Tomato plant trusses are the stems with buds that grow from the plant. These buds produce small, yellow blossoms as the tomato plant grows. The petals fall from the blossom and the tomato fruit grows from the centre of the flower.

Identification

The truss stem grows from the tomato plant's main stem. You can differentiate them from nonfruiting side stems because they have no leaves and the truss ends in an array of thin stalks, usually five to seven in number, with buds at the end of each stalk. Trusses grow four to six weeks after planting out seedlings.

Expert Insight

When the first truss appears, fertilise the tomato plant. Use a special liquid tomato fertiliser and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Warning

Once your plant has grown four or five trusses, pinch out the growing tip of the plant to prevent more trusses appearing. Too many trusses mean smaller fruits. Allow the plant to concentrate on producing a limited amount of larger, high-quality fruits.