Aha, I've just seen your new pair of photos. Ignore my post above, which relates to your first attempt. Yes, that looks right to me, I think you've got it!
I can't think of anything else that needs side shoots removed.With peppers and chilis, you do the opposite - pinch out the tips to encourage more side shoots and more fruit.
Some plants (including upright tomatoes!) can be "stopped" later in the year by taking off the growing tip. This allows the fruits etc already formed to ripen properly, rather than go on into the cooler weather producing stuff that will never ripen. I think you can do this with some climbing beans, and possibly courgettes, squashes and cucumbers. But it's not essential for these, and I don't usually bother unless the plants are getting reallly cumbersome.
Don't worry OL - we all do things which we would have done differently if we'd had the right advice. That's why this forum is so helpful. I can't tell you how much I've learnt from the lovely people here.
I'll just tell you the story (or as well as I remember it) that AT used to tell people when he started his horti. career. He was sent to disbud plants in one of the greenhouses. He removed every bud from all the plants - thousands of 'em.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Far be it for me to complicate things anymore than they need to be, but a classic mistake made by even experienced gardeners is to remove the growing tip by mistake...it is an upright side-shoot, growing in a different place of course.
So until you get the hang of it proper, just remove side-shoots from between lower leaf joints.
Remove the growing tip......whoever would do such a silly thing, certainly not me ever LOL
Thank you David, I have 7 of them living happily in the GH
Bask in the glory of your success at the mo, OL.. .but later on in the season you may get a situation where your plant/plants will develop two growing heads/tips and you may get puzzled as to which one to retain....or you may wish to keep both, but that's for another day.
But seriously folks, I bought a Black Cherry tomato plant t'other week intending to use the sideshoots as cuttings and it seems to have read my mind! It's produced a load of sideshoots, all of which grew really fast. They're all in a glass of water now and when they get some roots I'll pot 'em up. And it's flowering
Posts
Aha, I've just seen your new pair of photos. Ignore my post above, which relates to your first attempt. Yes, that looks right to me, I think you've got it!
Yes, my first attempt went slightly wrong
I've got it now, at last so won't ask again!
Are tomatoes the only fruit/veg that needs pinching out?
I can't think of anything else that needs side shoots removed.With peppers and chilis, you do the opposite - pinch out the tips to encourage more side shoots and more fruit.
Some plants (including upright tomatoes!) can be "stopped" later in the year by taking off the growing tip. This allows the fruits etc already formed to ripen properly, rather than go on into the cooler weather producing stuff that will never ripen. I think you can do this with some climbing beans, and possibly courgettes, squashes and cucumbers. But it's not essential for these, and I don't usually bother unless the plants are getting reallly cumbersome.
By George - I think she's got it!
Don't worry OL - we all do things which we would have done differently if we'd had the right advice. That's why this forum is so helpful. I can't tell you how much I've learnt from the lovely people here.
I'll just tell you the story (or as well as I remember it) that AT used to tell people when he started his horti. career. He was sent to disbud plants in one of the greenhouses. He removed every bud from all the plants - thousands of 'em.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Far be it for me to complicate things anymore than they need to be, but a classic mistake made by even experienced gardeners is to remove the growing tip by mistake...it is an upright side-shoot, growing in a different place of course.
So until you get the hang of it proper, just remove side-shoots from between lower leaf joints.
OL, that's a cracking little tommy plant, btw.
Ha ha FG, someone yes it takes a while
Remove the growing tip......whoever would do such a silly thing, certainly not me ever LOL
Thank you David, I have 7 of them living happily in the GH
Bask in the glory of your success at the mo, OL..
.but later on in the season you may get a situation where your plant/plants will develop two growing heads/tips and you may get puzzled as to which one to retain....or you may wish to keep both, but that's for another day.
Did you remove the eggs as well?
But seriously folks, I bought a Black Cherry tomato plant t'other week intending to use the sideshoots as cuttings and it seems to have read my mind! It's produced a load of sideshoots, all of which grew really fast. They're all in a glass of water now and when they get some roots I'll pot 'em up. And it's flowering
I had to think about that one D tele but get it now LOL.....I did say it takes a while for things to sink in
David, not basking in glory, it was slightly tongue in cheek as I have made that very mistake!! I only now realise why my plants didn't grow very well
OL you wouldn't be the first or last to nip a main stem out
that's why I say right, left, right, left up the stem and and leave middle alone 