Pruning Tomato Plants
Pruning Tomato Plants involves regular inspection of your growing plants as they can sprout rapidly and develop quickly depleting the plant of vital nutrients for the developing fruits They have a crafty way of suddenly sprouting when you weren’t looking and often even if you have been looking out for them. It is quite easy to let the plant sprout side shoots but you will end up with lots of leaves, flowers and very few fruit of any size. Pinching out these shoots is very effective, or if you have found a long one which has been sneekily growing at the back you may need a sharp knife to remove it . You do not want to try pinching these out or snapping them as you may damage the main body of the plant.
Plants shoot/ Sucker removal
One of the great things about growing the tomato bush varieties is that you will not need to pinch out any of the side shoots as the plant tends to remain low 3- 4ft in height and compact and does not need controlling
On the other hand the cordon varieties can go mad 7ft in height, at least as long as they are growing upwards they produce as many side shoots as they can and all they have on them are leaves! So you can afford to trim some of these lower leaves off you need enough to offer shade to the developing tomatoes. Pruning tomato plants is not an exact science some people will cut back leaves really hard, leaving only a couple on the plant and the ripening fruit, believing that the fruit will get all the nutrients rather than the excess leaves.I personally find this method quite severe but do feel that leaves below the lowest truss can be removed without damaging the plant.
Staking Tomato plants
There are many different products on the market as support structures for tomatoes, metal, wooden, bamboo and plastic and if you are growing them in a green house you can always attached wire or string to the structure and train the tomatoes to grow up that.
Tomato Plant Trusses
How many trusses you have on each plant depends on the type of tomatoes you are growing, usually it can be between 5 and 7.
The more trusses you have the smaller the fruits will be so limiting yourself will produce a stronger crop.
Mulching Tomatoes
This is a protective layer which is placed over soil to enhance conditionsIf you are planting your tomatoes outside in your vegetable patch or allotment mulches are a real asset for successful crops. There are two types the natural organic mulches or the plastic both serve the plants well. The main differences being that the plastic mulch will keep the soil warmed and the organic can have the reverse effect so should only be applied once the soil temperature is around 65F / 18C.
The benefit of placing mulch around your plants is that you will have reduced the amount of weeds around them and also the loss of moisture from the soil.
Watering Tomatoes
Watering enough seems to be a topic often discussed at great length- how often, how much and from the bottom or top or both if feeding.
If your plants are outside you should not need to worry too much about watering especially if you have mulched around the plants. You will probably only have to water them if there is a long drought period. If you have greenhouse tomatoes in pots or in grow bags these will require more of your attention as their watering requirements are dependant on the weather. With pots you will need to apply enough water so that the water runs out of the holes in the bottom. I have found that watering plants in the morning rather than in the evening is better for them.
If you are growing your tomatoes in grow bags or big pots you will need to make sure that they are watered regularly and not allowed to dry out. If you are erratic with watering it may lead to split fruit or blossom end rot.
When to Feed Tomato plants
If you are using grow bags they usually have enough nutrients in the bag for the first six weeks of growth so you can work out when you will need to begin to feeding.
If you are using standard compost in a large pot it is advised that you begin feeding weekly once the first pea sized fruits begin to appear on your plants. You will need to follow the instructions on the packaging as if you over feed that can cause problems as much as under feeding
When I was asked about growing tomatoes indoors I thought immediately that they were referring to “under glass” greenhouse tomato growing which I thought I could easily write about. Alternatively growing tomatoes indoors could also mean on the windowsill but in fact they were referring to is what I would call the more commercial venture or exceptionally keen tomato growing enthusiasts.
This was something I hadn’t really looked into before now but decided that it would be helpful for people to know exactly what is involved.
- The main considerations to take into account are firstly whether the amount of extra work and effort involved in the production of indoor tomatoes is worth your time.
- Secondly does the cost of setting up the indoor garden out weigh the savings made from growing your own tomatoes?
- The amount of electricity that will be used plus the cost of the extra equipment the space taken up with in the home or garage and the safety aspects of water and electricity in close proximity, or indeed where to put the car!
