tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post2619340409279803789..comments2024-03-18T09:07:24.680-07:00Comments on The Farmer Fred® Rant: Prune Tomato Flowers? No!Fred Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00501190876515519882noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-55500983028321381902022-05-30T15:56:49.490-07:002022-05-30T15:56:49.490-07:00Erin, that is untrue. Sunlight (and subsequently f...Erin, that is untrue. Sunlight (and subsequently fruit temperature) absolutely affect ripening. Seth Bornemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08346458792664166038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-954208221744746432021-06-14T14:29:40.475-07:002021-06-14T14:29:40.475-07:00Best I can fathom is that tomatoes wouldn't pr...Best I can fathom is that tomatoes wouldn't prune themselves...why would I? Plant them deep and feed them friendly. They like their space as well. Plenty of light, space to stretch and room to breath. I always have tall heavy producers. Bring on the bacon!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-63419971549316734772020-11-04T04:24:03.772-08:002020-11-04T04:24:03.772-08:00the main time I prune is if the plants blossom and...the main time I prune is if the plants blossom and they are still in thier pots. a valid example - in my initial cultivating days, I had a plant blossom early and I didn't prune the sprout. that plant was basically hindered until the tomato was picked and afterward the plant took off. so dependent on my, unmistakably not logical example, I improve results in the event that I do prune bright sprouts. whenever they are planted in the nursery beds, they do what they do.<a href="https://www.flashgames247.com/play/flash-shooting-games/apple-shooter.html" rel="nofollow">apple shooter</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-22848491269560236532016-07-22T08:58:23.904-07:002016-07-22T08:58:23.904-07:00I looked this up thinking...that less energy devot...I looked this up thinking...that less energy devoted to new growth =faster ripening of existing fruit...and ,i still don`t know thxAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320282384936788691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-69332614975378003752016-07-22T08:57:52.720-07:002016-07-22T08:57:52.720-07:00I looked this up thinking...that less energy devot...I looked this up thinking...that less energy devoted to new growth =faster ripening of existing fruit...and ,i still don`t know thxAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320282384936788691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-72845196318390124602016-06-05T07:40:37.491-07:002016-06-05T07:40:37.491-07:00I am no gardener but attempt at it. The temps are...I am no gardener but attempt at it. The temps are cooler this year and we have had a ton of rain. My tomatoe plants have not gotten much bigger but are already producing multiple tomatoes on a few plants. Will this prevent them from filling out and being healthy? Should I remove the tomatoes to allow the plant to grow and fill out? The plants are maybe 15 inches from ground and not very full. Any comments or suggestion appreciated. Jenniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17881360985796521588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-44019333465768294612016-05-23T21:26:23.200-07:002016-05-23T21:26:23.200-07:00I think it also depends on how long your growing s...I think it also depends on how long your growing season is. If you have a really long growing season, it probably doesn't matter as much? But when you've got a 2-3 month growing season, you really want to get the plants quite large before they make fruit. Again, if not-pruning works for you, then great.Erinhttp://www.i.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-16853357126361089182016-05-23T21:18:43.081-07:002016-05-23T21:18:43.081-07:00Fruit doesn't need sun.... Remember only green...Fruit doesn't need sun.... Remember only green vegetative parts of plants (i.e. leaves) photosynthesize and thus require sunlight.Erinhttp://www.i.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-60843321815993736082016-05-23T21:15:37.362-07:002016-05-23T21:15:37.362-07:00There's also the fact to consider- are your to...There's also the fact to consider- are your tomatoes determinate or indeterminate? The advice I gave was for indeterminate, since we don't bother wasting our time with determinate tomatoes- those guys are better for large scale operations where the whole plant is dug up with all the tomatoes.Erinhttp://www.i.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-44079504367258725792016-05-23T21:13:56.219-07:002016-05-23T21:13:56.219-07:00When a plant is producing flowers, it is not build...When a plant is producing flowers, it is not building roots and stronger stems, it is trying to reproduce. If your plant is 6in tall and producing flowers, you should pluck them so the plant puts its energy into building stronger roots and stems. If your plant is not planted yet where it will live for the rest of its life, prune the flowers because you don't want its energy leaving the roots and stems. Once your plant is in the ground (or large container) and nice and big, then you can leave the flowers alone. Pruning does NOT sacrifice tomatoes later, it just makes the plant grow bigger so you can have more tomatoes later. Maximize economy before production. This is also how it works for fruit trees- you really don't want fruit your first year or you'll end up with a puny, pathetic fruit tree- so we prune all the blossoms from fruit trees the first year, maybe even the first two. I took years of Botany while getting a degree in Conservation Biology, and also worked in weed management where we developed herbicides specifically based off of this knowledge of how plants grow. This is simply how plants work. <br /><br />If you think you're getting good tomatoes from not pruning, have you compared them with a neighbor/friend who prunes? If it works for you, then great, but I wouldn't recommend it on the internet unless you've actually done the experiment yourself (or read a legitimate experiment) to find the most efficient way of growing tomatoes.Erinhttp://www.i.