How to Prune a Tomato

Most tomato pruning involves removing suckers ? the shoots that form in the axils where side branches meet the stem. Remove suckers when they're small by pinching them off or snipping them with pruners. If your goal is to maximize the harvest, prune suckers sparingly.

How do you prune a tomato plant?
What happens if you don't prune tomatoes?
Can pruning kill tomato plants?
Should I trim lower branches on tomato plant?
Will tomato plants regrow after being cut to the ground?
Can you prune a tomato plant too much?
Is pruning tomatoes necessary?
How do you keep tomato plants from growing too tall?
How do you prune overgrown tomato plants?
How do I know if my tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate?

How do you prune a tomato plant?

Prune for plant structure and health

RULE 1: Get plants off the ground.
RULE 2: Give plants room.
RULE 3: Never prune or tie plants when the leaves are wet.
Determinate tomatoes need no pruning other than removing all suckers below the first flower cluster, because pruning won't affect their fruit size or plant vigor.

What happens if you don't prune tomatoes?

Indeterminate tomato plants

So if they are not pruned, they definitely will need serious support. Some tomato growers like to cut indeterminate tomatoes back, so they stay small, and let the suckers grow to a limited height. That way it turns into a wide bush.

Can pruning kill tomato plants?

Determinate plants grow to a set size and produce a set number of stems and fruit. They don't usually need pruning and vigorous pruning will actually harm your harvest. If you must prune determinate tomato plants, only remove diseased leaves or those that touch the ground.

Should I trim lower branches on tomato plant?

Pruning tomatoes encourages larger fruit production at the top of the plant. It also opens up heavy, dense foliage at the bottom of the plant, allowing for better air flow between plants. ... But by removing the bottom suckers, you remove the fruit that would weigh down lower branches and rot on the ground.

Will tomato plants regrow after being cut to the ground?

As each bush finishes, it can be pulled because it will not produce again. So a determinate tomato that is cut to the ground after it has bloomed cannot grow back into another plant that produces.

Can you prune a tomato plant too much?

A: The only kind of pruning you need to do on tomatoes is to remove those inevitable suckers that emerge from the branch unions. If you let them grow, they become branches that crowd the plant, blocking light and air circulation. Eventually those branches form fruit, but the result can be too much of a good thing.

Is pruning tomatoes necessary?

Not all types of tomatoes need to be pruned. ... Because determinate plants develop all of their fruit at one time, pruning may cause you to sacrifice tomatoes for no reason. If you're growing indeterminate tomatoes, which produce fruit regularly over the course of a season, pruning is essential.

How do you keep tomato plants from growing too tall?

Top the tomato plant when it grows to the top of its cage or stake. By doing this, it allows more of the plant's energy to be directed at growing the fruit as opposed to the stems. Cut off each top vertical stem with shears, removing the stem 1/4 inch above where a side shoot diverges from the main vertical shoot.

How do you prune overgrown tomato plants?

Trim back overgrown plants by selecting the three strongest stems and removing all others at the base. Avoid cutting off more than one third of the plant. Trim off dead and broken branches. Remove unwanted growth shoots, reduce overly long branches and pinch off suckers.

How do I know if my tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate?

Indeterminate varieties have leaves that are spaced out more and look more like vines. Check the flowers and fruit production. If the tomato plant is flowering all at once and producing all of its tomatoes at the same time, then it is a determinate tomato.