Tomato plant is obviously thriving and living its best life being all leafy and growing some fruits ✨
(He will be tied to the pole up the top for support, feels like it had a growth spurt overnight). I originally wanted to try and vine it around the cage, but the branches have other plans, he’s a whole lot of leaf and not much else right now. I’ve been trimming the dead leaves off when I see them, do I cut back his branches a bit? Or just keep cutting off the dead leaves and let it live its best life and grow.
by Alae_ffxiv
12 Comments
That’s a nice cannabis bush
What type is it? Is it indeterminate?
Hi the idea of trimming off the bottom leaves and Side shoots as well as first growth of flowers is to get the bush big and strong so it can grow lots of big tomatoes. It’s now like a little young girl carrying the weeks groceries by herself .
You can pinch out the shoots coming out between the main stem and the side leaves. This puts more energy into the plant. Trim some lower leaves.
It looks like it needs a good water, some liquid fertiliser and plenty of mulch or pea straw around the base to keep it from drying out.
From my experience, you want to trim off the lower leaves to force the plant to funnel all its energy into the flowers. I’d trim everything beneath the first flowers or fruit.
You also want to have one or two main stems only to build strength and bigger tomatoes. So remove the suckers (the new shoots that grow in the y of the branches) and concentrate the energy on the main stems.
Omg so jealous 😍
I can’t plant tomatoes for another month at least
You don’t have to prune it if you don’t want to. The most tomatoes I’ve ever had from one plant was from one that I let go feral. Granted, it was kinda diseased and half the tomatoes were rotting because of being in contact with the ground, but it was the biggest and bore the most tomatoes.
IMO the ideal way to grow them is to keep pruning and have 1 main stem up until it’s as big/tall enough for your support structure to handle, then let 2 or 3 sucker offshoots at the top be the next main ones that droop over, always trimming suckers off those 3 and the main stem. I recommend removing all flowers and fruit until it gets to the height you want it instead of letting it waste energy while it’s too small.
Not so much trim, but water and fertilize – poor thing looks like it’s starving and dehydrated. Start with a good watering, then liquid fertilizer like Seasol or Thrive, and then bring out some slow release pellets as well. Once tomatoes are turning red you can remove the leaves below the fruit. Also pinch out all new growth in all leaf axils, and limit the plant’s height at about 3 or 4′ by taking out the centre.
I prune the shite out of mine. Depends on the variety though. Indeterminate I would argue are way easier if you keep on top of them. Prune suckers and only allow one or two leaders. Then promote and cut off any that won’t grow huge
A good standard formula for pruning is to removal all laterals except the first one or two before the first flower bud. You’ll then have two or three strong stems. Leave them all on after 1 m height. This is good for higher density planting but as others have noted, no pruning is fine if you have the space and can’t be bothered. Also agree you need some mulch.
I never get it right ..
It’s amazing how they can survive the cold I remember my grandmother had one overwinter under her camellia it didn’t fruit obviously but it sprung up in autumn overwintered then flowered in spring I suppose it was protected from frost by the porch but It surprised me how cold tolerant they are