For someone who knows how to rig up polls

[FarmboyBill]

Please put one up asking

DO YOU PRUNE OFF THE EXCESS BRANCHES TO A TOMATO PLANT BACK TO 2 THEREABOUTS, OR NOT.

[Alice In TX/MO]

No, I let them grow. Life is too short to mess around with tomato branches.

[Brighton]

I get all my tomato plants from the Amish, they are usually about a foot to a foot and a half tall. I prune off the very bottom two branches, they are usually very small and yellow anyway, being so close to the soil, then plant them as deep at the bottom branch I pruned off.

Why would you prune off all but the top, those other branches are where your tomatoes are going to come from!!

[jwal10]

Top or bottom? I too let my plants get tall, pinch off the bottom leaves and plant deep. Now if a plant got leggy after final planting, I will pinch the tops out of those to get them to fill out, much like a fruit tree that has a long branch....James

[Brighton]

Plus, you pinch off suckers, not the actual branches!!

[Alice In TX/MO]

"Suckers" are little factories that take in sunlight and turn it into tomatoes.

[Brighton]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

"Suckers" are little factories that take in sunlight and turn it into tomatoes.

I am going to disagree with you there Alice, suckers come up right in that the junction of the main stem and the branch, and they take up energy that the rest of the plant needs to produce fruit, yes they gather some sunlight and energy, but mostly they are out for themselves.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't believe it. I know it's the fashion to remove suckers, and I know the argument, and I knew someone would make the argument. HOWEVER, the leaves MUST be taking in more energy than they use, or the plant couldn't grow.

I'm not trimming tomato plants.

[Awnry Abe]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

No, I let them grow. Life is too short to mess around with tomato branches.

Oh my! Spoken like a true CGL! I'm not of the ilk, but to some folks, tomatoes are a religious topic.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't do organized religion OR tomato pruning.

[JohnP]

Due to the thread title, I thought this was going to be a political/media thread.

[FarmboyBill]

Alice, try this. The tomato ONLY grows above ground in relation to how many leaves it has available to absorb the warmth and sun.
By pruning off the leaves, the plant suddenly realizes it has ben cut off from those resources, and so trys to make up the difference by mining the gound with more spreading roots, seeking life giving minerals until the leaves and branches again appear.

[haypoint]

Alice, try this. The tomato ONLY grows above ground in relation to how many roots it has available to absorb the nutrients in the soil.
By pruning off the leaves, the plant suddenly has more root system than it needs, so it quickly replaces the pruned parts with new growth, adding both roots and branches.
Either way you want to look at it and no matter your belief about how the plant "thinks", healthy soil (proper ph, balanced NPK, ample water) coupled with a method that allows the plant to get maximum warmth and sunlight will get you plenty of tomatoes. Stake them up with costly tomato cages or learn the California stake and woven string method. Keep the fruit off the ground and never let a smoker near your garden.