopping , in fact didn't even really bother feeding them regularly....

Must admit we have friends who garden on a huge field scale, and they just leave their toms too and let them sprawl all over. They claim they get huge crops anyway and it isn't worth or the time and effort to side shoot and tie them in. They are probably right, though it looks a mess, and makes picking the fruit a bit difficult.

But this morning our priority is to go off and spray all our tomato plants with Bordeaux mixture as the potatoes have been blighted since the weekend. (I blame you English as we had a northerly wind and a downpour on Saturday.... all those nasty UKIP fungal spores coming over here to afflict the hated French! )

So far nothing visible on the toms, but prevention is better than cure as they say!