How to prune tomato plants: A guide for beginners

Every gardener wants strong tomato plants. It’s no wonder. The sturdier and stronger the plants are—with large, well-branched roots—the more likely we are to harvest beautiful, large, and, above all, sweet tomatoes. That’s exactly why we need to take care of our tomatoes throughout the entire growing season. Not only should generous watering—ideally in the morning—be a given, but pruning tomatoes is also important. How should we go about it? We’ll explain that in the following paragraphs and include illustrative pictures as well.

Side shoots must go

Exactly. Between the main stem of the tomato plant and the leaves, additional side shoots grow. If we left the plant alone, it would form a large bush characterized by many such large main shoots. As a result, all the energy the plant absorbs from the soil would go to those shoots, not to the fruit. But that’s where we need it, since we want beautiful, sweet little tomatoes.

All you need are your hands

That’s right. When we pinch off the tomato’s side shoots, we don’t need anything at all. Just grasp the shoot at its base with your thumb and index finger. With a sideways motion, simply snap the shoot off at the very base. It will come off very easily without much effort. Essentially, you’ll be left with a plant that has one large main stem and plenty of leaves, flowers, and fruit. It will also grow quite tall.

Photo: Radek Stepan

We mustn’t forget the shoots growing from the underside of the plant either

These also grow and are often quite inconspicuous. Still, they must be removed. We need to snap them off in much the same way as we do with the side shoots. It just takes a little more force. In a pinch, you can even use scissors.

Pinching the plant back is usually a good idea, too

That’s right. If the plant is pinched back correctly, it grows tall. At a certain height, it’s worth pinching it back completely. This way, the energy won’t go further up the stem but will instead go into the fruit. We usually pinch back the plant at a height of about 180 cm.

Sources: Author—grower

Photo: Pixabay