sideshoot

plural sideshoots

1. A branch or offshoot on the side of a plant's stem.

   […] the sideshoots grow instead of the main stem, with each sideshoot producing more sideshoots as soon as a flower truss develops.

   2006, Clevely, A. M., The allotment book: a practical guide to creating and enjoying your own perfect plot, Collins, →ISBN, page 97

   2 more examples

   […] when their stems are hard and ripe, heel A small strip of bark torn from the main stem when a sideshoot is pulled off to make a (heel) cutting.

   2002, Reader's Digest all-season guide to gardening: late spring, Reader's Digest Association, →ISBN, page 6

   Using a sharp knife, take heel cuttings from healthy sideshoots, including a sliver of hardened wood from the main stem […] Alternatively, take 4-6in (10-15cm) long cuttings from leaders or sideshoots and trim immediately below a node.

   2013, Brickell, Christopher; Cole, Trevor, Canadian encyclopedia of gardening, DK Publishing, →ISBN, page 77

present singular third person sideshoots · participle present sideshooting · participle past sideshooted · past sideshooted

1. To prune sideshoots from a plant.

   Train outdoor tomatoes, tying them to their supports and sideshooting if necessary. Many outdoor varieties are grown as bushes that do not need sideshooting.

   1993, Courtier, Jane, The gardening year, Ward Lock, page 42

   2 more examples

   Tall varieties need to be sideshooted and ‘stopped’ in midsummer. They will produce anything from three to six trusses depending on the area. In dry weather they will need heavy watering (see above).

   1984, Larkcom, Joy, The salad garden, Windward, →ISBN, page 96

   Don’t do this before training just in case there is an accident and the growing point is broken out — if this happens before sideshooting, then the most vigorous sideshoot can be trained up instead of the broken growing point.

   1996, Edwards, Johnathan, Greenhouse gardening : step by step to growing success, Crowood Press, →ISBN, page 62