more stupid questions (pruning)

[sergeant69]

I know this is tomato growing 101 for all you guys (generic term for people), but I keep reading on this forum and in my books about pruning and topping. I always wanted LOTS of leaves for shade as the sun/heat is problem one out here. now i'm seeing diagrams w/arrows pointing out where I should clip off the suckers, trim 24" up from the ground, topping anything over 6', blah blah blah. should I go back to college and get another degree (this time in pruning) or just not worry about it.

[Worth1]

You probably struck on one of the most controversial subjects there is about tomato plants.

One the definition of sucker.
Many here call suckers any branch that forms on the plant.
It isn't, this is the natural way a tomato plant grows, 'just like a tree.
A sucker comes up from the ground next to the roots, corn has suckers.
Many other trees do too like a pomegranate.

The big leaves coming out of the side of the stalk need to be pruned as soon as they hit the ground or before.
The reason is the dirt will get on them and cause diseases to form.
As the plant grows and these leaves start touch the ground prune them.
You 18 inch tall tomato plant should look like a little palm tree after this pruning.

I wouldn't prune anything else all of those branches coming out the sides will soon have blooms on them producing new tomatoes.

With our impending heat I see no need to prune.

Worth

[sergeant69]

the pruning of the lower branches I can understand and will do this year. because I grow in big homemade cages. but.... I see pics of great looking bush tomato plants all the time w/their leaves all over the ground. I also read where you should never CUT off the suckers/branches but instead "snap" them off. when I do this I end up peeling a section of the main branch off too and I know that can't be good for em.

[Father'sDaughter]

I think it all comes down to how you grow them -- sprawling, caged, or staked. Sprawling requires no pruning, caging needs minimal pruning (like Worth described), and staking requires a lot of pruning. I stake, so I do a lot of pruning. As for suckers, if you get them when they're small enough, you can just pinch them off.

[Doug9345]

Let me see if I can sum up the conversation of why people prune.

1) To keep a plant to a manageable size.

2) To help prevent disease. This is why the recommendations to prune the leaves near the ground, and to prune out lateral branches (suckers). The first helps with dirt getting splashed on to the leaves. The second improves airflow through the plant thus reducing humidity making it more inhospitable to fungus. The increased sunlight on all the surfaces may also help.

3) To get the plant to put its energy into growing the tomatoes it can ripen or growing fewer, but bigger tomatoes

4) Because it is the way their Grandfather or whoever did it. It's the way the neighbor does it and they want to fit in. The tomato gods will strike them dead if they don't pay homage by pruning in the certain exact way they that they believe is right.


Topping is done for the first and third reasons. If you don't want to climb a ladder to pick tomatoes then don't let the plant get that high. It's also done when the tomato plant has set the last fruit that you feel will ripen before frost. A tomato grows some leaves then a flower cluster, then more leaves and so forth. The point of topping a plant is that those later flowers will set fruit and expend energy growing those fruit that will never ripen.

The are reasons not to prune. You've mentioned one. In the north where I am we don't have that much disease pressure. I have grown them sprawling and the only problem I had was that weeding became a headache.

All I can say is define the problem or potential problem you are dealing with, understand how your actions address that problem and that different problems will lead to different solutions. Also understand that there are different solutions to the same problems. What resources you have will to a large extent determine how you go about solving problems.

Above all else experiment and keep good notes so that you can figure out what works for YOU, WHERE you are.

[Worth1]

Here is the deal with pinching verses cutting I guess.
If you keep your scissors as sharp as I do the wound wont heal for some time.'
I have seen the little stump where you cut it off weep for up to 3 days.
Pinching is a pain, so use a pair of dikes/wire cutters to do it as they aren't sharp and pinch.
I sharpen my scissors by hand with a super fine honing stone.

Worth

[sergeant69]

DOUG...........good infor. thanks

[Worth1]

I take pride in standing on the last rung of my 6 foot ladder to get to the tomatoes.
The neighbors down the street look in wonder as their scraggly plants are dieing.
One thing you do not want to do is prune branches on a determinate tomato plant before you get your first flush of fruit up and down the plant.
Just prune the bottom leaves.
You will wipe out the crop.
Worth

[b54red]

Sergeant, a good way to know if you need to prune for air flow down south is whether you live in an arid climate or one with high humidity. If you are in an area with high humidity and the foliage gets too thick diseases will soon follow. I prune from the time I set them out til late in the fall due to the disease pressure. I even prune most determinate tomatoes enough to allow better air flow. I would rather have a few less tomatoes than deal with the diseases which will quickly spread to my indeterminate varieties.

Bill

[zipcode]

If you live in an area with high heat/lots of sun it's probably better not to prune.

[sergeant69]

Originally Posted by b54red

Sergeant, a good way to know if you need to prune for air flow down south is whether you live in an arid climate or one with high humidity. If you are in an area with high humidity and the foliage gets too thick diseases will soon follow. I prune from the time I set them out til late in the fall due to the disease pressure. I even prune most determinate tomatoes enough to allow better air flow. I would rather have a few less tomatoes than deal with the diseases which will quickly spread to my indeterminate varieties.

Bill

well.... that answers that. I live like 40 miles from the ocean, so 100 deg w/80% humidity is not unusual.

[zipcode]

Is this your first year growing tomatoes? If not, did you have problems with foliage diseases before?

[sergeant69]

Originally Posted by zipcode

Is this your first year growing tomatoes? If not, did you have problems with foliage diseases before?

no. I have been growing tomatos since the 70s. in the desert!
last year was the first time I grew em in our hot humid climate.
so....to answer your question, yes and no. and yes, last year I had foliage problems galore.

[zipcode]

Some pruning might not hurt then. I always prune, here it is humid and somewhat cold. I strongly believe in pruning .
If sunny your tomato skins will get a bit tougher though (being exposed to sun). And possibly sunscald. This is imo the biggest drawback of pruning. (and more work).

[sergeant69]

yea, sunscald has always been a problem for me. last year I had to erect shade to get fruit and keep the plants alive. and mulch of course.