Tomato Pruning

Earlier we have discussed about general Tomato growing tips, today we will go little deeper and discuss the pruning of the plant. You can find the earlier article here.

Pruning can be a very simple process. You just need to find the suckers and snap them off with your two fingers (thumb and index finger). Tomato suckers are easy to find. They grow in between the main stem and the branches. Though we call these “SUCKERS”, these are actually the branches of the plant in initial stage. If you leave them to grow they will soon become fully grown branches and grow fruits on them. So you might be thinking if those are the branches and also give fruit why are we talking about removing them? The fact is the branches of the plant though will grow fruits; the number is far less compared to the main stem and main branches. Most of the energy which the suckers or these branches receive will go into making foliage and more branches. It will ultimately make the plant outgrow its space in the garden.

Why Prune:

The pruning is done so that the plant directs its energy towards producing larger fruit than to develop foliage. Though the foliage will also develop fruit also, but the overall size of the fruit through out the plant will be much smaller. Lesser foliage also reduces the pest problem and is easier to take care.

Pruning also helps the plant in receiving much more sunlight and better air circulation though out their body. Better sunlight and airflow also means more energy and lesser diseases for the plant.

Having said that, it is not compulsory that you need to prune each tomato plant. Let us understand why:

There are basically two types of tomato plants: determinate type and indeterminate type. The first type will grow to a certain height and produce fruit at one go. So in that case if you remove the suckers, the fruit bearing capacity of the plant is greatly reduced. As it will not grow vertically the total fruit yield will be pretty low. In case your plant is of indeterminate type, pruning will actually help increasing the fruit quality. It will also help the plant not to get out of control and the supporting nets will be able to hold the plant.

It is best to pluck the suckers when they are very young. The younger they are, easier it is to prune. In case they got a little thicker and it becomes harder to prune with the fingers, you can use a sharp knife to cut them off. Sometimes the suckers grow so thick that it can be detrimental for the plant to remove those; in this condition it is wise to leave them as it is.

Please bear in mind that pruning of the plant is not absolutely necessary. You can definitely choose not to prune and still enjoy an acceptable amount of yield. Pruning is a method of enhancing the production, resulting bigger and tastier tomatoes. it also increases the number of fruits.

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Read more about tomatoes: 
Tomato Growing Tips
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds

Top Five Companion Plants For Tomatoes

Here in this article we will give you some of the best choices for companion plants of tomatoes. As a companion plant they provide one or more than one of the benefits to the tomato plants like:

1.    Reduce pests
2.    Improve health and flavor
3.    Reduce diseases
4.    Help in pollination

We have discussed about the basic of companion planting in our earlier article. So if you have missed that by any chance you can find it by clicking here. There are so many plants which can act as a companion to the tomato plants but here in this article we have chosen our top five.

Marigold:

These brightly colored flowered plants are known to everybody for their pungent smell. And surely you can use them to deter pests. It is a best controller for the nematodes (More on nematodes in this article).
They produce a substance called alpha-terthienyl

which reduces the root knot nematodes in the soil. The best way to do it is to first grow the plant and at the end of the season chop and till them into the soil. Apart from nematodes, slugs, worms and other garden pests can be reduced by planting Marigold plants along with
Tomatoes.

Spinach/Lettuce:
Planting Basil, Spinach or Lettuce along with tomatoes can greatly increase the taste of tomatoes. You can also save a lot of space by planting them in union. It increases the rate of pollination for both the plants. As a “cherry on the top of the cake”, it also saves your tomato plants from whiteflies, mosquitoes, aphids etc. Being larger in size tomato plants also provide shades for these leafy vegetables.

Carrots:
As they say: “Carrots love Tomatoes”. Carrots share the space well with tomatoes. The roots of the carrot break up the soil very well. So if you have planted it along with tomatoes, the tomato plant can take nutrients, water etc very easily. It is also helpful in harvesting. Plant the carrots when the tomatoes are very tiny and they will be ready to be harvested by the time tomato plants require more space to proliferate.

Onions/Garlic:
Onions and garlic are natural deterrent of pests. This is due to their pungent odor. Planting them along with tomatoes will definitely reduce your pest management cost. They are a good option if your tomatoes are infested with spider mites. Planting garlic cloves around tomato plants is like providing a natural insecticide to the plant. 

Borage:
Borage protects tomatoes from the hornworms. Growing borage along with tomatoes can help deterring the worms and keep your tomatoes healthy. Borage also has a fresh flavor to it so you can use the smaller leaves to salads or refreshing drinks. Besides tomatoes you can also use borage as a companion plant with Cabbage to deter cabbage worms.



