Topic: Pinching out tomato sideshoots

[caroline7758]

Should all tomatoes have their sideshoots pinched out? I'm growing Gardeners Delight and Alicante (boring, I know!) and hoping to put them outside later, if that makes a difference.

[Jeannine]

Only the varieties that are described as  vine aka cordon aka indeterminate.

But not the ones described as bush or determinate

[GRACELAND]

Gardener's deligh can be left alone as can alot of the Cherry type Toms  ;)

[pye]

Gardener's deligh can be left alone as can alot of the Cherry type Toms  ;)

GD is cordon, no? Have always pinched it out.  ???

[GRACELAND]

No there ok Left alone really loads of small Toms then  :o ;D

Well I know you suposed to Side shoot But i have left them in the Past (GD)And there ok loads of Toms .. If you got one spare try one and see  ;D

[davyw1]

Should all tomatoes have their sideshoots pinched out? I'm growing Gardeners Delight and Alicante (boring, I know!) and hoping to put them outside later, if that makes a difference.

I nip out all the side shoots ( not on Bush type tho ) except the very top one

[Jeannine]

Caroline, I guess you have to make up your own mind, however Alicante and Gardeners Delight are both indeterminate tomatoes and should be pruned, I do,
and get clusters of a dozen fruit on each truss and a great many trusses. I agree with the book on this one that leaving unnessary foliage on the vine can do no good ,it can  only reduce your fruit crop as energy is needed to support that growth, without the foliage more energy goes into the fruit itself.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Davy, why do you pinch out the top growth on bush types? The top is the final truss when they have reached full height,unlike a vine which just keeps on growing.Pinching it out you are losing fruit.

XX Jeannine

[cleo]

Both GD and Alicante should be nipped out. Alicante should be threatened with execution but if ripe and cooked then clemency-just this once ;D

[davyw1]

Davy, why do you pinch out the top growth on bush types? The top is the final truss when they have reached full height,unlike a vine which just keeps on growing.Pinching it out you are losing fruit.

XX Jeannine

I don,t nip anything out on bush toms. When i am nipping out my vine toms i all ways leave the very top sucker on until the tomato is fully grown WHY cos i am a class act at snapping the growing tip off, so if i do, i can let the top sucker grow on.

[Jeannine]

Sorry Davy, I misread that, I thought you had put you don't sideshoot your bush except the very top one, Ithought that sounded odd !! XX Jeannine

[davyw1]

Jeannine, I am a bit odd. Today i done 10 X 16"  hanging baskets with tumbler in, i only have four brackets

[Jeannine]

Well, that's easy, you hang one on your bracket,then you hook another one into the bottom of the first one until you have 4 in  hanging column, then repeat with the other 3 brackets..16 baskets..See easy.. just don't ask me how yoy pick 'em LOL  Good Luck XX Jeannine

You could place  a basket on  a table and let it hang down, or a pedestal. they look good like that.

[manicscousers]

I stand some on buckets, with just the bottom in water, saves me watering them  ;D

[davyw1]

OH i know exactly what to do with them £7.50 each LOL

[OliveOil]

someone please explain this pinching please - when should you do it??? I have about 40 tom plants all indeterminate.

[tim]

I know that some people let everything grow but pinching out is the norm. Just sent this elsewhere -

"B****y typical - wiped off my photos only yesterday, thinking that they were 'old hat'!!

Until I get new ones - in a week or two - & speaking of indeterminate varieties - think on these lines:

Anything that grows nodally - ie out of the junction between the main stem & a leaf frond should be removed. Flower trusses grow internodally - ie directly out of the main stem, half way between the leaf fronds.

To avoid pinching out the growing tip, make sure there is a flower truss above the shoot you intend to remove. (DAVY please note!!)

Does that make sense?"

[OliveOil]

I think so Tim - thank you!  Last year i let everything grow and got no fruit whatsoever... If i get stuck you will hear me yell!

[davyw1]

QUOTE TIN (To avoid pinching out the growing tip, make sure there is a flower truss above the shoot you intend to remove. (DAVY please note!!)}

I don,t  pinch out the growing tip i only remove the suckers. I think i may have phrased my earlier post wrong

[caroline7758]

Thanks, all, never grown outside before so wanted to check.