Pruning tomatoes directs the plant's energy into fruit instead of excess leaves, improves airflow, and helps prevent disease. This is mainly for indeterminate (vining) varieties, which keep growing all season. Done right, it means bigger, cleaner fruit and a tidier plant.
What you'll need
- Clean, sharp pruning snips or scissors
- Optional: rubbing alcohol to wipe blades
- Garden gloves
Step by step
- Know your plant typePrune indeterminate (vining) tomatoes freely; determinate (bush) types set fruit all at once, so leave them mostly alone beyond removing damaged growth.
- Pinch out the suckersFind the small shoots growing in the V between the main stem and a leaf branch, and pinch them off while they are small, ideally under a couple of inches.
- Remove lower leavesStrip off leaves that touch or nearly touch the soil, since soil splash on foliage is a common way disease spreads.
- Take off yellow or damaged growthSnip away any leaves that are yellowing, spotted, or crowding the center to open up airflow through the plant.
- Cap the top late in the seasonAbout a month before your first expected frost, cut off the growing tips so the plant ripens the fruit it already has instead of starting new ones.
Handy tips
- Prune in the morning on a dry day so cuts heal before cooler, damper evening air.
- Pinch small suckers by hand rather than cutting to leave a smaller wound.
- Support the main stem with a stake or cage as you remove side growth.
Heads up
- Wipe blades with rubbing alcohol between plants if any plant looks diseased, to avoid spreading it.
FAQ
Should I prune bush (determinate) tomatoes?
Only lightly. Remove damaged or ground-touching leaves, but heavy pruning reduces the harvest because they fruit all at once.
What is a sucker?
A sucker is the new shoot that grows in the angle between the main stem and a leaf. Left alone it becomes another fruiting stem.
Can I over-prune a tomato plant?
Yes. Leaves feed the plant and shade the fruit, so removing too many can slow growth and expose tomatoes to sunscald.