<p>Question: when transplanting tomato seedlings, do you snip off the lower branches (so they can be buried and turn into roots) completely, or do you just remove the leaves? Two weeks ago I removed branches for a very mature transplant, putting it in the soil up to the two highest leaves. The thing was dead within a few days.</p>
<p>Well, the deer or groundhog won 
My tomato plants were chewed off. I’m really disappointed because things were going so well.</p>
<p>Did they have tomatoes on them yet BTMell???</p>
<p>The whole idea of snipping off the lower branches of a tomato and trying to replant and root is new news to me!!! </p>
<p>LW, I thought you were only supposed to bury it to the lower two branches. For a mature plant, with its higher energy needs, the leaves need sunlight. Likely, the two highest branches couldn’t take in enough. </p>
<p>abasket,
The stakes and cages are 6’ tall. I tried an experiment and had a pipe cut at 9’. Its a bit top heavy and the pot leans. Its about to storm and I am afraid it will topple over. That kills more branches. The plants are about 8 ft tall. The pantihose idea is interesting, though. Maybe can leave a long piece flapping in the wind to scare the birds away.</p>
<p>I have learned to take in the tomatoes that are ripening and let them finish ripening on the window sill. So far have about 60. Gave some to the contractor, ate some, and have some in a bowl. Then there are about 40 still ripening on the sill.</p>
<p>Never heard about burying the bottom leaves, bt have pinched off some of the sprouts in the arm of the plants.</p>
<p>Wow, those are some tall plants! And now I think I am understanding that you have them in pots? You might consider doing some smaller varieties in pots next year - no doubt the current variety is big and hearty and perhaps too much for the pot???</p>
<p>They are cherry tomatoes!</p>
<p>Wow!! Ok, potent plants!!! :)</p>
<p>I also was generous with the plant food ^#(^ </p>
<p>Some of the flowers are up so high if they do produce tomatoes ,I cant reach them!</p>
<p>@abasket - one does but the others don’t (didn’t). I just treated the plants with a deer repellent so here’s hoping it really does repel the deer.</p>
<p>Jym, go easy on Miracle Gro and other mineral plant food - I gather that nitrates from it can accumulate in certain plants. </p>
<p>^^^ We learned the hard way that you don’t want to fertilize tomato plants until they have fruit. Apparently by fertilizing before that, the growth goes to the leaves and stems. We did have beautiful leafy plants though!</p>
<p>Update- my red sweet pepper plant that was defoliated now has more leaves than before, I thought it would die. Florida gardening is different than in Wisconsin… </p>
<p>Home Depot and/or Lowes carry those water/pH monitors for under $20 locally. </p>
<p>Wow . I would be happy if my tomato plants were over 2 ft tall. I am thrilled that my plant has about 10 tomatoes on it. Pathetic! I guess it is the price I pay for an average summer temp of mid 70’s.</p>
<p>These sweet 100s are the only ones that grow crazy like this. Last years patio tomatoes were a bust. </p>
<p>Lookingforward, in the short time (4 seasons) that I’ve been trying to grow tomatoes, I’ve always clipped the branches of seedlings and buried the plant up to the top two leaves. I think you’re right about how it might be different regarding a mature tomato plant. This one was several weeks old and was on the discount shelf. It clearly wasn’t in optimal health but I thought I could nurse it. Clipping all those branches was probably its death sentence.</p>
<p>Do you cut off the lower branches or bury them? Think that would have kept these things from growing so tall and top heavy?</p>
<p>And hadnt thought about waiting to feed the plant til they were bearing fruit. I thought I was helping make them stronger, not turn into the jolly green giant!</p>
<p>Some garden advice articles I’ve read instruct you to bury the lower branches sans the leaves. I’ve got a half dozen seedlings now ready for transplant. I think I’ll just remove all the lower leaves and leave the branches intact for burying.</p>
<p>Transplanted the tomatoes, they seem happy. All the little tags said was bury 2/3 deep. (I’m less than that now but will add to about halfway up.) What’s thriving are the Contender green beans (bush beans,) a few in a large container (will start more soon.) The string beans themselves are coming in, grow fast and tasty. In the past, one year I got one bean to germinate (haricots) and probably got less than 10 small string beans all summer. Last year, none even germinated. </p>