Pruning Indeterminate DWARFS

luigiwu · June 13, 2015

I only container garden and mostly in 5 gallon buckets or 7 gallon root pouches. Last year I supported everything with clips and baler twine - only one stem per plant allowed. This year I'm trying two stems per plan - craaaazy stuff, right?

lol

My question is regarding DWARFS (dwarves?) - do you prune them as you would a regular indeterminate? Will their relative shortness in height (and I don't actually know how short they will are) be okay if I let all suckers etc to just grow?

Bipetual · June 13, 2015

I'm no expert but I think I would just let em grow, suckers and all. Maybe you could prune the very bottom a bit to keep the leaves from getting wet or making contact with the medium, but other than that I tend to think you would be limiting your yield. Especially if this is your first year growing them. See what they do and how big the different varieties get, how they yield, etc. Then next year you can make a more informed decision. Better safe than sorry?

ginger2778 · June 13, 2015

I dont prune thei laterals, but I will thin out some of the leaves so there is better air flow. Less disease.

jmsieglaff · June 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I dont prune thei laterals, but I will thin out some of the leaves so there is better air flow. Less disease.

+1. I do the same and have been pleased with the results.

maf · June 13, 2015

In my experience there is no need to treat indeterminate dwarfs any different from regular indeterminate plants. If you normally train to one or two stems then do the same with the dwarfs. They are happy to grow when pruned this way.

P.S. many of them will get to around four feet tall or even more when grown this way, expect them to be around half the height of non-dwarf indeterminates grown in the same conditions.

ContainerTed · June 13, 2015

I've grown a lot of the Dwarf Project varieties, and I can't think of a single good reason to prune. Rugose foliage keeps the fruit from sun scald. Now, I've planted in both containers and in the main garden. I don't see any difference in their performance or in the amount of foliage I get.

I know some of you will find a reason to prune them. But, for the life of me, I can't think of a reason to trim such a small plant. Of course, I respect your right to carve up your plants. After all, they're yours. But why destroy an opportunity to get more fruit???

Of course, I'm against any and all pruning. I don't want "pretty" plants. I want "productive" plants. I'm not looking for the biggest fruit. I'm looking for fruit that tastes good.

Just a 70 year old opinion. Your opinion may be different.

luigiwu · June 13, 2015

Thanks all for weighing in and I think I will just let them go and see what happens.

Its gonna be exciting!
I am trialing dwarfs - have never done them before and thought they might be a good fit for me who has very very limited space and need to container garden (I live in a city.) I have a single string stabilizing the main stem and wonder if I should invest in a bunch of cages if the plan now is to let it grow WILD!

PhilaGardener · June 13, 2015

Mine have been pretty upright and don't sucker a lot. Last summer I had a lot of foliar issues so now am pruning the lower leaves to get things up and away from the soil. You could probably use a cage that is a lot smaller diameter than for the regular varieties - in my experience they just wouldn't fill those in.

luigiwu · June 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I dont prune thei laterals, but I will thin out some of the leaves so there is better air flow. Less disease.

Is that any different from how you treat your other 'non-dwarf' tomatoes?

The only one I'm a little worried about now is Wild Fred. Its crazy and kinda all over the place... all the others like Rosella Crim & Rosella Purple are quite compact in their growth.

ginger2778 · June 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by luigiwu

Is that any different from how you treat your other 'non-dwarf' tomatoes?

The only one I'm a little worried about now is Wild Fred. Its crazy and kinda all over the place... all the others like Rosella Crim & Rosella Purple are quite compact in their growth.

Last year with my non dwarf indeterminates(indys for short), i pinched off the laterals until the first inflorescense. This year I did not. This year the production was unreal crazy so much more than last year. Last year I only grew 3 dwarfs, but all 3 were indy. One was Wild Fred, which was really good BTW! I didnt prune the laterals on it either, just thinned out the leaves a bit to get better airflow.

luigiwu · June 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Last year with my non dwarf indeterminates(indys for short), i pinched off the laterals until the first inflorescense. This year I did not. This year the production was unreal crazy so much more than last year. Last year I only grew 3 dwarfs, but all 3 were indy. One was Wild Fred, which was really good BTW! I didnt prune the laterals on it either, just thinned out the leaves a bit to get better airflow.

Inflorescense, is that like the first cluster of blooms or something more specific? What is the spacing of your plants? mine are super close like I have 4 plants in 3' so approx. spaced 9-inches apart.

ginger2778 · June 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by luigiwu

Inflorescense, is that like the first cluster of blooms or something more specific? What is the spacing of your plants? mine are super close like I have 4 plants in 3' so approx. spaced 9-inches apart.

Yes, an inflorescense is a bloom cluster. I have mine about 1 foot apart, 2 to an Earthbox.

luigiwu · June 14, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Yes, an inflorescense is a bloom cluster. I have mine about 1 foot apart, 2 to an Earthbox.

