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Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:05 pm
by JosephineRose
It seems I get one tricot every few years. This year, it is my Martino's Roma - seeds from 2020.

In the past they either died on their own or I culled them because someone mentioned they are an anomaly and will not produce well. This year I want to see what happens.

Anyone have any experience growing them out? Should they be culled, or should they produce just as well as any other? I was going to grow three Martino's this year, but maybe I can make room for a fourth...
Martino's Tricot.jpg

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:10 pm
by AKgardener
I have one of those this year on my siletz tomato I’m letting it grow to see what happens

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:24 pm
by worth1
I've never had a problem with them.
Pecans and other nuts on the other hand are a different story.
They are hard to shell on an industrial basis.
Had one tree in a place I lived that had 3 pecans in each nut.
The tree looked normal.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 2:45 pm
by bower
I have a tricot this year, and I'm growing it. It developed a normal stem and leaves, looking good.
I have a couple of other seedlings that came out 'blind' with no growing tip between the cots, and only much much later decided they would in fact produce some tiny true leaves... Not sure if these will make the cut at plantout time.
This is the first time I've had a tricot from my own (last year's) seeds and there were other anomalies - couple plants with only one cot, and the blind ones as well. It was a really unusually hot year for us, and I wonder if that had something to do with it.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:55 pm
by Tormahto
I've grown out dozens upon dozens of them. In my garden, they make absolutely no difference in the plant and fruit qualities. While I kept no records to prove it, I think that saved seed from tomatoes off of those plants may produce an increase in tricots down the line.

Quadcots are a whole 'nother ball game. The typical quadcot, if there is such a thing, grow like normal seedlings and therefore like tricots, too. The ultra-rare quadcot is a twin header, which is essentially two plants growing out of a single base. With the one and only twin header that I had, one header became dominant over the other. Both produced well, but the weaker one died earlier than the stronger one. Along with each header having somewhat different shaped fruit (this plant was supposed to be Pruden's/Prudence Purple), one header producing a mix of beefsteaks and blunt hearts, the other header producing only hearts that were more elongated, that plant amazed me all summer.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:18 am
by slugworth
for me,the tricots and quads had about 30% more foliage than the regular plants next to them.
I kept the plants labeled so I could compare.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 9:24 am
by ddsack
I've never noticed any difference in production in tricots. Since I don't prune much, at some point in the season it's impossible to tell the plants apart with suckers going every direction anyway. Seems like production would be mostly driven by the health of the root system and nutrients available to it, no matter the number of leaders or branches above ground. But this is where you'll drift into the long standing prune to one leader vs non-pruning arguments.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 9:27 am
by Setec Astronomy
ddsack wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 9:24 am But this is where you'll drift into the long standing prune to one leader vs non-pruning arguments.
Or the prune to double-leader arguments. :D

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2022 1:44 am
by Shule
The cotyledons supply the plant with its initial nutrients. So, if the cotyledons are the same size with tricots as they are with dicots, then those plants may have a nutrient advantage.

I've had a few tricots. I think I had one with Snow Fairy; I don't remember the varieties for the other(s) offhand.

There might be a variety that's always supposed to produce tricots.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2022 1:18 pm
by bower
Hmm.. my tricot appears much sturdier than the sibs, and has developed a double stem.
Here I'm looking at this F8 wondering if all the growth habit genes are all politely paired, and up pops... da monsta. :roll:

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2022 6:04 pm
by pondgardener
I was repotting some plants this afternoon and found a tricot on one of the Italian sweet peppers. Seems to be growing similar to the the others.

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:15 pm
by AKgardener
I also looked in my bucket of tomatoes today they just germinated I just found another one as well

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:57 am
by worth1
This happens with Marijuana plants too.
More branches.
(From what I've read and heard). :lol:

Re: Tricots OK to grow?

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:58 am
by Tormahto
Shule wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 1:44 am The cotyledons supply the plant with its initial nutrients. So, if the cotyledons are the same size with tricots as they are with dicots, then those plants may have a nutrient advantage.

I've had a few tricots. I think I had one with Snow Fairy; I don't remember the varieties for the other(s) offhand.

There might be a variety that's always supposed to produce tricots.
No record keeping, but I've noticed that Aunt Ginny's Purple has produced tricots numerous times, for me.