Tomato plants are one of the easiest to grow, since in addition to being able to be planted in the garden, they also produce an interesting amount of fruit if they are in a pot. But, although their maintenance is very simple, one of the things we must do if we want to increase their production is to prune them. The question is: how?
If you have no idea when or how to prune tomatoes, this is your article. Read on to learn all about pruning this magnificent plant.
When was it pruned?
Pruning tomatoes should begin as soon as the suckers start to sprout; that is, those twigs that come out right in the middle between the main stem and a branch. In addition, it is also done if you want to expose the trunk.
How is it pruned?
To prune tomatoes you simply need pruning scissors (you can also use children's or kitchen scissors) previously disinfected with pharmacy alcohol. Then you just have to cut suckers carefully, making the cut as close as possible to the main stem.
Why is it done?
The goal of pruning tomatoes is get more robust plants, which are capable of producing a large quantity of fruits. If it were allowed to grow on its own, it would spend a lot of energy in the development of those suckers, and not in the production of tomatoes, which is what interests us the most.
Can suckers root?
Yes; In fact, if you would like to have new tomato plants, you just have to impregnate the base of the suckers once they have been cut with homemade rooting agents and plant them in a pot or in another part of the garden. After a week they will have their own roots.
Of course, important: They will only be viable if they measure at least 10 centimeters; otherwise they will not serve you.
Did you find it interesting?
Hi! Normally I remove the suckers from the Tomatoes and the Cherry Tomatoes, but in reality I don't know if I'm doing the right thing because I have a plant that I'm letting them grow and I see that those suckers grow more flowers to get more fruits; So if I remove the suckers, wouldn't I be reducing fruit production?
Hi nicole.
In fact, the pruning of the tomatoes is done mainly so that the stems do not break under the weight of the fruits.
You can leave the suckers if you want, but as you say, they produce a lot of flowers, and that's a lot of future tomatoes that could cause them to crack.
Greetings.