How to Prune Tomato Plants for Optimal Health & Yield

Pruning is an important part of keeping your tomato plant productive and healthy, and fortunately, it’s super easy to get started! In this article, we’re providing the ultimate guide on pruning tomatoes so you get the largest, juiciest fruit. We also talked to plant and gardening specialists about why you should prune and the best type of soil to grow tomatoes in.

How to Trim Tomato Plants for the Best Yield

Illustration demonstrating where to trim tomato plants for the best yield, including what to remove, what to leave, and when to top your plant.

Edible gardening expert Erin Hostetler says to prune the suckers below the lowest flower cluster on your plant. You can leave 1-2 thicker suckers near the top to maximize growth and fruit production. Remove any low, yellowing, or diseased leaves, and top your plant 30 days before the first expected frost.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Prune Tomatoes

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1
Determine your variety and only prune indeterminate tomatoes. According to edible gardening expert Erin Hostetler, “you don’t want to prune determinate tomatoes...because you [reduce] your yields by doing that.”^{[1]
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Erin Hostetler
Edible Gardening Expert

Expert Interview} Determinate tomatoes only grow to a certain height and are more compact, while indeterminate tomatoes keep growing throughout the season and are more vine-like.^{[2]
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Research source}Here are some common varieties of each:
- Indeterminate: Beefsteak, Big Boy, Brandywine, Sungold, Sweet Million, Cherokee Purple, and most cherry, heirloom, and dwarf varieties.
- Determinate: Roma, Rutgers, Early Girl, Patio, Zebra Cherry, Celebrity, San Marzano Nano, Amish Paste, Marglobe, Amelia, Better Bush, Heinz Classic, and Mountain Pride.
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Remove all suckers below the first flower cluster. A “sucker” is a tiny branch sprouting between the main stalk of the tomato plant and an established branch, usually growing at a 45° angle from the plant. If the sucker is less than 2 inches long, you can simply grab the base between your thumb and forefinger and pinch it off. If it’s longer, use sanitized garden shears to make a clean cut as close to the main stem as possible.^{[3]
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- It’s best to remove suckers when they’re small. Once the suckers grow thicker than a pencil, they will leave a large wound behind when removed.^{[4]
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- You want to remove all the suckers below the lowest flower cluster so they don’t take away energy from fruit production. Removing the suckers ensures that most of the nutrients are sent to the fruits, instead of being wasted on the growing tips.^{[5]
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- If you live in a warmer zone, however, follow the “Missouri pruning” method and pinch off the leaflets on the end of each sucker, leaving the 2 base leaflets in place. They can help shade the fruit and prevent sunscald.
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3
Leave up to 4 suckers on the tomato plant to increase your yield (optional). If you have the space and support for a multi-vine system, you can keep a few suckers higher up on your plant. These suckers will act as secondary stems to support more growth and fruit.^{[6]
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Research source} Generally, people keep 1-2 thicker suckers near the top of their plant, but you can leave up to 4 suckers—any more than that will yield smaller fruit.
- If you decide to keep a sucker, treat it like a second main stem. Prune its own suckers regularly and make sure it's supported with a stake or tie.
4
Trim lower leaves that touch the ground to prevent disease. Removing the lower 6-12 inches of leaves can prevent blight and soil-borne diseases from splashing onto your plant when raindrops hit the ground.^{[7]
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Research source} Just bend each leaf upwards and then downwards until you hear a soft snap. If the leaves only bend and do not snap, use a sharp knife or pruning shears to cut them off close to the stem.^{[8]
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- If you live in a warmer zone, you can keep some lower leaves on your plant to shade the ground and prevent sunscald. Just remove damaged or yellow leaves, as well as leaves that touch the soil.
- If your plant is in a humid environment, such as a greenhouse, remove everything below the first flower cluster to improve ventilation. Humidity can make it easier for sicknesses to flourish, plus cause the wounds created while pruning to dry up more slowly, making the plant vulnerable.^{[9]
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Olivia Choong
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Olivia Choong is a Plant and Gardening Specialist and the Owner of The Tender Gardener. With more than six years of experience, she specializes in gardening, permaculture, and self-sufficient and low-impact living practices. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia (CNA). Olivia holds a Bachelor of Mass Communications in PR and Journalism from Murdoch University.

