Grow Your Own Magazine

This is the first time I have grown tomatoes, I have just put them into grow bags in my green house.

I'm after some help on what it means by trusses. It might sound like a daft question but I can't seem to find any clear advice about it anywhere, so I thought I'd ask on here.

Muriel

trusses means the branches of tomatoes usually you let the tomato plants form 4 trusses then pinch out the top of the plant to get the tomatoes to grow

Trusses are the branches with flowers on.

You get several leaves off the main stem, then a flower truss, then a few more leaves and another flower truss... you'll soon see.

I would like to say thanks for the advice, it has helped alot. I know what to look for now.

Thanks again.

Muriel

Muriel, thanks for asking - Ive been wondeing about that too!!

Spider

Just a little tip - you don't usually put tomato plants into the growbag or their final pot until they have the first truss (flowers) showing. If you pot them on too quickly and feed too much you get soft green growth and not as much fruit.

You can apparently use your pinchings as cuttings to produce more plants ...

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I did this last year because my neighbour lost all his toms in the floods. I potted a few side-shoots (there are always a few that get away from you!) and passed them on to him. He re-sowed but it was the last week in June by then so a bit late.

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 16th 2008

Spider/Muriel

I had been wondering too, perhaps for too long. My tomator plants which are still in the house because of the time it is taking to get our green house up, are now about 3 feet tall! There are some toms, but I think it have left it too late!. Can anyone tell me what to do with 3 foot plants with about 4 or 5 shoots (sorry trusses) please...

Thanks.

Paula

Get a growbag, loosen the compost and bounce it down to two thirds it original length, fold the flap under, put it on the floor in the greenhouse and flatten the top a bit. Cut the bottom out of the biggest pot you have which is just smaller than the width of the growbag. Put the bottomless pot on the growbag and cut a hole in the growbag, the same size as the pot, then shove the pot in and push in a cane. Take your tomato plant carefully out of its pot and put it in the pot in the growbag. Backfill the new pot with compost until it reaches the first true leaf joint. Water it in.
The plant won't know it's been moved. A growbag will take 2 toms.
Hope this helps.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

Hi

I have grown tomatoes from seed in trays, they have grown very tall but very thin, I have put them out now in growbags but have I wasted my time, would it be better to now buy tomato plants and start again? I want a good crop.

Hi Norm

Thankyou! It's quite complicated this grow your own biz! does it matter that my plants are about 3 foot tall? some of them are growing every time I look away! Have i left them too late? I also have some that have gone long and very thin as per new grower (Hi new grower, I am in the same boat as you I think) and as per new grower - are these a waste of time?

Many thanks in advance.

beetroot

Hi Beetroot
As long as they're supported, it isn't a problem. If you bury the plants up to the first leaf joint (or where it used to be if it's fallen off) the stems should thicken up as the days go by and it will put out new roots from the stem into the compost.
I put mine in the growbag/pot extension contraptions when they get to about 8" tall, long before the first fruit truss develops. It's worked for me for years and I always get a good crop.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

OOOOPS!
Don't forget to stick a knife into the bottom of the growbag a couple of times to allow a bit of drainage. You can also use the hole to stick your finger in to see if the compost is still damp.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

Just a final thought, a pro grower friend of mine's tomato plants were very tall and thin. His reasoning was that the greenery was no use to him, he wanted tomatoes to sell. Treat 'em mean and they will produce fruit, that's what nature does.

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Don't forget to pinch out the side shoots, makes for a better crop...

Hey Norm

Thanks again for the sage (excuse the pun) advice. I don't have time until Saturday to do the toms, but I will at the weekend (hopefully they will survive until then!) then I will be running between the computer to check your posts on what to do next and the greenhouse and toms and peppers to make sure I am getting it right!!!

thanks

beetroot

I put very small tom plants in a growbag outside without hardening them off, so theyre looking not that healthy now- I know to only put them out when flowering and to harden off now, but will the ones in the growbag get better or not be very good now?
The growbag soil seems very wet too, it doesnt seem to be draining through the holes I poked in the bottom, is there anything I can do to dry it out?