Ongoing Pruning of Mature Tomatoes
As your Cherry Tomatoes continue to grow, you will need to continue pruning them periodically to keep them growing within the confines of the AeroGarden. They need to stay compact and full within range of light from the Lamp Hood, so that they will receive maximum light for blooming and tomato production.
When tomatoes are grown outdoors, there is usually no need to prune them, and so it may be an unfamiliar process to many gardeners. Tomatoes grown in the AeroGarden, however, must be pruned to keep them small and compact. It may be helpful to think of “bonsai”, the Japanese art of pruning to shape plants into healthy miniatures.
If your tomatoes are large, it is best to unplug your AeroGarden and either lift the Bowl (with the plants in it) off the Base, or remove the Lamp Hood so that you can easily reach all parts of the plants.
To remove the Lamp Hood, unplug the lamp cord from the Lamp Hood and press in the locking lever on the back side of the hood, while lifting the hood up and off:
Locking Lever
Lamp Cord
You’ll need to prune off any branch ends that extend more than about three inches outside the edge of the AeroGarden. A good technique is to move different sides of the AeroGarden around to face you so that you can easily see which branches are starting to grow out-of-bounds, or competing for light with adjacent plants.
In each of the three separate slideshows below, only one plant at a time is shown being pruned. This has been done to make it easier to demonstrate the types of cuts you should make when pruning your own tomatoes, though of course you will have 3 plants in your AeroGarden.
Pruning Demonstration One
Pruning Demonstration Two
Pruning Demonstration Three
It’s best to prune branches by cutting through stems rather than cutting through the middle of a leaf. This will minimize trauma to the plant and will help it recover quickly.
As your tomatoes continue to grow it can sometimes be challenging to decide whether the next step is to raise the lights or to prune the plants. A good general rule of thumb is to alternate between the two in a stair-step approach, pruning one time, and raising the lights the next time. However, if you can’t decide which to do, favor pruning!
At the same time you do your regular pruning, check for any dead leaves that have fallen on the Grow Surface or that may be hanging from stems, and carefully remove them. Lower leaves will sometimes turn brown and crispy because they are not receiving light from above. These should be removed as soon as you notice them, which will allow for maximum light distribution and help the rest of the garden stay healthy. It can be helpful to inspect your plants from underneath, which will often reveal dying leaves (and sometimes even a ripe tomato or two!) that were hidden from view above.
If your Cherry Tomatoes are older and have grown up into the lights with very little growth lower down on the stems, they can usually be recovered with some special pruning. When pruned correctly, they can bloom again throughout their height and go on to produce more tomatoes. To read an article that shows how to do this, click here.
When you’re done pruning, reassemble your AeroGarden and plug it back in.
If you need further assistance or if you have any other questions about your AeroGarden or Seed Kits, there are many more informational articles available on this web site. You may also call us at AeroGrow Customer Service at 1-800-476-9669 to speak with one of our agents, who will be happy to assist you.
Happy AeroGardening!
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Last Updated ( Monday, 16 March 2009 03:06 )
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