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Location

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Hamilton Nj

how many of us are pruneing down to 1 tomato per plant when they have a nice megabloom polinated????

just wondering i got a nice 3 banger on my 5.58 timms and just culed off all other tomatos its only the size of a quater but getting bigger!!!,lol also i got another with a big double im gona save seeds from, gave the plant a haircut too!!! pizza

7/29/2014 7:39:12 PM

Allentown, PA

Pizza,

The majority of the time I will pollinate the mega bloom I'm wanting to see a tomato form on and will not see any other tomatoes form because I would have picked off all other mega blooms.

There are exceptions to this. If I see two solid mega blooms that look really good I will pollinate both of them then wait to see if both tomatoes will form. If they do I then wait and see which tomato will outpace the other as well as to see how the shape of the tomato is going to be. I then choose the tomato I want and cull the other.

7/29/2014 7:57:42 PM

East Carbon, Utah

I have seen tomatoes from large single blooms outpace and outgrow 3X, 4X and even larger megablooms on the same plant, even on the same truss. Many megablooms turn out to be duds - all show at first, then just plodding, boring growth.

This is the exception to the rule, but is one of the major reasons that I take frequent measurements on my promising little tomatoes. By day 10 or so after fruit set, I usually have a good idea of which one is showing more promise and will cull to 1 per truss.

Only if I'm getting really impressive growth rates do I prune to just one per plant.

Many times I've grown two similar-sized tomatoes on the same truss, both with similar growth rates. Then I test to see if pruning off one will result in more rapid growth of the other. I've yet to see that happen. After a few days, there probably is some effect, but you couldn't detect it without a robust experimental design. Of course I don't think anyone has grown two five pounders on the same truss!

Then there is the very rare, REALLY impressive megabloom. As soon as it sets fruit and starts growing, everything comes off now, today. All suckers, all other blossoms, all other fruits regardless of size, growth of the second stem is terminated, and eventually even the growing tip of the main vine is pinched off.

Then work, and hope...

7/29/2014 10:02:20 PM

Hamilton Nj

okay thanks dale how things going !!!????

7/29/2014 11:51:36 PM

Hamilton Nj

okay thanks dale how things going !!!????

7/29/2014 11:51:36 PM

East Carbon, Utah

Hey Pete,

So far it's been the coolest summer in many years, and fortunately lots of megablooms have pollinated. One Michael's Portuguese Monster is doing very well - growing much faster and is more than 3 times as big as my personal best at this stage! Latest pic posted last night in my Grower Diary.

I have two groups of giant tomato plants, one that I prune to 2 stems, and one that I prune to just one stem.

The group with one stem per plant has produced a lot more and bigger megablooms, though there are other factors involved.

7/30/2014 6:42:31 PM

valparaiso, in

Too cool. Growth is slow.

7/30/2014 10:46:19 PM