How to Sucker Tomato Plants

Tomatoes are a popular fruit and are often grown in home gardens. To ensure that your tomato plants grow healthy, strong, and productive, it's important to prune them regularly. One important task is known as "suckering". Suckering involves removing the small shoots that grow in the "crotch" between the stem and a branch. Here's how to sucker tomato plants:

Step 1: Know When to Sucker

The ideal time to sucker your tomato plants is when they are young and the shoots are small. It's essential to check your plants every few days to ensure that leaves or fruits are not shading the suckers. If suckers get too big, they can sap the plant's energy and become more difficult to remove.

Step 2: Locate the Suckers

When you inspect your tomato plants, you'll see that small shoots grow in the "armpit" between the stem and a branch. These are the suckers. If they are no more than a few inches long, you can remove them quickly and easily with your fingers.

Step 3: Decide Which Suckers to Remove

Not all suckers need to be removed. In fact, producing a few suckers can lead to a bushier plant and more fruit. However, too many suckers can result in a lot of extra greenery and less fruit. Choose to remove the suckers that are less important for your plant's structure and growth.

Step 4: Remove the Suckers

To remove a sucker, gently hold it with one hand and pinch it off with the other hand. If the shoot is longer, use a sharp pair of garden shears to cut it off as close to the main stem as possible. When you are done removing suckers, you should be able to see a clear pattern of the plant's growth, with the main stem meeting each branch.

Step 5: Repeat the Process

Suckering is not a one-time task; it's necessary to repeat the process every few days as new shoots continue to appear. Regular suckering encourages your tomato plant to put its energy into producing fruit, rather than wasting it on unnecessary growth. In addition to standard suckering, you can keep an eye out for stems that have grown too tall and remove those as well; tomatoes thrive when they have a balanced structure.

Now that you know how to sucker tomato plants, you can help your plants grow healthier, stronger, and with more fruit. With this simple technique, you can grow an abundant crop of delicious tomatoes in your own backyard.