Heavy foliage delays ripening: T or F ?

[Black Krim]

"By late summer, the cages are so full of foliage that the fruit is shaded and doesn’t ripen as readily."


Please help me out here.... I need input from you long time growers....This statement at a web blog doesnt fit my limited knowledge but I want to hear from the experts. What do you think? Is this statement correct???

[b54red]

Late in the season most varieties are more reluctant to ripen in my experience whether they have a lot of foliage or not. I used to think it was just the cooler temps but something else must affect them also because mine were slow to ripen in late September and October even though our temps were in the mid 90s with nights still in the 80s or some nights upper 70s. All my plants are single stem and pruned heavily so I don't have too much foliage and sometimes not enough.

Bill

[Gardeneer]

I would trim/prune and lighten up the foliage, especially anything under the lowest fruits/truss PLUS any new growth.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by b54red

Late in the season most varieties are more reluctant to ripen in my experience whether they have a lot of foliage or not. I used to think it was just the cooler temps but something else must affect them also because mine were slow to ripen in late September and October even though our temps were in the mid 90s with nights still in the 80s or some nights upper 70s. All my plants are single stem and pruned heavily so I don't have too much foliage and sometimes not enough.

Bill

Thanks Bill. I had the same experience last fall, long wait for ripening in Sept and October. October is cool and a frost is always a threat by mid month. I thought it was just the variety being stingy.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I would trim/prune and lighten up the foliage, especially anything under the lowest fruits/truss PLUS any new growth.

To what purpose? To help ripen the fruit... or manage size/ disease/ etc?

[kurt]

As a couple common practices to help with foliage problems here in 10 b,we follow a couple procedures.
You are growing tomatos not leaves.
Any dead foliage will die,rot invite pestilence,harbor hiding places for the pest that ate it.
Why water and fertilize dead foliage?
Moisture loves those hiding places.
If the sun and pollinators can't see the flowers how will they pollinate and energize the plant?
So get rid of any overlapping leaves,hidden flower clusters do not need the wind ripping off the petals from them.
So get rid of those rats nests,this will ensure proper C02/Oxy exchange as they need all the time and reverses at nighttime when sunlight is gone.
For the basement cultivator Co2 delivery systems are avaliable for unbalanced non fresh air return systems.
My wife used to cry when I prune,now she sees the pile of pruned dead leaves that in a weird sense should be nice maters instead.
I grow mainly cherrys,150 plants at most,the manicured nice fat heirlooms I will grow I make sure not to prune the shade leaves above and around to prevent the rapid watering uptake,sun expanding the mater,maybe some catfacings,splits and my favorite food for another round of pestilence and malady.

[Black Krim]

Thanks Kurt.

I understand your wife's reaction, I too still cringe looking at a pile of leaves on the ground--I am adjusting to the event.


A couple questions? How does the sun help with pollination?

[Black Krim]

Still dont have a clean answer to my original question.

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

Thanks Kurt.

I understand your wife's reaction, I too still cringe looking at a pile of leaves on the ground--I am adjusting to the event.


A couple questions? How does the sun help with pollination?

The lower the humidity the easier it is for pollen to disperse.
Try putting your leaves in a container as you prune, then you don't have to clean them up. The sunlight on green fruit does speed up ripening, in some areas it may cause sunscald though.

[KarenO]

Foliage cover shading fruit delays ripening yes. In a good way.
Shading the fruit promotes EVEN ripening and protects the fruit from sun-scald
KarenO

[AlittleSalt]

I see you're in New England, so my Texas advice may not help you. Here, the sun is very intense and sunscald happens if you trim too many leaves. So for my growing area, the answer to your question "Heavy foliage delays ripening: T or F ?" is False.

[PureHarvest]

Daylength and sunlight intensity is collected by leaves. Thus, the fall sees slower ripening as leaves are collecting less hours of light and less intense light.
Exposing fruit to light would speed ripening, but specific to the quote you posted, lots of leaves in the fall are not what is slowing the ripening. Also, a fall plant will perhaps be at the point where it is bearing its largest developing fruit load. This could slow ripening in addition to the shortening days.

[bower]

Ah, you're on your own with this decision! It depends entirely on your conditions, and up to you to decide how you should groom your plants if at all.
- If it's too hot and sunny they may get sunscald without the necessary leaves
- If it's glum weather or overcrowded they may get uneven ripening from canopy being too dense!

All you can do is get to know your environment and how your favorite varieties like to be pruned (or left alone)

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

To what purpose? To help ripen the fruit... or manage size/ disease/ etc?

As Kurt said , " You are growing tomatoes not leaves.".
The lower leaves ( below the lowest fruits) are often old / not healthy and are shaded themselves and also not shading any fruits to prevent sun scald. They also reduce air flow under the plants. So their contribution to photosynthesis is not that much but at the same time use the nutrients that come up through the roots. In a healthy mature plants there should be plenty of younger foliage to do the needed photosynthesis.
Now talking about the end of season, additional new growth and new trusses will serve no purpose as you want just the existing fruits get most of energy to grow and ripen. There comes "Missouri Pruning" to maximize plant energy to be spent on the existing fruits, Unless you want lots of green tomatoes for pickling.
According to some tomato time lines, it takes 40 to 55 days from bud to ripe tomato, depending on fruit size and variety. So if your season will end in 45 days, then any new flowers will have no chance to become a ripe tomato, Unless you get an unusually warm fall weather and Indian summer. JMO

[Black Krim]

THANK YOU TOMATOVILLIANS!!!!!

This is the info I was looking for. It ALL makes sense to me.

THANKS!!