the branches

I think the thin air up there has gotten to terrybull.

It means side shoots or suckers that grow from between the main stem and leaf stem. Trusses and leaf stems do not create new growth points.

So they would recommend four side shoots/suckers? How is that beneficial? Why not just remove all of them?

I don't prune at all unless I get insect or disease infested. I let all suckers grow and produce. I'm not looking for the worlds largest tomato.

I don't know who "they" are or why they make such recommendations. Like Taz and millions of others, I don't prune at all. No reason to. Pruning is strictly optional. It is NOT required.

Dave

I don't prune either. The more leaves and branches the better. It helps protect the fruit from sun scald which seams to be more of a problem in states with hotter summers.

organicwonderful,

Some reasons to prune:

---if you want your tomato plants to be more compact (some traditional European practices involve pruning all the side branches, leaving just one main stem, which can then be supported by a metal spiral stake---they sell these at Lee Valley; seems labour intensive to me but some people like the look)
---if you want the largest fruits possible (pruned plants will produce fewer fruits, but larger ones; you'll still get less total tomato if you prune, but some gardeners don't care about total yield and want big fruits)

Some people also prune anything that would be down on the soil (what that means depends on the support method being used). It reduces the chances of getting a soil-borne fungus.

Me, I prune any part of a plant that gets in the way (sprawling too far over to interfere with the next plant in the bed, for example) or that shows signs of disease, but otherwise leave it be.

As others have said, pruning is optional. So it supporting/staking; you can let plants sprawl on the ground, as they do in nature, if you have that kind of room.

Good luck,

Z

likewise, all I prune is any branch/leaves that have any sign of disease, plants touching or close to the ground and as I grow my toms close together due to space I also remove some branches to get a better airflow between plants.

I prune my plants to 4 main leaders (stems). I use PVC
pipe as cages and since there are 4 legs, I tie one leader
to each leg.

I don't have room to sprawl, so in order to have more
than a few plants, I prune.

You'll find folks passionate about one way or the other,
but in all reality, both ways work. It just depends on
your personal situation. Neither way is right or wrong.

It's part of the 'do what works best for you' theory.

Here's my results. I think you can see I get a pretty
good amount of fruit.

I said "I don't prune at all unless I get insect or disease infested" and that's not true. I do prune anything touching or coming close to the ground and I may open plants up a little if too densely packed to avoid disease.

I also do some pruning but only when I need to in order to keep leaves and branches off the ground or to increase air flow. In my 4' 8" X 10' 8" trellis the Sun Gold's and Black Cherry's are running amok. Their branches are already nearly reaching from one end down to the other. Yep a good 8-9' already. They are blocking light and air flow to the Cherokee Purple's and Brandywine's. Those branches are covered in cherry tomatoes their whole length. It matters not. They have to go. I will not sacrifice the Cherokee Purple's and Brandywine's for the cherries.

thisisme I don't blame you at all as far as that goes but that's why I planted cherries at the ends of the garden where I can train them away from the better, bigger fruited varieties. Next year the cherries will probably have their own row, far away from others.
I should also mention that I tried both ways last year, pruning and not, of the same varieties and wasn't really impressed with the difference between the two. I don't see what the big deal is about slightly bigger fruit when you don't get near as many. I'm sure 'total' weight was better on the non-pruned plants.
If you're shooting for the Guinness Book of World Records then prune to a single vine.

Thanks Taz; now you really have me thinking of ways to do it better next year.

The only time I prune (Other than toward the end of the season when leaves start to spot) is when I cut a branch off that has an ugly 'mater worm on it. I toss branch & all into the pond and in a flash...a fish has it. :) Waste not, want not.

There are many other considerations that have not been mentioned when it comes to suckering plants. Often if planting densities are high suckering, as part of an overall garden plan, is a necessary management tool to achieve more $$ per square foot of garden space( this can also just mean more good quality fruit harvested to a home gardener).

There may be times when all the vegetative growth, either lateral branches or leaf branches below a certain point on the main stem are of little benefit and are best removed for various reasons.

I'll end with a definition of "unpruned" that I picked off this website about 6 years ago- "An Unsighlty, unpenetrable, disease-wracked tangle".

Thisisme mentioned variety differences and I highly regard the recommendation of Adam Montri, Michigan State Uni., to sucker most hybrid types to single stem while allowing heirloom varieties to grow an extra stem or 2 when growing tomatoes in densely populated high tunnels.

Last year I did not prune my cherry tomatoes and regretted it, although some people might appreciate it. For one thing, reaching into the darkness to get the tomatoes got very difficult to do without snapping major stems. The two plants grew together and turned into about a 5' x 7' gigantor that grew up the 5 foot cages and then all the way back down to creat a massive tomato plant ARCH. Needless to say I made a lot of ketchup.

I think pruning is a must with certain indeterminates, is my point. Although I had insane amounts of sweet 100s, I could not get to half of them, and when I pulled the plant in winter I found soooooo many tomatoes far too deep to ever reach. I would have harvested more had I pruned, even if the plants produced less.

This year I am over-pruning cherries to experiment.

For one thing, reaching into the darkness to get the tomatoes got very difficult to do without snapping major stems.

This is one reason I use florida weave. It holds the plants relatively flat so there's no reaching into anything. The density is only approximately 12" thick depending on how tight you keep the strings. The only reaching I do is for the highest fruit and being over 6' tall with another 2' reach helps in that respect.

I have two plants on my small balcony. They're only up to the top of my leg at the moment but they've been flowering for a couple of weeks. A friend recommended pruning them at this stage.

One of the plants has branched off into what could be considered almost 2 main stems. I'm afraid to take off the smaller branch as the main stem has already bent right over to the left. Should I prune it off or leave it?

Also, how big should the containers be for a tomato plant on a balcony?

Thanks!

I would leave it alone. Minimum 5 gallon container with well draining soil IMO.

juliapage - without knowing the variety/type there is no way anyone can can advise you on pruning it. Check out the FAQ here on pruning. Otherwise, I agree with Taz - leave it alone. And yes, a 5 gallon container is the MINIMUM size required. Bigger is much better.

Dave

julia,

It shouldn't hurt either stem to prune the other, no matter how they are leaning, but usually a container balcony plant doesn't need pruning. Since it's not in the ground you aren't worried about parts of it drooping onto the soil, and since it isn't in a row of other plants you aren't worried about it shading, strangling, decreasing the airflow to, or otherwise interfering with others. So as long as it 's not in your way and looks healthy, I'd say, let 'er grow!

Container plants usually don't get as big anyway, so why lessen your yield of tomatoes.

If any branch starts to look unhealthy (yellow or brown or spots on leaves), prune it off. Or if the plants grow so big that your supports can't hold 'em, or they take over the balcony and start inviting friends over and partying all night, well, then it's time to cut 'em back!

Good luck,

Z

I have a quick question, please....

For the first time, I have a fairly large seedling with no main stem. It turns into, I think what is called a "leaflet." Should I just pull it up? I gather I will get no fruit on this plant....

Thanks.

Donna