Broken Tomato Stems. What should I do?
Aerilaya (8b-9a SouthTX)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Cherry Tomatoes in SFG- should I single-stem?
Comments (5)I second going down to only one vine for most indeterminate varieties, but I have found it is very easy to manage two vines when it comes to cherry varieties. I allow a sucker to grow at the first flower tier on my plants then keep them to these two vines from there on out. It increases your production pretty considerably and they do not end up crowding each other. I keep my larger varieties to only one per stake. You can see how i have it going this year. I put these in the garden around April. They are all spaced one per square foot....See MoreTomato Broken at Fork in Stem
Comments (9)luckyinK An alternate suggestion: You can take the broken off (or nearly broken off) piece and put it into some moist planting soil to root to make another plant. It'll take about a week to ten days for the new roots to form and the top to begin to grow again. Then you can plant it. In fact, I've removed suckers from indeterminate plants and just stuck them into the ground and left them on their own. They made fine vigorous plants. Tomatoes are incredibly tough once they get going. I doubt that you'll need to start over again with new plants. You can also try to repair them as you describe, but I don't know if that would work since I haven't done it. Somebody else may have and can tell you about their success. BTW, are they determinates or indeterminates? That might make a difference....See MoreBroken tomato stems yielding lots of plants
Comments (2)I had the same experience last year, gourd (I'm calling you that because I like gourds). Unfortunately, it happened in the middle of horrific weather. My three branches did take root in their new location, but struggled to thrive in 90º+ weather for the first few weeks. Only one gave me any ripe fruit. While it may nothave been suckers -- What am I not understanding here? Usually anything that isn't the main stem is a sucker, right?...See MoreWhat should I do with indeterminate tomatoes after the growing season?
Comments (9)What you describe is an option of course - especially if you prune them back to approximately 12-18". But it isn't the standard practice, even your zone, as the new growth and production, if any, the following year on plants that are carried over isn't near the quality you'd get from starting with fresh plants as most do. As an experimental leaning exercise why not plan to trim back a few of the healthiest plants to try carry them through till next season. That way you can learn what all is involved in the way of continued work, watering, feeding, and support for them to survive. Then plan to pull and dispose of the rest so you can work on soil improvement or plant some winter crops. That way you can compare the results for yourself. Dave...See MoreAerilaya (8b-9a SouthTX)
8 years agoAerilaya (8b-9a SouthTX)
7 years ago
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