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Pruning Tomatos?

WabbyWabby Posts: 12
in Fruit & veg

Hi,

New to growing (First year infact) and I have grown some tomatoes from seed. They are doing very well under glass and are flowering on at least 1 vine each.

My question is, can I prune the lower leaves?

Some of them are almost 18" long at present, very thick and very bushy.

The tomato plants are F1 Hybrids and Money Makers (Both Indeterminate if I have that right?)

Don't want to chop the lower branches off and kill the plant, but equally don't want to leave them on if all I'm doing is encouraging the plant to put effort into growing them bigger?

Already started feeding with Tomorite to help now that flowers are in.

Cheers

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    You do not normally remove the lower leaves until the tomatoes are fully  swollen and starting to ripen.  The leaves provide energy to swell the fruit.  If they are discoloured and fading to yellow, they are no longer working and so you can remove them.

    Feeding with tomorite once a week after the first truss of flowers has set is correct.

  • WabbyWabby Posts: 12
    philippa smith2 says:

    Remember also to consider the number of trusses on each plant - little point in allowing too many to be able to actually ripen ( unless you want green toms for preserving of course ).

    It is something new growers can tend to forget in the excitement of watching the trusses form image

    See original post

     How many trusses should I aim for?

    Will more grow after picking regardless?

  • Jason millyJason milly Posts: 546

    What I do as plant grows bigger I remove the lower leaves but not until there are plenty at the top as I find leaving bottom leaves on blocks out a lot of light .

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Tomatoes do not need light to ripen.  But they do need functioning leaves to make growth, etc.

    Last edited: 30 May 2017 00:23:34

  • Jason millyJason milly Posts: 546

    I don't take them all of just when the plant is big and I need light coming through to tomato plants on the over side of the greenhouse .

  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806

    I take off some of the lower leaves when the plants get big, mainly to allow air to circulate and slow down the spread of any blight. Towards the end of the season I often take off most or all of the leaves if they're not looking good, and the tomatoes go on ripening.

    Moneymaker is well known variety, and yes it's an indeterminate (cordon) variety,  but "F1 hybrids" are not a variety, it's a term used for a plant that is cross-bred from two different parent plants. Take another look at the seed packet, there will be another name for the variety. F1s are often superior varieties, but more expensive, so you only get a few seeds in a packet.

  • JamieMcDJamieMcD Posts: 89

    Wabby, good luck. I am growing tomatoes for the first time this year. It's actually the first time i have grown anything! Anyway, I have brewed up comfrey to feed them and i thought I should start feeding them when the first fruit actually starts to set as opposed to just the first flowers opening up. Could anyone give me advice on this ? Is it a contentious issue ? 

    Thanks again, 

    Jamie

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    It's not a contentious issue. Only start feeding when the fruit on the first truss has set - that means when you can see tiny tomatoes where the flowers were. 

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • JamieMcDJamieMcD Posts: 89

    Thanks for the advice hogweed. Maybe I am just not understanding the terminology. Appreciate the help.

    Jamie

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