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central Nc

The question is, how many do you keep? I think Marv's book says one, but I just wanted to see how the big boys have grown the past few years.

6/3/2018 10:28:59 AM

Wixom MI.

Only one plant ??? I grow around 40 !!!
Only one per plant.

6/3/2018 1:06:30 PM

Ely Mn

Don't keep any suckers at all! At every Truss there will be a joint that shoots out another Branch,,, this is not called a sucker.. sometimes I will keep the first one at the bottom that shoots out and let it grow for three feet but that's it. If not though, I just keep them all to a single stem.

6/3/2018 1:07:14 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I agree with Dan.
I pinch them all,unless I need it.
For example,last year I had a plant that had the top broken out due to some wind damage.
I left the sucker that was below the break grow out to take its place.
Produced my biggest(which wasn’t much)tomato last year.

6/3/2018 1:43:33 PM

central Nc

Thanks guys. I'm used to letting them go crazy for eating so I will have to force myself to do some surgery this evening. Also, do you top them off at around 5 feet?

6/3/2018 3:48:17 PM

Ely Mn

Top them once you have your (keeper)
So say you have a nice megaboom on the second Trust let that tomato set for around 10 days until you know for sure and then just pinch the top of the plant off.

6/3/2018 5:06:08 PM

Central NY

and to add to the above..( and more so with the Domingo’s ),,, .”the one” will jump right out at you around day seven ...I could have a 8 lober but I’ll cut it at day 10 if it’s not “ getting my attention”..big ones start growing big right outta the gate so be patient and choose a good one...I’m pretty excited this season for you first timers...I grew tomatoes for almost 30 years before I even knew there was such a thing as “giant” tomatoes...lol...fun stuff...you’ll see...

6/3/2018 6:26:34 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I would let the first sucker grow and become a stem. Then whichever of the now two stems gets a big tomato on it, that stem becomes the one and only stem. You prune the "loser" stem off. You now have a one stem plant. This gives you twice the chance to get a big tomato down low.

6/4/2018 6:50:04 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

I would agree with all of the above. I will tend towards Marvs advise this year as I will be letting more first suckers grow out. The 6.06 I grew last year was on a first branch that grew as high as the main. Wasn't even a first truss flower. Some are quite aggressive and show good first truss flowers. Then again, Master P has grown a world record. That's why I grow many and it's all an experiment!

6/4/2018 9:13:23 PM

central Nc

Great to hear from all you guys. I hate to turn one question into a step by step, but here's just one more: I spied my first MB on 1st truss. Majority says pluck the small blossoms, but don't you need some for hand pollination? Only have 3 competition plants so dont want to miss the window. I also don't really want to use my Matt's wild cherry pollen on it!

6/4/2018 9:45:35 PM

Wixom MI.

Tomatoes will self pollinate and it can be helped by shaking, tapping or vibrating the flower with a toothbrush.

6/4/2018 10:40:19 PM

Wixom MI.

Show us some pictures of your tomato plants and megablooms for us to give you good advice on what to do.

6/4/2018 10:43:25 PM

central Nc

Here you go. Should I look for one closer to the stem? I pinched most off but left the second biggest on the truss too.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=290707

6/5/2018 12:53:16 PM

Central NY

I don’t like that yellow in the blossom stalk...there is something amiss there...any mites ?...looks mite damage on the leaves but hard to tell...got a pic of the plant size?...

6/5/2018 4:56:08 PM

Wixom MI.

I like it so far i always pinch off all the other flower buds and just keep the big one only. That is a normal length on a flower stem. You just need to support it shortly after it sets. And as it gets larger you will then suport it with a sling.can we see the size of the plant too ? We just wont to see if the plant is large enough to suport a tomato?

Master P and garden Rebel and bnot chim in with your opinion !!!

6/5/2018 6:22:05 PM

Central NY

Hmm...I’ve seen that yellow spot in the stem before...should be green...I could be wrong...either way, it’s a nice blossom...doubt it takes but we can hope ...

6/5/2018 6:43:47 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

I chimed in above. I will let some lower suckers grow and cut the 2nd and above. Mostly will focus on the main of course. On the Big Zacs the first truss flowers are "not quite with it" sometimes. Not splitting into individual flowers yet. Once the plant is up to speed the flowers split up into individuals. It works this way on the first truss in my limited experience. Others like Domingos may work differently. Even a Big Zac up high on the plant with 3-4 megabloom will produce big once the plant is big. Many grow really large up there. Many options available!

