Should you pinch off tomato suckers?

Most gardeners agree that small suckers should be pinched off, but there are also people who are resolutely against it and they let bushes grow as they wish and do nothing about it. They also have a good harvest sure, but it is not as good as it could be, plus wild untrimmed plants are more prone to catch various fungi. So, let us explain why you should clip off suckers and how to do it correctly.

Suckers – suck the energy out of the plant

Yes, and old leaves do the same. Especially, if they are infected with mould or other diseases. Leaves like that need to be removed. Another problem is that too much side shoots may block the much needed light.

Photo: Pixabay

Reasons why you should snip off suckers neatly and clearly

Benefit of sucker clipping:

• more sunlight ,
• better air circulation,
• plants may be shaped,
• prevention of certain diseases, especially fungi.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

When the plant reaches about 20 cm, you can start

Yes, you can but you do not need to stress out. The important thing is to cut off the lateral shoots in time, before they grow too much. You can do with your own hands as these little things are small and frail. But if you need to remove diseased leaves, then you need scissors. Some people even use cinnamon to disinfect the cut, but we do not think that it is necessary. By the way, you can watch how we do the snipping in the following video clip.

YouTube: Radek Štěpán

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán