Snapped the tops off my toms

[cestrian]

I got a bit too enthusiastic with tying my toms to their canes and I took my eyes off them for a couple of days. When I checked them last week, two had snapped off about 2/3 of the way up the cordon, leaving them about 4 foot high with 2 trusses each. This happened to one plant last year and it never really recovered. I thought, ok, let one of the side shoots take over as the main cordon, but it stopped producing decent side shoots and was never the same.

Is there something I could try to save them? It's a sungold and a black cherry.

[cestrian]

[goodlife]

There is not much else you can do but try to encourage side shoot to grow as new leader.
But....you propably need to give little more feed for the tomato, more of 'nitrogen' type feed that would help with new growth formation...tomato feed is essentially just to help with fruiting.
If you have some chicken pellets...some of those would be good..and maybe little bit of compost fresh compost on surface too..if yours are like mine, there is already roots showing on surface of the compost...covering them with compost would boost the chances with new growth.

If it makes you feel any better....snapping tops is easily done when the growth in GH is getting bit cramped...yes, 'been there and done that' too..

[cestrian]

Thanks GL. I don't feel so daft now. I will try the chicken pellets and a bit of compost. Good idea.

[antipodes]

Isn't Sungold a bush variety? If it is, surely it will strongly side shoot...

[goodlife]

Isn't Sungold a bush variety? If it is, surely it will strongly side shoot...

Nope...sungold is cordon type. Regardless of the variety...mine seem to all want to side shoot this year, making them very strong ones too.
I mixed 'tons' of compost this year and used lot of composted straw bedding from 'builders bag' planters, they had pumpkins growing in them last year....and seem to be that I got my compost recipe working really, really well. The first mix I made I used for only few plants shows difference in plant growth...good, but not brilliant...and then I remembered something else I had stashed away..added that ingredient for the rest of the mix...and those planted in that are looking brilliant! The secret 'formula' was weathered old chicken's pen bedding with lots of sand and oyster shell in it ( chickens didn't want the oyster shell so it got chucked into barrow amongst all the bedding) ...

[aj]

I grow most of mine as bushes anyway - I twirl the vines around string and if it sideshoots, just twirl those as well. If they snap, you can root the top and just give it a new leader. And a good feed.