Hybrid Tomatoes with 2 leaders

[craggle58]

This is the second year I have grown Tomato Pomona hybrid variety from Seeds of Italy. Up untill they get to about 3 feet tall I sideshoot as normal. However some taller plants seem to then fork and produce two leaders. If I choose the wrong one to pinch out the tomato stops growing any taller. Any advice on tomatoes that fork and produce seemingly two leaders? Also is this normal for hybrid tomatoes? 

[craggle58]

[galina]

In this respect hybrid tomatoes should behave no different to ordinary tomatoes. 

If you want to and have the space, you could increase yields by supporting both leaders, in a 'v' formation.  I have grown two leaders, sometimes a sideshoots grows away before it is noticed and when it has tiny fruit on it already, I don't remove it.  I just tie it up to support the weight.  This can be trained to be a second leader.  If I don't have the space for a second leader, I cut above one flower truss.

[Silverleaf]

I've always removed sideshoots as my dad taught me when I was little and he grew tomatoes, but I do wonder if it's even necessary.

Is it done just to make the plant easier to deal with, or does it improve yields?

[goodlife]

All tomatoes have tendency to do double or even triple leaders and as long as you have room for them, you can let them be and enjoy growing even more tomatoes
I have plenty of 'doublers' in my lot this year and even they are little bit squeezed in, I've left every one on and keep tying the tops 'together' onto same support...both tops have only couple of inches space between themselves and unless you look very carefully, you won't notice much difference to single plants...more flower trusses on show is biggest evidence..

But when the plants have more growth on..you have keep eye on the feeding and watering...bigger crops need more of it though one has to be careful with nitrogen rich feed as you don't want too much lush green growth, it just take up space and is really wasted..not edible neither.

I was 'snapping' away yesterday and I have by tomato GH 'in film'....it is bit jungle there but there is path in the middle..really...you just have zig-zag between bush tomatoes that are in buckets in the middle..

[galina]

I've always removed sideshoots as my dad taught me when I was little and he grew tomatoes, but I do wonder if it's even necessary.

Is it done just to make the plant easier to deal with, or does it improve yields?

It is done here in the UK because we are at the northern extremities of growing tomatoes.  Essentially they need more light and warmth than our weather affords them.  Removing foliage allows more light which assists ripening.  This is why greenhouse tomatoes usually do better than outdoors ones (the other reason is that blight is less of a problem in a poly or greenhouse.

In the USA they grow tomatoes in 'cages', rather than tied to stakes or tomato spirals,  and they keep all the foliage too.  Their problem is sunscald, ie parts of the tomato getting scorched in intense sunlight, and the scorched bits won't ripen.

However, every time a tomato is pruned, it leaves a small wound, which must dry over.  At those times the tomatoes are more vulnerable to disease.  For that reason I stop pruning outdoor tomatoes at the first hint of blight.

I guess the further South somebody gardens, the higher the angle of the sun in the sky,  which means less pruning.

The other issue with foliage is that in the UK plants tend to grow greener, bigger and lusher than in more Southern countries.  The plants make all this growth and foliage at the expense of fruit.  Curbing that a bit (and stopping an indeterminate tomato after 5 trusses is also part of that regime) directs more energy into making and ripening fruit.

[Jayb]

I just looked Pomona F1 on their web site, it looks a lovely tomato.
As long as a variety is a cordon/indeterminate type it should not matter which of the leaders you take out, both or either one will continue to keep on growing. I usually get some doing exactly as you describe, with side shoot developing at the same rate as the leader or in some cases it is the stronger one! It sometimes hard to tell which is the original leader, so I go for the stronger looking one. Or if they are fairly low on the plant I sometimes keep them on and grow as Galina and Goodlife describe, though this then is twice the pinching out!

I  agree with Galina. Many countries don't side shoot at all and grow great crops but they do have climates much more suited to growing tomatoes in this manner  than the UK. These tomatoes are often grown in cages or supported with horizontal strings to support the vines. I guess the 'Cordon' method here was developed to suit our growing conditions.  Although it is a faff to do it does produce good crops and helps reduce some disease issues – better airflow around plants etc. I sometimes grow tomatoes  using two main stems, (usually the wispy leaf types) but you have to stay on top of pinching out or it becomes an uncontrollable triffid in no time! I'm not sure many people have the indoor growing room to let tomatoes just do their thing as they get so huge, growing them au natural outdoors might be better space wise.

[Ian Pearson]

Others have covered the subject very well. I'll just add that I've noticed some varieties seem more predisposed to forming twin leaders than others. I tend to retain whichever is closest to the cane, and so easiest to tie in. Also, if planning to grow plants as multi cordon, it would probably be best to grow them at a wider spacing than is conventional for cordon-grown plants.