Related: The Best Tomato Varieties to Grow & How to Fix Blossom End Rot

This technique can be done with all tomato varieties at any point of plant maturity. You can even transplant the tomato, laying the roots on their side to reduce tomato height. If you feel these plants are becoming too tall to manage, instead of topping, trim bottom leaves and plant tomato plants deeper into the soil. This variety of tomatoes produces most of its fruit near the top of the plant and if the top is cut back early in the year you may inadvertently drastically reduce tomato production. Pruning Determinate Tomatoesĭeterminate tomatoes (sometimes labeled “bush” tomatoes) should not be topped until all fruit is set for the year. These tomatoes can be topped (prune off the top) to keep them a manageable size and to protect them from breakage at any point in their growth, without harming the plant. They continue to grow in height throughout their life. Just as the name implies, the height of these plants is not predetermined. Indeterminate tomatoes (also referred to as “vine” tomatoes) can grow to be quite tall. To help you make your decision on whether or not pruning your tomatoes is right for your plants, let’s discuss the different pruning advice between indeterminate and determinate tomato varieties as well the benefits and drawbacks of pruning tomato plants. Pruning indeterminate tomato varieties can be beneficial in keeping plant sizes manageable and protecting tomato plants from breakage. Pruning tomatoes is not necessary but can benefit your plant by allowing better air flow, protecting tomatoes from disease, and by encouraging more energy to go toward fruit production. It can be difficult to know whether or not to prune tomatoes, and if one decides to prune, difficult to know how and when to prune your tomato plants.

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