Tomato Pruning, Is It Really Necessary to Prune Tomato Plants?
By Brian R Stephens
It seems as though sometimes when working in the garden that there are a lot of tasks that we do that one might sometimes consider as being unnecessary. After all if a plant was growing wild as nature intended they would not get lavish care and attention would they?
Clearly the answer to that question is ‘no of course not’, so why then do we do it. Its a pretty straight forward answer or set of answers really and probably best put in bullet statements:
- We want to increase and optimize the amount of yield we get from our plants
- we want to increase and optimize the best tasting fruit in terms of flavor
- We want our fruit to look great when served
- We want our plants to last as long as possible in the growing season and continue to produce fruit.
So in order to meet these objectives we take actions that would not necessarily occur in nature, after all what is nature’s prime objective, I think it is survival of the fittest and strongest but that does not always meet our objectives and it is why we develop plant strains that do, so the price we pay occasionally is to increase the level of care required to ensure we meet our objectives.
This has never been truer than when growing tomatoes, so when asked the question is it really necessary to prune tomato plants the answer has to be a resounding yes, as long as we are clear that we are discussing the tomato vine option and not the tomato bush option. The reasons are also fairly clear when listed:
- Keeping the vine clear of the ground by clipping off the lower stems will help ensure that they remain disease free.
- Taking out the excess stems that are not doing so well will mean that the remaining healthy stems get their full quota of nutrients and produce lots of wonderful fruit
- Keeping the plant down in size with only healthy thriving stems will mean you can utilise available space for more plants but still allow the plants to receive the optimum amounts of sunshine and nutrients they need to flourish.
So yes there is a price to pay for producing great tomatoes, but that price is very small in comparison to the rewards. If you haven’t already experienced the satisfaction of picking your own fresh fruits from your garden then when you do you will fully understand what I mean.
Visit pruning tomatoes for more tips and advice on tomato growing.
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I’m not so sure if the answer to the pruning tomato question is as clear cut as you suggest. There are lots of reasons not to prune indeterminate plants. For example, making a wound in the plant increases the chance they they will get infected.
Hi Bill. yes you are right pruning does leave a wound but having leaves trailing the ground is also a likely cause of disease. It really comes down to a question of balance and what is considered the bigger risk. Same when it comes down to letting the plant run rampant versus pruning to control space and ensure the remaining fruit ripens.
I’ve got a tomato plant out in the yard and wanted to know about the likelihood of a plant getting a disease. It’s not a farm but just my little garden. If I prune, how likely is it my plant will get infected?
Hi Maggie, that is not really possible to quantify, the question is more whether you will benefit more or less through pruning. The answer to that is that there are times when pruning is recommended for very good reason, like allowing the plant to get more air through it, or keeping the lower trusses clear from the ground. But the plain fact is if you prune you leave the plant slightly more susceptible to contamination and disease, but as stated, there are times when it is worth the risk.