Ok- weird question, but I must know

[Inchworm]

and I am having no luck on the internets finding answers.

Backstory. As a kid we "topped" tobacco. I'm guessing this forced the plant to focus its energies on leaf development.

Umm, does this technique have an opposite?

Could I remove some leaves from a tomato plant to encourage 'mater development? I'm sure there would need to be some leaves.. but still. I'm considering removing the 2-3 lower tiers of leaves.

Topping on some other unnamed plant from my youth used to force bushiness. Is that desired in tomatoes?

Heh, it's hard to even ask the right question. I reckon that's why the internets aren't working :P

:shrug:

Thanks in advance!

:hi:

[yy4me]

1. Years ago, when my Italian Grandmother came to visit, she

would head for my garden and all but strip the tomato plants bare. One year I had plants that were 6 feet tall. When she was done, they looked like they had survived a tornado. I was upset thinking that my beautiful tomatoes were a lost cause.

Best crop I ever had. Each year I snip off the suckers and do a little extra pruning. Never can repeat what she did but I am told that, without the useless extra leaves, the nutrients go to the fruit, not the greenery.

This year my crop will be dismal. Bad weather would be one factor but the garden section of my yard will be torn up to repair a 10 foot high dry stone retaining wall of my neighbors.
Stood for 120 years and just gave up after this past miserable, rainy winter. The wall is a work of art but no-one can go into my back yard because of the possible collapse of more of it. The wall man and crew were dur last Monday but no-one showed. Maybe tomorrow.

[Inchworm]

2. Hope those guys show today for ya

As I read about methods of "pruning," I'm finding that it is part of the learning curve to having abundant and awesome tomatoes. I guess it'll come natural after I've gardened a few more years hehe.

:hi:

[RedEarth]

3. The benefits of pruning seem to depend upon where you live

Those of us who live in areas with intense sunlight and high temps are better off not pruning tomatoes since the foliage can help prevent sunscald. I've never topped a tomato plant, but I know of some people who do.

Here is a link to a discussion regarding both pruning and topping...keep in mind this forum is from OK, so it won't necessarily apply to your part of the country. However, you can go to the main page also linked below and find forums for not only your area but also many other topics.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/okgard/msg052025239169.html?13

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/