The Complete Guide to Growing Tomatoes by Cherie H. Everhart

Author:Cherie H. Everhart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
Published: 2013-07-22T16:00:00+00:00

Pruning

The idea behind pruning tomato plants is pretty straightforward. First, limiting the growth of foliage will force the plant to focus on fruit development and maturation. Second, removing some of the plant foliage will provide better access to air and light for the remaining foliage and will reduce the likelihood of disease. There are two primary factors that determine when and how you choose to prune your tomato plants: the type of tomato plant and the type of support you have chosen for your plant. Before any more detail on pruning, the following is a brief primer on how tomato plants grow.

The basics of tomato plant growth

As described previously in the book, tomato plants fall into two primary categories that describe the growth habit of the plant — determinate and indeterminate.

Determinate varieties will grow only to a pre-determined height based on the particular variety. They are shorter, bushier, and more compact than indeterminate varieties. New branches form from the inside of the elbow formed between older branches and the main stem. These side shoots are often called suckers. Flower clusters are formed after every two sets of leaves.

Indeterminate varieties will continue to grow almost indefinitely in height, limited only by what support is provided for them. With indeterminates, flower clusters are generally produced after every third leaf structure. Indeterminates will also produce suckers, which, if allowed, will grow indefinitely. This would create plants with multiple highly branched stems. Suckers that form closer to the ground will grow the most vigorously as a result of their proximity to the roots and increased levels of sugar found lower in the plant. As the plant gets taller and taller, sucker production and the robustness of sucker growth will diminish.

Pruning strategies

The best pruning is done by regularly managing the suckers that are produced. Gardeners can easily pinch off suckers with their fingers when the plants are young. Pinching off the sucker with your fingers when it is small and tender is called simple pruning. If the suckers are ignored and allowed to grow into stems, they may become too tough for finger pinching. In this case, snip them with sharp scissors or shears at a point just beyond the first leaves, rather than close in next to the stem. This will help prevent damage to the stem. This is sometimes referred to as ‘Missouri pruning.’ In some areas, all suckers are pruned this way to provide the plant with a little more foliage; therefore, providing shade protection from sunscald. Because determinate tomato growth is self-limiting, many gardeners choose not to prune them at all. Some recommend removing suckers below the level of the first flower cluster, but never remove suckers above the first flower cluster. For determinates, pruning above the first flower cluster will reduce the production of future fruit.

For indeterminate varieties, pruning is done to constrain the plant to a limited number of stems. In many cases, growers prefer one primary stem and will prune aggressively to maintain this stem. When using stakes

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