Trimming tomato plants

**leonmc0708** · 06-08-2013, 09:33 PM

Usual advice is only trim them when the daylight/sun is getting less an fleas and the tons are not ripening.

Leaves mean food for a plant so only take suckers off

**esbo** · 07-08-2013, 12:50 AM

but suckers grow more leaves don't they?

**esbo** · 07-08-2013, 12:59 AM

found this post elsewhere about pruning tomatoes. makes sense to me!!

I was raised to prune tomatoes to one stem, so I understand where you're coming from.

The only thing accomplished by removing suckers is that you remove most of the plant's capacity to bear fruit. Oh, and the fruit you do have are more likely to get sunburned spots, as there is less leaf cover to shade them.

Suckers are simply the tomato's branches. The only reason to remove them is if you don't have enough space.

You have now been officially liberated. Welcome to a new world with more tomatoes!

I kind of wish I had left my suckers on now!!!

I always feel as if I am doing wrong removing them in a way.

**Vixen218** · 07-08-2013, 08:03 AM

Thank you all for the advice, I will not be trimming the toms now then. They have plenty of room and are growing great, must be the Sudbury soil which makes anything, and I mean anything, grow.
I actually hate fresh tomatoes but I love growing them and picking them just before they turn red to make green Tom chutney, yummy!

**kathyd** · 07-08-2013, 11:26 AM

I left my 'suckers' on last year, but the plants took over the polytunnel so this year I've been pinching out the sideshoots (with the odd escapee) to leave one main stem. I believe that this is to focus all the plant's energies into growing and ripening the fruits on the single stem, rather than spreading itself a bit thin trying to look after all of them. However, you're only supposed to nip out the sideshoots on indeterminate varieties anyway, not on the bush ones - so it depends what type your's are! There's a thread on here somewhere about roma plum toms, basically saying no-one really knows which type they are unless it says on the packet. I've left most of my romas alone and they seem fine so far. Don't know about marmande, but you may find you get bigger fruits if you nip them out I suppose, I don't really know.

If you do decide to 'trim' your marmande, look for shoots which are growing at a leaf node, where the leaf joins onto the stem. This is the bit to pinch out. And yes, it feels so wrong if it's had time to grow flowers and fruit, I know! But that's the part to remove if you choose to. You can stick these trimmings into water and they'll grow roots, giving you a new plant, if you like - although it may be too late in the year now, I'm not sure. I did it with some small ones that hadn't flowered, just to watch it happen, and it's magic

.

**veggiechicken** · 07-08-2013, 12:16 PM

The "suckers" we call "armpits"!! As Kathy sayd ^^^^ If you remove them, put them in water for a few days - they'll root and you'll have another tomato plant. I do it all the time - trying to keep plants going over winter!!

**PyreneesPlot** · 07-08-2013, 12:37 PM

Interesting what Kathy says, as I'm forcing my Romas to go straight up and am taking off (and potting on) the armpits. They are about 2m tall now and have reached the top of the canes, but are covered in trusses.

I worry about disease if I leave too many side shoots on as the plants seem to get congested.

**Potstubsdustbins** · 07-08-2013, 01:19 PM

Just another thought.

Toms are not native to this country, were they originate from the growing season is much longer than here.

One reason from pinching out the side shoots is to ensure you get a decent crop from those that are left before the weather turns.

Potty

**BUFFS** · 07-08-2013, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by Potstubsdustbins View Post

Just another thought.

Toms are not native to this country, were they originate from the growing season is much longer than here.

One reason from pinching out the side shoots is to ensure you get a decent crop from those that are left before the weather turns.

Potty

i misread your message wrong the first time and had to reread it..."one reason from pinching out the side shoots is to ensure you get a decent crop from those that are left before the weather turns potty",i know,its probably just me having a senior moment..or i am going down the pan...

**Potstubsdustbins** · 07-08-2013, 03:20 PM

Pinch out the side shoots i.e. armpits so that the fruit left on the main trusses ripens earlier and you are not left with masses of green toms.

Does that make more sense.

Potty

**Kirk** · 07-08-2013, 03:37 PM

In almost the exact position today, before reading this.
Seems there are 2 types of tomato's and I have a right mix.
The more upright cordon ones were fairly easy- identify the main stem and tie it in to a 6ft bamboo.

The bush ones I again identified the main stem, well the bigger and easier to get to and I have tied in to a bamboo these as well where possible. A couple of them have 2 or 3 main stems tied in not just one.

A couple of the stems/branches were low down and a right mess these were simply removed. To have tried to move and tie these in would have put strain on the 2 main stems. I lost a number of tomato's but not too much and I have the bigger stems still there.

It seems to really be a case of look and decide what is best for the plant in question. Still have about 3 left to dive into and sort out.

Next year it will be cordon types in the ground, bush types in large containers.

**esbo** · 07-08-2013, 06:29 PM

Originally posted by Potstubsdustbins View Post

Pinch out the side shoots i.e. armpits so that the fruit left on the main trusses ripens earlier and you are not left with masses of green toms.

Does that make more sense.

Potty

Well it does if you can prove it works. However I am not totally convinced it will although I
am in two minds about it. You are either slowing the plants growth or channeling it elsewhere.

How is it making the fruit ripen earlier?

The implication seem to be there will be more leaves to tomatoes and thus the toms will ripen faster, not sure if that is how it works.

You could achieve the same effect by removing green tomatoes and leaving the green foliage.

Something I am considering doing with mine!!! problem is it is really hard to cut a bunch of tomatoes off!!!

The problem with the logic is the plant gets it's energy from the green part of the plant, and the idea that reducing the plants ability to take energy form the some will give you quicker ripen toms is a rather dubious one.

I heard somewhere that damaging the plant root speeds up ripening.
This might be true, the plant thinks it is dying so speeds up fruit production?

Bit tricky getting inside the mind of a tomato plant!!!

**Chippy Minton** · 07-08-2013, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by BUFFS View Post

i misread your message wrong the first time and had to reread it..."one reason from pinching out the side shoots is to ensure you get a decent crop from those that are left before the weather turns potty",...

I think the weather has been pretty potty to now so how much pottier can it get

**Potstubsdustbins** · 07-08-2013, 07:46 PM

Esbo.

What can't speak can't lie, one days harvest within the last week. More or less the same again today, SWMBO's making puree for the winter as I write.

Don't worry you'll catch up one day.

Potty

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