Tomato suckers are small shoots that grow from the area where the main stem and leaf stem of a tomato plant meet.
When left to grow naturally, suckers will turn into more stems on your plant. These stems can develop their own suckers and tomatoes which can make for a very top-heavy plant.
Should suckers be removed from the tomato plant? Vegetable gardeners have differing opinions of this. Keep reading to learn more about suckers on tomatoes and whether you should remove them.
How to identify tomato suckers
Identifying tomato suckers is easy once you know what to look for!
All tomato plants have a main stem and leaf stems that grow from it. The area where the main stem and leaf stem of a tomato plant meet is called the “axil”. This is the point where suckers grow.
To identify suckers on tomatoes, look for a third stem which grows at a 45º angle from the axil.
When suckers form, they can be very small – just 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch (3.175mm – 6.35mm) in diameter. If left to grow, they will get larger and can become the size of the leaf stems.
They get their name because many gardeners think that they “suck” energy from the plant. This is not true. Suckers are simply extra branches on a tomato plant.
Suckers can grow on both determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, but are less of a problem with determinate tomatoes.
Should you remove tomato suckers?
To answer the question you must first decide whether you want bigger tomatoes or more tomatoes.
If you remove the suckers, you’ll end up with larger tomatoes. If you leave them to grow, you’ll get a large crop of smaller tomatoes. The choice is yours.
Benefits of pruning suckers
There are a few reasons to remove suckers on tomato plants, especially if you are growing indeterminate tomatoes.
- Tomato plants with suckers require more management since they will need to be staked often as they grow.
- Pruning suckers from indeterminate tomatoes improves air circulation, which helps to prevent disease.
- Fewer leaves on the plant make insects easier to spot before they become a problem.
- Removing suckers from tomato plants can help the fruit to ripen more quickly.
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Removing tomato suckers
Removing suckers on tomatoes is easy if you do it early. Ideally, suckers should be removed as soon as they are spotted.
You can remove them when they have a 1/2 inch (or smaller) stem, by pinching them at the axil with your fingers.
Once suckers get larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, it is better to use sharp pruning shears to make a clean cut. Be sure to sanitize the shears with alcohol before pruning to avoid spreading any disease.
When pruning suckers on tomatoes be careful not to remove too many at one time. Leave about a third of the suckers, that the fruit on the plant is protected from sunscald.
Keeping the suckers trimmed will direct more of the plant’s energy to the fruit. This will cause them to will ripen faster and be larger.
You can grow tomatoes from cuttings if the suckers that you remove are large enough!
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