Latah tomatoes
maxyckJuly 15, 2012
I am growing Latah tomatoes, but they seem to have many side shoots. Should I pinch off these to allow for more light to get through the leaves? They are flowering well, but not producing many fruit. I used pellet fertilizer mixed in the soil when I planted them. Any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks! Maxcy
Maxcy,
Don't pinch the shoots. Latah is a determinate tomato and pinching the shoots removes productive branches. Latah was developed by the University of Idaho in the 1970s.
When did you transplant them into the garden? The Days to Maturity (DTM) for Latah is listed as 55-60 days from transplant. You should probably see the first baby 'maters around 3 weeks from the transplant date.
What was the NPK rating of your fertilizer pellets?
How has your weather been? High temps can affect the setting of fruit. Are you flowers falling off, or dieing back? Have you looked to see if there is a teeny tiny fruit in the middle of where the blossom was? Bear in mind Latah aren't very big when ripe, just 2-3 ounces.
I hope that helps.
Betsy
Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ on Pruning Tomato Plants
Betsy, thank you for your help. I am using 7 11 17 fertilizer. I have to confess that I did remove a few shoots to allow more sunlight in. The plants get about 7 hours of sunlight a day. Thank you for your quick response. You might note that I put a second message on the site. Didn't think the first was posted. I'll stop removing side shoots.
Hi Maxyck,
Your fertilizer sounds fine. The reason I asked is that too much nitrogen can cause blossom drop. Tomatoes can be affected by so much that sometimes I am amazed we even get fruit.
High humidity and / or high temperatures, dry wind, and inconsistent watering can all contribute to blossom drop.
Betsy
Here is a link that might be useful: "Blossom Drop" FAQ