Tomato plants require specific attention to reach their full potential. A common maintenance practice involves managing the side shoots that emerge from the plant’s structure. These growths, referred to as “suckers,” significantly influence the plant’s shape, energy distribution, and final yield. Understanding the nature of these shoots allows gardeners to decide whether to remove them or let them develop.
Defining the Sucker and Its Growth Pattern
A tomato sucker is an axillary shoot that develops from an axillary bud, located in the “V” shape, or axil, between the main stem and a lateral leaf branch. If left to grow, this secondary stem can develop its own leaves, flowers, fruit, and even tertiary suckers, essentially becoming another full-sized plant. Identifying a sucker is straightforward: it is the small shoot emerging at the angle where a leaf branch attaches to the central stem.
The necessity of managing suckers depends heavily on the tomato plant’s growth habit. Determinate varieties, often called “bush” types, grow to a compact height and produce fruit within a short period. Pruning suckers from determinate types is generally discouraged because it can reduce the overall fruit set. In contrast, indeterminate varieties, or “vining” tomatoes, continue to grow, flower, and produce fruit until frost, often reaching heights of six to twelve feet, requiring regular sucker removal to manage their aggressive growth.
Why Gardeners Remove Suckers
The primary reason for removing suckers on indeterminate tomato plants is to redirect the plant’s energy toward fruit production on the main vine. Suckers compete directly with existing fruit clusters for water, nutrients, and energy from photosynthesis. This competition results in smaller fruit size and delays the ripening process.
Removing suckers also offers significant benefits related to plant health and management. Thinning the dense foliage immediately improves air circulation throughout the plant canopy. This increased airflow allows leaves to dry more quickly after watering, preventing fungal diseases like blights that thrive in humid environments. Furthermore, a less bushy plant is easier to support on stakes or cages, which is necessary for the tall, vining habit of indeterminate varieties.
Pruning Techniques and Using Suckers for Propagation
The method for removing a sucker depends on its size. Small, young suckers, typically less than four inches long, can be easily removed by “pinching” them off with the thumb and forefinger. This technique creates a minimal wound that heals quickly and is the preferred method for weekly maintenance. For larger, more woody suckers, use clean, sharp tools like scissors or hand pruners to ensure a clean cut and avoid tearing the main stem, which could introduce disease.
Instead of discarding trimmed material, larger suckers can be used to propagate new, genetically identical plants, a process known as cloning. Tomato plants readily develop new roots from their stems, making this an easy way to expand the garden. A sucker four to six inches long is ideal; remove the lower leaves and place the cutting immediately into a glass of water or moist soil. Roots typically emerge within a week, allowing the gardener to create a second flush of plants for a later harvest.