Removing all tomato branches without flowers on them

s4lvatore

So what do you guys of that then. I know you are suppose to remove anything below the first truss anyway but my plant just has loads of leaves and branches that are not flowering and I was thinking of removing them all feom near the stem and just leaving the ones that have flowers.

Is this a bad idea?

serena

I'd agree that you can remove excess foliage up to the lowest truss to hasten ripening, but would not recommend much more than that. The plant needs to photosynthesise and needs its leaves!

STOCKWIRE

Excessive leaf growth is caused by nitrogen rich compost. Feed with a high potash feed to encourage flowers and fruit.

djohn2002uk

If you have plants close together (as I have) then removing a few leaves that are between plants to let some light and air in is a good idea, but after reading a few posts on this particular forum saying it was OK to remove most of the leaves, I searched on Google but could not find anywhere that recommended it, indeed most said the opposite. I almost strip mine as they stop growing just to let them get more light for ripening but apparently that doesn't help either. So I end up with loads of green ones in the dark under the stairs and they go on ripening for another month.

STOCKWIRE

djohn2002uk wrote: »

If you have plants close together (as I have) then removing a few leaves that are between plants to let some light and air in is a good idea, but after reading a few posts on this particular forum saying it was OK to remove most of the leaves, I searched on Google but could not find anywhere that recommended it, indeed most said the opposite. I almost strip mine as they stop growing just to let them get more light for ripening but apparently that doesn't help either. So I end up with loads of green ones in the dark under the stairs and they go on ripening for another month.

The actual fruit does not need light ~ its the whole plant, leaves and all. Remember the biggest strawberrys are always hidden, likewise with tomatoes. Feed the plant correctly and you shouldn't have a problem.

[Deleted User]

I did just that and very gradually removed all leaves bar one, doing this over time after the fruits started setting. I feed my 26 plants with grow organic tomato food every 2 weeks and most but not all are in growpots and 2/3 are under cover of some sort. with doors rolled up every day. I now have the most tremendous heavy crop of tomatoes on each and every plant and have harvested 900g of sungolds to date. The others are ripening fast and several on the point of being a mature red. Photosynthesis is necessary of course but that also happens through the green stems and green tomatoes

Plants will flower under stress and to make more flowers then the plants need to get a bit stressed. I have several varieties ie sungold, principe borghese, alaskan fancy, alicante and gardeners delight and all are amazing. I water in the growpots once a day and some are on top of growbags, some in rolled down potato bags, some in haxnicks planters and some in big pots. I used westland compost and various makes of seeds and I cover the outdoor ones with haxnicks bags if we are going to get prolonged rain. That is all I do, the magic was in cutting the leaves allowing light and air in and so diverting the plants sugars into the developing fruits and not into lush leaves

I stopped all plants at 4 trusses and meticulously took the axil shoots out as the plants grew

I will do exactly the same next year. I grew 26 in order to get plenty of fruit for bottling and so on and have just ordered yet more kilner jars, as my crop is so heavy and I can start bottling in a week or so

STOCKWIRE

kittie wrote: »

I did just that and very gradually removed all leaves bar one, doing this over time after the fruits started setting. I feed my 26 plants with grow organic tomato food every 2 weeks and most but not all are in growpots and 2/3 are under cover of some sort. with doors rolled up every day. I now have the most tremendous heavy crop of tomatoes on each and every plant and have harvested 900g of sungolds to date. The others are ripening fast and several on the point of being a mature red. Photosynthesis is necessary of course but that also happens through the green stems and green tomatoes

Plants will flower under stress and to make more flowers then the plants need to get a bit stressed. I have several varieties ie sungold, principe borghese, alaskan fancy, alicante and gardeners delight and all are amazing. I water in the growpots once a day and some are on top of growbags, some in rolled down potato bags, some in haxnicks planters and some in big pots. I used westland compost and various makes of seeds and I cover the outdoor ones with haxnicks bags if we are going to get prolonged rain. That is all I do, the magic was in cutting the leaves allowing light and air in and so diverting the plants sugars into the developing fruits and not into lush leaves

I stopped all plants at 4 trusses and meticulously took the axil shoots out as the plants grew

I will do exactly the same next year. I grew 26 in order to get plenty of fruit for bottling and so on and have just ordered yet more kilner jars, as my crop is so heavy and I can start bottling in a week or so

Whatever works for you is always the right way, No point fixing unless broken. However Its the Phyochromes in the leaves which regulate plant / fruit maturity . Studies in America have shown that using a coloured mulch speeds up the ripening of tomatoes. Determinate varieties ripen better when all leaves including side shoots are left on the plants. Its the plants that require the light to develop and ripen the fruits, the fruits once developed will ripen quiet well in the dark.

lizzyb1812

One of my Gardener's Delight tomatoes has died in mysterious circumstances - not blight, no sign of disease and the other 2 plants in the growbag are fine. I've taken off the 2 trusses that did form and they are ripening slowly on a windowsill. Given what Stockwire said I'm going to put one in the dark and compare the development of the two - I love experiments. :rotfl:

My determinate plants - a variety that is the ugliest plant I've seen - have masses of foliage and fruit. The ripe stuff I've been getting is the tomatoes underneath the matt of foliage - I spotted one quite by accident when watering and now find a few each day by lifting the foliage and having a good look.

Interesting about the US study, both re the leaf cutting and the coloured mulch - there's always something new to learn isn't there? I'll continue to do what I've always done - cut foliage off as the plant ages and the foliage starts to yellow/die from the bottom upwards. I've lost just 2 plants this year - one the aforementioned one and another that was down to my clumsiness - but the other 18 are all bearing fruit now, although the very late planted last 4 Gardener's Delight will have to be moved into the greenhouse to be sure of a decent crop - when I've finished glazing it :rotfl: