Okay — you sowed your tomato seeds at the perfect time, planted seedlings in healthy soil, and stayed on top of watering and fertilising.
But despite all that hard work, your tomato plants still look weak and aren’t producing fruit.
Chances are, you’re not pruning your tomatoes properly!
Pruning is essential for tomatoes. While determinate (bush) varieties need only minimal trimming, indeterminate (vining) types need a lot of attention.
You’ll need to remove all leaves that are touching the ground. Then, keep an eye out for extra shoots that might steal energy from fruit production.
There are also pruning techniques that’ll help you get more tomato fruits — or bigger ones.
When it comes to tomatoes, you can’t skip the snip, so keep reading to learn how to prune tomato plants!
When to Prune | Young Tomatoes | Determinate Tomatoes | Indeterminate Tomatoes | Pruning for More Fruit | Pruning for Bigger Fruit
Why Prune Tomato Plants
Pruning is non-negotiable if you want to grow strong tomatoes and harvest plenty of fruit.
When done correctly and at the right time, pruning directs the plants’ energy to what matters most at each stage of growth.
For example, young tomato plants should prioritise leafy growth over flowering, so you’ll need to trim off premature blossoms.
Meanwhile, mature plants must focus on developing fruit. So at that phase, removing extra shoots is important.
Thinning out dense foliage also increases airflow between leaves and between plants.
That helps the leaves dry faster after watering or a bout of rain, which reduces the risk of common tomato diseases.
A neatly pruned plant also makes it easier to spot any pests, so you can deal with them ASAP!
When to Prune Tomatoes
The first pruning you’ll have to do is at the time of transplanting — remove the lowest set of leaves so you can bury the tomato seedling deeply.
After that, tomato plants need regular pruning throughout the growing season. The general rule for how often to prune tomato plants is about once a week.
This prevents any leaves from touching the soil and keeps new growth under control.
Aim to prune tomatoes in the morning before watering. The foliage should be dry to avoid the spread of disease.
And remember: light, consistent pruning works better than letting the tomato plants overgrow and trimming a lot in one go.
Removing too many leaves can stress out your tomatoes and get in the way of fruit production.
Do All Tomato Plants Need Pruning?
Generally, yes — although not all tomato varieties need the same level of pruning!
All young tomato plants need similar pruning early on.
But as they mature, how much pruning you have to do depends on whether your tomatoes are determinate or indeterminate.
Determinate tomatoes require minimal trimming, since they stay more compact and produce fruit over just 1–2 weeks. Going overboard can actually reduce their yield!
On the other hand, indeterminate tomatoes benefit most from regular pruning.
That’s because they continuously sprawl, flower, and fruit until they’re killed off by cold weather or frost.
How to Prune Young Tomato Plants
Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes need the same kind of pruning while they’re young.
At this stage, more energy should go towards growing healthy roots, a strong main stem, and plenty of leaves. This sets up your tomatoes for successful fruit production later on.
When transplanting young tomato plants, remove the lowest set of leaves but keep 3–4 healthy sets at the top.
This lets you plant the seedlings deeply, up to two-thirds of the stem. Tomatoes form roots from any part of the stem that’s buried, so this promotes strong roots.
Some tomato plants might also start producing flowers too early in the season. If this happens, it’s usually around the time of transplanting or shortly after.
If you notice any premature blossoms, pinch them off so the plants can focus on developing their stem and foliage first.
How to Prune Determinate Tomatoes
Determinate tomato plants (like Gold Nugget, Patio, and Tiny Tim) stay more compact, usually about 0.5–1.5m tall. They produce fruit over just a week or two.
Because of that, they need very little pruning!
Do not remove tomato suckers (new growth between the main stem and the leaf stems) on determinate plants.
Each sucker can bear fruit, so cutting them off can reduce your harvest.
Instead, only prune determinate tomatoes for basic hygiene. Remove yellowing or diseased leaves, plus any that are touching the soil.
Thin out small sections only if the foliage becomes too dense and blocks sunlight and airflow from reaching the centre.
In hot weather, do not remove leaves that help shade the fruits. Exposing the tomatoes to extreme heat makes them vulnerable to sunscald!
How to Prune Indeterminate Tomatoes
Left to their own devices, indeterminate tomato plants (like many cherry and paste varieties) grow vigorously, so you need to be diligent with pruning.
Never trim off more than one-third of the foliage, though, or you’ll shock the plants!
