Problem with Tomatoes
takisawaex108
Posts: 5
Since the loss of my dad I've been finding I've a lot to learn in the garden and greenhouse.
It was for the first time last year that I've had to grow the tomoatoe for mum without dad around and had planted them in growbags in the greenhouse.
All went well and she had a good crop of tomatoes, but the plants were very odd. The branches would continue to grow past where the vine was, and maybe another vine will grow.
Being a total novice, I tied the branches up to stop them snapping off.
This year I have one side of the greenhouse with grow bags, and I convince mum that the other side the tomato plants would go straight into the soil as dad did.
The plants that have been planted in the grow bags again have branches that continue to grow past the vine, yet the ones planted straight in the soil are as I would expect them, a vine then end of branch.
Can anyone tell me what's going on here. Are the grow bags too rich. (They are the extra thick Tomorite type)
Posts
it sounds like you are not removing the side shoots. They grow between a stem and the main leading stem, they are very vigorous and soon take over.
Thank you. I have been pulling those out, and doesn't explain why it's happening on a he ones growing in grow bags and not those planted straight into soil.
Thank you. I have been pulling those out, and doesn't explain why it's happening on a the ones growing in grow bags and not those planted straight into soil.
Maybe a photo of the different plants would help us come up with some ideas so we can see what your referring to
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I'll try and upload some pics when I get home
Sometimes, growing tips develop at the end of the trusses (that's the bit carrying the flowers and fruit.) You should remove those if that happens. It may be that there are simply more nutrients in the gro-bags so the plants are growing more greenery. That doesn't mean they will produce more or better tasting fruit though and toms grown in relatively poor soil often produce tastier fruit.
Pinch out all the shoots in leaf axles The reason you get better growth from a growbag is that the tomato food in the soil is encouraging leaf growth as well as fruit production. Nothing to worry about. Next year however grow on your tomatoes in big pots and don't place in tomorite bags until the first fruit has set i.e. tiny pin head sized tomatoes when the flower petals drop. The plants in your soil will be fine but as soon as you get tomatoes forming give them regular tomato food liquid feed.
At this time of year blight is a real threat and I grow mine outdoors, so I remove a large number of leaves so that the air can circulate through the plants. I also go over each plant and start removing tiny new trusses and pinching out the growing tips. The aim is to leave not more than five trusses on each plant. That way they all get a chance to develop well before the cold weather sets in.
If your greenhouse is heated you don't need to worry about this though as you can continue growing for much longer.
By the way sorry t hear about your dad. I also had loads to learn after mine died and still regret I didn't take more notice of what he did to produce all our food! I'm still learning more than 40 years on and still regret not having his advice to hand.
Thank you. As a nipper I'd follow my dad around the garden doing stuff. I probably knew more then than I do now.
Dad had Alzheimers and was forgetting it all himself before I had chance to catch up. Pinching off at the trusses would sound good, as pruning I wouldn't have noticed him doing. I know about nipping the bits out between stems and have removed some leaves from low down upwards.
ive been taking a few directions off mum but she isn't overly sure. Last years crop was fine but we couldn't get our heads around why the branches were continuing past the trusses. Mum said she had never seen them like that
i remembered dad would mainly grow directly in the soil hence I experimented with one side in grow bags as mum had requested and the other in soil.
I'll try and take some pics shortly
A couple of photos of the growth past the trusses