I've just scalped my toms and sweetcorn - bad move?

aliasojo

I'm in the Highlands of Scotland and the weather is really changing now, it's getty very dull and rainy.

I have some tomato plants whose fruit is just beginning to go red very slowly, now. I also have a few sweetcorn plants that have small cobs.

We're forecast snow next week and it's cold tonight so I wouldn't be surprised.

Soooooo, I kinda thought if I scalped the tomato plants and took off all the green foliage, it might help push all the growth into the actual tomatoes in the hope I get some fruit before the cold gets them?

I've also cut the top off the sweetcorn plants and taken the leaves off.

So, question is....have I helped or hindered?

valk_scot

Well, it's the green pigment in the leaves and stems of a plant that capture the sun's energy and turn it into food for the plant, very roughly speaking. So if you remove the leaves what's going to fuel the growth?

The usual technique for tomatoes is to nip the growing tip off and also any flower trusses that haven't yet started forming fruit. This channels the plant's resources into growing the formed fruit. But as your tomatoes are turning red already I'd just pick them and ripen them up on a windowledge indoors.

As to the sweetcorn well, the cobs are unlikely to grow now but they might ripen up a bit I suppose.

lola34

I took all the leaves of my tomato plants a week or two ago, we're up north so the tempertaure is dropping too, I did this as a friend had watched gardeners world and had they had mentioned doing this as apparantly did my Nana when she grew tomatoes, they are now turning red, 1 bright red, others on the turn and others are still green - don't know if this would have happened anyway but anythings worth a go in my opinion.

Lotus-eater

You can virtually take off all leaves from a tomato plant when you want to ripen the fruit. Leave the ones right at the top and stop all new growth and strip all new trusses which won't have the chance to grow to maturity.

Not sure about a sweetcorn plant, I would think no

aliasojo

valk_scot wrote: »

Well, it's the green pigment in the leaves and stems of a plant that capture the sun's energy and turn it into food for the plant, very roughly speaking. So if you remove the leaves what's going to fuel the growth?

I have to admit to being very ignorant and not even thinking about this.

lola34 wrote: »

I did this as a friend had watched gardeners world and had they had mentioned doing this ......

There was something in the back of my mind about seeing this done somewhere, I wonder if it was the same prog.....I saw loads of 'naked' plants tied to a trellis affair with loads of fruits on them. Can't really remember much else though.

Oh well, time will tell if it was a huge mistake or not. It's all a learning curve and I'll be better prepared next year.

aliasojo

Lotus-eater wrote: »

You can virtually take off all leaves from a tomato plant when you want to ripen the fruit. Leave the ones right at the top and stop all new growth and strip all new trusses which won't have the chance to grow to maturity.

Not sure about a sweetcorn plant, I would think no

I took off anything that didn't have a tomato at the end of it. :D

Kinda thought the sweetcorn wasn't a good idea but they weren't really doing anything anyway so not much lost I think.

cooking-mama

I did the same with my tomato plants,,i think its helping get the last lot of the sunlight concentrating on the tomatoes.

aliasojo

Well I've just had maybe a quarter of the toms left on the plant turn red just since I've done this a couple of days ago, but whether it was because I'd done this or whether they were ready to go anyway, who knows? They are a baby variety, not sure if it would have worked so quick with a full size variety.

There's been no sun here though, in fact it's been dull and rainy the past few days.

Suzy_M

You can pick the tomatoes when still green, put them in egg trays in a cool place and cover with newspaper. Then just select a few as required and finish ripening on a sunny window sill.

savingmummy

I removed the final green tomatoes and wrapped them in newspaper and placed them in a cupboard in the kitchen.
Most have ripened over the weekend.

exel1966

I have about 50-70 healthy green toms on three plants. They are a good size, but was wondering whether iit would be best to pick them all now or leave til a tinge of orange appears.
I too have stripped two thirds of the current foliage which hasn't seemed to harm them in any way. Considering these were planted from seed mid july I think I've done pretty well for a first attempt.