Removing the lower tomato leaves
Removing the lower leaves helps protect tomato plants from soil-borne diseases.
Every week after transplanting, prune off any leaves that are touching the soil or are hanging too low.
That way, the plant’s leaves won’t pick up fungal or bacterial infections directly from the ground.
Remove leaves by hand or use clean, sharp scissors to make clean cuts near the main stem.
As the tomato plants grow taller, keep the bottom 20–30cm of the main stem bare.
That clear space reduces the risk of water splashes that could carry pathogens from the soil onto the foliage, especially in rainy weather.
It also improves airflow around the base, which helps the tomatoes’ roots breathe!
Pinching off tomato suckers
Tomato suckers are little shoots that grow at a 45-degree angle from the leaf axils (the areas between a leaf stem and the main stem).
These shoots can develop into full stems with their own leaves, flowers, and fruit. However, leaving too many suckers on the plant can block airflow and sunlight.
They might also result in smaller fruit, since the plant’s energy will be spread among more stems and leaves!
About 1–2 times a week, prune suckers from indeterminate tomato plants. Work gradually — remove only a few at a time to avoid stressing out your plants.
You can usually pinch off the suckers by hand if they’re small enough. For larger or thicker suckers, use scissors or pruners.
Cut close to the main stem, and avoid leaving stubs since they can rot.
If the weather is too hot, try Missouri pruning. Instead of removing the sucker completely, trim just the tip and leave 1 or 2 sets of leaves behind.
The remaining leaves help shade the fruit from sunscald, while still contributing to photosynthesis!
Thinning out dense foliage
As the indeterminate tomatoes sprawl and put out new leaves, watch if the centre of the plant becomes too dense. This commonly happens in tropical and subtropical Aussie regions!
Thin a few inner leaves to open up the plant to direct sunlight and airflow, but take care not to overprune.
Do not remove more than a third of the foliage, as that can shock the plant or expose the fruit to extreme heat.
Trimming infected or yellowing leaves
You might notice a few older leaves turning yellow over the growing season — this is normal.
However, widespread leaf spots, mottling, or discolouration could signal a disease.
Remove infected or yellowing tomato leaves immediately.
If you suspect an infection, dispose of the leaves in a sealed bag and disinfect your pruning tools afterwards.
Topping tomato plants
Tomato growing season ends when the weather cools or when the first frost arrives. Once temperatures drop to 10°C or lower, these plants can quickly die back.
Before that happens, prune the indeterminate tomato plants for winter.
This encourages the plants to focus on ripening fruits that are already on the vine, rather than producing new flowers.
To do that, top your tomato plants about 4 weeks before the cold weather or the first frost.
Find the growing tip of the main stem. Trim it off, including any new flowers or very tiny fruits above the highest tomato cluster to want to mature.
How to Prune Tomato Plants to Produce More Fruit
If you’re growing cherry or paste tomatoes, you might want a bigger overall yield.
To achieve that, your plants need extra stems in addition to the main leader (the main productive stem).
Keep one or more suckers, and train them to grow into secondary fruit-bearing leaders.
Before doing this, make sure there will still be plenty of space between tomato plants to maintain good airflow!
NOTE: These pruning techniques apply only to indeterminate tomatoes, since you don’t have to remove any suckers on determinate types.
Single-stem vs. double-stem pruning
Many gardeners remove all suckers to let tomato plants focus on producing larger fruit. This is known as single-stem pruning.
If you want more fruits, though, you can let one sucker grow into a second leader. This is called the double-leader method or double-stem pruning.
Here’s how the two approaches compare:
| SINGLE-STEM TOMATOES | DOUBLE-STEM PRUNING |
|
|
Some gardeners even allow two or three suckers to grow — known as multi-stem pruning. This can give you the biggest yield, but it also demands even more upkeep!
Growing double leader tomatoes
To try the double-leader method, wait until your tomato plant produces its first fruit cluster.
Look for the sucker just below that cluster. This sucker is usually the strongest, as it draws energy from the same part of the plant that feeds the first fruits.
Let it grow into a secondary leader, and pinch off all other suckers on the plant.
That way, your tomato plant channels its energy into just two productive stems: the main stem and your new, secondary leader.
Now, you’ll have two fruit-bearing stems on a single plant, so be sure to provide sturdy support for your tomato plant.
Use a wide, sturdy tomato cage or two separate stakes to prevent the stems from bending because of the heavy fruits.
