Bad planning?/Tomatoes out of control

[StackerKen]

Some of you might remember me posting pics of this planter I built out of 6 inch metal studs back in April

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planterdone.jpg

I filled it with layers of Paper trash ,chicken poop,straw, soil and topped it off with some cheap potting soil.


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter2-1.jpghttp://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter9-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter7-1.jpg

Well Now the four tomato plants have grown lager and faster than I expected and are crowding the poor little (flowering) pepper plants


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/tomatosgonewild.jpg



I may have to cut the matter plants back or transplant the peppers to a different planter box. and hope they survive the transplanting....I dunno what do you guys think I should do?

[willie pete]

You sure those are tomato plants Kenster? :D

[zap]

I think you got a jungle there!! No idea if they will transplant, my luck is usually bad.

If it was my garden I would leave the peppers cause they would die if I replanted them

Good luck to you :D

[Heimdhal]

better to just let them grow and not transplant.

looks like you didnt pinch them off properly as they were growing. Gotta get the little shoots the start grow at the base of the branches; in that Y shaped area.

These little guys: http://98.131.5.126/images/tomato%20sucker%201.jpg


Then when they start getting really tall, you pinch off the growing tips at the ends of the highest branches. This forces the plant to slow down its upward growth and put more engery into its lower leaves and fruits. If you have indeterminate varieties, they will keep growing taller and taller and taller until the plant dies, so its important. If you let them they could easily grow 15 feet or more. I've got one thats at least 9 feet right now.

Your plants look very healthy though, and thats a bonus. Replant your peppers somewhere else and thin your tom plants a little each day so they can get some air circulation through them to help keep down powdery mildew spores from developing, as well as other fungal problems.


My tom plants are shot this year. Caught a systemic disease early and need to be pulled out. It doesnt effect the fruits though, whatever it is, so im waiting until I've harvested a few more toms and then I'll replant.

[StackerKen]

LOL @ Willie...yeah

Zap...yeah...Im thinking I better just leave em be.


Heimdhal;Wow...I better do something soon then.

I didn't do anything to these plants yet. Just planted three inch tall plants from wallmart and let them go wild.

Thanks for the info :)

[Korbin Dallas]

I'm in the same boat Ken, seems like everything is just right for maters this year. I prune them, but they just grow faster and bushier, and I can't keep up.

[gunDriller]

Some of you might remember me posting pics of this planter I built out of 6 inch metal studs back in April

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planterdone.jpg

I filled it with layers of Paper trash ,chicken poop,straw, soil and topped it off with some cheap potting soil.


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter2-1.jpghttp://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter9-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/planter7-1.jpg

Well Now the four tomato plants have grown lager and faster than I expected and are crowding the poor little (flowering) pepper plants


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/baytraderken/planter/tomatosgonewild.jpg



I may have to cut the matter plants back or transplant the peppers to a different planter box. and hope they survive the transplanting....I dunno what do you guys think I should do?


maybe it's a choice between cutting back the tomatoes vs. transplanting the peppers.

[Heimdhal]

I'm in the same boat Ken, seems like everything is just right for maters this year. I prune them, but they just grow faster and bushier, and I can't keep up.


Its what they do when they are healthy. Its a good thing, just as long as they are thin enough to get air circulation between plants so mildews and fungi dont build up on the leaves. Also, if they are that close and bushy and bunched together, the second you see one getting a disease or getting unhealthy, GET IT OUT OF THERE. Tom plants pick up diseases crazy easy from other plants. In fact, the simple act of touching the diseased plant and then accidentaly touching another tom plant can be enough for it to transmit whatever bacteria or virus or fungi it has.


ask me how I know........ ;)

[Mouse]

We started our tomatoes indoors and every one of them died when we planted them outside. We are trying to get some to sprout from seed now. I don't know what the H we did wrong. Most of our other stuff is growing good - especially the cukes.......The spinach is a bust too though....wish I knew what I am doing wrong.

Those are a nice tomato jungle there.

[gunDriller]

Tom plants pick up diseases crazy easy from other plants. In fact, the simple act of touching the diseased plant and then accidentaly touching another tom plant can be enough for it to transmit whatever bacteria or virus or fungi it has.

ask me how I know........ ;)


OK i'll bite.

how do you know ?

[Heimdhal]

Tom plants pick up diseases crazy easy from other plants. In fact, the simple act of touching the diseased plant and then accidentaly touching another tom plant can be enough for it to transmit whatever bacteria or virus or fungi it has.

ask me how I know........ ;)


OK i'll bite.

how do you know ?


cause the doctor sent me home with some special creme and antibotics more than once!


haha, I kid, I kid. I know because I have lost nearly every tom plant I've ever grown from disease. I've never had very much luck with them, but the fruit always comes out unaffected, so I do at least get some tomatoes, the plants just never last long.

[bellevuebully]

Ken,

As Hiemi pointed out, you have to remove the 'sucker' shoots that form at the crotch of a branch. These suckers when allowed to develop, will form a new leader/trunk. The basic structure of a properly pruned mater is to have one, or possibly two leading shoots (trunks). If they are really far gone as far as overgrowth, I would thin down the bottom of the plant, and start removing new suckers as they develop. If you have heavy suckers that have formed new leaders, you might be stuck with them in the sense that if you start to butcher the plants too badly, you could stunt them. Cut the lowest heavy suckers off, and support the higher ones while pruning any new formations. That would be my advice, but it would be good to see if others here agree with this sentiment. I've grown maters for quite a while, but am by no means anywhere near an expert.

