How do you grow tomatoes so they bear more and better fruit?

Many people say that for tomatoes to bear many good fruit, you must prune the suckers, otherwise the nutrients are dispersed and the plant only grows vines without bearing fruit. So what are the methods and tricks for pruning tomato suckers?

Methods for pruning tomato suckers

Mainly, when the main stem height differs a lot, pinch off all the tender buds at its top, so it will no longer grow taller.

Of course, for useless side branches and side branches whose height is already sufficient, also pinch off the tender buds at the top.

Tomatoes can be trained by single or double-head pruning methods. That is, keep 1-2 heads per plant, and when the other branches grow to 10 cm long, break them all off.

For early-maturing varieties (except self-topping ones), keep 3-4 trusses of fruit and then pinch off the top; for mid-to-late-maturing varieties, you can keep 6-10 trusses of fruit as needed and then pinch off the top. This way they will stop growing, and the nutrients will be retained for flowering and fruiting.

Pruning and pinching tomato suckers should be determined according to variety, planting density, and whether they are trellised or grown without a trellis.

If you are growing determinate varieties and cultivating without a trellis, when each plant grows to 30 cm tall, keep 2 to 3 branches; when the main branch reaches the 3rd flower cluster, leave 2 leaves above and pinch off the top; for side branches, after 1 flower cluster, leave 2 leaves above and pinch off the top.

If you are growing indeterminate varieties with trellis cultivation, generally two methods are used: single-stem training and double-stem training. Single-stem training means keeping only the main branch and removing all side branches; double-stem training means keeping one main branch and one side branch.

For about 1600 plants per mu, use double-stem training; for about 3000 plants per mu, use single-stem training. Generally, after keeping 3 to 5 flower clusters, leave 2 leaves above and pinch off the top. Remember especially that the first pruning should wait until most side branches are about 30 cm before pruning, otherwise growth will be poor. After that, prune newly grown suckers when they are about 5 cm.

Pruning tomato suckers in the early fruiting stage

In the early fruiting stage, try not to remove all the suckers; a certain area of branches and leaves must be formed to promote root development and plant growth, and flower bud differentiation will also be better.

This is because in the early stage, the main goal of the plant is to cultivate strong plants and promote flower bud differentiation. If you prune suckers too early, it will severely limit the later growth and development of the vegetable; for example, the first truss of fruit will not grow large, green-shouldered fruit will easily appear, and the plant will easily age prematurely.

During the seedling recovery period and the flowering period, do not rush to remove the suckers; promote aboveground growth and root development, and wait until the fruit enters the rapid expansion stage, then promptly remove the suckers.

Prune side branches only when they reach 10 cm, and leave 2 cm to prevent infection. Do not prune after the sun goes down in the afternoon, and do not prune too early in the morning either, to prevent wound infection.