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-62108233458468992452016-04-19T07:13:24.775-07:002016-04-19T07:13:24.775-07:00When your transplanting, remember..."snip the...When your transplanting, remember..."snip the blooms and it will need more room".<br />Dr. Christy<br />Botanist Heavenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14969284699055647575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-11252009653078864882015-06-05T05:51:10.281-07:002015-06-05T05:51:10.281-07:00Excellent information on tomatoes. Definitely a gr...Excellent information on tomatoes. Definitely a great help for the gardeners. Thanks a lot for sharing the knowledge.<br /><br />Impressive write-up, indeed!Kevinhttp://www.artificialgrassgb.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-13791497734779000572014-06-20T13:00:55.444-07:002014-06-20T13:00:55.444-07:00good info i agree with your skepticism concerning ...good info i agree with your skepticism concerning the plethora of gardening gurusMarket Day Caneléhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07049718411583074866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-6535407929790146172014-06-14T07:46:10.424-07:002014-06-14T07:46:10.424-07:00Yes I was told to pull the flowers off my tomatoes...Yes I was told to pull the flowers off my tomatoes and peppers and I did!! I guess it was a act of jealousy on there part but since I didn't know any better will I still get more blooms?No luckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10880734336714600788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-29045960704787361762014-05-13T13:16:11.436-07:002014-05-13T13:16:11.436-07:00Thanks Farmer Fred!Thanks Farmer Fred!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-7160354162319731502013-06-21T14:08:19.726-07:002013-06-21T14:08:19.726-07:00It's more important to keep the leaves. Shadin...It's more important to keep the leaves. Shading the fruit helps prevent sunscald on the tomatoes. And, those leaves aid the photosynthetic process, leading to more tomatoes in the future!Fred Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00501190876515519882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-66842658456735204322013-06-21T11:08:24.153-07:002013-06-21T11:08:24.153-07:00My Roma tomato plants are really leafy. I feel li...My Roma tomato plants are really leafy. I feel like the tomatoes that are more on the inside aren't going to get enough sun. Should I prune the big green leaves?mamaonthemichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596893752276650698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-68789302169890194282013-06-21T07:51:33.115-07:002013-06-21T07:51:33.115-07:00the only time i prune is if the plants flower and ...the only time i prune is if the plants flower and they are still in thier pots. case in point - in my early gardening days, i had a plant bloom early and i did not prune the bloom. that plant was essentially stunted until the tomato was picked and then the plant took off. so based upon my, clearly not scientific sample, i get better results if i do prune precocious blooms. once they are planted in the garden beds, they do what they do.Garryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01726499603894954026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-53281817911951228822013-03-26T11:26:01.979-07:002013-03-26T11:26:01.979-07:00My seedlings have been in the ground 2 weeks and s...My seedlings have been in the ground 2 weeks and some plants are just 8 inches tall and have blossoms. I am in Texas and still have at least 4 full months before the heat kills the plants. Are you sure it is alright to prune back blossoms when a plant is so tiny?ChristineMMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17388497877158577422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-11163444934190862192011-07-12T09:19:39.312-07:002011-07-12T09:19:39.312-07:00it sounds like Purdue means to remove any flowers ...it sounds like Purdue means to remove any flowers from a plant that has yet to be planted in the garden or one that recently was.tashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779660983472964354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-66362753282741820012011-06-24T18:14:36.951-07:002011-06-24T18:14:36.951-07:00http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-26.pdf
Purdue u...http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-26.pdf<br /><br />Purdue university dept. of Horticulture says you should, page 2 second paragraph.Bobby Ironsightshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01807141251953058374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-61300169889391910672009-06-11T12:31:39.981-07:002009-06-11T12:31:39.981-07:00I have the same problem with images on Blogger, an...I have the same problem with images on Blogger, and I'm not using a Mac either. There are people who subscribe to the pruning and flower removal theories, but it's something that I've never put into practice. The inventor of the PVC Tomato Cage concept (Thomas Matkey) always prunes his plants to four leaders, and he seems to enjoy good success with a limited amount of plants. However, last year was not one of his best.Bill Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11816389236294882066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073336228735412825.post-6023334743590803192009-06-10T09:41:15.873-07:002009-06-10T09:41:15.873-07:00I never prune, and never remove blooms- and I stil...I never prune, and never remove blooms- and I still have plenty of tomatoes! If people are trying to get more tomatoes, maybe they should just stick in more plants, or like you said, plant varities made for our area.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03056395799217097118noreply@blogger.com