Wouldn’t mind them to have two big main branches each, as long as they keep growing, since they’re going to be planted in a spot where they have lots of space to the sides. They’re „Stabtomate Supersweet 100, F1 Hybrid“ cherry tomatoes.
by Ok-Serve-6570
21 Comments
You’ll be better off removing the bottom branches and burying them deep
I’d bury 50% of the plant.
Thanks to everyone commenting I am aware of burying them deep being an option, but I look for an answer to my question haha
You can pinch them if you want to, just prepare for a tomato bush instead of a tree.
You can also cut off the lower branches and plant them sideways. Roots will grow out of the nodes.
I would transplant them into much bigger planters of which you can then burry them deeper like was suggested.
I know you want the answer but topping them will not make it a better plant. Keeping the root system and removing flowers and there’s a bunch of lower branches to remove – then bury deep – which is THE RIGHT CHOICE. and you should pot up a size if you have 4 more weeks, and when you do that plant it deep that time too. Now if you’re removing any suckers you can plant that up and have extra plants ready as well!
Yes.chop
If you decide to cut them above the first or second node they will be losing the leaves that are providing most of the energy to the plants growth. Since burying them deeper is not an option for you, you are correct that you should add them to your compost pile.
To me. This is perfect to plant in the garden. I will cut these shoots at least 4 inches and use them to grow new plants.
You can simply cut the tops off and put them in damp soil and they will develop roots in short order. If you’re not transplanting them for a month, that leaves plenty of time for them to make a good root system, especially if you plant them deep when you set them into the ground.
Definitely cut that off. You will make a shorter stronger plant with a good root system for production
Yes.
And don’t sweat the downvotes; you’re getting “advice” from a lot of people who either don’t know wtf they’re talking about, or (at best) aren’t understanding why you want to top them.
In four or five months, you’ll have more cherry tomatoes than you care to eat; that’s an extremely vigorous variety & hacking off most of the plant won’t hurt it one damn bit in the long run.
What I personally would do is (to answer your quenstion):
If there are any side shoots on the plant (which could be the “future” main stem of that plant), I would cut the top of the main stem. This action will (according to me) force the plant to put it’s energy into the side shoots. Then around transplant time you may want to adjust the way you are transplanting the plant so that the stem grows to your desired direction
Hope this helps!
(And when you are growing tomatoes, make sure to start sowing not before 5 weeks before the last expected frost date as tomatoes grow very fast if you compare them with peppers.)
Think two or three times about it before you go burying half the plant deep down in the ground. Root zone soil temperatures really matter to tomatoes, and it’s *cold* down there. I’ve seen photos of tomatoes planted deeply where new roots formed on the upper part of the buried stem, but *only* on the upper part near the soil surface. Everything that was buried deep just sat, and there was an obvious bare-naked gap between the new roots that formed where there was enough warmth, and the original but now deeply-buried root ball. All the plant’s energy went into starting over on a new root system, for a while; it was playing catchup the rest of the season.
Sure, people bury tomatoes deep and they still grow. Of course they do. They’re programmed for survival. Doesn’t mean it’s the best choice.
Years ago I read an ag university study that showed that tomatoes that are allowed to keep all their lower leaves, with the exception of the first sepals, produce more.
You’re not in that ideal position though, so a different option that might help you is the trench method: dig a shallow trench (the soil will be warm at this level) and after removing any branches that would be buried, lay the long stem in there. Cover it. Stake (gently) as necessary to hold the stem down below soil surface, and to encourage the growing leader to curve somewhat upward. It doesn’t have to look vertical at this time; it’ll make that move on its own. Don’t try to force it too much or you might snap it off.
Meanwhile, to hold until you can set them out, keep your plants where it’s brighter but cooler than where you’ve been growing them, if there’s a place like that available.
You could top it, but if be scared of wouldn’t get as big.
I’d lay them sideways so that they’ll start growing in kinda an L shape and bury the stem long ways. Kinda like what this guy does with his romas.
https://youtu.be/7M0V8itXFpI?si=_-MxHs_6xm7a-IPf
I don’t know the answer to your question but I am hoping you give it a shot And report back with an update on what happened. Would love to learn from your experience!
I recommend:
– not topping them off
– getting two MUCH deeper pots/containers
(A cheap option is to use a half gallon milk container)
– trim off all branches except the top 2 or 3
– remove all suckers until your final planting; you want to encourage root and stem growth rather than many branches.
– transplant them, apply tomato fertilizer, bone meal, any other supplements you use. I use Mykos mycorrhizal and apply it to the root ball. No need to separate the roots from the pot soil.
– water in with fish emulsion solution
– for their final planting site make sure it is DEEP, and repeat the process. Aim to do the final plant when the outside temperature is consistently 55 degrees Fahrenheit or more, to avoid shocking the plants.
Depending on your climate/zone, if it’s still chilly at night I would bring the plants inside the garage or house at night.
Fertilize every 2-4 weeks, especially once you see flowers or fruit.
Good luck!
Do not top them. plants grow from their tips. At this point cut the leaves to about a 6 inch from the top and bury the rest out doors and then cloche the top. Tomatoes are actually hardy down to freezing though they will suffer cold damage below 40F. They will not thrive until temps get above 65 during the day and above 50 at night, but they wont die. Burying deep will help protect them and they will put out roots along the entirety of the stem or anywhere that is kept overly moist.
You can top them but to what purpose? To keep them indoors a little longer? I suppose it would help to know your gardening zone, but for a lot of us, tomatoes will be fine outside this time of year assuming no freeze. If you are fine with killing them, then just put them out and see what happens.
Remove lower leaves and bury on its side
Wow I just transplanted to their beds and mine are no where close to this size. Hopefully they figure things out. I started Feb 6th i think