When do you stop pinching tomato blooms after planting

Tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown fruits around the world. They are very easy to cultivate, and with the proper care, they can provide you with fruits year-round. Pinching the tomato blossoms is essential to channeling the plant's energy to productive growth, higher yield, and better quality tomatoes. But when should you stop pinching tomato blooms? Let's find out.

What are tomato blooms?

Before we discuss when to stop pinching tomato blooms, you need to understand what they are. Tomato blooms are the yellow flowers that grow on the tomato plant. They are what eventually turn into Tomatoes. The flowers are beautiful, and they are the pride of the plant. Tomatoes are self-pollinating, meaning the pollen from the flower is transferred to the stigma through wind, bees, or even by hand. Once the flower is pollinated, it wilts, and the tomato begins to form behind the blossom.

Why should you pinch tomato blooms?

Pinching tomato blooms is essential to focus the plant's energy and resources on productive growth instead of fruit production. Tomatoes thrive from being pruned back. Once the plant reaches 12 to 18 inches tall, you should pinch back the top of the main stem. This enables the plant to direct more of its energy to the lower parts of the plant, resulting in additional branching and stronger growth.

After the plant has reached its desired size, pinching the blooms can help divert the plant's energy and nutrients to existing fruits, resulting in larger, healthier, and more abundant tomato harvests.

When should you stop pinching tomato blooms?

There are two schools of thought on when you should stop pinching tomato blooms. The first is to stop pinching once the blossom set arrives. Blossom set is when there are two open flowers on the plant. At this point, the plant's energy is diverted to fruit production, and the tomatoes will begin to form. You should stop pinching the flowers at this point to allow the tomatoes to begin to grow.

The second school of thought states that you should stop pinching the blooms after mid-season. If you live in an area with a long growing season, this would be around July or August. You'll want to stop pinching the blooms at this point to ensure the plant has ample time to produce and mature the remaining fruit. The reasoning behind this is that you want the plant's remaining energy to go directly to the fruit that has already formed and is still developing.

Conclusion

Tomatoes are a common fruit that many people grow. Taking care of them and making sure you pinch their blooms at the right time is essential to ensure that they have a strong, healthy, and productive growing season. Two schools of thought dictate when to stop pinching tomato blooms, but no matter which one you follow, it is essential to stop pinching them at some point to allow the plant to focus on fruit development.