Tips on how to “train” tomatoes after they’ve reached the top of cages??

[Bluebird]

I would appreciate any of your thoughts on how you’ve successfully “trained” your tomatoes to stop growing straight up after they’ve reached the top of the cages/support structures. I’m basically referring to what to do with plants growing over 8 feet.

Or do some of you “top” them off and if so how?

Thanks

[gardendoc]

Because of the growth potential of indeterminate tomatoes I switched to growing primarily determinate tomatoes for the ease of plant management.

You can top the plants but that will divert resources way from developing fruit. Why not just let them hang over?

[Bluebird]

Yes, thank you …. now I know not to plant all indeterminate tomatoes and will not make that mistake again. And I know you only grow determinate and I can sure see why!

But my question is … when the main stem gets like a foot over the top of the trellis (roughly 9 feet off the ground) can you just kind of train it to grow back down the opposite side? Like by tying loose supports or using the small rings (which I’ve ordered) to help it along and back kind of down? Most of my blooms are up there in the top of the plant so I’d hate for the main stem to bend at a real sharp angle consequently cutting off nutrient supply?? Or do you just leave them alone and not worry about it?

I understand that those of you with many, many boxes are pros with years of experience. So maybe you’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff anymore. But those of us relatively new with only a few boxes have so much to learn from you guys and hopefully you know how much we appreciate your feedback and input. So thank you.

And when you have a chance please let me know if you have any insight into what could be causing the tiny black dots on the green tomatoes and/or what I can do about it.  Thanks again

[robstur]

If you haven't switched to determinate tomatoes this year, yes, you can gently train a main stem back down the trellis. Depending on the plant's structure and how you have pruned it, sometimes there is a sucker that is pretty well formed/mature that could take over as the main stem if you cut the top of the main stem. You might also look into how greenhouse growers train cucumbers and tomatoes to be single-stem plants on a string that they can lengthen and slide along an overhead support bar such that the plants get shifted from vertical to an angle.