pruning back vines

piegirl · September 21, 2010

Does anyone else trim back their vines in the fall? I generally start around Labor Day so the set fruit gets more sun and heat. This year I have packed 3 garden carts plus a trash can or two with foliage. Problem - unusually mild weather, as soon as I trim, bam, huge new branches form and begin to set fruit. Hopefully with a little cooler nights, they will slow down - the fruit will begin turning. Honestly, I think that there are close to 1000 tomatoes - from cherry tom size to almost ready to turn. I have two vines I decided not to trim, just to see how many fruit they would set. Mostly, we are talking about Jet Star. piegirl

b54red · September 22, 2010

I usually prune back any of my vines that are still viable so that they can open up. They just get so messy by mid August because I usually slack off on the pruning once I'm gorged with fresh tomatoes and the result is a dense mess of spindly limbs that should have been pruned weeks before.

pdxwindjammer · September 22, 2010

I trimmed mine back this year. We didn't have a stellar season for growing due to cool temps.

TZ-OH6 · September 22, 2010

I top/tip them in mid August to slow upward growth and keep small green fruit to a minimum when frost hits in October. In late July-early August I have to prune out the centers of the cages for air flow/disease prevention.

barkeater · September 22, 2010

I cut back everything poking out of the top of the cage in late August and any wild hairs out the sides just past the point where there are tomatoes that can ripen by early October. I need to be able to put my frost covers over the top.

FILMNET · September 22, 2010

Yes, but i 1/2 leafs off, the bottom ones are not they from July.

September 21, 2010	#1
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	pruning back vines Does anyone else trim back their vines in the fall? I generally start around Labor Day so the set fruit gets more sun and heat. This year I have packed 3 garden carts plus a trash can or two with foliage. Problem - unusually mild weather, as soon as I trim, bam, huge new branches form and begin to set fruit. Hopefully with a little cooler nights, they will slow down - the fruit will begin turning. Honestly, I think that there are close to 1000 tomatoes - from cherry tom size to almost ready to turn. I have two vines I decided not to trim, just to see how many fruit they would set. Mostly, we are talking about Jet Star. piegirl

September 22, 2010	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I usually prune back any of my vines that are still viable so that they can open up. They just get so messy by mid August because I usually slack off on the pruning once I'm gorged with fresh tomatoes and the result is a dense mess of spindly limbs that should have been pruned weeks before.

September 22, 2010	#3
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	I trimmed mine back this year. We didn't have a stellar season for growing due to cool temps.

September 22, 2010	#4
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	I top/tip them in mid August to slow upward growth and keep small green fruit to a minimum when frost hits in October. In late July-early August I have to prune out the centers of the cages for air flow/disease prevention.

September 22, 2010	#5
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	I cut back everything poking out of the top of the cage in late August and any wild hairs out the sides just past the point where there are tomatoes that can ripen by early October. I need to be able to put my frost covers over the top.

September 22, 2010	#6
FILMNET Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Charleston,South Carolina, USA Posts: 1,803	Yes, but i 1/2 leafs off, the bottom ones are not they from July.