I looked around for a post on this topic, but couldn't find one. If anyone knows of a thread, please send me thataway!
The question is this: I've heard that you are supposed to pinch off any blossoms that haven't formed tomatoes yet around August 1 (I am in Zone 5) to ripen the green tomatoes faster.
Truth or fiction??? Will I decrease my yield if I pinch? Will I end up with lots of greenies if I don't?
AJ
-
ArceyJohnson
- Full Member
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:10 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yes and yes. Any blossoms you pinch won't become tomatoes. And yes once it gets close to last frost date you will end up with a lot of "greenies." However, that isn't all bad. Any that have started to blush will ripen up indoors when picked. Actually I just pick all of the tomatoes left just before frost and usually most of them ripen just fine indoors, even some of the little ones.
I would change the plan a little bit. Pinch off any baby trusses that are so young that they have not opened any flowers yet and leave alone any trusses that do have open flowers. That way you will proplong production a bit and get tomatoes that will be large and ripe or near ripening when frost comes even if you have a late warm spell. If you pinch off all buds and flowers at that time you may end up with everthing ripe and picked weeks before frost.
Topping the plants in this way will not make fruit ripen faster.
When I pinch the little bitty bud trusses in early-mid August, I also pinch off the growing tip at that time so that I have mature leaves with no new gowth late in the season allowing all of the energy to go to the fruit for hopefully larger fruit. You have to keep up with pinching new growth after that.
I usually top the plants 6-8 weeks before expected frost date as that is about how long it takes for a big beefsteak to go from flower to ripe....so you will have to check and see if the first week of August it the right time for you.
Topping the plants in this way will not make fruit ripen faster.
When I pinch the little bitty bud trusses in early-mid August, I also pinch off the growing tip at that time so that I have mature leaves with no new gowth late in the season allowing all of the energy to go to the fruit for hopefully larger fruit. You have to keep up with pinching new growth after that.
I usually top the plants 6-8 weeks before expected frost date as that is about how long it takes for a big beefsteak to go from flower to ripe....so you will have to check and see if the first week of August it the right time for you.