[wolveryeti]

I have juvenile tomato plants that are getting too leggy on the windowsill and don't have time to keep shuttling them outdoors and inside. I don't have any other places in the house to put them. I could repot into taller pots, but we are talking seriously leggy so I am not sure this will fix things.

Will they be OK if I just lop a few inches off the top (including the leader)? They have reasonable growth on branches below so won't be deprived of foliage. I heard that a sucker then becomes the leader, but am not sure whether to believe this or not...

[Growster...]

You could do that, WY, and there's a similar post around here somewhere...

I'm actually going to try and grow one plant of a cordon variety (San Marzano) by doing just that, and keeping just two stems from the sideshoots near the bottom! I'll stop them when they get to about three trusses per stem!

I assume you haven't taken out any sideshoots yet?

As an aside, if you have the room, you can always bury them deep in a pot, even taking off the lower leaves, as they just grow more roots, and in fact make for a pretty decent plant as well! Another way is to plant them as a layer, along a shallow trench, and just let the top few inches curl up - it's the same priciple!

[hasbeans]

I have a similar issue but resolved to calling the plants big (some almost 3 foot) rather than leggy!  One of the plants lost the growing tip after falling over in the wind.  Fortunately, I always leave one sideshoot to have the option of growing 2 stems when I plant them out.

[mumofstig]

Yes you can, but be careful - once you chop the leader, it won't just be 1 sideshoot that will start to grow.
You'll have to make sure that you pinch all the others out.
Like hasbeans, I often grow tomatoes with 2 stems - treating each stem as if it was a separate plant.
They manage to fruit on both stems ok in the soil, but I think it may be difficult to keep up with watering a plant this big in a pot. They also need more support, obviously, if you fancy giving that a try...

[Aunt Sally]

Depends how leggy they are.

If you can pot them on into deeper pots and bury them as deeply as possible they will develop extra root from the stem, I remove some of the lower leaves so that I can plant them deep.

Don’t forget the aluminium foil trick... use it as a reflector on the room side of the plants to bounce light back onto them.


Edited to remove the ‘lover’ 

[Growster...]

"I remove some of the lover leaves so that I can plant them deep."

This is still a family show isn't it, Auntie...:0?

[snowdrops]

 You could always allow a side shoot to develop,remove, place in water to grow roots, pot that up & discard the parent plant.

[wolveryeti]

Thanks for the replies. For 2 plants I repotted into a deeper pot and for 2 other (very leggy) ones I did this plus lopping off the growing tip. Will report back on how each group are doing later in the season.

[wolveryeti]

Thanks for the replies. For 2 plants I repotted into a deeper pot and for 2 other (very leggy) ones I did this plus lopping off the growing tip. With all I will do the hoki koki. Will report back on how each group are doing later in the season.

[Subversive_plot]

Thanks for the replies. For 2 plants I repotted into a deeper pot and for 2 other (very leggy) ones I did this plus lopping off the growing tip. With all I will do the hoki koki. Will report back on how each group are doing later in the season.

I've heard that the hoki hoki is most effective when it's done properly.

Make sure you put your right foot in, then you put your right foot out; then you put your right foot in and you shake it all about. THEN you do the Hoki-Hoki and you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about!

[mumofstig]

It's the in-out bit that annoying me right now 
The tomatoes are usually planted in the greenhouse by now, but it's still much too cold this year, unless you can heat them 

[Growster...]

They really are being awkward teenagers now, aren't they Mum!

They're sulking in their pots, going silly colours, not taking any notice of their peers and haven't a clue what they're going to do tomorrow, even less than next week!

I've promised so many tom plants to chums around here, and they're getting restless too - I put it all down to 'globule worming' or whatever the climate catch-phrase is about now...

(And I've just got soaked putting the hose out to try and give the rasps a drink...)!

[DD.]

You could always allow a side shoot to develop,remove, place in water to grow roots, pot that up & discard the parent plant.

Or simply chop the top off and replant it, no need to wait for a side shoot. I never bother rooting in water first, straight into another pot!

[wolveryeti]

So in response to this setback I did a trial:

1) Lopping growing tip and leaving the rest of the plant out
2) Putting leggy plant out
3) Planting new seeds to grow on the windowsill.

Of the three groups 1) fared worst- slow regrowth from the axils but not as much plant volume by now as achieved by 3). The leggy plants 2) suffered a bit from being placed outside (light scorch), but look much healthier than the lopped exemplars from 1).

Based on this experiment I would say don't lop - not worth it!

[Nobbie]

One year I had leggy neglected tomato plants I planted them horizontally with only the final foot above ground. They did really well as they rooted from the buried stem and turned into study plants.