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theshepherdess

Semideterminates: To prune or not to prune?

theshepherdess
10 years ago

Hi all! I am growing 18 tomato plants this year and having a blast! I am caging my determinates, and not pruning them. My indeterminate varieties I stake and prune aggressively to one stem (ok, a few of them have two stems because they got out of control before I realized it...)

I am also growing a semideterminate variety, Moskvitch, for the first time. I have never grown this tomato or any other semideterminate variety before! I have some of them caged and some of them staked. The question is, do I prune them and remove the suckers or just let them go wild?!

Any thoughts? Especially from those of you who have experience with Moskvitch?

Thanks!

Comments (4)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    The question is what is your reason for pruning any of them? That reason will determine if you prune the semi-determinate varieties or not.

    Dave

    PS: you might want to read through the other posts further down the page on pruning too.

  • theshepherdess
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks Dave,
    I have been reading a lot of the pruning posts on this forum. I prune my indeterminates to one stem for faster crops of larger fruit. I have read the posters on here who advocate not pruning at all, but I am working in a confined, highly organized space, and I really don't want my large interdeterminate plants to go sprawling all over the place. Also, I am hoping for quality over quantity. (Only a household of 2, and we have 18 plants! I don't think getting enough tomatoes will be a problem, but I grow my own heirloom varieties for flavor and quality.)

    I'm following Margaret Roarch's advice this year: http://awaytogarden.com/how-to-grow-tomatoes-good-tomato-hygiene

    So, I am dedicated to pruning my indeterminates to a long, vine-like habit. I've always let my determinate varieties do their own thing, though. However, this year I only have 1 determinate plant. All the others are indeterminate except my Moskvitches, which are labeled in the seed catalogue as "semideterminate." I have so little experience with semideterminate varieties, period. This is why I'm asking to see what has worked for other people when it come to this variety of tomato.

    Thanks.

  • sue_ct
    10 years ago

    From what I have read, very few people here prune aggressively like you do so asking people their experiences with aggressive pruning or not pruning a certain type might not yield too much advise except what you got from Dave. I have never heard severe pruning causes earlier or better quality fruit before. Actually, not pruning shields it from sun scald and gives more leaves to help with photosynthesis and give it more energy to produce fruit. Do you mind my asking what the rationale is that it would produce better quality fruit? I have found that severely stressed plants produce fruit quickly but I think it is an attempt to produce seeds before it dies and the fruit is usually smaller in those cases. I have heard some people say they think pruning might yield larger fruit, I never heard that fruit from pruned plants had better taste or less disease or anything. Is it your local conditions that make this type of practice better? You don't mention where you live.

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    So, I am dedicated to pruning my indeterminates to a long, vine-like habit.

    Ok then you will just have to determine how many fruits you want from the Moskvich since semi-determinates produce their fruit on those lateral side branches just like indeterminates do. Pruning them will reduce production. Personally I have never pruned Moskvich but you better know the limitations you have to work with.

    IMO the label semi-determinate is misleading. Better they be called something like semi-INdeterminates of short indeterminates since that is essentially what they are, a shorter plant that produces like an indeterminate does rather than as a determinate does.

    But when making your decision please do some research into the validity, or lack thereof, of the claim that it will result in faster crops of larger fruit.

    Dave

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