6/5/2018 9:10:10 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

...It can work this way on the first truss of the first suckers also in my limited experience..

6/5/2018 9:12:40 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I think it is more about luck. I want some good luck which to me is many big blossoms low on the vine that are successfully fertilized and then grow into really big tomatoes that make it to the scale.

6/5/2018 10:05:37 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

i definitely keep the extra blossoms until the mega is set. With the vegibee and spoon, will collect enough pollen to really cover the mega. Using extra pollen from the same plant does not cross the genetics. You can always set the first truss mega and let the plant grow for awhile. If you see a better mega higher up, then make a choice.

6/6/2018 6:00:05 AM

central Nc

Sorry this is the best I can do. It's a jungle in there.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=290764

The plant is a little above knee-high. Porkchop, it has 'greened' up since yesterday morning. We've gotten dumped with rain most of May so I think that caused some stress. No mites.

This is the only one with a MB on 1st truss, so I'll be growing out/keeping an eye on the other two.

6/6/2018 10:59:28 AM

Bloomington, IN USA

I also keep the other blooms until my megabloom is set.
Sometimes if I have a megabloom on a plant without many smaller blooms I will take pollen from another plant to pollinate the megabloom.

6/6/2018 1:11:45 PM

Wixom MI.

I think your plant is a nice size to grow your megabloom. Right now it seems like the zacheart plant is taking after the oxheart plant. A little longer and legyer than the big zac plants.what do you think garden Rebel.

6/6/2018 5:33:26 PM

Central NY

Says the guy that’s pollinating his pumpkin at 3’...

6/6/2018 7:17:20 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Yeah, he is going way too high. No good mega by 18 inches..chop down the plant.

6/6/2018 7:59:27 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I agree Wixom.
My zac heart looked a little leggy to me too.
I thought it might have been in the pot to long.
Growing well in the ground.
Might have a first truss Mega !

6/6/2018 8:33:37 PM

Wixom MI.

That is 16" out porkchop !!! My 3 foot plant has nothing yet !!!

6/6/2018 8:38:30 PM

Central NY

Lol...

6/6/2018 9:19:58 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

The Oxheart was a leggy plant. The 4.66 Oxheart (grandparent) was about waist high. It put out a lot of flowers, but each truss had one big one and one of those was the 4.66. It was all I could do to keep that thing trimmed down. Lots of energy. It put all that energy into the 4.66. I thought I could transfer all that energy into a BigZac cross and so here you have it. For me it's good to see the male Oxheart characteristics from the BigZac female seed. That means my first cross effort was a successful one and how I did it worked. I'm not sure how this will translate into the F1 tomatoes, that's why I wanted people to grow them. This year I am all about patients and not so much in a hurry to get a small plant pollinated. Let this thing pollinate Wolfpack and like Porky said, if it is "the one" it will jump out at you. If it were me, I'd let the plant grow and look for more flower options when the plant is really big. The 4.66 Oxheart was big, had a flower similar to yours, and then I cut down a bunch of the plant after the pollinated tomato really started to take off. Here is a link from 2016 of the waist high Oxheart. The plant was big. The flower looked just like yours. You might have a megabloom on a flower crossed in from the BigZac in a month. You never know. Good luck.
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=264639

6/7/2018 11:55:17 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

P.S. From the above link. The curled leaves really don't have much negative effect. In my opinion, it was from too much Nitrogen and water. The plant was double the size and you can see where I cut much of it down after the tomato started growing.

6/7/2018 11:58:37 AM

central Nc

These plants do look leggy and am glad to hear it isn't just mine.

Rebel, thanks for letting a rookie grow these out...such a good group of people on here! I'm already planning on saving more space for giants next year and hope to snag some more good seed at auction.

6/7/2018 12:45:41 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Mine is about 18 inches in height.
I can see a mega forming,just not sure how many fused yet.
Only can see 1 single in the cluster of blooms.

Lol @Rebel with his Tour de France pose in his diary.

6/7/2018 9:06:16 PM