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Not sure why or how to prune tomato suckers?
- Many don’t know about tomato suckers.
- And, often new gardeners don’t understand how, when, where and why to prune out vigorous tomato growth.
- Plus, many aren’t sure if every tomato really needs to be pruned.
- But, in many cases, pruning out tomato suckers will result in healthier plants.
- And that means you’ll probably enjoy a better tomato fruit harvest too.

Clip out Suckers at the point where they emerge from the base of a leaf on the main stem
So, do you have the kind of tomato that should be pruned?
- Not every tomato needs to be pruned.
- That’s because some don’t form a lot of suckers.
- Basically, if you’re growing an indeterminate, pruning is a good idea.
- But, if you’re cultivating determinants, you likely don’t want to prune.
- As well, to make things even more confusing, some tomatoes fall between those categories.
- These are called semi-determinant.
- And, if you need help choosing which tomatoes to grow, check out list of some of our favorites.
What are tomato suckers anyway?
- The suckers on plants are vegetative shoots.
- And, too many of these may put a strain on a plant’s limited resources.
- Plus, the plant produces a bunch of green growth.
- And, as well, it may have less ripe fruit in response.
- Moreover, when a plant is dense with green growth, it may have minimal airflow.
- And, light may not get into the interior of the plant.
- So, that may result in disease problems on top of smaller crops.

The tomato stem on the left is a sucker. And, about 2″ above it is a flower stalk.
Where do suckers grow on tomatoes?
Briefly explained: suckers are the new shoots that emerge out of a tiny bud near the base of a leaf.
- And it happens right where the leaf base connects to the main stem.
- But, its important to be sure that the shoot isn’t a flower shoot.
- That’s because these are where the fruits form.
- And, its important not to remove the main, tip shoot on the plant if you want it to keep growing upward.
- The images in this post illustrate where to prune out tomato suckers.
Ok, but wouldn’t it also be good to prune flowers early season to promote growth and get a larger later season harvest?
Not in our experience.