Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northern California
Posts: 300
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I'm growing only indeterminate varieties this summer.
So I thought I'd count the number of "true" leaves before the first flower truss appeared. Here are my results: Saint Pierre, Santa Clara Canner, Prue, Dufresne: 9 Rinaldo: 10 Each plant appears to have 9-10 true leaves, then a distinct "fork" in the main stem which is not a sucker, then the first flower truss. I used to think it was 7 true leaves before flowering, now I know. Sugar Lump is still too small, no flowers yet. Last time I grew tomatoes, I did not prune. This time I did: took off the first 5 or 6 suckers, to make the plant more manageable. These plants are big, even in 7 or 15 gallon pots. |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,794
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Most of the ones I grow are '7's, but I've seen a ten or two, iirc it is typical of paste type tomatoes. I'm not sure why the breeders selected that but, there it is.
![]() The number of leaves before the first cluster is genetically independent of other growth habit traits. |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6
Posts: 1,582
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I had same variety between 7 and 11 leaves depending on year. I think what is fixed might be the minimum for a specific variety.
It's all about conditions as a seedling. Light is the first to determine earliness. How well fertilized, probably temperature and day/night difference, maybe also stress caused by too small cup, etc. My most early has been one year Stupice, with 5 leaves, which is too soon imo. |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northern California
Posts: 300
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Thanks Bower and Zipcode,
I went to the Tomato Genetics Resource Center (https://tgrc.ucdavis.edu/) and looked at their list of genes and phenotypes (downloadable Excel file, link is in the top page) to see if there was a gene or phenotype for (indeterminate varieties) number of true leaves/leaf nodes before the first flower truss. No luck. It did mention having longer or shorter internodes on the plant, though. I suppose I could follow up with them to be sure. |
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