Growing Tomatoes Vertically, need advice for pulling sucker leaves.

[riverman]

I'm growing my tomatoes vertically this year and planning on trimming the sucker leaves to maintain focus on the main vine. To my understanding I'll just pull out the little growth's from in between the main stem and major shoot outs. Correct?

And should I pull the first of the blooms off? My plants are about a foot tall.

Any advice will extremely help!

 

[AmyRey]

I was somewhat confused on the pruning until I watched this YouTube video. My tomatoes won't be growing up a string, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for trellised tomatoes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8

 

[journey11]

Usually I stake mine and I pinch all suckers to keep it to one or two main vines which is easier to tie up. You'll get fewer, but bigger tomatoes when you do. Try to get them while they're still small; a couple inches long and they snap right off easily. It's a lot of work keeping after them; especially at first, but once they start setting tomatoes you don't have to do it much after that.

 

[patandchickens]

Correct on the first point.

As to the second, it depends. If the plants are still real small when they begin flowering, or if your season is still early enough (with respect to night temperatures or bee activity) that fruit-set is very unlikely, then I'd pinch off the early flowers; but if the plants are good szied and healthy, and temperature nad pollinator prospects seem favorable, there is no reason not to leave 'em on.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[GrowsLotsaPeppers]

When you say vertically, what do you mean? Upside down in an expensive, made for television pot? Tied to a stick? Something else?

Mine grow in cages, made from 6" concrete reinforcing wire, 60" tall, 18: diameter. They grow out the top like crazy, and feed all who come by. Very little pruning.

We have excellent tomato conditions here.

 

[riverman]

When you say vertically, what do you mean? Upside down in an expensive, made for television pot? Tied to a stick? Something else?

Mine grow in cages, made from 6" concrete reinforcing wire, 60" tall, 18: diameter. They grow out the top like crazy, and feed all who come by. Very little pruning.

We have excellent tomato conditions here.

Oh science no, not the topsy turvy tomato junkers. I have 8' tall posts on both sides of my tomato rows and a bar laying horizontally on top with very sturdy fencing going from post to post, on both sides of the 6 inch wide post, kind of making an invisible wall of fence for the tomatoes to grow in the middle of. get it? I'm gonna post a picture. Pretty much same idea for attaching to a string but more dependable for growing vertically using the fencing and more for the vines to cling to.

I did it last year like yourself with a few 6' tall cages but my plants grew a good 2 or 3 feet out the top still.

Thanks everyone for advice. Arkansas Travelers WOOOOO!