Tomatoes: Pruning & Staking (6226)

You can grow larger and earlier tomatoes if you prune and stake the plants. Staked plants hold their fruit above the soil, so fruit does not get dirty or rot.

Set out stakes at or before planting time. Driving a stake into the soil near an established tomato plant damages its root system.

As the plant grows, side branches, or suckers, develop at the points where the leaves join the stem. Remove these suckers before they are more than three inches long. If you want to develop two or more stems, leave one or more side branches near the base of the plant. Break off all side branches from these stems as they grow upward.

Plants you stake and prune to a single stem will produce fewer, earlier, and larger tomatoes. However, they will be more likely to crack or split than those produced by plants with two or more stems.

Tie the stem to the stake with soft string or a cloth strip. Wrap the material around the stake twice so it will not slide down, and pass it around the stem below a leaf or flower cluster.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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