Can I shorten tomato plants?

Top the tomato plant when it grows to the top of its cage or stake. By doing this, it allows more of the plant’s energy to be directed at growing the fruit as opposed to the stems. Cut off each top vertical stem with shears, removing the stem 1/4 inch above where a side shoot diverges from the main vertical shoot.

What happens if you cut the top off of a tomato plant?

Called “topping,” this type of pruning causes the plant to stop flowering and setting new fruit, and instead directs all sugars to the remaining fruit. This way, the fruit will ripen faster, plus it becomes more likely that the green tomatoes you pick before frost will actually ripen when you bring them indoors.

Can I cut branches off tomato plants?

Using a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears, snip these small sucker branches off. The best time to prune tomato plants is in the early morning on a dry day. This will allow for the wounds from the pruning to heal cleanly and will reduce the chances of the plant being infected by disease.

How do you keep indeterminate tomatoes small?

As a young plant, prune these tomatoes to one main stem, removing suckers as they develop. Because plants are pruned to grow vertically, they take up less space, making this a good option for small space gardening.

Can I cut my tomato plants back?

Tomato plants can be cut back any time, but there are better times than others. If the vines are heat-stressed or straggly, it makes sense to cut the vine back to promote a vigorous flush of healthy new growth. Sometimes, a second crop of tomatoes will grow after the plants have been cut back.

Should I cut my tomato plants back?

Does pruning tomato plants increase yield?

Pruning, or selectively removing some of the tomato plant growth, can improve harvestable yields and prolong the harvest season. Further, keeping tomato plants off the ground reduces common fungal diseases like early blight, Septoria leaf spot, and anthracnose, and improves fruit quality.

How to grow indeterminate Tomatoes in your garden?

You can save space in the garden and focus on fruit production by growing indeterminate tomato plants vertically up poles, arbors, trellises, fences, or as an espalier. They can be trained and trimmed easily to grow as single stemmed, heavy fruit bearing plants by removing excess tomato plant leaves and sucker stems that form along the main stem.

Will my tomato plant grow new stems if I cut them?

The way it responded to my pruning reminded me of the mythical hydra, sprouting new stems, leaves and flowers wherever I snipped and pinched. Your tomato plant won’t really instantly grow three new stems in the place of every stem you cut, but it will reward your pruning efforts with a bounty of delicious fruit.

How do I Stop my tomato plants from growing too tall?

Topping the Plant Before It Grows Too Tall. Top the tomato plant when it grows to the top of its cage or stake. By doing this, it allows more of the plant’s energy to be directed at growing the fruit as opposed to the stems.

How do you prune tomato plants without killing them?

Select a side shoot to prune back to at the desired height of the plant. Do not forget to cut back the tops weekly as the plant puts on new growth. Each time you top the plant it diverts energy to the lateral stems, which slows top growth and may stop it completely. Top tomatoes promptly when they begin to grow too tall.