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Tomato Growing Tips

Tomatoes are one of my favorite vegetable. It is very easy to grow as well as enjoyable to eat. Though technically it is the fruit of the plant but we all prefer to call this a vegetable. If proper care is taken, it can yield overwhelming results.

Biological name : Lycopersicon sp

The tastes of tomatoes are very sensitive to the surroundings. So rather than focusing on only one variety, it is always sensible to try 3 to 4 varieties. It will help you find out which is the best variety suitable to your locality.

Keep your tomato plant to a place where the sunlight is available in plenty. The fruit formation requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. The detail effect of sunlight on plants can be found here.

Tomato plants need support for growth. You need to build cage or stakes at the time of planting. Staking keeps fruits off the ground whereas cage help the plant to hold its upright position.

Tomato plant required plenty of water specially during summers. Do not wet the leaves or the stem of the plant. Always put water directly into the soil near the roots(see watering guide for details).

Take out any shoot that grows between the stem and main branches, these shoots always hinder the fruit growth. With the same logic cut off the top of the plant. It will help the plant to become more bushy with much more fruits.

You can start either from seed or through seedlings purchased from nurseries. If you are starting from seeds, it is recommended to use seedling trays.fill these trays with potting soil and sow the seeds there. It is important to keep the trays indoor until the seed germinates. Once they have grown up to 15- 20 cm you can transplant them outdoor. See transplantation techniques for detail.

Before planting the seedlings make the soil ready by tilling and mixing compost or manure with the soil. It is recommended to plant the seedlings 2ft apart.

It is necessary to keep the soil fertile. Add fertilizers two week prior to picking and two weeks after the picking.

Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to many pests and diseases. Horn-worms, Aphids, white-flies are few of the pests which can reduce the production of tomatoes. Late blight(specially during monsoon) and distorted leaves are the common diseases to the plant. It is always wise to plant basil along with your tomato plant. it will help in distracting little pests from your tomato plant. This type of planting is called companion planting.

Never pick tomatoes in green condition they will rot before get ripe. Leave them on the vine as long as possible. Never try to refrigerate ripe tomatoes. It will spoil the texture and taste of the perfectly ripe home grown tomato which is best eaten sun warm from the kitchen garden.

Do these simple steps and you can enjoy your home grown favorite vegetable and also find the distinctive flavor and taste which are definitely missing when you bye those from the stores.

Thanks for reading. Keep your comments coming.

Read more about tomatoes: 
FAQs About Tomato Growing
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds 

Top Five Companion Plants For Tomatoes

Top 8 pests of Tomatoes

I have discussed about tomato growing in one of my earlier article. This article is more about various problems which we face while growing tomatoes. So here are the top 8 pests which may prevent you from getting your desired results though not in the same order.

1. 

   Aphids: These are very small insects which are found on the leaves or the stems of the plant. Though one or two of them may not cause any major harm to the plant, once the numbers grow they create problems like curly leaves or yellowing of the plant or leave some sticky residue on the plant.
2. Cutworms: They are very tiny caterpillars and suck the juice out of the plant. Severe attack results in chewed stem which can easily seen on an infected plant.
3. Horn-worms: These are cylindrical in shape and greenish in color. You would find them underside of leaves. They have a voracious appetite and can eat up most of the plant in couple of days.
4. Beetles: These are also called Flea-beetles as they resembles a flea. Though I have mentioned it as Tomato pest, it can also cause damage to cabbage, potatoes, eggplants etc. If your plant is being affected by beetles you will find numerous small holes in the leaves.
5. Psyllid: These results purplish veins in the leaves of the plant.
6. Spider mites: They form webs on underside of the plant.
7. Nematodes: It is one of most problematic areas of tomato growing. These are tiny little (often microscopic), worms which infest the soil. I have written a separate article on nematodes and their control. You can find the article here.
8. White-flies: They feed on plant juices and leave behind a sticky residue.

There are several ways to fight those problems. It is very easy to get tempted to opt for chemical pesticides but the bad news is that many of the pests have developed resistance to the chemicals. So to solve the problem we must give organic methods a chance.

You can try spraying water or organic mixtures such as Neem oil, garlic extracts. Some of the pests can be easily removed by just picking them with hands for some you can try crop rotation or companion planting. They are so many ways by which the pests can be prevented by using organic means. You will find many techniques if you explore the site.

Please do post your comments and your experiences in handling tomato pests.

FAQs About Tomato Growing

There are several questions that bother many tomato growers. I have tried to compile some of these in this article. Here is a list of all the frequently asked questions about growing tomatoes.

