Most of the tomatoes I grow are determinate or "bush" type. I prune the suckers off until the plant really establishes itself to a decent size biomass. Of course some years are better than others but I have never had a problem getting decent yields. I have read and received many opinions on wheather determinate plants should be pruned or not and I would like more opinions. Anyone who has an opinion one way or the other is welcome to give it to me.
Opinions on pruning determinate tomatoes
You might do a search on this topic in the tomato forum, or post your question over there, as well.
I have heard arguments for both sides and myself don't prune them.
Thanks for the input. I would like to post it in the tomato forum but I am not a subscriber and at this time I am too cheap to cough up. Maybe in the near future, there seems to be a lot of interesting forums for subscribers eyes only. My Early Girls are really taking off this year and they are getting a little unruly. I think I will leave them alone this year and just cage them up good.
A real good test would be to prune every other plant. It should really show if it made a difference for you.
That's a good idea Doug9345. I have two Early Girl plants side by side in a homemade earthbox and I think I will prune one and let the other go for comparative purposes. Like I said in the post above, I have pruned determinates while they are getting established but then let them go as they started to produce. The results will give me something to post in my garden journal here at DG.
The best advise that I have read is to prune suckers and bottom leaves up to but not including the sucker just under the first flower set. Then let it go.
BocaBob
BocaBob, That is good advice. That is what I usually do, but my Early Girls this year are growing very long thick branches (growing wide instead of up) that have no flower buds at all. I am currently experimenting with pruning one and no the other. I cut off every leaf that had no buds on one plant and left one really super long one that has a cluster of buds at the base. We'll see how each plant does.
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