Breaking the top off tomato plants?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by tolennaki, May 20, 2014.

  1. tolennaki

    tolennaki Apprentice Gardener

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    I am growing tomatoes among other plants f the first time this year. One of the plants has become as tall as me and it has almost reached the roof of the greenhouse. I have heard that if a tomato plant becomes too tall you should break the top of so that it will focus on producing fruit. What do you think about that?
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    That is very early in the season for them to get that big, usually it's late August time when I do mine when they have 8 or more trusses. Some years I train them up to the apex of the greenhouse and down the other side to get more trusses. Whereabouts are you and when did you start the off?

    Yes you can remove the growing tip to stop the plant growing upwards, generally that will make it produce side-shoots like mad so be prepared for that.
     
  3. colne

    colne Super Gardener

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    Will breaking off the tip produce more trusses or will it stop more being produced? Mine never get tall here, possibly 4 foot tall.
     
  4. tolennaki

    tolennaki Apprentice Gardener

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    I live in London and I bought them one and half months ago when they were small plants. Thanks I will go ahead with that then.
     
  5. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    If you snap off the growing tip on a cordon (indeterminate) type tomato and you have religiously side-shooted then you don't get any more trusses. If you have some sideshoots remaining, and you leave it alone, one will take over as the main growing point and you can get more trusses.
     
  6. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    How many flower trusses have you got on your plants?
     
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    • Kristen

      Kristen Under gardener

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      The other option is to "layer" them, rather than take the growing tip out.

      I don't "stop" mine until one month before I expect first frost in the Autumn. If they hit the greenhouse roof before then I train them in some way (some years by layering them) to give them some more growing height / space.
       
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