Staking/caging or no support?

Generally determinate types are the ones that are given no support. If you are using indeterminate type then you need to stake them or provide some sort of cage.

Do you need to prune tomatoes?

Pruning is not mandatory for tomatoes. It depends on the surrounding weather as well as your preference. If the weather is too dry and hot, removing leaves can really damage your plant.

Indeterminate varieties are generally pruned, but you can prune the determinate ones also. Modest pruning will lead to early fruiting and will increase the fruit-size (but you will get fewer fruits). More on Tomato Pruning here in this article.

Does mulching help?

Mulchinghelps in maintaining the moisture of the soil and thus reduces the frequency of watering the plant. It also keeps the soil cooler.

What causes poor fruit sets?

A poor set of fruits can be a result of many things. It can be environmental (like too cold or too hot), age of the plant, unfavourable ratio of NPK etc. The best way to avoid these problems is to give the plant its proper growing environment. Check this article to know more.

How to save tomato seeds?

Extracting seed from a fully grown tomato is very easy. I have written an article on this. Please click here if you want to know about the techniques.

What causes leaf roll?

This is a very common phenomena in tomato plants. This is due to the pressure of water which moves through the roots and causes the older leaves to move inwards. If you look closely you will find the leaves are green and healthy. It is not a disease.

What causes blossom-end rot?

Insufficient water is the main cause of this problem. Sometimes lack of calcium can also cause this. Make sure your plants get adequate water. Follow these techniques of watering. The good news is that the fruits are still edible and you can have it just by removing the affected portion.

What is determinate and indeterminate type?

Determinate type: These are also called the bush tomatoes. They don't grow very tall and reach an average height of 4 feet. These are ideal for growing in containers.

Indeterminate type: These are generally called vining tomatoes and can reach up to a height of 10 feet. They require substantial support in the form of stake or cage. Most of the heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate types.

What are the different tomato cultivar?

These can be of several types. Here is a list of all the cultivars from Wikipedia

What is Heirloom tomato? This is the non-hybrid version of tomatoes and lacks any form of genetic mutation. These are mainly maintained by gardeners or farmers in isolated areas and is considered to be a variety that has been passed down through several generations of family because of its valued characteristics.

Why my tomatoes are cracking?

This is also a problem related to water. Too much of water makes the fruit overflown with juice and to release this pressure it cracks. Mulching and proper watering techniques generally solve the problem.

How to prevent cross-pollinating?
The success of this depends on the seriousness of your efforts. Here are some suggestions.

1. Plant different varieties of tomatoes far enough so that the pollen don't reach one another.
2. Use screened cages to grow different varieties.
3. Cover individual flowers with bags.
4. And finally, time the planting properly so that you can avoid same time flowering for different varieties.

Simple steps to save tomato seeds

One of the best features of a tomato plant is that it is self pollinating. So you don't need to worry about the quality of the tomato seeds unless you are using hybrid variety. There is very little chance of insects polluting the quality of your seeds even though you are growing different varieties of tomatoes together.

Saving the seeds from tomatoes are very easy. First, select mature ripe tomatoes from the plant that has the best flavour (as per your liking) and is not affected by any form of diseases. Then cut the tomatoes in halves across the middle. Next take out the seeds from the fruit with the help of a spoon. If the tomatoes are fully matured it should not be a problem.

You will find the seeds are covered with pulp gelatinous coating. This coating is required for the safety of the seeds and it prevents the seeds from germinating inside the tomato.

To save the seed you need to separate them form the coating. The process used for this is called fermentation. For this you need to put the seeds along with the coating into a jar. Add some water and stir it with a help of a spoon. You can instantly see the juices and some part of the coating are getting separated from the seeds and the water are getting murky. Now remove the murky water and replace it with fresh ones. After that keep the jar in a place far from the sunlight and cover it with a lid. You need to repeat the process for quite some time to remove all the coating from the seeds. It generally requires 2 to 3 days before all the coating gets removed. You need to change the water 4 to 5 times in between these days. Once the coating is removed fully, you can see the clear seeds settling down at the bottom of the pot. Drain out the water and you will get the clean good quality seeds.

To store the seeds for future use you need to remove every bit of moisture from the seeds. Place them on some paper towel and cover them. It is best to store the seeds along with the paper towel so that even the outside moisture can’t interfere with the seeds. And that's it, the process is complete.

So now you know how can you save the seeds from your tomato plants give it a try. By saving your own seeds you will get the same quality of tomatoes for years with no additional costs.

If you have any suggestions regarding tomato seeds saving feel free to share.