Pruning Fresh Market Tomatoes

            Pruning tomatoes helps maintain a balance between vegetative and reproductive growth.  If tomato plants are not pruned or pruned very little, plants will produce excessive vegetative growth and smaller fruit.

            “Moderate pruning leaves plants with smaller vines and larger fruit that will mature earlier. Pruning also keeps fruit off the ground, helping to control diseases,” says Dr. Joe Kemble, an Extension horticulturist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

            The most common method is to prune to a two-stemmed plant by pinching off lateral branches (suckers) as they appear in the axils of each leaf.

            To achieve this balance, remove all suckers up to the one immediately below the first flower cluster.  A single pruning will usually be adequate. A later pruning may be needed to remove suckers growing from the ground at the base of the plant. Remove suckers when they are small – 2 to 4 inches long – because letting them get large wastes plant energy and provides an entry point for plant pathogens.

            Prune early in the morning after plants have dried. Indeterminate varieties may need to be topped if the vines grow above the top of the stakes.  Use a knife or machete.

            Although pruning requires a lot of effort, the benefits of doing it are more marketable fruit, easier harvesting and reduced injury to plants when multiple harvests are being made.         

            For more information, call your county Extension office.

Source:  Dr. Joe Kemble, Horticulturist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System

(334) 844-3050