How many stems for tomatoes in containers?

[Merediana]

Coming from an "one stem only" background I was quite surprised that most people here seem to leave several stems or even don't prune at all. I've always been told that this doesn't work and you'll only get diseased plants.
So now that I've learned that this isn't true, I wonder how many stems you recommend for tomatoes in containers? And how much does this depend on the size of the container?

Where I live the recommended size for tomato containers is 3.3 gallons, here it seems more like 10 gallons which makes a huge difference...

[Mike723]

Hello,

I personally wouldn't recommend anything less than a 10 gallon container - the larger the better in terms of cation exchange capacity and root space. I'm not an advocate of heavy pruning as it reduces yields and surely isn't necessary. The only pruning I do is about 4-5 nodes up from the ground (disease resistance), and pinching off of early flowers until the plants are at least 3-4' tall (strain dependent). So my answer to your question would be no less than three stems, but ideally leave them all and just top the plant if it gets to large (if it's an indeterminate variety). Better yet, grow two clones side by side and let one go wild and prune the other back to three or one - best way to see for yourself.

[TexasTycoon]

I grow a determinate variety in an 18 gallon container and I don't prune anything but the bottom branches and anything that seems to be getting in the way. The more "wounds" your plant has, the more entries there are for disease.

[Ricky Shaw]

I need the leaf cover with plenty of plus 90 F cloudless days, because at 5500 ft the sunscald can get brutal. I don't prune much, and sometimes top a plant.

So, I was going to use primarily 15-20 gal for tomatoes, but now believe with good media and continuous stream fertilization a gardener can get along with considerably smaller pots. I'll be using 15gal for big indeterminates and 10 and 7 gal for semi's and determinates.

Here's Smart Pot's general guidelines.

[My Foot Smells]

As Dolly Parton says, "if it is saggin', or baggin'.........."

[luigiwu]

I grow everything in 5 gallon containers (see Photo Gallery for Urban RGGS garden.) I used to prune to single stem and decided not to last year.

[Merediana]

It's still confusing for me because I write/read in german forums too and all these questions get very different answers there...
I think I'll try both, small pots and single stems (I did that last year and haven't had any problem with the 4 gallon pots) and a few 10 gallon pots with more stems.

What I liked of the small pots is, that I can try out more varieties. I have no interest in getting as much fruit as possible from one plant, I just want a few to get a taste of as many varieties as possible. And using big pots gets very expensive...

[Jeannine Anne]

Merediana, I too am from a single stem place ,the UK actually. I now grow in 5 gallon double buckets now because they are cheap and readily available, and I do prune, Sometimes down to 1 stem and sometimes I leave two. I simply don't have the space to leave them unchecked as they are in a greenhouse In the Uk I grew in 3 gallon pots that I sat in grow bags. I think because there are so many differences in climate over here it is difficult to get a firm, one size fits all answer, I think you are doing the right thing for what you are looking to get I too want to get variety, I do get good yields though and the fruit is good sized. I have never had any disease on my plants due to pruning I am pretty sure as my plants are always healthy to the end. Again due to the size of the country there are many diseases that are specific to areas that some of us never see.

Hope this helps.

XX Jeannine

[bower]

I find that smaller fruit and cherries can do just fine in smaller pots or multiplanted in a larger container, but larger fruited varieties seem to do much better with bigger container space and less competition.
I'm also in the camp that the fewer cuts, the less wounds for disease to enter. But I will top the plants and prune as needed depending on density. The need for light is as important as the need for root space, here anyway.

[Merediana]

Thank you for your answers

Jeannine, it's good to hear, that others have the same problem Another thing I hear very often is, that tomatoes NEED rain protection and should never be planted without.
Last year I planted my leftover plants that I couldn't give away to neigbours in the ground without any protection and they did fine.
But it was a unusal hot and dry summer. My neighbour hasn't any rain protection either and she told me that there are quite a few summers that she couldn't harvest a single tomato because all the plants got diseased and died.

[Jeannine Anne]

The blight in my area is very bad and tomatoes outside are very vulnerable but I am OK in the greenhouse. I guess all areas have their good points and bad points. If the blight virus is in the soil the rain can splash it up, also if the leaves have the virus on them and they stay wet for the required time and with the right temperature it all begins .

It's a challenge!!

XX Jeannine

[PureHarvest]

A single stem will do great in a 5-gallon container as long as you can provide optimum and constant feeding.
Also you must be able to grow the stem vertically onto a trellis, wire, string, pole, or stake.
Rain protection is a not a must where I am but it definitely enhances the effort of growing.
Pruning, when done properly and without using cutting tools, will not cause diseases to get into your plant in my opinion.

[bower]

One downside of single stem for containers is that you have already lost the vertical height of your container, cw production in the ground. The whole point of single stem IMO is to train the tomato vertical and so you can have many plants of identical shape at high density. My friend does one greenhouse in cherry tomatoes like this at the farm, but they are in the ground. And there's no room for a ladder, they are only intended to go as high as a person can reach which is about right for our length of season.
But if high production isn't the point, I could certainly see single stems as a way to produce a taste of many varieties, even in the smaller size containers that Merediana says are recommended in that area - very similar to what Craig nctomatoman has done in order to sample many varieties in one year. There's a thread to be found here somewhere...
I grew a couple of F1's in 2 liter containers one year, for the sake of 1/2 dozen fruit each it can be done, but the watering was a chore and they weren't really happy plants. They weren't feellin the love like my other pets.

[AKmark]

Bower, when your plant reaches the ceiling remove the clips, prune off the bottom leaves up to the truss that still has fruit, then lower the plant by coiling the stalk. I did this to my plants 4-5 times each last year and pulled out 20 foot vines. This really helps to keep production steady until the end of the season.
Mark

[bower]

Originally Posted by AKmark

Bower, when your plant reaches the ceiling remove the clips, prune off the bottom leaves up to the truss that still has fruit, then lower the plant by coiling the stalk. I did this to my plants 4-5 times each last year and pulled out 20 foot vines. This really helps to keep production steady until the end of the season.
Mark

Awesome technique Mark... I might try it, but I really worry about the mold situation with that coiled vine in my unheated setup. The challenge here is to keep those lower stems from mold and rot, even without stressing them. Also those lower stems are pretty sturdy and stiff by the time the plant hits the ceiling - dunno if they'd be willing to coil for me without cracking. Do you find that your outdoor plants are not as flexible as in the heated greenhouse?
Some plants are always easy to manipulate - Black Cherry is one, Datlo I grew last year was another, super flexible vine, I just trained them back down again and they were fine. But I find the larger fruited especially seem to put more into the thick stems.