Topping tomato plants is only beneficial for indeterminate varieties and isn't necessary for good health or high production. However, it is a method to keep growth in check and to give a little boost to those last few tomatoes in the fall.
Cutting the tips of tomato vines stops the growth on that vine. This process of "topping" tomatoes can increase tomato production and provide control over plant growth. Commonly done at the end of the growing season, simple pinching and pruning is all it takes to top tomatoes and improve tomato harvests. (Vid.
You can keep tomato plants from growing too tall by regularly pruning them, providing support such as stakes or cages, and ensuring they receive adequate sunlight and nutrients to encourage healthy growth without excessive stretching.
Crowded plants will be more susceptible to diseases like blight and allow less light to get to the fruits. In my tomato-pot garden, for example, I only ever plant 1 tomato plant per large (24'' or greater diameter) pot. The same spacing applies to planting in ground or in a raised bed.
Watering tomato plants every day will prevent them from developing a strong root system and sitting in wet soil is an invitation for root rot and other soilborne diseases. When you water, do not wet the plant leaves.
Tomato plants require a good amount of these resources, so if they're planted closely together, they will compete and likely all lose. Low Production – Even if tomato plants growing closely together survive, they may not produce as many tomatoes as they could have if properly spaced.
Topping does have the potential to reduce the overall yield per plant, although keeping tomatoes under control can allow you to increase total production by planting closer together.
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.
If tomatoes are not pruned early enough in their growth, they will grow tall with lots of leaves and flowers at the top, but no growth on the lower stems.
You may choose not to prune your tomatoes and still have an acceptable crop. Tomatoes require only sun, water, and nutrients to grow. Pruning enhances production – more tomatoes, bigger tomatoes, and more flavorful tomatoes. Pruning tomato plants helps them produce earlier in the season.
Tomatoes taste great with reduced irrigation. The secret is to keep plants well watered as they establish then reduce watering once the fruits start to ripen. Begin by applying water generously, about two to three times a week, depending on your local climate, weather and soil conditions.
Plants are usually ready to prune once they reach 12 to 18 inches in height.
The advantage in removing the lower leaves is that the plants energies go into producing fruit rather than a lot of foliage. Also the lower leaves tend to get powdery mildew so it is good to remove them to stop disease spreading.
The plants grow quite tall in summer and I often notice bunches of green tomatoes that I know won't ripen in time. That's when I cut the top off the tomato plants. This is a great way to keep the plant from growing even larger and instead ripening the fruits. I cut them when they grow to around my shoulder.
Soil that contains a lot of sand doesn't hold water well and dries quickly. Because of this, tomato plants growing in sandy soil may need to be watered more often, about every three or four days. Clay soil, on the other hand, holds water well. Plants growing in clay soil usually only need to be watered once a week.
Topping is a training technique specifically designed to change the plant's natural growth habit and increase plant yields. Plants naturally direct their energy into the growing tip at the top of the plant's center stalk.
To boost vegetative growth, it is advised to supplement root nutrition with foliar application of fertilizers with N-P2O5-K2O ratio of 1:1:1. At the reproductive stages, it is recommended to ensure adequate calcium levels by foliar application of readily available calcium preparations.
If the healthy plants are too close together, the leaves will touch each other and disease can easily spread from one plant to another. The plants will compete for resources in case they are planted too close together, Therefore the tomatoes will be smaller and less flavorful.
First, cut a tomato one quarter – inch thick slice. Fill the pot with soil or compost half full. Throw the slices onto a pot of compost. Then throw potting soil and/or compost over the slices of tomatoes until they're barely covered.
Insects too will eventually hone in on the crop of their desires and overwhelm it with unwanted attention. The conventional wisdom on this subject is that you should not plant any crop in the same spot more than once every three years and, better yet, once every four years.