Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
April 6, 2010 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Posts: 664
|
Organic Tomato Magic??
I received an email from someone touting a new book recommending pruning all but three leaves from a plant to supposedly double the fruit set and harvest. Anyone here know anything about the book or the methods he described. I might be pretty gullible but will do nothing when it comes to my Tomatoes till is passes before the board of experts here on Tomatoville. I understand about the soil,water and airflow but drastic pruning seems over the top. Any comments please
ron |
April 6, 2010 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mid-Ohio
Posts: 847
|
Yes, it has been around a while. It is full of misinformation, and the author doesn't seem to really know much about tomatoes (or even grow them himself), he is just selling a story about how well his grandfather grew them in a greenhouse in Poland and telling us that it is the only way to grow tomatoes. You can download it for free through a backdoor if you google organic tomato magic.
|
April 6, 2010 | #3 |
Tomatoville® Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: The Bay State
Posts: 3,207
|
This excuse of a book is a recipe for disaster. I'm attaching it here, but only as an example/reference of what NOT to do to your plants.
__________________
Mischka One last word of farewell, Dear Master and Mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail. |
April 6, 2010 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 200
|
If pruning all the leaves off a tomato plant produces thousands more tomatoes, it would still do me no good.
What would I do with thousands of sunburned tomatoes? |
April 6, 2010 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
|
I purchased the book and after seeing what his secrets were, Using cow manure and growing in a greenhouse plus stripping the plants of it's leaves I promptly requested and got a refund. When he replied back to me as to why, I told him cow crap and greenhouses were no secrets and stripping all the leaves off the plant but a few was just plain stupid. Never heard from him again. Ami
__________________
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' Last edited by amideutch; January 24, 2011 at 06:47 AM. |
April 6, 2010 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SE PA..near Valley Forge
Posts: 839
|
I've read the book on the Internet & Don't believe a word of it!
LarryD
__________________
"Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause". Victor Hugo |
April 6, 2010 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Posts: 664
|
Thats plenty good enough for me. Its about what I expected to hear. Thanks to all who replied and to Mischka for the link. I guess I will still do it the hard way outside in a garden.
ron close this thread for my part, Im done |
April 7, 2010 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MS
Posts: 1,521
|
Don't forget...a tomato isn't a tomato either.
IT'S A GENETICALLY DEFORMED MUTANT!!!
__________________
Zone 7B, N. MS |
April 12, 2010 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
|
Note: a study some years ago at UCDavis found that
*moderate* pruning produced earlier fruitset on average. (My guess: the plant reacted to it as if light levels were dropping and started setting fruit in anticipation of fall.) This was probably in an environment with near ideal temperatures for fruit set, so the timing of first fruit set was more dependent on the plant's genetics and less on the weather. In some parts of Europe, pruning tomato plants is standard operating procudure: http://www.tomodori.com/3culture/taill_sur_2-tiges.htm In this sort of tomato culture, growers likely have a target number of fruit per plant that they consider ideal for producing the best marketable fruit, so the extra branches that they prune off would not be useful anyway. In the illustrations, they are not pruning leaves, just extra side-shoots that come up in the crotches between the main stems and the leaves. They also top the main stems that remain once the plant gets to what they consider mature size to accelerate ripening of the remaining fruit on the plant. This is nothing like "pruning off all but a few leaves". The plant still retains enough foliage to protect the fruit from sunscald. There is a method called "Missouri pruning" where the side branches are allowed to produce a set of leaves before the tips on those side shoots are pruned (more leaf area for photosynthesis and sun protection without producing more fruit clusters).
__________________
-- alias Last edited by dice; April 14, 2010 at 01:49 PM. Reason: clarity |
April 13, 2010 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
|
I wouldn't call the tomodori (French) method pruning as it is more like training the plants to more than one main stem. They do remove the suckers except where they want to start a new growth/stem. They top the plants because they know new fruit developing above a certain height will not mature before the growing season is over thus diverting the nutrients to the existing fruits on the plants. Ami
__________________
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' |
April 14, 2010 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: france
Posts: 10
|
I think the idea of the method described on the tomodori site is to slow down/spread the production of ripe fruits.
|
|
|