Really?!! I would love to see some pictures of your earthbox farm! The bloom cluster is pretty low correct - and if you stop pruning above that then, man, your plants must be like hedges! I want more fruit but I am also worried by letting them grow how every they want, it will invite bad air circulation thus disease...

zipcode · June 15, 2015

I prune them, just like normal indeterminates.
New Big Dwarf does really well this way, serious production if you can mantain them disease free.

digsdirt · June 15, 2015

Sorry but I find it difficult to believe that folks are actually pruning dwarfs - of any kind. But then pruning of any tomato plant is strictly a personal option. It sure isn't required for any reason. Fruit production is the whole point of growing tomatoes. Sacrificing that fruit production by removing stems and fruit producing lateral branches defies the logic of growing tomatoes. Especially growing indeterminate dwarfs!

Sure if you are growing in a GH and using only string support for single stem plants it could make sense. Or you could just add more strings. And I suppose if you are trying to grow in a container that is far too small for the plant then pruning may be required. Or you could just use the right size container. And perhaps, if you insist on over-crowded planting you may have to do some pruning. Or you could just use better spacing. That fixes the air circulation issue too.

Dave

June 13, 2015	#1
luigiwu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: ny Posts: 1,219	Pruning Indeterminate DWARFS I only container garden and mostly in 5 gallon buckets or 7 gallon root pouches. Last year I supported everything with clips and baler twine - only one stem per plant allowed. This year I'm trying two stems per plan - craaaazy stuff, right? lol My question is regarding DWARFS (dwarves?) - do you prune them as you would a regular indeterminate? Will their relative shortness in height (and I don't actually know how short they will are) be okay if I let all suckers etc to just grow? __________________ Subirrigated Container gardening (RGGS) in NY, Zone 7!

June 13, 2015	#5
maf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: England Posts: 512	In my experience there is no need to treat indeterminate dwarfs any different from regular indeterminate plants. If you normally train to one or two stems then do the same with the dwarfs. They are happy to grow when pruned this way. P.S. many of them will get to around four feet tall or even more when grown this way, expect them to be around half the height of non-dwarf indeterminates grown in the same conditions. Last edited by maf; June 13, 2015 at 04:15 PM.

June 13, 2015	#6
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I've grown a lot of the Dwarf Project varieties, and I can't think of a single good reason to prune. Rugose foliage keeps the fruit from sun scald. Now, I've planted in both containers and in the main garden. I don't see any difference in their performance or in the amount of foliage I get. I know some of you will find a reason to prune them. But, for the life of me, I can't think of a reason to trim such a small plant. Of course, I respect your right to carve up your plants. After all, they're yours. But why destroy an opportunity to get more fruit??? Of course, I'm against any and all pruning. I don't want "pretty" plants. I want "productive" plants. I'm not looking for the biggest fruit. I'm looking for fruit that tastes good. Just a 70 year old opinion. Your opinion may be different. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

June 13, 2015	#7
luigiwu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: ny Posts: 1,219	Thanks all for weighing in and I think I will just let them go and see what happens. Its gonna be exciting! I am trialing dwarfs - have never done them before and thought they might be a good fit for me who has very very limited space and need to container garden (I live in a city.) I have a single string stabilizing the main stem and wonder if I should invest in a bunch of cages if the plan now is to let it grow WILD! __________________ Subirrigated Container gardening (RGGS) in NY, Zone 7! Last edited by luigiwu; June 13, 2015 at 08:04 PM.

June 13, 2015	#2
Bipetual Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Illinois, zone 5a Posts: 579	I'm no expert but I think I would just let em grow, suckers and all. Maybe you could prune the very bottom a bit to keep the leaves from getting wet or making contact with the medium, but other than that I tend to think you would be limiting your yield. Especially if this is your first year growing them. See what they do and how big the different varieties get, how they yield, etc. Then next year you can make a more informed decision. Better safe than sorry?

June 13, 2015	#3
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	I dont prune thei laterals, but I will thin out some of the leaves so there is better air flow. Less disease.

June 13, 2015	#8
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	Mine have been pretty upright and don't sucker a lot. Last summer I had a lot of foliar issues so now am pruning the lower leaves to get things up and away from the soil. You could probably use a cage that is a lot smaller diameter than for the regular varieties - in my experience they just wouldn't fill those in.

June 15, 2015	#14
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I prune them, just like normal indeterminates. New Big Dwarf does really well this way, serious production if you can mantain them disease free.

June 15, 2015	#15
digsdirt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: No.Central Arkansas - 6b/7a Posts: 179	Sorry but I find it difficult to believe that folks are actually pruning dwarfs - of any kind. But then pruning of any tomato plant is strictly a personal option. It sure isn't required for any reason. Fruit production is the whole point of growing tomatoes. Sacrificing that fruit production by removing stems and fruit producing lateral branches defies the logic of growing tomatoes. Especially growing indeterminate dwarfs! Sure if you are growing in a GH and using only string support for single stem plants it could make sense. Or you could just add more strings. And I suppose if you are trying to grow in a container that is far too small for the plant then pruning may be required. Or you could just use the right size container. And perhaps, if you insist on over-crowded planting you may have to do some pruning. Or you could just use better spacing. That fixes the air circulation issue too. Dave