# How To Prune Tomato Plants



## [email protected]_Tomato_Plants

Hi,

Thank you for listing the advantages and disadvantages of pruning or "pinching off" the little suckers from the tomato plants. In all my 30+ years of gardening I have never done this. Oh I have wanted to try it, but with usually between 35-42 tomato plants, and a 50x50 garden. Well, I never seemed to find the time. We always have a good crop, but have a tendency to get the early and late blight. 

Thank you for your article, I learned a lot. 

Kevin


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## karen1

Are you reading my mind with these great posts? Just this evening I was wondering about pruning b/c someone mentioned it at gardenchat. Some of my bigger tomato plants have long branches so I've begun weaving jute twine around cages for even more support (so they don't bend down towards ground). I wondered if I should prune the branches back -- so very glad I read your post first. Thanks Tee!
.-= karen´s last blog ..Sweet Escape =-.


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## [email protected]_Life_on_the_Balcony

I used to always pinch off the suckers, but this year I was lazy and didn't. I have been surprised to see that the suckers on my tomato plants have produced flowers and fruit. Am I seeing things, or do some tomatoes do that? They are indeterminate cherry-type tomatoes if that makes any difference.


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## Tee

Hi Fern, you are not seeing things, the suckers will produce blooms and fruit if not pinched, especially for an indeterminate. I know what you mean about being lazy. I generally pinch my tomatoes back until they start setting fruit. This year I pinched at first, then lost track. 

Now I have plants that are very top heavy. It's going to be interesting this year trying to keep them upright LOL


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## Jason

Great article, I'm new to gardening and was wondering about this. Thank you! -Jason


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## element321

I normally do not prune my Toms back. Its just to hot here. I will trim back the suckers and diseased sections of the plants. Sometimes I will trim nice sections of the plant for propagation for a early winter harvest.


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## Alisha_Simmons

Thank you for sending this information. THis is my secound year growing tomtoes and this year they are great. Just one thing, I did no prunning and the plante are just doing there thing and lots of fruite. Thank you for helping me with great information.


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## hjsher1

I think prunning is a good idea, but what about prunning off the very top of the plant when it gets too tall? I stake my plants with stakes that are about 5 to 5 1/2 ft. tall and when the plant grows about a foot taller then the stakes and when there are many flowers below the top down to the middle or so, I've been prunning off the top including any partial buds that haven't bloomed yet..These plants have several flowers and little green tomatoes well below the top and I thought this process would serve the same purpose as prunning out those suckers....I don't want the plants to get so big & I think what I'm doing will make the lower flowers be more productive....(I have a lot of tomato plants and so I'm not worried about not having enough tomatoes to eat....What do you think? My email addr. is [email protected] Thanks!


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## Gilbert1

I seem to be getting blight from the bottom going up on a couple tomato plants.... does anyone know why....? And also, why are my tomatos growing with cracks in them. I am watering them every other day... or should I increase the watering? They do get plant food and mixed a concoction from Jerry Baker's book. Could the leaves on the bottom touching the ground be causing this???


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## Tee

Hi Gilbert - if your plants are contracting blight then the bottom leaves touching the soil could be a factor. Blight is a fungus and soil-borne, so if the soil contact the soil that's where it's coming from most likely. You can trim the bottom sets of leaves off the plant so it isn't touching the soil. A copper fungicide can be used to help treat blight, but it's a tough disease to treat. 

The cracking results from a sudden influx of water once the tomato has started to ripen some. The skin on the tomato will toughen up as it gets close to ripening. A sudden rain that dumps a lot of water will cause the tomato to start growing again and the skin will crack open.
Good luck!


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## Tina_Rosacker

Tee: I did the same thing this year and now I have top heavy plants. I am beginning to see more flowers. I was wondering if there was a way to stop the plant from growing up and start producing fruit at this point? I believe I have less than a month before the possibility of frost. Any ideas?


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## Tee

Hi Tina - The best thing I've found for getting the tomato plant to stop growing up and bush out is to pinch the tops of the plant off. This will encourage bushier growth and force the plant to concentrate its energy in developing fruit.

As the top grows continue to just snip it off.


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## GoviP

Love your post, however I cut my tomato leader thinking it was a sucker. Will it grow back, or am I tomatoless? Thanks! ~First year gardener.


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## Barbara4

First time container gardening thank you for help!


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