- If you choose a bush tomato variety it will need plenty of space in which to grow and will need to be kept under a florescent cool white lighting system for seedlings as well as high pressure sodium light to help force the plant to flower and fruit. These lights remain on for extended periods at a time and need to be positioned at a specific height to maximise the growth potential for the plants.
- The temperature and humidity for the tomatoes requires regulating as you neither want it too hot or too humid or too cold for the plants.
- The lighting system can raise the temperature in the room for those plants and therefore you may require a fan to gently move the air around this will also help with the pollination of the tomato plants.
Tomato Hydroponics
Usually people that decide to grow indoor tomatoes will often decide to use a hydroponics system. These systems can also be quite expensive to set up but the growth rate of the plants and the fruit production is the real bonus. The amount of chemistry involved in the maintenance of the nutrient solution for your plants is quite in depth, balancing the Ph of your reservoir has a direct affect on the amount of nutrient added to the water.
My personal conclusion is that you do need to be a very attentive gardener with an interest in the technology of growing indoor tomatoes to embark on this venture.
Quick How To Grow Great Tomatoes Guide
- How to Grow Great Tomatoes
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This 52 page guide comes packed with great information including photos and a set of comprehensive tomato recipes.
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Review: ” This is a great little guide if you want to get started growing tomatoes.
There are a lot of piccies and I really like that there are some recipes that use the tomatoes that you grow.
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Tomato Growing Tips
Here are ten tomato growing tips for growing great tomatoes:
- It’s all in the preparation as they say – a good tip is to turn your soil over during January and February. You will be surprised how many pest eggs have been hiding in your soil over the winter and if you expose them to the frosts you hopefully will have less pests during the year.
- Preparation of your soil is important you can go the whole nine yards and test your soil for PH and add chemicals or supplements appropriately or you can add some well rotten compost which usually is just as effective at balancing the soil out
- Mulching your soil is the best way of reducing the weeds around your plants in addition to adding nutrients, keeping the soil warm and retaining moisture
- If you are growing your tomatoes from seed it is a good idea to choose a selection so you have late and an early crop. In addition you can have cherry and plum ones, these are ideal for making sauces which will give you a wonderful crop which will see you through the season
- Seedlings require sunshine and warmth to develop into healthy plants. Leggy seedlings can be planted deeply when planted up as this will enable them to grow stronger stems
- Do not fertilise your plants either too early or too much as you can cause a build up of chemicals in the plants leading to problems with leaves and fruit production. Only begin to add fertiliser after the plant begins to flower and then only one a week
- Diseases can easily affect your plants if they are kept too humid or become infested, know the enemy and be prepared. Companion planting will prevent some pests and is environmentally friendly
- Supporting your tomatoes as they grow is important as tomatoes which are not tend to become damaged leaving fruits trailing on the ground. Using either cages or stakes and strong but gentle ties will prevent damage and ensure a well supported and productive plant
- Watering correctly is always a problem too much can lead to fruiting problems too little can lead to fruiting problems. Try no to let the plants dry out if they are in either pots or grown bags as when you do water them it will just run off
- When thinking of the best tomato growing tips the most practical is probably the storing of your wonderful stock of tomatoes. This is a worthwhile as well as cost effective project. You can easily make sun dried tomatoes and thick rich sauces which you can freeze and use throughout the winter months reminding you of summer and tasting so much better than those bought at your local supermarket
Quick How To Grow Great Tomatoes Guide
How to Grow Great Tomatoes
If you want to learn how to grow great tomatoes then pick up this great little guide.
This 52 page guide comes packed with great information including photos and a set of comprehensive tomato recipes.
Download your copy now for only $5.75
Review: ” This is a great little guide if you want to get started growing tomatoes.
There are a lot of piccies and I really like that there are some recipes that use the tomatoes that you grow.
Highly recommend this! B. Pirrie”
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE - If you don’t find that this guide is not for you, then we will guarantee your money back if you contact us within 14 days!