Tomato Variety Roundup Review

 This is a post that will get added to over the months and years as I grow various different varieties.  It reflects my personal thoughts and preferences; everyone will have their own, so just because I don't like a variety, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it for yourself!  For instance, I prefer particularly tart/acidic tomatoes, while most prefer sweeter ones.  It is also particularly true given that with fruiting plants in general, and tomatoes especially, 'minor' differences in your particular growing conditions and how you care for your plants (temperature, water composition, even how often you fill up the water, etc.) can have very large differences in the resulting fruit.

Are My Flowers Dropping?

photo by @mytinyharvest

 

Many times, I have seen new hydroponic growers frantically asking for suggestions how to help their plants (primarily tomatoes) that are dropping flowers... only to post pictures, and they aren't losing flowers at all.  Quite the opposite!

To get to the bottom of this, you first need to understand a bit about how fruiting flowers work. 

Tomato Pruning Summary

 The question of "optimal" pruning of tomatoes is rife with contradictory opinions.  Sometimes even contradictory facts!  What is provably true for one variety, may be totally opposite for another variety.  I am sharing what I have learned from a decade of growing in my AeroGardens, and extensive reading from Universities and agricultural services.  But by all means, do your own research too!  Try different methods on your own plants.  There are lots and lots of variables that can affect your personal results.

Before we get to specifics, a bit on the overall pruning theory.

One of the important things to remember, is that most tomato pruning advice out there is for indeterminate varieties, as that is the vast majority of "regular garden" tomatoes.  However, nearly all varieties that are suitable for growing in hydroponics in general, and AeroGardens specifically, are determinate simply by virtue of being microdwarfs.  To my knowledge, all microdwarfs are determinate - otherwise they would just keep growing and no longer be able to be considered a microdwarf.  This requires a different approach to pruning than your typical garden tomato.

(As with all pruning, be sure to use clean, preferably sterilized, sharp cutting implements.  I use embroidery scissors, as they get into tight spaces better than anything else I've found.  I keep a set specifically for plant pruning, as using them for general purposes can leave the blades with nicks and dull spots.)