[Sadgit]

Right I have put off posting this as I feel stupid asking it.. no really I do.. Next to me there is a bloke wearing an "I'm with stupid" T-Shirt.
(I have googled it and never really found an explanation)

Anyway... Trusses.. What are they? Are they the stalky thing that the toms grown on? i.e that has the flowers? if so.. when you nip off the growing tip at 4-5 trusses... how do people get as many toms as they do? as 4-5 trusses doesn't sound like many toms..

Cheers
SG

[DD.]

Hi sadgit, you have it correct regarding the trusses, although it's a new way of defining them.

Greenhouse wise, you should stop the plant by pinching out the top two leaves above the growing tip, or when the plant reaches the top of the greenhouse, (obviously!). The latter may not be the 7th truss if the plant is under the low point of the roof.

Outdoor - same, but only 4 trusses.

[Sadgit]

Thanks for the reply Dave. I thought I had it right, but for some reason my mind isn't working correctly

I do define stuff in a strange way

[DD.]

I do define stuff in a strage way

Strangely, I understood it.

[richyrich7]

I do define stuff in a strage way

Strangely, I understood it.

Me too  

[slow_worm]

I pinch mine off outdoors at 4/5 trusses, any more and you are likely not to get them all ripening...unless you want to make some green tomato salsa!
How may toms you get depends on variety as you may get many small 'cherry-type' per trus but only 1-3 of the big beefsteak type.
Does that make any sense.
I have 12 plants in the ground...which would produce up to 60 trusses multiply by say 6-10 per truss = 360 - 600 tomatoes! Enough I think eh?

[helluvatractor]

i also have a question regarding trusses, so thought i'd ask it here.  I've been pinching out the side shoots as and when they appear, but i've just read you should also take off the base shoots.  I presume these are shoots that grow off the side of the main stem at soil level. (usually seem to be 2 of them)  If so, it would be too late for my Gardeners delight because some of these are now at the same height of the main plant  !! :shock:

however i could de-shoot my other smaller plants. - should i do so forthwith?

 Also because i haven't taken them off my gardeners delight plants, there must be about 20 trusses on each plant !!  the lower ones have toms on them, but should i drastically de-truss to avoid dissapointment,  :shock:  :?

[DD.]

i also have a question regarding trusses, so thought i'd ask it here.  I've been pinching out the side shoots as and when they appear, but i've just read you should also take off the base shoots.  I presume these are shoots that grow off the side of the main stem at soil level. (usually seem to be 2 of them)  If so, it would be too late for my Gardeners delight because some of these are now at the same height of the main plant  !! :shock:

however i could de-shoot my other smaller plants. - should i do so forthwith?

I would, yes,

 Also because i haven't taken them off my gardeners delight plants, there must be about 20 trusses on each plant !!  the lower ones have toms on them, but should i drastically de-truss to avoid dissapointment,  :shock:  :?

In your place I would, but I'd stick the large side shoots in a pot of compost & root them. They root amazingly easily, they may wilt a bit at first though. That is providing you have room for more plants!

[helluvatractor]

Managed to work out how to upload images, so this may help explain my question better,
this is one of my gardeners delight plants, as you can see a lot of trusses !

[/IMG]

this is the base of the plant

[/IMG]

as you can see there are four base shoots that i didn't remove which have now grown to be almost as tall as the main stem.  do you think i should remove these now (along with all the flower trusses that are on them)?

Also, i think i may have got a bit carried away removing lower leaves, have stopped doing it now, but you live and learn !

[helluvatractor]

thanks digger dave!  sorry for being a pain, but just to make sure, you would remove the four tall base shoots along with all the flowers and leaves they involve?, leaving just the main stem?

i thought i'd better double check before i do something so drastic, cheers!

[DD.]

Strictly speaking - yes.

But in your situation, I may just be tempted to leave as is, seeing that you have a lot of flowers on the side shoots, but stop each a little earlier, so that overall you don't have too much more that a full size, single stemmed plant - if that makes sense,

[helluvatractor]

i understand, thanks mate  

[ytyynycefn]

That's a relief, just found this thread after taking the low-down shoots off all mine this evening!  Some of them were a foot or so long  :oops:

[Gwiz]

i thought it was a kind of surgical appliance under-garment

[Sadgit]

thanks digger dave!  sorry for being a pain, but just to make sure, you would remove the four tall base shoots along with all the flowers and leaves they involve?, leaving just the main stem?

i thought i'd better double check before i do something so drastic, cheers!

hang on... how blinking big are your tom plants already?