HUGE moneymaker tomato plants, not many flowers!

United Kingdom

Hi there, i have two money maker tomato plants in a big bucket growing outside. The plants themselves are huge and i constantly have to keep pruning down the leaves. i keep cutting off the sideshoots but as soon as i do within days more arrive. the plants are now a foot and a half tall. there are flowers there on them, but they seem to be growing so slowly, and the leaves seem to keep growing.

i have been feeding it with tomorite every week, but it doesnt seem to be doing anything. i have two other moneymakers that are in proportion, but they are in a smaller pot. What should i do with this plant? should i cut off the growing tips? or should i dramitically prune off the leaves? Any ideas would be great!

25 Jun, 2009

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Answers

Doctorbob1

Keep side shoots pinched out, stop top at 4 trusses. Slow down on feeding.

25 Jun, 2009

Muddywellies

Your fertiliser/compost is too rich for foliage and not balanced sufficiently for encouraging flower buds - which happens with tomorite if its applied full dose too often. They could also be short on long sunny hours...........

I'd reduce your foliage to about five leaf stems branches or even to three .....

25 Jun, 2009

Doctorbob1

I have checked some of my notes from past experience, it could be bushy stunt, the plants are best destroyed.

25 Jun, 2009

Starsinmycr..

Thanks for this, i have followed muddywellies' advice and they are doing a little better now and i have one or two tiny tomatoes growing, but doctorbob, thanks for your advice, what is bushy stunt exactly?

5 Jul, 2009

Doctorbob1

Bushy stunt occurs when side growth keeps up with the main shoots. Sometimes seedlings are damaged when being pricked out. Some of the tomatoes are now grown as bush varieties, so cross pollination may have taken place. In any account the plants prove useless.

7 Jul, 2009

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