squarrsh and maters
squarrsh and maters
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angiegr,
I see you've got that "trim to one stalk" thing going on! I'd been trying to understand that concept for the past 2 years. This past Sunday I got fed up with my sick looking tomato crop and took the pruners to all my vines (all 10). Well, guess what? In trying to trace which branches belonged to which vine, I saw the pattern of the ONE STALK concept!
It was agonizingly tedious, but, I've learned that lesson well enough now that I'll be pulling suckers and clipping forked branches sooner than later from now on!
Now. Will all that clipping and pinching to one stalk make a difference in production, or will it just keep the vines nice and neat?
LMK
Linda
I never did understand the tomato pruning thing either. So I just let the plants get big and sprawling and I get plenty of 'maters. Theoretically I could get more fruit if I pruned?
Helen
hmmmmm..... i haven't trimmed these plants
I've understood the principle of tomato pruning for years but my greed prevented me from following through. This time I've tried to stick with it. Pruning is for indeterminate types only. If you prune determinates, you're throwing away your crop.
It comes down to your personal preference and space. Plants do well just sprawling out on the ground but they're a mess to pick and you lose a lot to insects and rot. Tomato cages work great but there's the expense and effort up front. Both methods hog space. You can plant several pruned plants in the space it takes for 1 of the others. Pruning cuts down on production # but the fruit will be larger. The plants will be more open which makes for easy picking. The big plus for me is that the horn worms are easy to find and any pesticide required is very easy to apply thoroughly.
I can stick with pruning only if I check the plants almost daily and pinch out the suckers when they're tiny. If one escapes my attention and sets baby buds, I can't do it.
Thank you twiggybuds, now I get the picture. I use tomato cages and let the plants get big. I have lots of tomatoes. Plucking suckers everyday wouldn't be for me anyway. I am too lazy! Luckily I have the space.
Helen
This is my first year growing tomatos and at first I was pinching suckers but I guess I did not recognize what was or was not a sucker and some of them grew, and they HAVE TOMATOS!!
I have noticed that a lot if not all of my unpruned suckers are branches with tomatos, in some cases all they are is tomatos. I don't understand this practice now. A few of mine are huge and loaded with tomatoes, and they continue to grow! I have them caged and staked and will soon have to use a ladder to tie them to stakes. If I had pinched all the suckers I would not have half the tomatos I now have. I only wish they would ripen soon!