Bent Tomato

[vette-kid]

I was being a little careless trying to put in a tomato cage and bent my tomato plant over. Is it a gonner? Anything I can do to help its chances?

 

[Chuck]

I was being a little careless trying to put in a tomato cage and bent my tomato plant over. Is it a gonner? Anything I can do to help its chances?

Just as long as it wasn't broken it will be OK. Sometimes such as after a big wind you will find a tomato plant broken and by broken I mean the actual skin of the broken part torn and the insides of the limb or trunk sticking out. You can sometimes fix this just like you would a broken arm or leg. Reattach as good as you can and then use tape to bind it. This sometimes works but not every time. But if not broken just prop it back up as best you can and tie it to something to keep it from falling over again and it should be OK.

 

[headfullofbees]

If it was broken above any leaves, and I mean broken as Chuck describes, cut it off where broken & it will grow a new leader.

There is a method of growing whereby the leader is deliberately removed above each truss of flowers, so that the new leader will provide the next truss after two, instead of three, groups of leaves.

 

[vette-kid]

Thanks. It's not broken, but it's pretry floppy and it's pretty low. About 3 or 4 inches grin the soil line. I'm proping it up on the cage well enough. Hopefully it doesn't stress it to bad, it had several flowers on it

 

[zigs]

If you do cut it off they root very easily to form a new plant.

I regularly re root the side shoots I take off, free plants

 

[vette-kid]

If you do cut it off they root very easily to form a new plant.

I regularly re root the side shoots I take off, free plants

I was checking on it again abs tasks it is broken. I don't know if I just missed it before or if the wind caused more damage. At any rate, what's done is done. Hire so I re root a plant? Just cut it and stick it in the ground? What about the root from the original plant? Dig it out?

 

[zigs]

Yep, stick it straight in and water it, that's all I do with mine.


Leave the root in, it'll re grow

 

[vette-kid]

Yep, stick it straight in and water it, that's all I do with mine.


Leave the root in, it'll re grow

Thanks. I leave the root in. There is a leaf below it and I doubt have room for an additional plant. Which will do better? Root with one leafy branch or most of plant stuck in the soil to re root

 

[headfullofbees]

The root with one leafy branch, and you won't have to re[pot it.
I'd do both, just in case one fails, and keep the one growing stronger.