Gardeners often face a common dilemma when growing tomatoes: what to do about those small shoots that pop up between the main stem and branches. These little growths, called suckers, can either help your plants thrive or steal valuable energy. Many gardeners feel confused about whether to pinch them off or let them grow.
In this guide, you'll discover exactly when to remove tomato suckers and when to leave them alone. We'll explain the benefits of each approach based on your specific growing conditions and the type of tomatoes you're raising. By the end, you'll have a clear plan for managing suckers that maximizes your harvest.
Tomato Suckers 101
Tomato suckers are small stems that grow in the crotch between a main stem and a branch. They appear naturally as the plant develops and can eventually grow into full stems with leaves, flowers, and fruit if left alone. Understanding how to manage these suckers can make a big difference in your tomato harvest quality and quantity.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Your approach to suckers should vary depending on whether you're growing determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vining) tomatoes. Climate conditions, available space, and your harvesting goals also play important roles in deciding the best sucker management strategy for your garden.
Why Tomato Suckers Form Naturally
Tomato suckers aren't actually plant defects but part of the plant's natural growth pattern to maximize its reproductive success. In the wild, these extra stems create more opportunities for the plant to produce flowers and fruit, increasing the chances of seed production and survival of the species.
When a tomato plant grows these extra stems, it's simply trying to create more leaf surface to capture sunlight for photosynthesis. More leaves mean more energy production, leading to more fruit under the right conditions. Understanding this natural purpose helps inform better decisions about whether removal benefits your specific garden situation.
How to Spot Suckers and Remove Them Safely
You can identify suckers by looking for the small shoots growing at the junction where a branch meets the main stem. These suckers start small but can quickly grow into full-sized branches if left alone. The youngest suckers (under 2 inches) can be simply pinched off with your fingers, while larger ones should be removed with clean pruning shears to prevent damage to the plant.
For best results, check your plants weekly during the main growing season to manage sucker development. Morning is the ideal time to remove suckers, as the wounds will dry quickly in the daytime sun, reducing the risk of disease entering the cuts. Always wash your hands or sterilize tools between plants to prevent spreading any potential diseases.
Benefits of Removing Suckers
Pruning away suckers creates a more open plant structure that allows better air circulation, which can significantly reduce fungal disease problems common in tomato plants. This improved airflow helps leaves dry faster after rain or morning dew, creating less hospitable conditions for pathogens to develop and spread throughout your plants.
Removing suckers also directs the plant's energy toward developing fewer but often larger fruits. For gardeners with limited space or those growing in shorter season climates, this focused growth can lead to earlier ripening and better quality tomatoes. Commercial growers almost always remove suckers to standardize fruit size and simplify harvesting.
Sucker Removal Tips for Indeterminate Tomatoes
For indeterminate (vining) tomatoes, remove most suckers, but consider leaving one or two near the base to develop as secondary main stems if you have adequate support structures. Focus on removing suckers from the middle and upper portions of the plant where they're less productive and more likely to create dense foliage that traps moisture.
Timing matters when removing suckers - start when plants are about 1-2 feet tall and continue throughout the growing season. In hot climates, you might want to be more selective about sucker removal since some extra foliage can provide shade that protects developing fruit from sunscald during intense summer heat.
When It’s Better to Keep Tomato Suckers
Determinate (bush) tomatoes benefit from a more relaxed approach to sucker removal since these varieties naturally stop growing once they reach a certain size. These plants produce most of their harvest in a concentrated period, and excessive pruning can actually reduce your total yield. For these varieties, only remove suckers that appear below the first flower cluster.
Gardeners in regions with longer growing seasons and plenty of garden space might choose to keep more suckers on indeterminate varieties. This approach typically results in more total tomatoes, though individual fruits might be somewhat smaller. The extra foliage can also provide natural shade that protects fruit from sunscald in very hot, sunny locations.
How Climate and Space Affect Sucker Decisions
If you decide to keep some suckers, provide adequate support for the additional weight and growth. Sturdy cages, stakes, or trellises become even more important as the plant develops multiple stems. Space plants farther apart (at least 3-4 feet) when allowing suckers to grow to ensure good air circulation between plants.
Monitor plants closely for signs of disease when keeping more suckers, as the denser foliage can create humidity pockets. Consider using a preventative fungicide program in humid climates where leaf diseases are common. Mulching under plants helps prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing onto lower leaves during rainstorms.
The Compromise Method
Many experienced gardeners practice "selective pruning" as a middle-ground approach. This technique involves removing suckers from the lower portions of the plant while allowing some to develop higher up. This balanced method maintains good airflow around the base while letting the plant develop some additional fruiting stems.
Another compromise is the "Missouri pruning" method, where you pinch off the growing tip of the sucker after it develops two leaves. This limits the sucker's size while still allowing it to produce some fruit, essentially giving you the benefits of both approaches, better air circulation than unpruned plants but more fruiting sites than heavily pruned ones.
Match Your Strategy to the Tomato Variety
The debate about tomato suckers often overlooks that different varieties respond differently to pruning. Cherry tomatoes and many heirloom varieties often perform better with minimal sucker removal, while modern hybrids bred for commercial production typically benefit from more aggressive pruning. Reading seed packets or plant descriptions can provide variety-specific recommendations.
Climate considerations should influence your approach, too. In humid regions prone to fungal diseases, more aggressive sucker removal improves air circulation and reduces disease pressure. In very hot, dry regions, keeping more foliage provides beneficial shade that prevents sunscald on developing fruit. Your specific growing conditions matter as much as general pruning rules.
Making the Best Choice for Your Garden
The decision about removing tomato suckers ultimately depends on balancing several factors specific to your garden. Consider your available space, climate conditions, tomato varieties, and personal harvest goals. Many gardeners experiment with different approaches until they find what works best in their unique situation.
Remember that tomato plants are remarkably adaptable, and there's no single "correct" approach that works for everyone. If you choose to remove all suckers, keep them all, or find a middle ground, consistent care with proper watering, feeding, and support will still result in a satisfying harvest. Let your growing experience and the specific needs of your garden guide your decision.