Early Girl tomatoes are a popular indeterminate hybrid variety, meaning they grow and produce fruit continuously until frost. This continuous growth habit makes pruning a valuable practice for maintaining plant health and maximizing harvest, as it helps manage vigorous growth and directs energy efficiently towards fruit development.
Why Prune Early Girl Tomatoes
Pruning Early Girl tomatoes offers several advantages for a successful harvest. It improves air circulation within the plant canopy by removing excess foliage, which reduces humidity and allows leaves to dry faster. This drier environment helps prevent fungal and bacterial diseases.
Pruning also encourages the plant to focus its energy on fruit production rather than excessive vegetative growth. While unpruned plants might produce more tomatoes, pruning leads to larger, higher-quality fruits because resources are concentrated on fewer, more robust tomatoes. Additionally, a less dense plant simplifies pest management and harvesting.
When to Prune Early Girl Tomatoes
Pruning should begin once the plant is established, typically when it is a foot or two tall and has developed a few true leaves. The presence of flowers is a good indicator that it’s ready for initial pruning.
Throughout the growing season, regular maintenance pruning is beneficial. Check plants every few days for new suckers, which are small shoots emerging in the “V” shape between the main stem and a leaf branch. Removing these suckers when they are small, ideally less than 4 inches long, prevents them from diverting the plant’s energy. Prune in the morning on a dry day, which allows cuts to heal quickly and reduces the risk of disease spread.
How to Prune Early Girl Tomatoes
Pruning Early Girl tomatoes primarily involves managing suckers to direct the plant’s energy toward fruit production. Suckers are new shoots that develop in the leaf axils, the crotch where a leaf stem meets the main stem. When suckers are small, about half an inch, they can often be pinched off with fingers. For larger suckers, or those thicker than a pencil, clean, sharp pruning shears should be used to make a clean cut close to the main stem without causing damage.
One common method is the single-stem system, where all suckers are removed, allowing the plant to grow as one main vertical stem. This concentrates the plant’s energy into a single column, often resulting in earlier and larger fruits, though potentially fewer overall. Alternatively, the double-stem method involves selecting one strong sucker, typically the one just below the first flower cluster, to grow as a second main stem. This approach can increase overall yield while still maintaining a manageable plant size.
Regardless of the chosen method, remove the lowest leaves on the plant, especially those touching the soil, to improve air circulation and prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing onto the foliage. Aim to remove leaves up to 6 to 12 inches from the ground.
Post-Pruning Care and Common Mistakes
After pruning Early Girl tomatoes, proper care helps the plant recover and thrive. Ensure adequate water, especially if significant foliage was removed. Monitor for signs of stress, such as wilting or yellowing, which can indicate if it needs more water or has been over-pruned.
Several common mistakes can hinder health and productivity. Over-pruning, or removing too much foliage, stresses the plant, reduces photosynthesis, and can expose developing fruits to sunscald. Generally, remove no more than one-third of the plant’s leaves at once.
Avoid pruning when plants are wet, as this facilitates disease spread; wait until foliage is dry. Failing to sanitize pruning tools between cuts or plants can also spread pathogens. Tools should be cleaned of debris and disinfected with a solution like 70% isopropyl alcohol or a 10% bleach solution. Removing the growing tip of each main stem about four weeks before the first expected fall frost, known as “topping,” can encourage existing fruits to ripen faster.