Growing tomatoes with multiple leaders
Want to go beyond the double-leader method? Try multi-stem pruning — you’ll train the tomato plant to have three (or even four!) productive leaders.
Just keep in mind that more stems mean more watering, fertilising, and pruning.
Multi-stemmed plants also grow thicker foliage, which makes them prone to disease. Plus, the plants would take up a lot of space in your garden.
To do it, the second leader should be the one beneath the first fruit cluster. Then, choose another one or two well-positioned suckers.
The third leader could be a sucker just above or below the second leader. The fourth leader should ideally be on the opposite side of the tomato plant.
Provide strong support and prune any new suckers on all leaders to keep your tomatoes healthy!
How to Prune Tomatoes to Produce Larger Fruit
If you’re growing beefsteak tomatoes or any large, slicing tomato variety (like Grosse Lisse), your priority might be fruit size, not quantity!
You can encourage tomatoes to develop bigger fruits through single-stem pruning. Remove all suckers, and let just the main stem grow.
Then, for an extra boost in fruit size, try thinning the fruit clusters.
Once your tomato starts fruiting, look at a developed fruit truss or cluster. It may have 5–8 tiny tomatoes on it.
Use sharp pruning shears to snip off the tiniest green tomatoes (the undeveloped ones). Leave one or two of the largest, healthiest fruits on that cluster.
The plant’s nutrients that would have gone into the fruits you removed are now sent to the remaining fruits, helping them grow bigger.
How to Prune Tomato Plants for Winter
Tomatoes naturally reach the end of the growing season as winter approaches.
Topping off the main tips of the plants helps the last fruits ripen before it gets too cold and the plant dies back.
If you’re in a warm region with mild winters, you can try overwintering tomato plants indoors or in a greenhouse. It’s very challenging though, as tomatoes are not cold-hardy!
Also, this works only on container-grown indeterminate tomatoes. Determinate types have a limited window for fruit production, so overwintering them isn’t worthwhile!
To start pruning for winter, cut back about one-third to half of the plant’s height and foliage. This triggers semi-dormancy and reduces the amount of sunlight needed by the plant.
You’ll also need to trim:
- All flowers and fruit
- Any parts infested by pests
- Damaged, diseased, or dead leaves and stems
Afterwards, move the tomato plant to a bright, cool, and frost-free spot indoors or in a greenhouse.
Over the next few weeks, continue pruning lightly to remove any yellowing leaves and maintain airflow.
When spring arrives and the weather is warm enough, gradually acclimate the tomato to outdoor conditions.
More Tips on Pruning Tomato Plants
Always prune tomato plants when the weather is dry and the leaves aren’t wet. Water droplets can carry disease and easily infect tomatoes through open cuts.
Don’t forget to disinfect your pruning tools before and after working on each plant.
A quick wipe with 70% rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) works well.
Keep enough leaves on the plant to shade the fruit and protect it from sunscald, especially during hot Australian summers.
And remember: pruning is not the only thing that tomatoes need to produce a big harvest.
Fertilising tomatoes and watering them consistently will help your plants recover after pruning and produce plenty of fruit.
Weeding and mulching can also keep the soil healthy for tomatoes. If you need a hand with upkeep, our garden maintenance pros can help!
FAQs About Pruning Tomato Plants
Need more tips on how to prune tomato plants? These commonly asked questions cover everything you need to know!
How to prune tomato plants in pots
If you’re growing tomatoes in pots, remember that they need the same pruning as those planted in the ground.
For determinate varieties, keep the lower part of the stem bare and remove any yellow or diseased leaves.
For indeterminate plants, the same pruning steps apply. You’ll also need to pinch off tomato suckers and top the plant towards the end of the growing season.
Single-stem pruning is also best for indeterminate varieties that are planted in containers. That keeps the plants easier to manage, especially since space is limited.
How to prune indoor tomato plants
Hopefully, you have a determinate tomato plant growing indoors, since indeterminate types can be hard to grow in a small space!
When pruning determinate plants, remove any leaves that are touching the soil, plus any wilting or diseased foliage.
Keep the suckers, though. They’ll add more foliage for photosynthesis, and they can also bear fruit.
When is it too late to prune tomato plants?
You need to top off tomato plants about 4 weeks before the cold weather arrives. Any later, and the last fruits might not have enough time to mature on the vine.
If you miss that window, don’t worry — you can still pick any green or unripe fruit and let it ripen indoors.
They might not taste as sweet, but at least your hard work won’t go to waste!
