tomato pruning/pinching/trimming catch-22?

Question

OK, so a lot of people have been saying that you should trim some, most, or all of the leaves on a tomato plant once the tomatoes set. The main reason people give is so that the plant will only have to feed, water, and distribute nutrients to the fruit. BUT, don't the leaves ADD energy to the plant? Sure, they have to be kept wet and green and all that stuff, but they provide more to the plant than they take away, right?

Answer 1

I've heard of pruning the "suckers" most of my life...and always had the same question that you posed. This year I chose NOT to prune ANY suckers...and my tomato yield so far, is WAY WAY WAY below average! Too bad I didn't do a more controlled study, pruning some plants of identical species/cultivar and not others, huh?

Answer 2

I prune almost all leaves off my tomatoes in the greenhouse to get optimum growth of the tomatoes and avoid leaf/stem rots and mildews. Outside, I would probably leave the leaves on to protect the fruit from the weather and sun. I prune the leaves in the greenhouse because the humidity is so high and disease can take ahold way easier. Don't forget, tomatoes are annual plants that are genetically designed to grow like crazy and set their fruit in one season, no matter how many leaves they have.

Answer 3

All you really need to prune are the suckers. They are the little brances that grow where a branch and the stem make a V. Suckers dont usually produce fruit and only rob the plant of energy. You dont even have to prune the suckers if you dont want to, your tomatoes will just be smaller.

Answer 4

Prune the suckers to keep the plant from sprawling and becoming unmanageable; trim only the bottom leaves, to improve air circulation and reduce chances of disease. I think that with no leaves the plant will stop growing and the fruit stop developing.

Answer 5

yes. we've been growing tomatos ever since i was born. you pinch off the smaller unhealthy looking ones call suckers. also the limbs that grow close to the ground. that way the tomatos dont' grow ON the ground. i have never heard of pinching off all the limbs. too much sun will cause the tomato to have sun poisoning and not be good. prune ONLY the unhealthy limbs

Answer 6

I TRIM SOME LEAF GROWTH TO GIVE THE FRUIT A LITTLE SUN SO IT WILL RIPEN FASTER BUT NOT SO MUCH IT BURNS. OF COURSE YOU NEED LEAF GROWTH BUT WHEN THE PLANT IS ALL LEAVES AND SUCKERS THE ROOTS SPEND THEIR ENERGY FEEDING THE LEAVES AND NOT SETTING THE FRUIT. IT'S PERFECTLY SAFE TO TRIM A LITTLE SO IT WILL GET BIGGER AND SET MORE FRUIT, JUST DON'T BUTCHER IT.

Answer 7

I have not heard that and I get tons of tomatoes.
What I do do is pinch the tops every so often just above the first two yellow flowers...makes them branch out more, produce more fruit and not get so tall.

Answer 8

when they get as high as i want them i pinch the tops out so they have to grow out and produce blossoms more than grow up, also pinch the lowest branches off up to about a foot or so makes them easier to water and discourages snails and such

Answer 9

i dont prune mine..the leaves provide cover from the heat and sun...