What to do when tomato plants get too tall?

Author: Nora Smitham  |  Last update: Monday, June 30, 2025

This means pinching out the growing tips at the top of the plant and stop the plant growing up any further. Stop off at the top of the plant when there are 3-4 (outside grown) and 4-5 (greenhouse grown) trusses, which are layers of flowers.

How to stop a tomato plant from growing too tall?

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.

How to support very tall tomato plants?

We grow tomatoes in a big greenhouse on our small farm. The best method of support we have found is to hang sisal twine from overhead, tying one or more twines to the base of each plant. As the tomato plants grow, just keep the main stem(s) of the plant twisted around the twine and prune off any excessive side shoots.

Is it okay to cut the top off tomato plants?

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.

Can you trim the height of tomato plants?

Pruning tomato plants is an optional technique that some gardeners use to keep plants tidy, manipulate fruit size, and even speed ripening. There is one big catch: You should only prune indeterminate varieties, which produce new leaves and flowers continuously through the growing season.

Topping a Tomato Plant - How to Top a Tomato Plant and Why Top?

How to stop plants from growing too tall?

Pruning. If the crown of your tree is stretching too tall or wide, corrective pruning can help rein it in and size it down for the space available. It's crucial to prune a tree before it becomes a problem because taking away too many branches could cause unnecessary stress.

How tall should you let your tomato plants get?

Most grow to three or four feet tall, although some patio varieties top out at 12 inches. Indeterminate tomato plants, which tend to vine, require trellising or cages, continue to grow, and produce fruit until the first frost.

How to keep tomato plants short and bushy?

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.

Why are my tomato plants growing so tall and spindly?

The most common cause of leggy seedlings is lack of strong, overhead lighting. Tomato plants become long and spindly when they are reaching for the light. If the light only comes from one direction, then your seedlings not only become leggy, but will also lean towards the light.

How do you prune tomato plants for maximum growth?

Removing suckers (new shoots that develop in the leaf axils) reduces potential yields, but increases airflow. Leave the sucker just below the first flower cluster (remove all other suckers below that one), and allow all suckers above the first flower cluster to grow.

What is the maximum height of tomato plants?

Most modern determinate tomatoes easily grow 3 to 4 feet tall and indeterminates continue to get taller until frozen in the fall, easily reaching at least 6 feet in height.

What is the best support for tall tomato plants?

Often, I put a wood or bamboo stake with each plant to help secure it while it's small. As they mature, the cage and close proximity to other plants will help prop each other up. 2) Use the tall spiral wires and 'single stem' the tomato. I like to then slide one of my old tomato cages over the top for extra support.

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 to stop tomato plants from getting too tall?

This means pinching out the growing tips at the top of the plant and stop the plant growing up any further. Stop off at the top of the plant when there are 3-4 (outside grown) and 4-5 (greenhouse grown) trusses, which are layers of flowers.

Is it OK to top off tomato plants?

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.

How to support overgrown tomato plants?

The photos below will give you some ideas about some of the different ways you can support your plants and achieve true tomato transcendence this season.
  1. Stake them. ...
  2. Fence them. ...
  3. Cage them. ...
  4. Cage them – maximum security edition! ...
  5. Trellis them.

When should I take down my tomato plants?

They're not producing fruit anymore. They're looking scraggly and dried out. They're not producing much new foliage You can pull them out, root and all.

Why are the leaves on my tomato plant turning yellow?

Yellow leaves and brown spots on tomato plants are most commonly caused by early tomato blight. Once found, early blight can be managed by regularly removing affected foliage from your garden.

Do tomato plants need more sun or shade?

Tomatoes love the sunshine. A position in full sun (that means an average of at least eight hours a day) gives the best results in most areas, though if you're in a hot climate you can get away with dappled shade.

How do you reduce the height of a plant?

Managing Plant Height
  1. Maximizing Light Levels. ...
  2. Adjusting Temperature (DIF). ...
  3. Mechanical Brushing. ...
  4. Water stress is another tool growers can use to manage plant height. ...
  5. Low Phosphorus: Withholding nutrients can also be used to prevent stretching. ...
  6. Plant Growth Regulator.

How do you shorten a tall plant?

Prune it. The simplest way to reduce the size of a plant is to prune it, which means cutting back its growth until it's a size you're happy with. You'll need some secateurs to make neat cuts.

What to do when a plant gets too leggy?

It's really easy to stop a plant becoming leggy, or to help it stop creating more leggy growth: put it somewhere with the right level of light. If a plant has become leggy, move it a little bit closer to a window. Don't take it right from deep shade to bright sun – this will cause shock – but move it gradually.

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