Tomato suckers are a common feature on tomato plants. It’s essential to understand their roles and management techniques if you want to optimize your tomato harvest.
These small shoots that emerge from the axils, where leaves meet the main stem, can significantly impact the tomato growing stages, health, and productivity of your tomato plants. While some gardeners may leave them to grow, others choose to remove them to direct the plant's energy towards larger, more flavorful fruits.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about tomato suckers, from identification and removal techniques to the benefits and considerations of pruning.
Table of Contents
What Are Suckers on Tomato Plants?
Tomato suckers are small shoots that grow in the junction between the main stem and a leaf of a tomato plant, also known as the “axil”. These suckers can develop into full-grown stems with branches, flowers, and fruit. While they can produce tomatoes, many gardeners remove them to manage the plant's growth and improve its health. Pruning suckers can help direct the plant's energy into the main stem, resulting in larger fruits and better airflow, which reduces the risk of disease.
What Are Suckers on Tomato Plants?
However, whether to remove suckers depends on the type of tomato plant. Indeterminate tomatoes, which continue to grow throughout the season, often benefit from sucker removal to prevent them from becoming too dense and unruly. In contrast, determinate tomatoes, which grow to a certain height and then stop, do not need sucker removal as they are more compact and produce fruit within a shorter period.
Should Tomato Suckers be Pruned?
Whether to prune tomato plants or remove suckers depends on the type of tomato plant.
For Indeterminate Tomato Plants
It’s recommended to prune indeterminate tomatoes. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow throughout the season and can become very large and unruly if not managed. Pruning suckers helps direct the plant's energy towards the main stem, resulting in larger fruits. It also improves airflow, reduces disease risk, and makes it easier to spot pests.
Indeterminate Tomato Plants
For Determinate Tomato Plants
It is not necessary to prune determinate tomatoes. Determinate tomatoes have a more compact growth habit and stop growing once they reach a certain height. They produce most of their fruit within a short period, and pruning suckers won't significantly promote plant growth and increase yield. Instead, removing suckers from determinate plants can reduce the number of tomatoes produced.
Determinate Tomato Plants
What Happens if You Don’t Pinch out Tomato Suckers?
If you don’t pinch out tomato suckers, several things can happen:
- Increased Number of Tomatoes: The suckers will grow into additional fruit-producing branches, resulting in more tomatoes overall. However, these tomatoes will generally be smaller.
- Reduced Airflow and Increased Disease Risk: The plant will become denser and more bushy, which can reduce airflow and increase the likelihood of powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. Better airflow helps to keep the plant dry and healthy.
- Less Efficient Energy Use: The plant will distribute its energy among more stems and leaves, rather than focusing it on the main stem and fruit. This can lead to smaller, less flavorful tomatoes.
- More Difficult Maintenance: A more dense plant structure can make it harder to manage pests and diseases, as well as to harvest the tomatoes.
- Extended Fruiting Period: If you leave the suckers, you'll enjoy a longer fruiting period, as more branches mean more opportunities for fruit production over time.
- Potential for Overgrowth: Indeterminate tomato plants, which continue to grow throughout the season, can become very large and unruly if all suckers are left to grow. This can make staking and supporting the plant more challenging.
In contrast, determinate tomato plants, which have a more compact growth habit and stop growing once they reach a certain height, do not typically benefit from sucker removal. Pruning suckers on determinate plants can reduce yield, as they are genetically programmed to produce a certain amount of fruit within a short window.
Ultimately, whether to pinch out tomato suckers depends on your specific goals. If you want larger, fewer tomatoes with better airflow and easier maintenance, pruning is recommended for indeterminate plants. If you prefer more tomatoes, regardless of size, and don't mind a denser plant, you can leave the suckers.
When to Prune Tomato Suckers?
You can prune tomato suckers early in the morning when the plant is well-hydrated and less stressed. It's best to remove suckers when they are small, about 1/2 inch long, to avoid damaging the plant and to prevent them from taking too much energy from the main stem. Regular monitoring and timely removal are key, especially during the active growing season.
When to Prune Tomato Suckers?
For indeterminate tomato plants, which continue to grow throughout the season, consistent sucker removal helps maintain plant health and fruit quality. However, for determinate varieties, which have a more compact growth habit and produce fruit within a shorter period, sucker removal is generally not necessary.
How to Remove Suckers from Tomato Plants?
It’s straightforward to remove suckers from tomato plants. For small suckers, you can remove suckers from tomato plants with your fingers; for larger suckers, you can use pruning shears or scissors.
Here is the basic steps to prune tomato suckers.
1. Identify the Suckers
Suckers grow in the axil, which is the junction between the main stem and a leaf. They look like small shoots or branches. Check the plant regularly, especially during the growing season, as suckers can appear quickly.
2. Disinfect Your Tools
For small suckers (less than 1/2 inch long), you can use your fingers to pinch them off. Place your thumb and forefinger around the base of the sucker and gently snap it off. Be careful not to damage the main stem.
3. Pinch Out Small Suckers
For small suckers (less than 1/2 inch long), you can use your fingers to pinch them off. Place your thumb and forefinger around the base of the sucker and gently snap it off. Be careful not to damage the main stem.
4. Prune Larger Suckers
For larger suckers, use pruning shears or scissors. Make a clean cut close to the main stem, but avoid cutting into the main stem itself. Ensure the cut is smooth to promote quick healing.
5. Remove Suckers Early
It’s easier to remove suckers when they are small. The larger they grow, the more difficult they are to remove and the more energy they will have taken from the plant.
6. Monitor and Repeat
Continue to monitor your tomato plants regularly for new suckers. Removing tomato suckers early and consistently will help maintain the plant’s health and productivity.
FAQs About Pruning Tomato Plants
By the end of the article, we’ll answer several FAQs about pruning tomato plants.
Which shoots do I remove from tomato plants?
When pruning tomato plants, you should remove the shoots that grow in the axils, which are the junctions between the main stem and the leaves. These shoots, known as suckers, can divert energy from the main stem and reduce airflow, potentially leading to smaller fruits and increased disease risk. Focus on removing suckers when they are small, about 1/2 inch long, to avoid damaging the plant.
For indeterminate tomato plants, which grow continuously throughout the season, regular sucker removal helps maintain plant health and fruit quality. However, for determinate varieties, which have a more compact growth habit and produce fruit within a shorter period, sucker removal is generally not necessary.
How to identify tomato side shoots?
To identify tomato side shoots, also known as suckers, look for small shoots that emerge from the axil, which is the junction where a leaf meets the main stem of the plant. These suckers grow at an angle and can develop into additional branches if left unchecked. They are typically smaller and more tender than the main stem and leaves. Regularly inspect your tomato plants, especially during the growing season, to spot these side shoots early. Removing them when they are small, about 1/2 inch long, is easiest and least damaging to the plant. This helps direct the plant's energy towards the main stem and fruit production, improving overall plant health and yield.
When should you pinch out the tops of tomato plants?
You should pinch out the tops of tomato plants when they reach a certain height or when they have produced a sufficient number of fruit trusses, depending on the type of tomato plant and your gardening goals. For indeterminate tomato plants, which continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season, pinching out the tops can help control their size and encourage the plant to focus its energy on ripening existing fruit.
This is especially useful towards the end of the growing season, typically around 4-6 weeks before the first expected frost, to ensure that the remaining tomatoes have enough time to ripen. For determinate tomato plants, which have a more compact growth habit and produce fruit within a shorter period, pinching out the tops is generally not necessary, as they naturally stop growing once they reach a certain height and produce their fruit.
