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pacefelice@yahoo.com
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Encouraging ripening
Thank you for the replies to my last post. I have another question. I just read a “tip” for encouraging tomatoes to ripen more quickly when the end of the growing season approaches. The suggestion was to prune all of the leaves from the bottom half of the tomato plant so more energy went to the fruit. I’d appreciate opinions about this. Many thanks.
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applestar
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I don’t know if bottom leaf pruning would help encourage ripening.
I think leading tip pruning would be more likely to encourage the plant to turn attention to maturing fruits. At the top of the plant, find a floral cluster, and then two more leaves then a tiny baby floral cluster. Pinch the stem (or cut) between the 2nd leaf and the baby floral cluster, culling and discarding it and the rest of new tip growth.
(Keep in mind, ahead of your approaching first fall frost date, that it takes about 40~55 days from blossom fruit set to ripe/harvestable fruit. Add up to another 7 days for cooler fall temperatures and shorter days.)
As for pruning the lower leaves, the instructions I have is a bit more sophisticated than “bottom half” of the plant.
According to this method, once the fruit has blushed, all leaves opposite of the stem and below the fruit are no longer needed to maintain that fruit. For cherry tomatoes with clustered fruits, wait until one or two fruits in the cluster have ripened. (In other words, leaves in vicinity of fruit truss are NEEDED at least until fruits have reached full size and ready to blush.)
Doing this also increases airflow and helps stave off fungal diseases which also helps to keep the plant healthy and productive.
It might also be true that the plant will no longer need to divert energy to keeping those lower leaves alive, thereby allowing direct delivery to the lowest fruit truss and above leaves.
I think leading tip pruning would be more likely to encourage the plant to turn attention to maturing fruits. At the top of the plant, find a floral cluster, and then two more leaves then a tiny baby floral cluster. Pinch the stem (or cut) between the 2nd leaf and the baby floral cluster, culling and discarding it and the rest of new tip growth.
(Keep in mind, ahead of your approaching first fall frost date, that it takes about 40~55 days from blossom fruit set to ripe/harvestable fruit. Add up to another 7 days for cooler fall temperatures and shorter days.)
As for pruning the lower leaves, the instructions I have is a bit more sophisticated than “bottom half” of the plant.
According to this method, once the fruit has blushed, all leaves opposite of the stem and below the fruit are no longer needed to maintain that fruit. For cherry tomatoes with clustered fruits, wait until one or two fruits in the cluster have ripened. (In other words, leaves in vicinity of fruit truss are NEEDED at least until fruits have reached full size and ready to blush.)
Doing this also increases airflow and helps stave off fungal diseases which also helps to keep the plant healthy and productive.
It might also be true that the plant will no longer need to divert energy to keeping those lower leaves alive, thereby allowing direct delivery to the lowest fruit truss and above leaves.