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Pruning the bottom part of tomatoes

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  • Depends what variety you have, and how tall you can let them grow. I have six trusses on one Alicante,  which is now ready for its top cutting as its reached the greenhouse roof. 
     The lower leaves @The-Greenfingered-Joiner tend to be damaged by watering, so removing them up to the first truss is fine.
    Thank you purpleallim, I will trim them off tomorrow 👍
  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    The OP should have stated whether the plant was a determinate or indeterminate as you need only remove sucker shoots from the latter.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    On reading this thread - that's my thought too @pinut.
    Do you know what toms they are @Olpallix

    If appropriate, the little sideshoots in the leaf axils are best removed as soon as you see them. It only gets more difficult as they get bigger- and they do that very rapidly!
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • OlpallixOlpallix Posts: 13
    Ok so now they have grown but am getting blossom rot. Too much water? Too much heat there are so many reason it could be. What should I start with?
    cheers
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    still need the variety to help @Olpallix
  • OlpallixOlpallix Posts: 13
    Hi yes sorry it’s moneymaker
    i also have tigerellas.  They look alright, although not red yet. Cheers
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The sideshoots would be pinched out on both those varieties. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • OlpallixOlpallix Posts: 13
    The side shoots on that same branch you mean? You can see the fresh one rotting on the side already  and then it gives me top rot  thank you 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I meant as the plants grow - both those varieties would have the sideshoots removed  :)

    Have they not been tied to supports?
    It's hard to get a clear picture at all of the plants from those photos. Sorry. They just look so congested and collapsed, and it's impossible to see them properly.
    Blossom end rot happens when the plant can't take up nutrients properly, and is usually because of irregular watering.
    If the plants have just been allowed to grow any old way, it would be difficult to keep a good airflow, or see anything going wrong, or what the soil/compost is like that they're growing in. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    It also looks like you have other plants in that grow bag? Strawberry?  Next year, put the grow bags on end and cut the top and roll down the edges to near the soil line.  Put one tomato per bag, next to it in the soil put a plastic bottle top down with bottom cut to make watering easier, and a cane or three for it to be trained up.  
    I also recommend cherry or plum type tomatoes, just because they are more likely to produce fruit for you.  Many varieties come with resistance to various things, like disease, splitting, end rot, etc.  Unfortunately they haven't seemed to come up with one variety resistant to all those things at once!  
    Utah, USA.
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