When To Top Tomatoes

[Lindsaylew82]

THIS one grew up, fell over on the string, draped down near the ground, then curved and grew right back up the same stake! In a BIG circle! Haha. The growing tip has been tied to the top of the stake. It's easily 11 -12 feet tall.

The stem looks so bronze and I'm starting to wonder if it has russet mites?

[applestar]

From what I've been seeing all season, if those browning leaflets deteriorate by turning brown and drying up from the stem end out while the farthest tip leaflets remain looking perfectly fine, then it is very likely. The plants will continue to produce but if the "brown tide" overtakes the fruit trusses, then you'll start seeing tiny to full sized green fruits that turn russeted before they can ripen.

Can you post close ups of the different areas of the affected plant? I think there's a separate russet mite thread somewhere.

Subject: Unidentified tomato desease -- maybe russet mites?

[Bobberman]

I would say first week in sept cut off all new flowers on tomato plants but do not take off any leaves since they give the plant strength and produce faster what is a tomato already! If my plant has a lot of half grown tomatoes I will cut off all very small tomatoes. the tomatoes that are left will get bigger and ripen faster. 6 full grown tomatoes are better that 20 green smaller ones!

[Kageri]

The years I grew tomatos( I don't actually have much use for them) I stuck the plants in and ignored them in our high humidity summers with swinging temps. Just put in 2, 5' rows and let them do what they wanted. Easiest vegetable ever. A tomato forest with hundreds of tomatos. Wasn't even that great of soil. Dunno why it worked so well. My guinea pigs would stop wheeking for fresh food because they would get tired of tomatos.