Pinching off blooms in early maturing varieties?

[Anthony_Toronto]

Growing Stupice and Bloody Butcher, seedlings (maybe 14 inchess tall) already have flowers...should I pinch them off or let the early varieties be as early as they can be?

[Anthony_Toronto]

bump...........

[Sherry_AK]

I personally would let them be early ... it's their job!

[Marko]

I never pinch flowers from tomatoes and they do just fine. But I rarely get open blossoms more than few days before planting out.

[WVTomatoMan]

In the past when I had multiple plants of the same early variety (I usually grow 2 plants per variety) I pinched on one and didn't on the other.

Randy

[ContainerTed]

A blossom pinched is very likely a tomato lost. And you will always wonder if that one tomato was the very best the plant had to offer.

Can you handle the doubt????

Ted

[Vinny]

I thought the reason to do this was because once the plant begins to flower it will stop putting it's energy into growing and instead use resources for blooming/fruiting. I pinched blossums of a couple of flora-dade plants today because they are still only about 2 feet tall and It seems to me a larger plant will produce more fruit. I got a late start (very late, mid April direct sow) start to the season and all 3 varieties I've planted seem to be struggling to grow at all. Beefsteak and Amish paste are only about 10 inches tall and have been that way without change for weeks. I have squash plants behind those 2 plants that have grown like crazy and I wonder if the squash isn't just strangling out and sucking up all the nutrients from the soil causing those plants to stop growing. This was my first garden and I kinda feel like I overcrowded my raised beds *sigh* I'm planting tomatoes in separate 15 gallon containers (smartpots) in September hoping for better results.

[HoosierDaddy]

Well Mr. Burns,

Stupice is an early tomato and I wouldn't clip off any flowers. I do not know anything about Bloody Butcher. Let Stupice grow and produce. Especially in your zone. i grew Stupice last year and I did not hold back at all. Stupice was a great producer of what I would call slightly larger than a Cherry Tomato. We dried a lot of them and froze them to add to uour home made pizza toppings.

[WVTomatoMan]

@Vinny:
Yep, but I tend to phrase it a bit differently. When you pinch blossoms the plant's energy is used for growth and root development. When you don't pinch blossoms most of the plant's energy is used for fruit development.

In the experiments that I've performed the non pinched plant produces earlier fruit and it usually eventually "catches up" but falls a little short in total fruit production as compared to the pinched plant. That's the trade-off earlier fruit versus total fruit production. That's why I generally suggest half and half to get the best of both worlds so to speak.

BTW, the aforementioned experiments were done on same variety (of course) and the plants grown next to each other. I tried to make sure that they were treated the same with respect to watering, fertilizer, etc. However it wasn't a controlled environment therefore not a truly scientific experiment. Just reporting my experience.

Randy

[Anthony_Toronto]

Thanks for the replies. Got a late start seeding this year, and then had so little sun that my plants grew more slowly than normal...so a bit worried that I will have a small window in terms of a 'sweet spot' for maturing fruit. Only a few flowering branches visible before planting (maybe 1/4 of plants), so will probably leave them on the early varieties and not worry about the few on the later maturing types.

I don't pinch blossoms. I let them do what they want to do. My early blossoms were my early tomatoes. My early was the Fourth Of July variety. They produced good sized fruit by the first day of March.

On my normal varieties, the early blossoms have produced the largest fruit.

Ted

[tomakers]

Originally Posted by tedln

I don't pinch blossoms. I let them do what they want to do. My early blossoms were my early tomatoes. My early was the Fourth Of July variety. They produced good sized fruit by the first day of March.

On my normal varieties, the early blossoms have produced the largest fruit.

Ted

I agree. They will drop the blossoms if it isn't the right time. At least that is my experience.
I hope someday to see fruit by the 1st of March.
Tom