Taming Tomatoes

Just a Snip Here and There ....

Before

After

Tomato plants have the tendency to grow wild, especially when they ae happy. Long sinuous stems beget even more stems with flowers, fruit and leaves competing for space, air and light. Shoots bend and break under the weight of the ripening fruit. Tomatoes rot on the vine as they go unnoticed, while others become diseased due to the crowded conditions. Suckers run rampant taking up precious space and blocking light, while they pump out even more flowers and fruit. The season just isn’t long enough for all those flowers to produce harvestable tomatoes.

A stem that is no longer supported has bent under the weight of its fruit.

Suckers form at stem axils and are best removed before they become too long.

At the end of the season shorten stems to a cluster of fruit to promote ripening.

Ongoing maintenance throughout the growing season is beneficial. Plants generally respond favorably to some judicious pruning and training as they grow. Since plants grow quickly, it should become a weekly task to keep them in check to make sure stems are supported and to remove overcrowded growth. If you leave it too long, then you’ll be removing too much at one time – which causes stress followed by wilting and disease. Only remove one quarter of excess growth at one time. Water well after pruning and fertilize with an organic fertilizer to help the plant bounce back.

This sucker needs to be removed despite the flowers as it is superfluous growth.

Remove suckers at their base.

In August and/or September growing healthy fruit that ripens in time before frost arrives is the name of the game. Flowers and immature fruit should be removed. So should foliage that shades developing fruit and stems that continue to pump out flowers at the expense of existing fruit.

To encourage this cluster of Pozzano tomatoes to ripen, cut the remainder of the stem off.

Once the rest of the stem has been removed the fruit should ripen quickly.

Remove suckers and any excess growth that form along stems.

At the end of the season cut off new stems at their origin.

Ouch! Keep on top of tomatoes as they grow to prevent such vegan cruelty!

Upon further inspection, this side shoot (sucker) also had to be removed.

The stem was bent over because it was too long and overloaded with fruit.

The sucker is removed.

To reduce the weight, cut the stem just above a a good cluster of fruit.

The same stem is secured to the sturdy tomato cage.

Leaves that shade the tomatoes slow down ripening.

Once the leaf is cut back (not removed) air and sunshine can penetrate.

Leaves are hiding the fruit within.

Care must be taken esposed don't become sun scalded, if they have been in deep shade.

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Tamed Pozzano and Early Girl tomatoes.

Pozzano tomatoes.

What to Remove

ongoing: Remove suckers as they develop and preferably when they are small.
ongoing: Ensure all stems are supported so they don’t bend or break.
ongoing: Straighten and secure all bent stems.
ongoing: Remove suckers that develop on existing fruiting stems.
ongoing: Remove any diseased or damaged fruit and plant parts asap.
late summer: Cut back stems to a cluster of ripening fruit.
late summer: Remove flowers and immature fruit clusters that will not have time to ripen before frost.
late summer: Expose ripening fruit by removing or cutting back some of the leaves that shade them. Be cautious not to remove too much foliage, especially if the fruit hasn't seen the light of day.
after pruning: Water and fertilize with an organic fertilizer.