The question arises every single summer as tomato plants begin to grow – should you or shouldn’t you remove the suckers on tomato plants? And, do I need to even prune my tomato plants at all?
Tomato suckers have long been the topic for hot debate among avid tomato growers. On one side, you have long-time growers that insist that removing the suckers is a must. And at the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of seasoned gardening veterans that say removing suckers is a waste of time and effort.
So who is right? And in addition to knowing if you should prune off suckers or not, how much pruning should you be doing on your tomato plants?
The first step to knowing the answers to these all important question is knowing exactly what a tomato sucker is – and what its purpose is to the plant.
Tomato suckers are side shoots that grow in the joint of where the stem and branch of a tomato plant meet. In some cases, suckers can grow to only be a small set of small leaves. Other times, they can grow to become quite large branches – complete with a big main stem and even more suckers of their own as well. But are they good to allow to grow?
Removing Tomato Suckers – To Prune Or Not To Prune Suckers
One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to tomato suckers is that they cannot produce blooms or fruit. They can actually do both quite well. If left to grow on their own, the branches, stems and fruit that suckers produce can be significant. In fact, as much as thirty percent or more of the plant’s total fruit if all were allowed to grow.
So, knowing that little fact, why would you ever want to remove suckers? The answer is all about quality over quantity!
Why Removing Tomato Suckers Is The Best Option
When it comes to pruning tomato plants, pruning off the large majority of suckers truly is the best option for a better harvest. And it’s so easy to do! There is no need for fancy pruners – just pinch them off with your fingernails as they develop, and in seconds, you can help to keep your plant under control.
Allowing the suckers to remain will indeed allow your plant the opportunity to produce more tomatoes. It certainly goes without saying that with more branches and flowers, there will be more fruit.
But, and this is a key point in why pruning suckers off is the better option, that fruit will not be as large. In addition, your tomatoes may also not have as much flavor either. And even more, all of that growth can really leave your soil depleted of nutrients!
Tomato plants require a tremendous amount of nutrients to grow, produce flowers and set their fruit. And when a tomato plant is allowed to grow at will, it burns more energy than ever. So much so that with an overabundance of branches, flowers and fruit, it doesn’t have enough energy left to grow sizable tomatoes – or help to intensify the flavor of the tomatoes it produces.
By removing suckers, the plant doesn’t have to maintain or expend energy on growing excess foliage. And with less foliage, there will also be less flowers and fruit to develop as well. The good news? All of that extra energy can go instead to producing bigger, more flavorful tomatoes!
Pruning The Base Of Your Tomato Plants
In addition to removing tomato suckers, a little extra pruning at the base of your tomato plant will also pay huge dividends when it comes to the health of your plants – and the quality and quantity of your harvest.
One of the most vulnerable parts of a growing tomato plant is its base. When too many branches and stems are left near the bottom of a plant, it can make it easy for pests and disease to gain access to the foliage and fruit above. And once that happens, it can put an entire harvest in jeopardy.
Blight, one of the deadliest of all tomato diseases, occurs from spores in the soil getting on plants. And when leaves and branches of a tomato plant touch or are near the soil – the deadly spores can easily splash up on them whenever it rains or you water. See : How To Stop Tomato Blight – 3 Simple Secrets To Keep Your Plants Safe!
All of those low hanging leaves also make it easy for pest to hide and climb up onto plants too! Aphids, whiteflies, hornworms and other tomato pests can easily hide under all of that low foliage, building their populations as they do so.
3 More Reasons To Remove Suckers & Prune The Bottom Of Tomato Plants!
There are three other very important reasons to prune the bottom of your tomato plants up – and those happen to be air, light and water. When you allow a large mass of stems, branches and leaves at the bottom of your plant – it can block all three!
Listen In To Our Podcast Below On Pruning Tomatoes For Even More Great Pruning Tips!
When it comes to air flow, good circulation is a critical key to keep plants both healthy and productive. When air and sunlight can more easily get to a plant, it helps dry off excess moisture. Moisture that can harbor mildew and other disease.
Opening up the bottom of your tomato plant also allows it to have better access to oxygen. Finally, the better the air flow, the better the chances for pollination to occur. When more open, pollinators and wind aided pollination can both gain easier access to blooms.
Just as important to tomato plants is getting adequate water. Unfortunately, a thick mass of stems and leaves at a plant’s base can actually shed water away from a plant. But by simply pruning your plants off the ground, water is able to more easily find its way to the root zone of plants where it’s needed most.
How To Prune Tomatoes Up
As your plants grow and mature, trim off the bottom set of leaves and branches. At first, trim up so young plants have at least 4 to 6 inches of space above the soil. At full maturity, large indeterminate tomatoes should have 12 to 18 inches of space. For smaller varieties and determinate types, prune up 8 to 12 inches at full maturity.
Here is to removing those tomato suckers this year, pruning your plants up – and to a healthier and better harvest of tomatoes!
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