Should I prune a sucker/shoot from end of truss?

[MSchep]

This is my first year growing Orange Oxheart, and I've noticed it has a propensity to grow new shoots/suckers from the end of the first few trusses, after the truss has about a half dozen flowers. This is new to me. One seems particularly sturdy, and I've let that one continue, but another on a truss that is pointing downward has had to bend itself around to start growing up again in a rather flimsy way.

I'm doing some pruning of suckers in general, though not to single stem. My question for these particular suckers at the end of a truss is whether it is beneficial for the fruit to keep those, or if it is fine to prune them like other suckers? e.g. does the fruit on that truss rely more on energy from that sucker to mature, or will the rest of the plant handle it if removed?

Thanks!

[b54red]

I can only speak from my own experience. Almost every time that I allowed those suckers from fruit clusters to grow and fruit themselves it was a mistake. It was almost impossible to support some of those extended clusters and it could get quite messy. After a few years of letting some of the better looking ones grow and looking at the trouble and little return I started clipping them off. It improved my overall production and cut the time I spent tying and supporting my plants.

I am not trying to stop you from letting a few grow out and see for yourself how it works for you. I like experimenting with different things all the time in my gardening. I am constantly trying out ideas that pop into my head. Usually they don't work out but sometimes they turn out to be wonderfully helpful. Just the other day I planted a tomato every 4 plants in a long thin bed that is mainly for bell peppers. I built a 6 ft. high rack out of 1/2 inch conduit above the bed and I am going to see if I can let 2 stems from the tomatoes run along the conduit for some partial shade. The vines should get on the bars about late June when it starts getting really hot . Maybe it will work but probably it will be a big mess and too much trouble but I am going with it for now.

Good luck,

Bil

[biscuitridge]

Bil- do you have a picture of your setup, it sounds like a good idea, thanks for sharing!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by biscuitridge

Bil- do you have a picture of your setup, it sounds like a good idea, thanks for sharing!

No; but if it works I will try to take some pictures and post them. It is just a narrow bed slightly less than 2 ft wide and about 40 ft. long. I used 10 ft conduit for the horizontal pieces attached to uprights just inside the edges of the bed so that the rack is a little over 6 ft tall and then I planted the tomatoes in the center of every pair of upright pieces of conduit and put bell peppers in between the tomatoes so there is a tom then some bells then a tom repeating all the way to the end with no tomato at the end. I will try to let two stems develop and guide them up the uprights and when they reach the top run them along the top bars in the same direction towards the end with no tomato.

Bill

[biscuitridge]

Thanks Bill, I think I may have a picture in my mind of how it looks, but if it works I’d love to see the real deal, thanks again!!

[MSchep]

Thanks for the quick feedback, Bill. They are already getting quite chaotic, so concern about how to support them was exactly my thought. I essentially was just looking for reassurance that removing them wouldn't be detrimental to those tomatoes by removing a focused energy source.

Thanks!

[PaulF]

I think this is one of those topics that is pretty much divided on yes or no. I am one who does not prune anything except those parts that will be in contact with the ground.

I am too lazy to spend time removing body parts. I have not noticed that leaving the suckers or as I like to call them, "extra branches"is detrimental to how the tomatoes grow. Having only grown Orange Oxheart a couple of times, no real comment can be made about that variety. The varieties I grow don't seem to be less productive or put on smaller tomatoes because of not pruning. I figure the more green parts the more photosynthesis and the more energy produced, so it is an offset.

I have absolutely no proof of anything I have said except the lazy part and my wife easily agrees with that statement.

[zipcode]

Just remove them, if you want more leaders let the normal suckers grow, I'm sure there are plenty of them. The ones at the end of a truss tend to have a very thin base that seems poorly suited to sustain a new leader, besides the fact you can't really tie them in a proper way.
As for energy distribution in the plant, it's hard to say, one thing I think it has been proven is that most energy is made by young-ish leaves, so having continuous growth is beneficial to taste.

[QAGuy]

I prune my plants to 4 main leaders. That's sufficient for my needs. It also fits the 4 uprights for my PVC cages.

I cut off any leaders that develop at the end of trusses. Don't need or want any more leaders, thanks.

[mcsee]

Yes, prune it off. It will only produce useless foliage.

[MSchep]

Thanks all for the feedback!