permaculture

[David Muhl <dmuhl65@yahoo.com>]

I would imagine that your growing space would have a lot to do with whether 
or not you pinch them.  If one has a high ceiling greenhouse and grows 
indeterminate type vines, then if pinching them helps concentrate the growth 
up the string, that would be a good thing, and you could pack your vines 
closer together.  But suppose you're not after a vine that's way over your 
head.  Perhaps then it makes more sense to let the side shoots fill out a bit 
more.

One farmer I worked with in Colorado would pinch the shoots on his 
unprotected field grown plants near the end of the growing season.  This I 
was told would cause the plant put all of its energy into "finishing" the 
tomatoes that were already getting close, rather than putting on additional 
leaves, or new flowers that wouldn't have time to produce decent fruits 
before the first frost arrived.

David Muhl
Portland, Oregon


--- On Mon, 6/24/13, John D'hondt <dhondt@eircom.net> wrote:

> From: John D'hondt <dhondt@eircom.net>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] To Pinch or not to Pinch
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Monday, June 24, 2013, 3:41 PM
> 
> The Henry Doubleday Research Foundation in England did tests
> about pinching 
> many years ago. They found the total weight of ripe tomatoes
> produced was 
> greater with not pinching. But with pinching the tomatoes
> produced were a 
> bit bigger.
> I'll be interested in your test results Jason.
> John who does not pinch
> 
> > I'm curious to get a sampling of perspectives about
> pinching back
> > side-shoots on tomatoes. I'm running a variety trial
> this year (for my own
> > interests) and was in the crop yesterday really
> wondering about the
> > side-shoot pinching practice. I learned this method a
> decade ago from a
> > mentor and have been practicing it, perhaps blindly,
> ever since. Since I
> > have three or so plants from each variety I think I
> will pinch some and 
> > not
> > on others, and practice that good ole observation
> science.
> >
> > So what say you epic gardeners of this list? To pinch
> or not to pinch?
> >
> > -- 
> > Jason Gerhardt
> >
> > PO Box 4355
> > Boulder, CO 80306
> > 720-496-9744
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