[gowing238]

Hi all. I have 15 cordon tomato plants on the go. The are growing well, but are getting very bushy. I have read the growing guide on here for piching out sideshoots but i am a bit confused.

I did it the one time and just left a long thin stalk and two leaves at the top. Being sure this was wrong i havent done it again!

My main problem is how to tell the difference between a side shoot and truss!!

So, what i would find helpful are some photos or good links to some clips of whats what and how you do it!!

Cheers in advance!! I know you folks will come up with something!!

[DavidT]

A truss will consist of flower buds/flowers. A side shoot will be just a stem and some leaves. They snap off quite easily, with very little damage to the plant.

[gowing238]

so if it doesnt have any flowers on i can snap it off can I?

What would happen if i dont snap off? the plant would just go bushy and give no fruit would it?

[DavidT]

You want as much of the plants energy going into producing tomatoes, not non fruiting sideshoots. Pinch them out.

[mumofstig]

Have a look here
play the video and there are some notes below it as well

[gowing238]

Cheers mumofstig.

So if i leave the branches they turn into fruit bearing trusses do they? Then when i have 5 i just pull off the new ones that start to grow is it!!??

[mumofstig]

No............... look at the video....some are side stems with flowers, some are side stems with leaves you can see the difference as the camera pans up the stem.
When they are about 2ft high you usually start to get a flower truss between each leaf stem as the plant grows taller
The only ones you remove are between the leaf sidestems and the main stem. Towards the end of the season you remove the bottom leaves as they go yellow/brown and when they are as tall as you want you pinch out the top bud (the growing point)

[gowing238]

Sorry! Im a bit slow!! SO! once i got bout 5 trusses(with flowers on!!), I pull the little bit that starts growing between it and the stalk!

Do i need the leaf stems then or shall i shift these as well?

[purplebean]

the bits you pull off grow between the leaves and the stalk. You shouldn't get anything growing between the truss and the stalk

[GrannieAnnie]

Are you growing in your garden or allotment?  Is there anyone near to you that grows tomatoes?  I'm sure if asked nicely, they would actually SHOW you the difference between a truss and a side shoot.

I would, but I'm too far away!

[gowing238]

Im at an allotment! I would of already grannie but everyone seems to have gone away for the week!!

When i get the urge to do something i just gotta do it!! I have watched the video mumofstig sent me the link for and think i have got it know!!

Here goes!!

Cheers for your time!!

[purplebean]

I just found this old thread

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=233.0

scroll down a bit and there is a photo f the sideshhot that you should pinch out, keep pinching these out. You don't need to do anything else until you have 5 or 6 trusses and then pinch out the growing tip o fth etomato so it pts its energy inot ripening the toms

[purplebean]

can you tell I didn't proof read that 

[gowing238]

can you tell I didn't proof read that 

Notta problem!! I understood every word and that photo has just made it all make sense to me!!!

Thanks very much!!!