Reasons to Get Topped in Your Tomato

 4 Reasons to Get Topped in Your Tomato Plants

There are many discussions in the world of tomato gardening, from pruning to fertilizing and so on. Topping - trimming the central stems of the plant - is one of the tasks that will amaze many gardeners. Is it necessary for growth and health? Is this a very unnecessary extra work? Or is there somewhere in between? While topping is not necessarily necessary for the health and growth of your plant, it does come with some benefits to consider when deciding what is best for you.

4 Benefits of Tomato Plants

1. Improving growth

Placing tomatoes at the beginning of the season facilitates branching and creates strong central stems. These stems are highly resistant to wind damage and can withstand the weight of heavy fruits.

If growth slows down later in the season, this problem can be corrected and strong growth developed at the end of the season.

2. The best flowers

As your plant grows upwards, the areas under the stems will have less energy to produce flowers. If you notice some flowers at the time of flowering, you can divert the energy of the flowering plant over that period, which will eventually give you more fruit overall.

3. Controlling growth

Tomato growth from the middle to the end of the season can also go out of hand. As the stems continue to grow, they will grow taller than the existing stock or your tomato cages, causing them to break through too much wind or heavy fruit. Topping will temporarily restrict this growth, which will prevent your plants from being damaged by the elements.

4. Better fruit production

At the end of the season, the tomato plants will continue to grow until frost. Your plant may still have flowers or green tomatoes that need to grow and ripen as quickly as possible. One way to speed up this process is to plant. All the energy that went to stem and leaf production will now go towards fruit production.

The Downsides Of Topping Tomato Plants

In the first place, there are some shortcomings. First, if a sturdy tomato plant (growing to a predetermined height) is placed first, growth will be inhibited as the central stem will struggle to grow beyond that area. To prevent this problem, you need to make sure you know what kind of plant you are dealing with.

Second, it is one of the most time-consuming tasks of tomato cultivation. For gardeners who want to leave the tomatoes to their own devices, topping may seem ‘over the top’ (sorry for the mess).

Not all plants need topping in all situations, but it can be beneficial if done correctly. As with pruning, this is something to consider seriously, but not something that will greatly affect the growth of your plants.

When on top of tomato plants

Before the weather gets too cold, the last fruits should be grown and the tomatoes should be pruned only at the end of the ripening season. Getting to the top at any time before that will inhibit growth and reduce your harvest.

Since indeterminate tomatoes grow back, you can invest throughout the season as needed.

At the beginning of the season, the legs prevent the stems from improving the growth of the tomatoes or before the pods' form. Mid-season topping can control height and uncontrolled growth. Also, like sturdy tomatoes, placing them first at the end of the season will direct the energy towards producing the last fruits before the plant dies in the first frost.

How to top with tomato plants

The hard part is deciding whether to put your tomatoes on top. Once you are ready, it is incredibly easy to actually invest in them.

Start by pruning a sharp, clean pair of scissors. If you have recently handled diseased plants, disinfect them before applying a 5% bleach solution to your tomatoes. This will prevent it from spreading from the shears to the plant.

Then, identify the central stem of the plant. Arrange it with a clean-cut above the tip of a leaf where the stem will grow higher than your support. Holding the tip on the stem will ensure that it grows back strongly from the same point. If trimming at the end of the season, find the fruit with the best performance and cut the stem above it. Do not cut too much as direct sunlight during high heat will cause sunlight on your last ripening tomatoes.