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Grittyville, WA

From a scientific viewpoint we can stop assuming that pruning is helpful. Strictly speaking the thing that is truly helpful is increasing the brix at the fruit. Pruning may or may not do this. Pruning is ONLY helpful if it increases the brix at the fruit? (Or alternatively if the plant canopy exceeds the roots which then causes a nutrient deficiency.)

I think there are maybe three or four major contributors to meeting the needs of the fruit, and its a tangled mess to say exactly what the relationship is between pruning and these other "biochemical" factors.

Very difficult to rewire my brain to NOT think mathematically. Prune brain, or plants... hmm!

8/3/2026 5:57:53 PM

Colorado

I let a plant go a couple years ago and it never produced much. Just a few 1+ lbs maters. I've also heavily chopped back a plant hoping to force the plant to increase the fruit size but it seems to have not helped or even been detrimental. I've have multiple times where I have had two tomato on the same leader or even the same truss and one I'd a huge mega and one a single or double and the smaller bloom takes off, so I cut it off figuring the mega would then take off but it doesn't. If the plant picks a tomato to take off it seems to stick with that fruit.

8/7/2026 3:24:03 PM