Pruning Tomato Plants

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If you decide to stake your indeterminate tomatoes, it helps them grow properly when they are pruned as well. Pruning of tomato plants makes staking much easier. It reduces the number of vines that require being tied and keeps the tomato plants in a more manageable shape.

In the simplest of terms, there are three different ways of pruning a tomato plant:

* Pruning to a single stem

* Double-stem pruning

* Multiple-stem pruning

With single-stem pruning, you remove all the shoots from the main stem. When you prune a tomato plant, which are all the shoots that grow in the axils of the leaves, they are removed while small.

The double-stem method of pruning tomatoe plants is when you remove all except the first sucker immediately below the first flower cluster. This first sucker is allowed to develop into a second stem. The two stems are tied to the same stake or opposite stakes and all subsequent suckers are removed from both stems.

Why Prune Tomato Plants?

Tomato plants should be pruned once a week to prevent the young sucker shoots from becoming woody. As the lower leaf branches turn yellow or brown, cut them as well. All cuts and snaps should be flush with the stem. If you want to limit the height of the plant, pinch back the top as it reaches the top of the stake.

Pruning tomatoes plants using the double-stem method benefits production and provides denser foliage which in turn protects the produce from cracking and sunscald. Although, the multiple-stem system requires extra care to train the branches, it produces more fruit and the danger of sunscald and cracking is reduced.

Non-pruned even well-mulched tomatoes suffer from more rot than staked fruit which makes it a good idea for pruning tomato plants. It is always best to prune if you live in a humid climate or during a rainy season when the heavy foliage prevents a quick drying of the vines after the sun comes out. The double-stem and multiple-stem methods are the best way to prune tomato plants for maximum fruit yield.

If the tomato plant leaves are crowded or left lying on the ground, they will not receive adequate sunlight required for growth. Staking and pruning tomato ensures that more sugars will be used in fruit production. The more stems your tomato has, the smaller the fruit will be and produced later in the season.

When to prune a tomato plant

* The best time to prune tomatoes is when the leaves are dry. This will be better for the plant because there will be less risk of disease.

* Begin pruning when the tomato plant is around two feet tall.

* A final pruning typically happens around a month before the first frost is expected. Pruning tomato plants for the fall means that the season is close to an end.

Tomato plant trimming is an often overlooked chore by gardeners. The most important part of pruning tomato plants is to increase yield by taking energy away from foliar growth and concentrating it into growing fruit. Pruning tomato plants is one of the best techniques for producing a healthy and abundant crop.

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