Topic: Stopping tomatoes

[Gordonmull]

I've got both greenhouse and outdoor tomatoes. The GH varieties are all cordons. I have both cordon and bush varieties outdoors.

Due to the rubbish weather I have some questions.

Would I need to stop my GH varieites?

The outdoor bush varieties have many trusses. I had read that bush varieties don't need to be stopped or pinched out but they are only now beginning to set fruit. Would I be better removing some of the trusses (there's loads) back to three trusses per plant and pinching out the growing tips of the branches?

[galina]

I don't stop but the gardening books say 4 trusses for outside and 7 for greenhouse.  This is cordon varieties.  Bush varieties they don't really say apart from keeping things tidy and preventing tomato fruits from lying on the ground where they get slugged and rot.

It sounds like a good idea, but not when blight is around because it causes a wound and every open wound makes the plant more susceptible to trouble.  If you prune or top tomatoes, perhaps best at a time and in weather where wounds will heal over rapidly.  Easier now that the weather is finally sunny.

[caroline7758]

In my greenhouse, it's when they reach the roof. Unfortunately this year they've been reaching for light so much that most of them only have 2 or 3 trusses. :(