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Plant & Gardening Specialist

Plant your tomatoes in well drained soil. Soil that’s heavy in clay is not suitable for growing tomatoes. If your soil gets waterlogged and compacted, you can add compost to it. You can also add horticultural grit to improve drainage.
To speed up ripening of the remaining fruit, you need to “top” your plant, or remove the growing tips of each main stem. This forces your plant to stop making flowers and redirect its energy into growing larger fruit. Just take clean gardening shears and cut right above the flower cluster.^{[10]
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Section 2 of 4:

When to Prune Tomatoes

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Start pruning when the plant is 12-18 inches tall. Wait for the first tomato flowers to open and for the plant to be established. This usually happens in late June or early July. During the first 6 weeks, you may need to prune the suckers once or twice a week since they grow quickly.^{[11]
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Research source} Afterwards, continue pruning every 10-14 days.^{[12]
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- Stop pruning 1-2 weeks before your first harvest so the plant can produce canopies that protect its fruits from sunscald.

Section 3 of 4:

Why should I prune my tomatoes?

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Pruning improves airflow and increases your fruit production. Pruning allows your plant to “put energy into a way that it can be most productive,” says Hostetler.^{[13]
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Erin Hostetler
Edible Gardening Expert

Expert Interview} Removing extra growth forces your plant to focus on producing larger, healthier tomatoes, which also helps the fruit ripen more quickly. Getting rid of dense, crowded leaves in the center of the plant also improves airflow and prevents diseases, such as blight and mildew.^{[14]
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- You can also “strategically prune horizontal growth on the plants to increase airflow, which increases fruit production, and overall health,” says Hostetler.^{[15]
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  Erin Hostetler
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Monique Capanelli
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Monique Capanelli is a Plant Specialist and the Owner and Designer for Articulture Designs, an innovative design firm and boutique in Austin, Texas. With over 15 years of experience, Monique specializes in interior botanical design, living walls, event decor, and sustainable landscape design. She attended the University of Texas at Austin. Monique is a Certified Permaculture Designer. She provides plant and botanical design experiences, from small gifts to entire transformations, to shoppers as well as commercial clients including Whole Foods Market and The Four Seasons.

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Grow your tomatoes in pots for better aeration. When you grow tomatoes in a five gallon or tall seven gallon felt pot, you get aerated depth for the root systems to grow. You should also plant the tomatoes deeper in the soil than you think for sturdier stock growth and better root systems.

Section 4 of 4:

When is it too late to prune tomatoes?

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Generally, you can always trim small suckers near the base and yellow or diseased leaves, but you should avoid removing lots of suckers (especially thick ones) if your plant is fully grown and loaded with fruit.^{[16]
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Research source} Heavy pruning at the end of the season can stress your plant and interfere with your harvest.

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How do you successfully grow tomatoes in pots?

Monique Capanelli
Plant Specialist
Monique Capanelli is a Plant Specialist and the Owner and Designer for Articulture Designs, an innovative design firm and boutique in Austin, Texas. With over 15 years of experience, Monique specializes in interior botanical design, living walls, event decor, and sustainable landscape design. She attended the University of Texas at Austin. Monique is a Certified Permaculture Designer. She provides plant and botanical design experiences, from small gifts to entire transformations, to shoppers as well as commercial clients including Whole Foods Market and The Four Seasons.

Monique Capanelli

Plant Specialist

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When should I start pruning?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems and Gardening Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

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You can start pruning safely after the first set of flowers appears. Some growers like to prune the bottom set of limbs when transplanting tomatoes out to the field.

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Should my tomato plants be trimmed if they are brown and have dead leaves?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems and Gardening Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

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Yes. You should trim off any dead, diseased or broken limbs on your tomato plants.

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Capanelli recommends planting your tomatoes in Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil because it “has worm castings in it, which are magic for container gardening in any kind of blooming or high demand producing plant.”^{[17]
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Make sure the indeterminate tomatoes are tied to supports after flowering occurs. Otherwise, the vine will grow along the ground and won't produce healthy tomatoes.

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In most cases, you should not prune determinate tomatoes. However, you can remove dead or yellowing leaves to prevent disease, or lightly trim the center to improve airflow.

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Warnings

If you find disease on your tomato plant, disinfect all of your tools with rubbing alcohol, especially garden gloves and pruning shears.^{[18]
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University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Extension program of the University of California system devoted to educating and improving local communities

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If you smoke, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and disinfect your pruning equipment before handling tomato plants.^{[19]
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