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STAKING AND TRAINING IN TOMATO PRODUCTION

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The main reason for staking and supporting tomato plants is to

keep plants and off the ground.

This reduces losses from fruit rots when fruit are not shaded by

foliage.

Determinate varieties are not heavily pruned, regardless of

support system, because most of the fruit produced on the

branches.


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Indeterminate varieties continue to

grow and produce leaves and

flower cluster until diseases,

insects, cold or lack of water and

fertilizer kills the plants.

Indeterminate varieties are heavily pruned

when trellised, moderately pruned when

staked, and lightly pruned when caged.


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Merits of staking tomato plants are:

It keeps the fruits above the ground

It helps in producing healthy fruits.

Relatively clean, firm and large sized fruits are obtained.

There are comparatively loss chances from incidence of pests

It facilitates spraying and dusting of pesticides/ fungicides.


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It increases the plant stand per unit area.

It facilitate rapid picking and collection of fruits.

Training an d staking help in better utilization of sunlight and air.

Demerits:

It adds more cost of cultivation

There is a damage of spreading virus infection unless necessary

precaution are taken.


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Staking

A popular method is to select the main stem, the sucker that develops immediately below the first bloom cluster (a very strong sucker) and one other sucker below that.

Remove all other suckers and as tie the plants, periodically remove additional suckers that develops on selected branches.

Tie individual branches to the stake with soft and by first tying twine to the stake and then looping it loosely around the plant.


Stake and weaved tomato plants

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Stake and Weave

In this training system, wooden or

metal stakes are driven between every

other tomato plant. Lines of twine are

strung between stakes on either side

of the plants to provide support.

Indeterminate varieties require longer

stakes (5-6 feet) than determinate

varieties (3-4 feet.) although the

growth habit of your specific

variety will help determine stake length


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Wooden stakes should be at least 1” square to provide

strong support throughout the season.

Twine must be resistant to weather and

stretching, and have sufficient "grip" to wrap

tightly around stakes.

Metal stakes can be of a smaller diameter, and have

the advantage of being reusable from season to

season. Cut pieces of concrete reinforcing rods

make excellent stakes


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A variation of this system called the Florida weave establishes the first

line by weaving from one side of the plant row to the other, alternating

around each stake.

Often only the first line is woven in this

manner, and subsequent lines run straight

down each side of the plant row.

The first line is attached from the end stake to the next

stake, wrapping that stake and crossing the row to reach

the following stake on the other side of the plant row

forming down the row, and returning in the opposite.


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Trellis

Trellising is used to train indeterminate

tomatoes

The system consists of heavy gauge

wire strung horizontally across the top

of widely spaced, sturdy (3-6 inch)

support posts.

Lengths of twine are dropped from

this top wire and secured to the base

of each tomato plant (or to a bottom

wire, if used).


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The plants are trained to two

main stems, and each stem is

wound around a length of twine

as the plant grows.

Support posts should stand 5-6

feet above the soil and be

spaced 12-20 feet apart down

the row.


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The fruit of trellised plants is more susceptible to sunburn because of

the reduced canopy and greater sun exposure.

The plants may produce fewer fruits but these are larger and ripen

earlier than plants trained in other ways.

Cages

Caging is a support system that requires less work than staking or

trellising, but provides similar benefits in protecting plants from contact

with the soil.

Cages can be made from sections of 6 inch wire mesh.


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A foot length of mesh can be folded

into a cylindrical cage with an 18 inch

diameter.

The cage can be supported by a

stake, or if the bottom cross-wires are

cut out the cage can be pressed into

the ground on its wire "feet.“

For indeterminate varieties, cages

should be 5 feet high; determinate

varieties can be grown with shorter

cages.


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Some growers creatively use other materials to train tomatoes.

Sections of open wire mesh (hog wire) can be placed 8-10

inches off the ground to form a tabletop-like support for plants.

The mesh should be cut 2-3 feet wide and laid the length of the

row, parallel to the ground and resting on "H"-shaped supports.

Install this support while plants are still small.

As plants grow through, their branches will lay out onto the wire

mesh for support.

Other options


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Caged plants are pruned lightly or not

at all. Growing branches should be

lifted or turned to be supported by the

wire

Tomatoes can be harvested easily

through the 6 inch mesh.

Caged plants may not produce ripe

tomatoes as early as staked or

trellised plants, but they produce more

tomatoes that are less likely to suffer

from cracking or sunburn.


Ground

cage

Stake and weave

Trellis

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1) Ground-- no support system

2) Cage—2 foot tall wire cage 14 inches in diameter made from No. 10

mesh on 6"x6" spacing.

3) Stake and Weave—Stake is driven between every other plant and

twine woven between and around stakes 4-6 times. All suckers but

one below the first fruit cluster are removed. No other suckers are

removed above the first cluster.

4) Trellis—Posts support No. 10 wire. Strings are dropped from wire and

tied to base of plant. Plants are twined around string. The main stem

and one sucker are allowed to develop and all other suckers are

removed as they develop.


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There are few hard and fast rules in

tomato pruning, and many varying

opinions. Good pruning achieves the

optimum balance between vegetative

growth and fruit production.

Pruning will impact fruit size, fruit

quality and yield, so it is important to

strike the right balance between

reducing vigorous foliage and stripping

the plant.

Pruning


Good pruning helps increase fruit size and enhance earliness.

However, pruning too heavily can reduce yield and increase problems with

sunburn, blossom end rot, and catfacing.

In determining how to prune your tomato crop, consider the growth habit

(determinate or indeterminate) of your plants.

Indeterminate tomatoes are more heavily pruned than determinate ones, but

even determinate tomatoes often require some level of pruning.

Next, consider any special features of your specific variety including any

recommendations from your seed supplier.

The amount of pruning needed can vary with variety.

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Pruning is usually started as the plants are first being staked or supported,

sometimes before stringing them to avoid interference with the lines.

Tomato plants are pruned by selectively removing suckers, the shoot that

grows between the main stem and a leaf.

Suckers should be broken off while they are still small, between 2-4 inches

in length.

Prune plants only when the leaves are dry to reduce the spread of

disease.


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Plants in the trellis system are generally

trained to two stems: the main stem and the

stem that develops from the sucker just below

the first flower cluster.

Suckers below this one should be removed.

The remaining two stems should be twined

around the vertical string support as the plant

grows.

If very vigorous plants grow above the top of

the stake system, they may need to be

topped.

staking and training in tomato production previous nextend

Documents

tomato production stake

training system

d staking help

stake length slide

metal stakes

excellent stakes

end wooden stakes

support system