Repairing inadequately supported stem that bent over

[applestar]

I was appalled to see that Casey's Pure Yellow was bent over in the middle this morning, especially since I was thinking I needed to provide better support for it YESTERDAY but didn't get around to it. But I knew what to do since I had to repair a fruiting plant that the shop light fell on during the winter


I pounded a tall bamboo stake next to it:



Then temporarily supported it with some string:


Close up of the "kink":


A piece of breathable Parafilm "M":


Securely wrap to a splint:


...I might go out and secure the top and bottom part of that stem even better -- I want to keep the stem immobile as much as possible until the plant heals.

[RamonaGS]

So that works when the stem is bent but not broken? If the stem is broken then it's pretty much it though right?

[applestar]

Yeah, if the stem is clean broken or the stem tissues are obviously ruptured all the way across, you are better off cutting it and trying to root it, though if it is still attached by at least 1/2 of the stem diameter, the plant can be repaired -- it's like setting a bone... Align, splint, and tie.

Mine will develop a bump after the plant re-constructs the kinked tissue where it is obviously bruised with internal damage.

It's important on discovery of bent over stem NOT to keep moving it about by trying to lift the heavy top up and failing -- I lost hold of mine once when I first straightened it and leaned it on the bamboo stake to get the string that I hadn't cut yet
***cut your string and have it ready first***

Here is a reason to save at least one blooming/fruiting side shoot to take over. If there is *nothing* below the break, assuming there are sucker nodes to grow, it will take about two months for the first ripe fruit (two weeks to grow a shoot and bloom/set fruit, then 6 weeks to ripe fruit). So you have to look to the end of the growing season and decide if there is enough time.

Better to support your tomato plants well BEFORE an accident like this.
Once the first little green fruits start to show, consider it top priority -- those fruits will weigh the stems and branches down... and remember that the plants can get a LOT BIGGER.

Before heavy rains (water on the foliage can weigh down the stems) and gusty wind storms, be sure to inspect and tie up any unsupported new/long shoots. In my case, I think Casey collapsed after a heavy rains caused build up of internal pressure, then the pressure dropped when the weather cleared up yesterday. I had been lulled into thinking it will be OK because it was holding up to the wet foliage and wind.

[mattie g]

Good reminder to everyone that tomatoes can be repaired when damaged, apple.

And just a note to our friends in the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley...expect some pretty gusty storms and potential tornadoes over the next 36 hours or so. Get that garden prepared if needed!

[imafan26]

I have that sometimes and like you said, it can make it worse to move it or twist it trying to fix it. Since I haven't had much luck fixing stems and I am inherently lazy, as long as the branch does not wilt, it will still live and produce fruit even if I leave it in the bent position.

[Cola82]

My mom failed to support one of the tomatoes I gave her and it fell right at the base and split open through the middle--you could see right through it. It turned out she hadn't planted it deeper when she took it out of the pot I gave her, which was her first mistake. So I told her to just take it out carefully, plant it deeper, and hope that roots developed all along the stem under the soil. I guess it worked, because it looks great now.

Also, that parafilm seems handy.

[RamonaGS]

I asked because my mom had these morons helping her with yard work, and while they were trimming her red honeysuckle, they cut her plum sapling in half. Then instead of telling her, they put the broken end on top of the bottom so it looked like it was still intact, and left it like that. I figured it was toast, but hoping for better. I tried to tell mom not trust those idiots.

[PaulF]

Early enough in the year I have taken a broken stem and stuck it in the ground and the plant grew. The stress puts it behind and production was down, but if you don't have a replacement and want a particular variety, sometimes this works. Tomatoes are pretty tough.

[applestar]

Yep. As you said, earlier in the season, or those in warmer climates with long growing season, or even with summer hiatus growing for the fall tomato planting, tarting clones from cuttings seem to be a viable method.

Here's an update photo of the repaired Casey's Pure Yellow. You can see the repaired/supported part of the tem in the lower right corner:

[RamonaGS]

She threw her sapling away. I thought maybe if she had saved it or tried we could plant it, but it's a lost cause. Maybe she'll take my advice on not hiring my brother's stoner friends to work around her house. sigh...

On a happy note...your tomato plant looks like it's quite happy with your repair!