tomato sucker

Don’t forget to pinch out the suckers on your tomatoes. Some people say pinch them and some say not to. I am in the camp of pinch them. I might try to leave one with suckers on to see how they differ throughout the season next year but they are all pinched or will be pinched soon this year! Where a branch comes off the main vine and in the crotch or ‘v’  where the two branches meet is a little branch that starts-this is a sucker and if left to grow will help contribute to unruly growth. The sucker in the picture is starting to get big and needs to be pinched out. You’ve probably had some tomatoes that were out of control growth wise. If you don’t pinch it out, your plant can become monstrous. I need to take them off weekly. Notice I said need..I’m having my friend, Lava, come over next week who loves to pinch off the suckers-that should be a big help! Pinching is not a one time job but if you start early you can keep up on it. Keep looking at the new growth so you can pinch them when they are small. Otherwise take some scissors to cut them out if they get too big on you. Just remember to disinfect your scissors or hands with a little alcohol in between plants so as not to pass any diseases from one to another.