tomato plant - pinching out side shoots?

[seneca]

hi folks,

I tried growing tomatoes last year and ended up with few tomatoes, but plenty of lush green foliage. This year I read up a bit on the subject and kept coming across the term - "pin out side shoots." what exactly does this mean - remove everything coming out the side from the central stem?

how do I identify one side shoot from another? they all look the same. which ones need "pinching out?"

all very confusing. what i need is some way, preferably with pictures, of identifying the parts that need removing.

 

[Thermo]

when you look at the plant think of it as a tree. youll see the branches coming off the side as per normal. in between each brancha nd the trunk you will see another branch growing. these are the ones you want to pinch out. (hope that makes sense)

also many people recomend pinching out the top once the plant has 4 fruit trusses on it. in other words once ther are 4 brnches that have the flowers on them to produce the fruit, then stop it growing up any further and it will put the energy into the fruit. I sometimes do this and sometimes dont. i cant say i notice a great difference.

its also worth removing the lower branches as it gets bigger to allow light and air to get into the centre of the plant and help ripen the fruit.

 

[oilman]

If you want more plants, you can put the shoots you have removed in compost and they will probably grow.

 

[Thermo]

easier way to do it, is thke a large removed side shoot and place the base in a jar of water. after about 1-2 weeks it will have sufficent roots to be able to plant up again

 

[seneca]

I'll go out and have a look tomorrow (too dark now!)

let me see if i follow what you said. Are these side shoots coming out from the trunk or are they on the branches. If they come out of the trunk, how do I tell the difference between a branch and the side shoot. If I remember correctly, I have got quite a few branches coming out of the trunk, some small and a few large. Have you seen a pic. on the web which shows what they look like, in relation to the rest of the plant.

 

[Thermo]

look at where a branch joins a trunk. in between the two you may well see another branch forming. so the 1 st branch is at 90 degrees to the trunk. another one will grow between it at about 45 degrees. thats the one to get rid of!

ill try and post a picture later it will make more sense!

 

[Pinnacle]

While we are on the subject.
To help speed up the process of developing fruit trusses. Once you start getting flowers, give them a gentle tap each day to release the fertalisation.

 

[Pyromaniac]

 

[seneca]

Thanks people. The tip about 45 degrees was useful and the photograph confirmed it. Also, they gave a guide to tomato plants on Gardeners World tonight.

Just one thing - some of the plants have grown with a central lead shoot growing upwards, but a couple have split to form V shapes. What's happened there?

 

[Thermo]

nature!