Plant size can depend on the variety. 5ft is probably about average for an indeterminate variety. Are yours indoors or outdoors, annmarie? If indoors, the flowers can need help self-pollinating. Give them a flick with your fingers. You can do the same thing outdoors, too. It will help trigger the internal self-pollination process.
If you're feeding them, stop for a while. Fertilising, particularly over-fertilising, can hinder the production of flowers and, therefore, fruit.
no I have a canopy which their under it, the shade is clear partly and I have watered them with seaweed feed im afraid its made them grow really tall I have canes attached to them for support it looks like a jungle all I need is a couple of pandas
no didn't know you had too, theres yellow flowers but not many its just growing taller and busy never grown tomatoes before so not really sure what to do
However, if you've reached this stage of the year and haven't been taking them off, your plants will already be a mass of branches - probably with not much fruit - and removing them all (even if it's possible) would severely weaken the plant. I think I'd leave the existing side shoots now but take off the new ones that appear.
Next year, you need to break them off as soon as you see them - and check every day or two as they grow very fast! You can root the cuttings in a jar of water (very easy) and then plant them out/pot them and they'll grow more vigorously than the parent. So you only need one plant of each variety to start with!
Tie the main stem to its support as it grows or, better still, twist it round a string suspended from above. This will keep them vertical and make it easier to spot the side shoots - and also support the heavy crop that they'll produce .
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Plant size can depend on the variety. 5ft is probably about average for an indeterminate variety. Are yours indoors or outdoors, annmarie? If indoors, the flowers can need help self-pollinating. Give them a flick with your fingers. You can do the same thing outdoors, too. It will help trigger the internal self-pollination process.
If you're feeding them, stop for a while. Fertilising, particularly over-fertilising, can hinder the production of flowers and, therefore, fruit.
All you can do is stop feeding them. Cut back on the watering too. Toms will respond better to "controlled neglect".
If it's jungly, have you been taking off the side shoots?
Ripening depends on the type of tomato you are growing I am growing 3 varieties.
1 is ripening well smothered in tomatoes.
2 is well covered in green toms.
3rd has a few green tomatoes but smothered in flowers.
Like people they are all different.
This video shows you what to do about side shoots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivJiwBRE6Tc
However, if you've reached this stage of the year and haven't been taking them off, your plants will already be a mass of branches - probably with not much fruit - and removing them all (even if it's possible) would severely weaken the plant. I think I'd leave the existing side shoots now but take off the new ones that appear.
Next year, you need to break them off as soon as you see them - and check every day or two as they grow very fast! You can root the cuttings in a jar of water (very easy) and then plant them out/pot them and they'll grow more vigorously than the parent. So you only need one plant of each variety to start with!
Tie the main stem to its support as it grows or, better still, twist it round a string suspended from above. This will keep them vertical and make it easier to spot the side shoots - and also support the heavy crop that they'll produce
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Thanks for all the information,fingers crossed the toms soon ripen there are enough to start a market garden.