I grow my tomato plants in pots, on the deck. The deer have a nasty habit
of eating if I grow them in the ground.

One of my plants is reaching 7' tall, it is the grape variety. I don't have
cages or anything around them, just 6' stakes. They are in 15 gallon pots.

Can I just prune the top, so it doesn't grow any taller? I don't want to
kill the plant, just wondering if this will end the growth for the height.

Thank you.

Jerry W. wrote:
I grow my tomato plants in pots, on the deck. The deer have a nasty habit
of eating if I grow them in the ground.

One of my plants is reaching 7' tall, it is the grape variety. I don't have
cages or anything around them, just 6' stakes. They are in 15 gallon pots.

Can I just prune the top, so it doesn't grow any taller? I don't want to
kill the plant, just wondering if this will end the growth for the height.

I have same problem. My wife had an empty flower pot on patio beneath
deck and I put an extra tomato seedling in it. Deer have pruned top of
this one without ill effect to rest of plant
Frank

Jerry W. wrote:
I grow my tomato plants in pots, on the deck. The deer have a nasty habit
of eating if I grow them in the ground.

One of my plants is reaching 7' tall, it is the grape variety. I don't have
cages or anything around them, just 6' stakes. They are in 15 gallon pots.

Can I just prune the top, so it doesn't grow any taller? I don't want to
kill the plant, just wondering if this will end the growth for the height.

Thank you.



Yes, you can prune it and it will cause it to grow suckers lower on the
plant that will eventually have blooms and then tomatoes.

The type of plant you have is indeterminate (they grow and grow and
grow). What you really want to grow in pots is determine plants. They
only grow to a determined height (height depends on the variety). There
are many grape or small red tomatoes that are determinate but, more than
likely, you will have to grow them from seeds since most places that
sell tomato plants don't carry them.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Gardening for over 40 years

To see pictures from my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Digital Camera - Pentax *ist DL

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 22:56:10 GMT, "Jerry W." wrote:

I grow my tomato plants in pots, on the deck. The deer have a nasty habit
of eating if I grow them in the ground.

One of my plants is reaching 7' tall, it is the grape variety. I don't have
cages or anything around them, just 6' stakes. They are in 15 gallon pots.

Can I just prune the top, so it doesn't grow any taller? I don't want to
kill the plant, just wondering if this will end the growth for the height.

Thank you.


I would put some kind of cage around the plant for support. I cured
my deer issue many years ago by using a solar-powered electrical
fence. Pruning the plant will encourage it to bush out, not sure what
that will do to the yield.

Use less nitrogen next time. You can prune the plant a bit but if it is late
in the season and if you have an indeterminate variety of tomato, you may
not get a good yield.

Farmer John

Are you getting more yeild off of it?
Jerry W. wrote:
I grow my tomato plants in pots, on the deck. The deer have a nasty habit
of eating if I grow them in the ground.

One of my plants is reaching 7' tall, it is the grape variety. I don't have
cages or anything around them, just 6' stakes. They are in 15 gallon pots.

Can I just prune the top, so it doesn't grow any taller? I don't want to
kill the plant, just wondering if this will end the growth for the height.

Thank you.

....................... I cured
my deer issue many years ago by using a solar-powered electrical
fence.


any sites for that?