The Great Tomato Experiment: Does Pruning Effect Fruit Quality?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, lot of work, I just plant them and eat them, I'm in Wisconsin and been getting tomatoes for two weeks because I use waterwalls, never fertilize during the growing season, just manure, grass clippings and fall leaves, no till, the worms do all the work. Sounds like you're having fun though, I shall watch for your results.

 

[MeatTheFlockers]

Oldhenlikesdogs pretty much nailed it. The main reason for pruning is to increase airflow and to prevent contamination of soil-born pathogens from splashing onto your plants and leaves. As you can see in the above picture i prune heavily and eliminate most of the long vines that touch the ground. This plant also happens to be grown on just a single stem. No problem with production, and way too many variables with not enough controls to be conclusive either way. Some plants I let sprawl and I dont see any increase in production that way either.

Indeterminates can be pruned, and controlled that way. The will continue to grow and continually blossoom until killed by frost. Pruning can keep the size manageable and allows you to limit the number of growth shoots.

Determinates and dwarf varites should not. Their branches usually end with a growth node and pruning actually eliminates the chance of fruit on those growth nodes. Determanites have a shorter life cycle and tend to set fruit all at once. Not pruning maximazes yeild on determinates.

Which to grow should be determined by your location, growing season, and intended use. Again way to many variables but a fun comparison never the less. Good luck to you.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I like the military order of your garden, your tomatoes are pruned to perfection, you probably don't have snakes, I hate snakes, your tomatoes look delicious

 

[shortgrass]

I have the snakes and toads, and coons, and.... A jungle lol... Mine get LST, no pruning whatsoever. Big bushes all over, cantveven find half of the tomatoes lol... Its my bio-intensive permacultury low maintenance organic jungle

One of my Early girls

Found some in there its like a treasure hunt haha...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Now that look I am familiar with, those vegetables are in there somewhere, it's a daily treasure hunt, but they taste the same

 

[hippiestink]

Had a couple more Romas with end rot, removed the effected fruits. Next year I'm definitely not planting Romas, if they get end rot this easily. My heirlooms are all fine, especially the IR. Beginning to check and see if IR is bred to be resistant to BER.

Next year I think I'll intensively prune all the plants, it's really hard to find the fruit on the plant and that honestly looks easier to maintain. Pruned determinates actually seem to be doing better in terms of productivity than the unpruned ones, and the indeterminates aren't choosy either way. The proof is in the eating though!

 

[MeatTheFlockers]

Romas, and anything with that elongated roma or heart shape will be more prone to BER. Round tomatoes almost never get it. Just the way it is. Some are more prone to it than others. Calcium uptake and inconsistent watering are the usual culprits, but other factors can contribute as well.

Had a couple more Romas with end rot, removed the effected fruits. Next year I'm definitely not planting Romas, if they get end rot this easily. My heirlooms are all fine, especially the IR. Beginning to check and see if IR is bred to be resistant to BER.

Next year I think I'll intensively prune all the plants, it's really hard to find the fruit on the plant and that honestly looks easier to maintain. Pruned determinates actually seem to be doing better in terms of productivity than the unpruned ones, and the indeterminates aren't choosy either way. The proof is in the eating though!

 

[hippiestink]

Romas, and anything with that elongated roma or heart shape will be more prone to BER. Round tomatoes almost never get it. Just the way it is. Some are more prone to it than others. Calcium uptake and inconsistent watering are the usual culprits, but other factors can contribute as well.

Calcium shouldn't have been an issue since I mixed in ground eggshell with the soil and made a compost tea with eggshell and coffee grounds. I read somewhere that too much nitrogen can inhibit calcium intake if given too early and basically calcium gets bound up in the soil. Watering isn't an issue, we water every day with roughly 20 liters of water.

I lowered the nitrogen and also tested and noticed acidity was down in the soil so I added an acid booster to the compost fertilizer I make instead of my nitrogen booster. Again, it's only the Romas I'm seeing this with and only two of the RBSM tomatoes had it and none have shown signs since.

 

[MeatTheFlockers]

Calcium shouldn't have been an issue since I mixed in ground eggshell with the soil and made a compost tea with eggshell and coffee grounds. I read somewhere that too much nitrogen can inhibit calcium intake if given too early and basically calcium gets bound up in the soil. Watering isn't an issue, we water every day with roughly 20 liters of water.

I lowered the nitrogen and also tested and noticed acidity was down in the soil so I added an acid booster to the compost fertilizer I make instead of my nitrogen booster. Again, it's only the Romas I'm seeing this with and only two of the RBSM tomatoes had it and none have shown signs since.

I would try and find a soluable Calcium supplement if it were me and the problem continues. I dont think the eggshells will break down in usable form quick enough to offer any benefit. Even if you grind them into a powder. Some of those "old tips and tricks" are just myths. I could be wrong though. You are right in that a nutrient inbalance could also be tying up the calcium uptake. I will say that MOST of the time, BER remedies itself and only shows in the early parts of the season. That has been my experience, not always the case though. It sounds like your RBSM is an example of this. Any plants that get BER bad and continually throughout the season, are not invited back to my garden the following year. I dont recall if you grow in ground or containers either.....container gardeners fight with BER much more than regular in ground gardening.

And just for clarifiacations sake, I am no expert, only offering my experiences as reference. Gardening is a labor of love with no right or wrong way.

 

[hennible]

Labour of love indeed
Love gardening... Trimmed mine for the first time this year, large clippings of production branches I took and rooted (willow water is amazing) and then I trimm the lower leaves for air flow (much like someone a few quotes back said). Hope it helps, its so humid there are roots growing on some fruiting branches... I think I planted too intensively. Need the sun back as well.
We shall see, first season with this greenhouse was the best, and I didn't do much at all, main difference less plants.
I'm hoping to overwinter a number of my cuttings, and take cutting off those for the greenhouse next year. The up shot being the should bare fruit sooner. I'm going to try with tomatillos and peppers as well...