Just developed a new tomato ( Multiflower) this season.

michael johnson · September 18, 2006

I have just developed a new tomato this season after three years of trial and error, and seed will be available for the 2007 growout if anybody wants any, by about november onwards.

I am going to call it ( Michael's Multiflower ) - strictly speaking its not a multiflora type as such, more of what you might call a multi trusser, its a very strange plant and is semi determinate in growth, RL. grows about four feet high and produces hundreds of cherry type tomatoes- very slightly plum shaped rather than round, and red in colour, very good taste, simular to most cherrys.

The strange thing about it-is that the plant seems to have only a partial central stem and all the rest of the plant is composed of runaway truss branches, their seems to be more trusses than leaves, even base shoots right near the ground shoot out and bear full size fruit within two or three weeks from first shooting out from the side, each truss branch terminates itself after the longish truss has been formed with 12 to 16 fruit on it, the whole plant finaly terminates itself at four feet high with a single self terminating shoot that spreads out into an array of eight to ten trusses like a fan, and thats it for that year, it realy is the strangest plant I have ever seen in the way it performs, there appears to be no actual growing tip after the halfway stage has been reached- just an explosion of truss branches from every direction right down to the base, I only wish I had a photo of it to show you all to do it justice,

There are about five hundred tomatoes on one of the plants and at only four feet high it looks a picture.

If I can manage to get a photo of it I will post it in due course.

daylilydude · September 18, 2006

Hi Michael
I'll be glad to help if you want to see how they do in my part of the south? I'm doing a few other grow-outs and have room for a few others . I have put in a new raised bed just for this ! I will get back to you in November.

sirtanon · September 18, 2006

Hello Michael,

Wow! That sounds like an amazing sight. I would love to get in on this and see what results. Let me know when you're ready to share the seed.

Oh yeah.. and when you do get a pic, by all means, let us see!

Thanks,

- Eric

psa · September 18, 2006

I'm quite interested in the branching habits of tomato plants and would be interested in seeing your tomato as well. I wonder whether it simply doesn't have a strong apical meristem, or if the growth tips send out fewer hormonal growth suppressants, or if the growth points are less sensitive to the hormones they are receiving.

michael johnson · September 19, 2006

the strange thing about it is- that as each truss forms it simply grows out to a suitable length to carry up to sixteen tomatoes and then grows no further after that, no extensions to the tip etc, etc, the only problem with it is that the majority of the tomatoes all ripen within a week to ten days of each other over the whole plant,

It seems to wait until its finished growing to its full height with all tomatoes set and full and green, and then "whamo"- it suddenly turns to an absolute mass of red cherries all within the space of about a week- so you have to furiously eat them or use them up quickly in order to cope with the glut of tomatoes- unlike most tomatoes which ripen gradualy as they go up the stem.

Although- they do seem to hold on the plant ok for at least two weeks before becoming over ripe, so its not so bad to cope with.

I havn't quite mastered the art of posting photos on the forum yet but I am getting there slowly , by about november I shall have sorted it- and obtained the right equipment for the job, I am lacking a decent camera at the moment and am saving up for a good one- but I have all the rest of the gear ready and waiting.

I bought a camera in the summer - but the photos turned out very grainy and not nearly good enough to post photos on here with, and twice I stuck my thumb in front of the lens whilst using it-accidentaly, and the photos came out with a big red blotch on them "Doh".

September 18, 2006	#1
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Just developed a new tomato ( Multiflower) this season. I have just developed a new tomato this season after three years of trial and error, and seed will be available for the 2007 growout if anybody wants any, by about november onwards. I am going to call it ( Michael's Multiflower ) - strictly speaking its not a multiflora type as such, more of what you might call a multi trusser, its a very strange plant and is semi determinate in growth, RL. grows about four feet high and produces hundreds of cherry type tomatoes- very slightly plum shaped rather than round, and red in colour, very good taste, simular to most cherrys. The strange thing about it-is that the plant seems to have only a partial central stem and all the rest of the plant is composed of runaway truss branches, their seems to be more trusses than leaves, even base shoots right near the ground shoot out and bear full size fruit within two or three weeks from first shooting out from the side, each truss branch terminates itself after the longish truss has been formed with 12 to 16 fruit on it, the whole plant finaly terminates itself at four feet high with a single self terminating shoot that spreads out into an array of eight to ten trusses like a fan, and thats it for that year, it realy is the strangest plant I have ever seen in the way it performs, there appears to be no actual growing tip after the halfway stage has been reached- just an explosion of truss branches from every direction right down to the base, I only wish I had a photo of it to show you all to do it justice, There are about five hundred tomatoes on one of the plants and at only four feet high it looks a picture. If I can manage to get a photo of it I will post it in due course.

September 18, 2006	#2
daylilydude Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iuka, Mississippi Zone 7b Posts: 482	Hi Michael I'll be glad to help if you want to see how they do in my part of the south? I'm doing a few other grow-outs and have room for a few others . I have put in a new raised bed just for this ! I will get back to you in November. __________________ Richard

September 18, 2006	#3
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Hello Michael, Wow! That sounds like an amazing sight. I would love to get in on this and see what results. Let me know when you're ready to share the seed. Oh yeah.. and when you do get a pic, by all means, let us see! Thanks, - Eric __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

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September 18, 2006	#4
psa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: TriCities, WA Posts: 141	I'm quite interested in the branching habits of tomato plants and would be interested in seeing your tomato as well. I wonder whether it simply doesn't have a strong apical meristem, or if the growth tips send out fewer hormonal growth suppressants, or if the growth points are less sensitive to the hormones they are receiving.

September 19, 2006	#5
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	the strange thing about it is- that as each truss forms it simply grows out to a suitable length to carry up to sixteen tomatoes and then grows no further after that, no extensions to the tip etc, etc, the only problem with it is that the majority of the tomatoes all ripen within a week to ten days of each other over the whole plant, It seems to wait until its finished growing to its full height with all tomatoes set and full and green, and then "whamo"- it suddenly turns to an absolute mass of red cherries all within the space of about a week- so you have to furiously eat them or use them up quickly in order to cope with the glut of tomatoes- unlike most tomatoes which ripen gradualy as they go up the stem. Although- they do seem to hold on the plant ok for at least two weeks before becoming over ripe, so its not so bad to cope with. I havn't quite mastered the art of posting photos on the forum yet but I am getting there slowly , by about november I shall have sorted it- and obtained the right equipment for the job, I am lacking a decent camera at the moment and am saving up for a good one- but I have all the rest of the gear ready and waiting. I bought a camera in the summer - but the photos turned out very grainy and not nearly good enough to post photos on here with, and twice I stuck my thumb in front of the lens whilst using it-accidentaly, and the photos came out with a big red blotch on them "Doh".