Removing tomato blossoms, often called “pinching,” is a practice intended to influence how a plant allocates energy between vegetative growth and fruit production. Gardeners sometimes consider this action to encourage a stronger root system early in the season or to speed up ripening later on. Since every flower represents a potential tomato, understanding the context and timing of this intervention is necessary to determine if removing flowers will benefit or harm the subsequent harvest. This article clarifies the general recommendation and the specific situations where removing a flower may be appropriate.
Should You Remove Tomato Flowers? (The General Rule)
In most situations, especially during the main growing season, the answer to removing tomato flowers is no. Each small, yellow blossom is the reproductive structure of the plant and must remain to facilitate fruit creation. Removing these flowers unnecessarily delays the harvest and often reduces the total yield the plant can produce. The plant has already expended metabolic energy to generate the flower bud, the flower itself, and the necessary pollen.
If a flower is removed, the plant must spend more energy diverting resources to produce a replacement flower cluster or grow new vegetative structures. Research suggests that while removing two-thirds of the flowers can result in slightly larger individual fruits, this benefit is marginal and comes at the cost of a delayed harvest. The natural process of pollination and fruit set should be allowed to proceed for consistent production throughout the season.
Strategic Removal: Topping for Late Season Harvest
The primary exception to the general rule involves a technique called “topping,” which is done late in the season to manage the plant’s remaining energy. This strategic removal of flowers and new growth is performed to ensure existing fruits fully ripen before a season-ending event, such as a hard frost. When temperatures begin to drop, the plant’s priority should shift from creating new fruit that will not mature to maturing the fruit already set on the vine.
Topping involves cutting the main growing tip, or terminal bud, from the plant roughly four to five weeks before the expected first frost date. This action signals to the plant that its vertical growth is complete and halts the production of new flower clusters. Energy reserves are then redirected away from vegetative growth and toward the developing fruit. This resource reallocation is intended to accelerate the ripening process, ensuring the fruit gains size and color before the growing season concludes. The cut should be made just above the highest cluster of developing fruit that is large enough to mature.
Understanding Indeterminate and Determinate Growth Habits
The decision to top a plant or remove flowers depends heavily on the plant’s specific growth habit. Tomato varieties are categorized as either determinate or indeterminate, which describes their flowering and fruiting patterns. Determinate, or “bush,” varieties grow to a fixed height, set the majority of their flowers and fruit within a short period, and then cease production.
Since determinate plants stop growing on their own, removing their flowers or topping them is rarely recommended, as it directly sacrifices the final yield. Indeterminate varieties, conversely, are vining plants that continue to grow, flower, and set fruit continuously until stopped by frost or disease. Their continuous production makes them the primary candidates for strategic flower removal and late-season topping. This intervention helps manage their vigorous, season-long growth and ensures a final push of energy into existing fruit.
Distinguishing Between Flowers and Suckers
A common source of confusion for gardeners is distinguishing between an actual flower cluster and a “sucker,” which is a small shoot that grows in a leaf axil. A flower cluster is a grouping of buds and blossoms that typically emerges directly from the main stem or a major side branch. This cluster is the plant’s direct means of producing a tomato and should generally be preserved.
A sucker, however, is a new, lateral branch that develops in the “V” shape, or axil, where a leaf meets the main stem. If left to grow, a sucker will develop into a full-sized stem, producing its own leaves, flowers, and fruit, often creating an overly dense plant. Removing suckers is a much more common and accepted practice, especially on indeterminate varieties. This practice improves air circulation and concentrates the plant’s energy into the main stem’s fruit production.