We got hit with a pretty bad storm the other night and some of the branches of my tomato plants got folded over the supports. Some of the plants are knocked sideways too. Should I try to fix them and straighten them up or just leave them alone? I'm afraid I will break the branches off.

Any opinions?

Same thing happenned here, they should be strong enough for you to replace them and add support. Be gentle and don't force it!

My tomato plants had grown taller than some of my supports so when they faced a storm the plants fell over the sides of the cages. I have to say I took the lazy route and did nothing and the tomato plant seemed to repair itself and started its way back up the outside of the cage. They still produce but I have to say that it is a tangled mess out there. I wish I had just bought taller stakes at the time and stood them back up.

Mine are a tangled mess too. They were about 5 feet tall and I think I planted them too close together, so they were kind of a tangled mess before the storm! lol

I tried to bend one back this morning and it snapped. Not quite all the way through though, so I got some florist tape and tried to repair it. I hope it holds at least long enough for the tomatoes to ripen that were on it.

I think I'm going to just leave the rest alone because I'm too afraid to touch them again. Thanks for the advice.

hey there,palies

sorry about your tomatoes,but take heart..they really are tough plants,they have to be.

and many plants..including tomatoes..pruning just encourages them to grow more.

I live in the heartland too.I gave up on cages a long time ago because of the wind.

I use 6 foot wooden stakes for tomatoes .It allow the plants some space to move in the wind.

they really do need some space ,at least 3 feet between them,for air circulation.

Even in our past drought conditions,the humidity can cause the viruses.