Side Shoots & Trusses

Side shoots can be confusing if you are growing tomatoes for the first time. Which bits to remove when the plants are growing, is not always obvious, so below I have included a few examples which may help.

Side shoots are removed from tall varieties – also called indeterminate or cordon. Side shoots are not removed from bush varieties – also called determinate.

Here (left) are two side shoots growing out between a leaf stem and the vertical stem.

It is best to remove side shoots from tall (cordon) varieties such as Moneymaker & Alicante, and leave the side shoots on bush varieties such as Tumbler & Red Alert.
I usually remove side shoots when they are about an inch long – as in the pic.

Pull them off rather than cut them off because blades and scissors can transfer diseases from one plant to another.

Later in the Season - Bush Varieties
However, if in August your bush varieties are still producing lots of side shoots you may decide to remove some so that the plants can direct their energy into the flowers and fruit rather than creating new branches so late in the season.

A bush variety that produces large tomatoes will need some of its new side shoots or flowers removed late in the season.

Trusses Grow out from the Main Stem – Tall Varieties

Trusses grow out of the main vertical stem and not out of the elbows of the vertical and leaf stems.

In the center of the pic there are flowers developing – this is a truss on a tall variety.

Helping Trusses to Set
One problem that can affect trusses and their flowers is Blossom Drop. This is when flowers fail to pollinate (Set fruit) and the flowers drop off their stems.

To help avoid this problem, gently tap plants and mist with water. An electric toothbrush or battery shaver may be held against the flowers to create a similar vibration to a bumble bee. Bees are used in greenhouses or glasshouses to help pollinate tomatoes and other fruit.

If you have problems each season with pollination and fruit set, a spray is available. I would use this as a last resort as I believe there is an issue with the seeds (or lack of them) that are produced in the tomatoes of flowers that have been pollinated in this way.