How to Prune Your Tomatoes
By Kira Hamman
If you grow indeterminate tomatoes, as most heirloom and many hybrid varieties are, then you’re going to need to prune your tomato plants.
Like most plants, tomatoes need light and air to thrive, and careful pruning is a great way to make sure they’re getting both.
Entire books have been written on this topic, some of them quite good, but it’s really not as complicated as all that.
To do a respectable job of pruning your tomato plants, simply follow this checklist:
1. Prune off any branches that are touching the ground. These are more likely to introduce fungus or pests to the plant, so getting rid of them is a good idea.
2. Prune suckers, the little shoots that emerge in the crotch between the main stem and a side leaf branch. These use up the plant’s energy but don’t produce much in the way of fruit.
3. Prune branches that shoot off at strange angles and will thus be difficult to support when they’re carrying several pounds of ripening fruit.
4. Prune where branches are so close together that they are shading each other. Ideally, you want each leaf to be exposed to the sun.
5. That’s it.
If you prefer a more comprehensive approach, a fantastic article about pruning tomato plants is available from Fine Gardening. Myself, I prefer an iced tea in the hammock.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:27 am
I KNEW I was supposed to do something with all that growth! This is the first year we’ve had such fabulous tomato vines and they’re monsters! I did prune out non-producing shoots and those on the ground. I didn’t know if I was supposed to, but figured it couldn’t hurt. Thanks for this post!
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:24 am
Glad we could help, Kylee! And congratulations on your monstrous tomato vines!