Tomato trusses growing leaves

[rodofgod76]

Are you supposed to cut the leaves off that form on the end of a tomato truss or leave them?? Couple of my Shirley's have them, and one looks like a side shoot forming rather than just a leaf!

[Paulottie]

It happens sometimes....if it's just a leaf i'd leave it if its forming a growing tip cut it off.

[Flummery]

Some varieties are more prone to this than others. As Paul says, if it bothers you, remove it. You'll get better air circulation if you do.

[mendacious dog]

Some varieties are more prone to this than others.

Boy is this ever true! I'm growing a F1-hybid cherry type outdoors and each flower truss is pretty much normal in appearance. Indoors, however, I'm growing San Marzano and just about every single truss is either interspersed with odd leaves or has put out about a dozen flowers then sneakily transformed into a secondary stem - with extra side shoots as well! They are honestly the most mutated tomato plants i have ever seen. Even some of the lower leaves are now growing extra little stems.

On the plus side though, they're bloomin good at setting fruit and even though they're all green still I think I'm going to get a fridge full of tomato sauce at the end of it!

Woof

[marathon]

Boy is this ever true! I'm growing a F1-hybid cherry type outdoors and each flower truss is pretty much normal in appearance. Indoors, however, I'm growing San Marzano and just about every single truss is either interspersed with odd leaves or has put out about a dozen flowers then sneakily transformed into a secondary stem - with extra side shoots as well! They are honestly the most mutated tomato plants i have ever seen. Even some of the lower leaves are now growing extra little stems.

On the plus side though, they're bloomin good at setting fruit and even though they're all green still I think I'm going to get a fridge full of tomato sauce at the end of it!

Woof

I thought it was only me - I'm also growing San Marzano. I have 22 plants plus 16 of smaller salad and cherry types.

The SM all have eight trusses already with set fruit on the first three. Yesturday and today I started to go through the plants trying to cut out some leaves and side shoots that I have missed.

Does anyone know if I should pinch the tops out of the SM. They are in a polytunnel so I'm assuming that they will be happy in there until the end of October at the very least. Not sure if I should let them go on for another month.

[mendacious dog]

I thought it was only me - I'm also growing San Marzano. I have 22 plants plus 16 of smaller salad and cherry types.

The SM all have eight trusses already with set fruit on the first three. Yesturday and today I started to go through the plants trying to cut out some leaves and side shoots that I have missed.

Does anyone know if I should pinch the tops out of the SM. They are in a polytunnel so I'm assuming that they will be happy in there until the end of October at the very least. Not sure if I should let them go on for another month.

Well, when you pinch out the growing tip the plant hasn't got much left to do with its life but focus on its fruit (assuming you pinch out the side shoots regularly as well). So, with that in mind, I have always pinched about 1/3 of mine out when they have 5 trusses, 1/3 when they have 6 trusses and the rest when they have 7 trusses.

That way, the ones you pinch out first will be busy ripening the fruit fairly early (as the others continue to grow) and you end up kind of staggering your cropping out over a longer period instead of ending up with a glut at the end.

Hope that makes sense - don't think I explained it very well though!

Woof

[Flummery]

You explained it beautifully Mendacious. You're a darned sight more organised than I am!

[rodofgod76]

My Shirley plants seem to have like regular looking branches coming off the stem lower down the plant, but at the top it's like a big bunch of tangled leaves. Is that normal???

[taff]

When the stem grows, the mass of leaves starts separating out into leaves and trusses, so it can look like that.

My San Marzano's [at least i think they're San Marzano's] are doing that too. I've been pinching them out.

[marathon]

Well, when you pinch out the growing tip the plant hasn't got much left to do with its life but focus on its fruit (assuming you pinch out the side shoots regularly as well). So, with that in mind, I have always pinched about 1/3 of mine out when they have 5 trusses, 1/3 when they have 6 trusses and the rest when they have 7 trusses.

That way, the ones you pinch out first will be busy ripening the fruit fairly early (as the others continue to grow) and you end up kind of staggering your cropping out over a longer period instead of ending up with a glut at the end.

Hope that makes sense - don't think I explained it very well though!

Woof

Thanks, that's a great idea. I'll pinch out the growing tip on 7 plants first thing in the morning.

[mendacious dog]

Thanks, that's a great idea. I'll pinch out the growing tip on 7 plants first thing in the morning.

You are more than welcome, but I can't claim any credit for the idea. Everything I know about growing edibles I learnt from lurking on this forum!

Hope you get a bumper crop of San Marzanos - its my first year growing this particular variety and I've heard lots of great reviews from people who use them in cooking. I'm hoping my first ones will be turning red within the next 2-3 weeks, they are already a decent size!

Woof

[bramble]

have to say, I always grow San Marzano outdoors as I find it too vigorous for the greenhouse.