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Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:11:10

Title: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:11:10
 ;D
has anyone else had any tomatoes stop producing growing points, 3 out of the 8 beefsteak ones have set about  4 lots of flowers and just stopped, they have 2 branches of flowers at the top and no growing tip, I don't know whether to leave them for some early fruit or let one of the side shoots grow on?
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: OllieC on June 21, 2008, 18:15:05
I don't grow very many varieties, manics (probably only ever done 15 varieties), and only do outdoor ones, but have always noticed that Outdoor Girl want to be a bush - they throw a flower truss out where the growing tip should be & you have to tie up a side shoot...
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:21:01
sounds similar, got lots of double flower/fruits too, I blame the weather for everything  ;D
not the squirrels  ;D
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: OllieC on June 21, 2008, 18:26:56
Haha, have you checked? It could be squirrels in there, meddling with things!
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:28:05
even our polytunnel has mesh doors  ;D
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: Sinbad7 on June 21, 2008, 18:30:30
Two of my plants have done the same thing mainscousers, thought it might have been to do with the variety as I have never grown them before.  Did think it strange though.

Sinbad
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:31:59
glad I'm not on my own, are you letting the sideshoot grow ?
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: Sinbad7 on June 21, 2008, 18:38:21
Yes, I have as they didn't grow up and I thought they looked odd ;D  But as I live in fear of blight yet again I am going to stop everything on all of my tomatoes soon.  I must have about 40 plants in all.  I feel desperate about my toms this year and determined to get some, well lots I hope even though I am going to stop them all at 3 trusses.  Apart from the 2 that have stopped themselves.

Sinbad
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: tim on June 21, 2008, 18:40:51
Typical!

And, just to confuse you, they bifurcate & so you have 2 shoots which stop!!
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: manicscousers on June 21, 2008, 18:42:35
sinbad, are yours outside like ollie's then ?
they're all confused, Tim, between being over 100 degrees a few days ago to 60 degrees today  ::) ???
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: Sinbad7 on June 21, 2008, 18:47:07
Splitting of the main body!

Mine are all outside, have just found another the same, so, that now makes 3 :)

Sinbad
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: shirlton on June 21, 2008, 18:47:48
A couple of mine have done the same. Both the same variety. Constiluto florentino. Shirley and gardeners delight are ok.
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: Sinbad7 on June 21, 2008, 19:00:40
I have only ever grown the, what I would call normal toms, but after reading A4A it spurred me on to wanting to grow different varities and to the kindness of the people on here I now have loads of different varities growing, so, I would like to know do the flowers all look  different? I ask as I thought the flower died and you were left with a tomato but after inspecting some of my plants, in a friends garden, I notice some of the flowers are really large like double flowers and there is also a tomato inside, is this normal?

Sinbad
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: tim on June 21, 2008, 19:29:29
Yes - to both of those - Costoluto is a great offender.
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: Tee Gee on June 21, 2008, 19:48:04
Quote3 out of the 8 beefsteak ones have set about  4 lots of flowers and just stopped, they have 2 branches of flowers

I have noticed this in the past (only with beefsteak) and put it down to 'mother nature'

It is as if the plant has decided as to how many trusses it can sustain so does what we 'humans' do when we removing the growing tip from plants i.e. go for quality not quantity'!!
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: tricia on June 22, 2008, 23:58:34
Two of my outdoor plants both split at the large second truss and one just stopped after the second truss had flowered so I let a side shoot grow on that one. I'm still waiting to see what the other two do. They both have very large trusses, so - fingers crossed we don't get blight - maybe that will be enough for those two plants.

Tricia
Title: Re: strange goings on in the tomato beds
Post by: growmore on June 23, 2008, 10:54:48
Beefsteak toms are renowned for going blind at the tip. always check tip before removing last side shoot .If tip has gone blind grow on from side shoot..