Tomato Growing 2025

I dont think I've ever seen a tomato plant that doesn't have flower trusses, or did the trusses form but the flowers didn't set?

 

JWK They are Money maker in large pots in the Greenhouse. You are probably right.
I have been feeding them since planting them with Tomato Fertilizer. So I will
stop feeding and nip of the top growth and see what happens.
Thanks for the reply

 

If they are 5ft tall I'd be inclined to cut down to two ft and hope they reshoot.
Its not really too late start again, or use the tops as cuttings.

 

The first ripe Norwood Meiners in my friend's greenhouse. It looks to be about 50g.

 

Oh no my heart sank when I read this as I think this is what I’ve done to my tomatoes
I’ve grown tomatoes for quite a number of years and not been caught out before but I think I’ve nipped the tops out earlier than usual. I wondered why my plants aren’t producing many flowers or tomatoes. I’ve been vigilant about nipping out side shoots so is there any hope for them?

 

At a certain stage in growth, around August time I usually take the tip out, it's usually then a big job of controlling all the side shoots that develop, even though I have taken them off all summer.

the only problem I see with inadvertently taking out the growing tip is it will slow things down while a new shoot is found, they seem to be able to grow new shoots from strange places sometimes even a new stem from the base of the plant, they seem to have dormant buds all over the place. .

 

There's no need to use a tomato feed until fruits start to set @Humberboy . You're killing them with kindness. If you treat 'em mean they'll get to flowering stage sooner. Excess food just produces green growth, as already said by @JWK , and they get too comfy, with no need to try and reproduce - which is what you want them to do.
I nip out side shoots when I see them, but it's easy to miss a few, as @pete says, and they can produce them nicely hidden at the back too! I nip the tops out when there's around 5 or 6 trusses, but I only have a small growhouse for mine, so they can't be left to get any higher. I only grow cherry types for that reason too.

 

I tend to leave side shoots on till their first truss, then nip out their growing tip.
It does get a bit crowded!

 

I'd happily leave mine @Stephen Southwest , but the small amount of room means I have to be a bit ruthless with the fingers!

 

Thank you all for our advice. I have cut the ones with no flowers on them back by half and I will see what if anything happens. Next year I will lock my Tom feed away until I see some Flower Buds. Once again thanks for the advice.

 

I'm not convinced feeding too early would stop the plants forming flowers, that actually suggests that if grown with free root run in fertile soil they are unlikely ever to flower and fruit.

I get the feeling something else is going on.

 

I wonder if early fertiliser might discourage root growth, like how frequent watering can cause shallow roots. Then they have fewer roots later to suck up stuff when they fruit.

 

I have occasionally grown the odd plant that has grown a flower truss but the truss has stayed tiny and the flowers never really open properly.
Never worked out why that happens though.

Over crowding perhaps.