# prune or not to prune



## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

So went on vacation for two weeks and my tomato plants were small well they shot up well I was gone. My question is should I prune them now and if so how? Or let them go?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I dont prune mine except when damaged or diseased, with the exception of the leaves that touch the ground(to help prevent blight).

The blooms and hence, tomatoes, come on new growth. IMO and experience, pruning only slows that down. I'd stake em up to prevent the stems from breaking under the load of fruit that is on its way.


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## tommixx (Dec 10, 2012)

leave them alone there fine


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## rawhide2971 (Apr 19, 2013)

I cut out the suckers, that is the small shoots that come out at the base of the main stalk at the base of a main branch. They weaken the main branch and can lead to breakage if you dont tie the branch securely under a heavy load of fruit.....now there is a lot of argument on this. Some people leave them and will argue voraciously that its not necessary....so be to each their own. :2thumb: Me I been doing this for a long time, and really it depends on the type of plant your growing...you be the judge after you gain some life experience as a gardener...good luck. By the way I never "TOP" the plant unless it becomes damaged.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I prune but not the way most people would think of pruning and I believe I posted it here some time ago but don't remember when or where. 

I also, do not TOP the plant. However I don't remove the suckers either, well maybe 1-2.  What I do is remove some of the leafy material. Once my tomatoes get as thick as yours are and have set a lot of blossoms, I go through and remove the larger leaf sets (the stem with the actual leaves on it). Actually I remove most of the leaf stems leaving 5-7 on each individual stalk including the sucker stalks. The few leaves that are left are enough to keep the plant going while at the same time redirecting it's energy to fruit production. It also allows more air to move through the plant reducing the risk of fungus in wetter areas. The trick is to leave the leaf stems that can provide a bit of shade over the blossoms to prevent sun scald on the tomatoes.

I read about this quite a few years ago in an article titled: "Why are you growing leaves when you want tomatoes?" 
It took a little practice but I finally found a nice balance and it works quite well.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I don't prune unless I have to ... much like Davarm.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

sgtrunningfool, just out of curiosity, what verity of tomatoes are you growing down there?

The only reason I ask is that I like to keep up with what grows well in what areas.


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## rawhide2971 (Apr 19, 2013)

I think Pruning is really so much an individual thing and its a time thing as well. Currently we have 50+ tomatoe plants in 5 rasied beds. I say 50+ because we have a lot of volunteer plants that come up from compost and believe it or not we let them grow and they usually result in some pretty good late seaosn fruit, never sure what they are but they add to the harvest and taste pretty good. We tradionaly grow 7 or so varieties and some may do better with pruning than others and I have to admit I am intrigued at the thought of doing some "leaf" prunning that UncleJoe mentions. Might play around with a couple of bushs and see how they compare just for the heck of it.
We are growing this year:
Better Boy
Better Girl
Marion
Parks WHopper
Beefeater
Marion
Roma
Cherry 
and a couple of Hierloom that I can't rember off the top of this wore out brain


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## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

I am still in DC until 1 Aug. I have new girls, better boy and cherry. I am not what to grow once I get to west texas


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