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More tomato advice please.

Ilona.SIlona.S Posts: 162
in Fruit & veg
Hi all my tomato plants are doing well so far but do I pinch out the side shoots or not.? Any advice welcome as it is the first time I have grown them .Also I want to make sure I am pinching out the right ones,so I have circled them on the pic,thanks.
Ilona

Posts

  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    You have definitely got the right shoots to pinch out @Ilona.S but I would let them get a big bigger before removing them. It won't hurt to wait until they are twice that size and maybe the weather will be good enough for your plants to go into their final spot by then  :)  Always good to hope!
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,050
    I usually nip out the side shoots as soon as I see them (often when they're smaller than the ones in the picture). Although as @herbaceous says, it won't hurt if they get bigger, I don't see any point in letting the plants put energy into shoots that are going to be removed.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,348
    I remove them right away too.
    Is there just one plant in that pot? There looks like more than one there.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Ilona.SIlona.S Posts: 162
    Hi yes one per 30 cm pot there is one stood in front.
    Ilona
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    I probably leave mine @Ilona.S because age and infirmity mean I'm less dexterous and being short sighted I can see the bigger ones and remove them more accurately! :D 
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    edited April 2020
    herbaceous said:
    I probably leave mine @Ilona.S because age and infirmity mean I'm less dexterous and being short sighted I can see the bigger ones and remove them more accurately! :D 
    When it starts to flower, giving larger side shoots a good pull, shakes the plant and helps it pollinate.  ;)
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