How many branches should I leave on my tomato plant?

Author: Luella Reichert  |  Last update: Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Indeterminate tomatoes can have from one to many stems, although four is the most I'd recommend. The fewer the stems, the fewer but larger the fruits, and the less room the plant needs in the garden.

Should I remove branches from tomato plants?

Pruning lateral branches on indeterminate tomato plants can lead to larger fruits, improved airflow, and easier harvesting. However, it may reduce the overall yield, increase sunscald risk, and stress the plant. The decision depends on factors like disease resistance, fruit size preference, and growing conditions.

When a tomato plant has too many branches?

Remove tomato “suckers”

Too many leaders gives you a plant that is too thick to allow good air movement, which will contribute to diseases later on in the season. It also shades the fruit that does form and slows the ripening process. Just snap these suckers off when you see them.

How many stems do you leave on tomatoes?

Indeterminate tomatoes can have from one to as many as four stems. The fewer the stems, the fewer but larger the fruit, and the less room the plant needs in the garden. For a multi-stemmed plant, let a second stem grow from the first node above the first fruit.

Is it better to leave stems on tomatoes?

Tomatoes stored stem down for three days lost between 1 and 2% of their weight, while those stored stem up lost up to 7%! Long story short: Remove the stems from your tomatoes and store them stem side down on a flat plate.

Prune ALL Of Your Tomato Plants Like This RIGHT NOW!

How do I get the most yield on my tomatoes?

How To Increase Tomato Yields: 7 Expert Tricks For A Bumper...
  1. Choose Top-Performing Varieties.
  2. Use Smarter Supports.
  3. Try Trench Planting.
  4. Tap To Pollinate.
  5. Prune Out Excess Growth.
  6. Companion Plant With Good Neighbors.
  7. Fertilize With The Right Nutrients.

Does pruning tomato plants increase yield?

Pruning, or selectively removing some of the tomato plant growth, can improve harvestable yields and prolong the harvest season. Further, keeping tomato plants off the ground reduces common fungal diseases like early blight, Septoria leaf spot, and anthracnose, and improves fruit quality.

Can you remove too many leaves from a tomato plant?

Don't pick too many leaves from a plant at one time.It scares the plant and it does not like that. Far better is to prune 2 to 3 leaves regularly (like once a week).

Can tomato plants get too bushy?

In the joint between the stem and branches, tomato plants produce suckers, which are excess growth that diverts energy away from the main stem and primary branches. Suckers will grow their own leaves, flowers, fruit, and more suckers, resulting in too much foliage and a more unwieldy plant.

How to make tomato plants produce more fruit?

If you're wondering how to increase flowering in tomatoes, try increasing how much light they receive. Tomatoes need eight hours of daylight to flower. Sunlight gives your tomato plants the energy to produce fruit, so if your plant doesn't have enough sunlight, you're less likely to see tomatoes fruiting.

How do I know if I'm watering my tomato plant too much?

If you've been watering too much you might notice these signs:
  • Yellow leaves.
  • Dark or mushy roots.
  • Soggy soil.
  • Cracked or rotting fruit.
  • Showing signs of disease.

Which part of a tomato plant should I remove?

With large-fruited tomato varieties such as ox-heart and beef tomatoes, however, the side shoots should be removed. Even with medium-sized indeterminate tomatoes, we recommend only leaving a maximum of two to three shoots, including the main shoot.

How often should I water tomato plants?

Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.

How do I know if my tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate?

Determinate and Indeterminate
  1. Determinate varieties (including bush varieties) reach a certain plant height and then stop growing. ...
  2. Indeterminate varieties continue to grow and produce tomatoes all along the stems throughout the growing season.

Should you remove a little branches from your tomato plant to help it grow?

Why You Should Prune Tomato Plants. Pruning indeterminate tomato plants helps direct the plant's energy towards producing fruit rather than producing more foliage. Removing suckers and yellowed leaves also encourages larger fruit, better airflow, fewer diseases, and for container-grown tomatoes, better size.

How far up should I prune tomato plants?

Clip away any leaves that are touching the soil and continue pruning up to a foot from the ground.

Which branches to prune on tomato plants?

Determinate, or bush tomatoes, tend to be smaller and more manageable. Most tomato pruning involves removing suckers -- the shoots that form in the axils where side branches meet the stem. Remove suckers when they're small by pinching them off with your hand or snipping them with pruners.

How do I get the most yield out of my tomato plants?

Here are some ideas to help grow the best tomatoes you can.
  1. Choose the sunniest site available. ...
  2. Build good soil. ...
  3. Use a balanced fertilizer program. ...
  4. Maintain proper soil pH. ...
  5. Choose flavorful varieties. ...
  6. Start with good transplants. ...
  7. Use good watering techniques. ...
  8. Use an appropriate growing system.

What happens if you don't prune tomato plants?

If you leave the suckers on the plant, those suckers will turn into more vines. More vines mean more flower clusters and, eventually, more fruit. Each vine needs water and nutrients from the plant, so your plant won't have enough energy to spend on making each fruit really big. Overall, tomatoes will be smaller.

How many leaves should I take off my tomato plants?

For example, it would be fair to cut 2 leaves from each branch of a tomato plant with 18 branches that have 6 leaves each, leaving the plant with 4 leaves per branch. This will guarantee that the plant doesn't get too crowded or bushy and has enough leaves to keep on producing fruits.

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