I'm new to planting tomatoes. Someone recommended pinching off the first
yellow flowers when they appear to create more fruit. Has anyone done this
before and is this true to cucumbers as well?

Thank you.
Theresa

TheresaKyn wrote:

I'm new to planting tomatoes. Someone recommended pinching off the first
yellow flowers when they appear to create more fruit. Has anyone done
this before and is this true to cucumbers as well?

Thank you.
Theresa

Since the flowers are what make the fruit, this seems counter-intuitive. I
do recommend pinching off 'suckers' ... or even 'heading out' an
indeterminate variety by pinching out the growing tip once it has reached
the maximum desired size, but leave the flowers alone.

Bill

On 17 Jun 2003 02:07:42 GMT, (TheresaKyn) wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

I'm new to planting tomatoes. Someone recommended pinching off the first
yellow flowers when they appear to create more fruit. Has anyone done this
before and is this true to cucumbers as well?

The only time you pinch off flowers is if you just bought plants from a store
and they have grown flowers in the pot. In other words, leave the flowers
alone--the plants know what they are doing.
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

Jim Carter wrote:

On 17 Jun 2003 02:07:42 GMT, (TheresaKyn) wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

I'm new to planting tomatoes. Someone recommended pinching off the first
yellow flowers when they appear to create more fruit. Has anyone done this
before and is this true to cucumbers as well?

The only time you pinch off flowers is if you just bought plants from a store
and they have grown flowers in the pot. In other words, leave the flowers
alone--the plants know what they are doing.

Similarly, I've gotten the recommendation to pinch off early flowers
on an undersized pepper plant. However this was becuase the pepper
plant had been hurt(sunburned) and didn't grow enough of a leaf canopy
and started sending out flowers in late May/early June. I pinched off
the early round and it has since sprouted many new leaves and is
becoming fuller and developing a thicker stem. But this was in
response to a plant that was scrawny and thin-leafed and not ready to
produce. I had two healthy pepper plants which I had no need to do
anything with yet.

I guess this person was looking for the plant to grow larger before
setting fruit. Whether that is good is arguable for your growing
condition. A 20ft vine may not be better than a 6ft if it doesn't
ripen everything.

I've seen tips that when you are coming to the end of your season
(approaching frost) you pinch out any new flowers to get the vine to
focus on growing/ripening the remaining green ones.


DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

When last we left our heros, on 17 Jun 2003 02:07:42 GMT,
(TheresaKyn) scribbled:

I'm new to planting tomatoes. Someone recommended pinching off the first
yellow flowers when they appear to create more fruit. Has anyone done this
before and is this true to cucumbers as well?

The idea is to force the plant to put more energy into
leaf and vine growth before it starts to produce fruit.
More vine and leaf means more tomatoes over the
course of the season at the expense of a couple
of very early fruits. Store bought tomato vines are
often pot bound, and start trying to produce fruit before
the vine is large enough to support it.

I usually designate a couple of short season tomatoes
as my early tomatoes. I start them inside a couple of weeks
before any of the others, get them in the ground first, and don't
pinch off those first blooms. I usually use Slivery Fur Tree
Tomatoes as my early ones.

You will note the "usually" up there in that paragraph. This
year I was terribly busy and didn't get anything planted until
late, so no early tomatoes for me this year. I *did* sneak and
buy a Sweet One Hundred cherry tomato, and I am getting
ripe cherry tomatoes, but since I cheated I can't really call
them *my* early tomatoes.

Pam, to be honest and all...




--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"