tomato plants?

Question

does any one know how to manage an unruley tomato plant? my plant is taking over my back yard...is there a way to trim the plant without killing it?

Answer 1

Pruning tomatoes helps to keep the plants within a confined garden space. It can also help counter their sprawling nature, keeping the fruit off the ground and healthy. Diligent pruning will reward you with an abundant, delicious harvest.

Instructions
Step One
Prune tomato plants when they are growing too large for their allocated area. Always use sharp, clean shears when working with vegetable crops to prevent spreading disease.

Step Two
Pinch branch tips throughout the growing season to encourage tomato plants to grow bushy and full. Remove only the last set of two leaves, including the stem, each time you pinch a branch.

Step Three
Remove entire unwanted or non-blooming branches to keep plants contained. Some foliage is necessary to shade developing fruit and prevent sun scald.

Step Four
Continuously remove any dead or faded foliage from tomato plants. Keep only the growth that is green and healthy. Try not to cut away branches that are flowering.

Step Five
Train tomatoes to grow on a trellis to save precious garden space. Growing vertically also makes it easier to locate and harvest the crop. Tuck stray branches inside the trellis, or remove them completely if they are not bearing flowers.

Overall Tips & Warnings

* Tomatoes are vines and will sprawl along the ground unless otherwise directed. Fruit left on the ground is susceptible to rot or attack by slugs.
* Incorporate crushed egg shells into the soil around the base of tomato plants to supply calcium. Calcium prevents a fungal disease called 'Blossom End Rot'.
* Water tomatoes deeply and infrequently to develop intense tomato flavor. Tomato plants have deep roots and don't need much water once they have begun to bloom and set fruit.
* Too much water, or using fertilizer high in nitrogen, may result in lush green plants with no fruit. It may also cause developing fruit to drop.

Overall Things You'll Need

* trellis
* Pruning Shears

GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 2

You have an indeterminate tomato plant. This kind continue to grow, flower, & fruit until frost kills them. These are often handled by removing the side branches that sprout from the main stems leaf axils. They grow from the angle formed between a leaf stalk and the stem. This is the only pruning you can do on a tomato and set fruit.
To really control the shape of the plant it need to be staked or caged from early in the growth season. You can still stake and weave by driving a stake between every other plant. Then weave twine back and forth weaving the stakes 4-6 times. Tie branches to woven support.
Alternately use a trellis. Support #10 wire on the stakes. Drop twine to the plants and tie off at base of plant on tent stake. Spiral plant around string up to trellis. Spread tomato across trellis.

Answer 3

Not really. About the only thing you can do is control it somewhat by the tomato cage. I recommend that next year you plant a smaller variety like the Celebrity variety. They don't get as big but put out a good number of nice sized tomatoes. Ask your garden center next year for small tomato plant varieties they'd recommend.

Answer 4

Tomato plants can't be trimmed. Try "caging" them using commercial cages, or cages you can build from scrap wood or tree limbs. Get your self a good book on raising tomatoes, and do an online search for care of tomato plants.

Answer 5

no but why try to cut them down and if you have to it will be hard but try to dig them up and transplant them to a better location

Answer 6

You stake them.