[bellevuebully]

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/pruning-tomatoes.aspx


Have a read here. Much better than what I posted above.

[StackerKen]

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/pruning-tomatoes.aspx


Have a read here. Much better than what I posted above.


Thank you :)

[oldmansmith]

Ken,

As Hiemi pointed out, you have to remove the 'sucker' shoots that form at the crotch of a branch. These suckers when allowed to develop, will form a new leader/trunk. The basic structure of a properly pruned mater is to have one, or possibly two leading shoots (trunks).



That is the way I've always done it, but some swear that it is better to let them rip becase there is more photosynthesis, more energy, more tomatoes. I'm trying it this year, using cages instead of staking, and only pruning the lower leaves and suckers.

I moved to a place I've never grown tomatoes before, and so far so good. I'm still going to prune the lower leaves and mulch to keep the splash from the soil down (this is how many tomato diseases are transmitted). Last year was wet and rainy and fair at best.

[bellevuebully]

Ken,

As Hiemi pointed out, you have to remove the 'sucker' shoots that form at the crotch of a branch. These suckers when allowed to develop, will form a new leader/trunk. The basic structure of a properly pruned mater is to have one, or possibly two leading shoots (trunks).



That is the way I've always done it, but some swear that it is better to let them rip becase there is more photosynthesis, more energy, more tomatoes. I'm trying it this year, using cages instead of staking, and only pruning the lower leaves and suckers.


I moved to a place I've never grown tomatoes before, and so far so good. I'm still going to prune the lower leaves and mulch to keep the splash from the soil down (this is how many tomato diseases are transmitted). Last year was wet and rainy and fair at best.






In my earlier years of gardening (man, if I knew Canuck Farmer was here I would call it farming, lol), I'd just let the plant go and I still got a good crop. Truthfully, I should experiment with clones and try several approaches to see which is best and how much of a difference it actually makes.

Without question though, is that pruning makes the plant more managable. If I had a secondary plot where I didn't really care about managability and neatness, I would probably do a 'wild' grow. As I said, I've done this with roma's and had boatloads of maters, that had mimimal energy put into them. Just like commercial field tomatoes.

Got any pics oldman?

[StackerKen]

I took a look at the plants....and I didn't know where to begin ...kinda overwhemed by the task. :P

Last week, I kinda tied them back a bit with some twine.
So they are not crowding the pepper plants anymore (for now)

I think I'm just gonna let them grow wild. :-\

[bellevuebully]

In case you change your mind.

Ps ken. I'm off for a few days, but if when I get back online and you are still intimidated by a tomato plant, I'm taking you to thunderdome for a shame spanking. Fair warning friend. ;D

[StackerKen]

In case you change your mind.

Ps ken. I'm off for a few days, but if when I get back online and you are still intimidated by a tomato plant, I'm taking you to thunderdome for a shame spanking. Fair warning friend. ;D


How about if I get my wife to do it?....lol ;D

[skid]

That's a classic gardening mistake, planting plants too close together. Especially easy to do with tomatoes. I made that mistake last year. I planted my tomatoes 3 feet apart which seemed like a lot when they were tiny transplants. They all grew together into one jumbled mess, and it was hard to pick the inside tomatoes. Alot got wasted or damaged by the slugs that were able to hide in there. This year I went 5'+.

[Son-of-Liberty]

I am going to prune my tomatoes a little differently this year. I am going to let all the suckers grow until they produce one cluster of flowers. Then I will cut the growing tip off the sucker. I noticed last year that most suckers produce flowers quite soon after starting before getting too big. This method should increase the fruit yeild. Guess we will see.

[bellevuebully]

In case you change your mind.

Ps ken. I'm off for a few days, but if when I get back online and you are still intimidated by a tomato plant, I'm taking you to thunderdome for a shame spanking. Fair warning friend. ;D


How about if I get my wife to do it?....lol ;D


That would be an acceptable proxy. haha

Have a good weekend Ken.

[bellevuebully]

I am going to prune my tomatoes a little differently this year. I am going to let all the suckers grow until they produce one cluster of flowers. Then I will cut the growing tip off the sucker. I noticed last year that most suckers produce flowers quite soon after starting before getting too big. This method should increase the fruit yeild. Guess we will see.


This is how I usually do my tomatoes. I prune back the main side branch and let the suckers grow.

My second year of gardening, my neighbor came over and said that I needed to prune all my suckers.... So I did. My yield was next to neil! The next year, I pruned all the other branches and let the suckers grow, again and my yield was huge!!! My paste tomatoes last year were FULL

This year, I plan on doing a comparison One tom plant with pinched suckers and one with pinched other stem.




Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[Steal]

Great thread. Just in time too. Have not touched mine yet. Will also try the different 'pruning techniques to see what works best. Everything doing good so far except the broccoli seem more like low ground runts instead of the upright growth I would expect.