Tomato confusion

[taralastair]

I have grown tomatoes a few times over the years, but I don't think I ever really get this whole "pinching out" business right. I'm never sure I'm pinching the right bit. Diagrams, drawings etc would be useful if you know of any. Also, which types really need this (or other pruning). The types I am growing are

Gardener's Delight
Matina (potato leaf variety, med sized fruit)
Super Marmande (bush habitat - but according to packet may need some pruning)

All are looking very healthy and quite large at the moment. They are in ample sized pots now indoors, but I will start a slow hardening off process over the next two weeks before they get planted out (probably with a bit of makeshift protection at first - but ultimately outdoors only).

As usual, I would be grateful of any advice.

Tara

[Allan]

Pinching out generally relates to the tall or indeterminate varieties of tomato. In every leaf axil there is the possibility of a sideshoot growing out between leafstem and main stem and it is established practice to break these out if small or if necessary cut them out cleanly. If the leading shoot of the plant gets broken you can let a sideshoot replace this leader. You do get cases after several leaves where the main stem appears to fork equally, let it grow on a bit until you decide which part to leave and which to cut out. It is possible to traine both up seperate strings but any advantage is doubtful in view of the complications of access that this may cause. Always watch out for more sideshoots forming lower down the plant in its later stages, especially at ground level. Sometimes a leaf shoot will appear at the tip of a fruit cluster, this should be cut off.
Determinate or bush varieties may require thinning of branches or pinching out tips to allow exposure of the fruit and prevent overcrowding.
Allan

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply. Still not all that sure of what to do, but you have pointed me in the right direction. Any idea what to do with this "potato leaf" variety? It does look quite different from other varieties that I have grown and don't know if it requires specail treament.

Tara

[Streps]

This is possibly a bit late but my tomato plant is at a good point to show the side shoots so thought I'd take a pic. Now hopefully you can see the normal branches at a 90% (ish) angle and then the side shoots coming up between them at like 45%. The two below are getting quite big and you can also see a baby one coming on the branch above. This tomato is a Gartenperle so I don't need to pinch them out but hopefully that shows you what to look out for.

[Tigger]

Those ones at 45% are the ones to come out of any indeterminate plants Streps.

[Streps]

Yep exactly. It didn't really matter what variety mine was, just making conversation.

[Geoff]

If you get big side shoots mid-season use them as cuttings - much easier way of getting late plants for succession than sowing another lot.

[retropants]

what a brilliant idea (d'oh!) I'd never thought of that. Presumably, these cuttings, when grown, will keep cropping until the winter in a heated greenhouse?? here's hoping!

[Streps]

If you get big side shoots mid-season use them as cuttings - much easier way of getting late plants for succession than sowing another lot.

Sounds great! Would I just nip them off and plant them or dip in rooting powder or place in water? And could you give me some idea of what you mean by mid-season? I have large sideshoots on my gartenperles but is it too early to bother yet? Sorry for the inquisition.

[Colin Miles]

With Gardeners Delight in the greenhouse I always let some of the side shoots grow to form a mult-stemmed plant as you then get a much bigger crop. Outside I grow it as a bush and stop it when I or the frosts feel like it.

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
A few years ago I did exactly tha tand just let the plants grow on and picked the last one first week in January!

[Allan]

Yes, one can grow very late tomatoes if you keep the temperature up and the frost out, but after about mid-October there just isn't sufficient sun to put the flavour and sweetness into them so we stock up with fruit ripened in summer and freeze them for consumption continuously until we start picking again.
Allan

[PT]

The HDRA did a members experiment a few years ago. I can't remember the exact details, but it was something like this.
Members were given tomato seed to grow. As the plants grew 2 were pinched out and 2 were not. As the toms ripened they were picked and weighed. The conclusion of the experiment was. It you want big toms, in a short growing time pinch out. If you want smaller toms with a long cropping time don't pinch out. The weight of the crop was the same.

[taralastair]

Thanks all of you. Thought this subject was about dead. What a great response. All has been very useful info. I may experiment a bit and not pinch out one plant and see what happens. However as all are going outside soon, don't expect it'll extend my season much longer.

Thanks again for all the help.

Tara

[Geoff]

I only did the cuttings last year but they worked well. Just cut them off and put them in a fairly open compost, they wilt for a couple of days and look pretty hopeless then suddenly perk up and romp away. I think the timing was late June but I didn't diary it. Don't know where the idea came from, may have read it (even could have been KG) or heard it on GQT.