I pinch my herbs but I got to thinking whether you should pinch tomatoes and peppers for higher yield.
Pinching tomatoes and bell pepper plants
You will stop the growth of either one.
Don't do it, they are not like herbs. Do pinch tomato suckers, though. And you may want to prune growing tips about 30 days before frost so the plant outs its energy into the existing fruit instead of growing.
You can also prune to limit size and growth - but it won't increase yield or plant size.
Thank you both. Was just wondering.
There are several possible issues here.
As the respondents above say, do NOT pinch off the tops of young tomato plants as you can do to herbs.
People argue about the practice of pinching off suckers that form at the junction of the a stem and it's branches. Experts Carolyn Malle and Craig LeHoullier advise against it as a general rule. I only trim suckers or outlying branches when an indeterminate plant threatens to spread into it's neighbors.
Topping a plant in late summer is another recognized form of pruning. When an indeterminate plant reaches the top of my 6 foot supports, I often cut off the growing point so it won't flop over and break. This also prevents the plant from producing late-season fruit that will never ripen before frost.
I prune suckers off all the plants in the hoop houses. One stem supported.
Bigger & more tomatoes.
Picture taken September 2nd. Ripe tomatoes started mid June.
About 6 feet of vine is along the base on the floor.
This message was edited Apr 5, 2015 3:55 PM
You can top peppers. They'll grow more bushy.
Of course, when the deer top my peppers they stall.
Bernie!
Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much for posting that picture of those scrawny looking, pruned-to-just-one-stem tomato vines!
I pruned suckers off all my vines just day before yesterday, and they looked so scrawny afterwards -- JUST LIKE YOURS!
YAY!!!!!
Now, one question. Your vines show a pattern of a cluster of fruits, then, a leaf above. Then, the next cluster of fruits, and a leaf above that, etc.
So, the vine doesn't need all those extra leaves after all?
^^_^^^^_^^
This message was edited Apr 14, 2015 2:19 PM
ive had a bit of a pepper plant dilemma myself:
I ran into a mishap while planting one of my red bell peppers, i toppled over the clay pot that it was temporarily planted in, and the weight of the potting mix that fell out snapped the plant at its base, leaving only one leaf.
I put it in there anyways, sheltered by another plant, hoping it will make a come back, and i am attempting to root the top of the part that got snapped off.
If you are saying that the rootball and a little bit of stem and one leaf is what's left in the pot, my guess is it will start growing from there. The other part is gone.
A little diagram.
Amazing!
Thanks, Bernie!!
Great diagram. I am embarrassed to say I didn't know about sucker leaves. I will have to look at my plant tomorrow and remove, if any.
I don't prune the suckers bc they protect the fruit from sun scald. Mine are outside under the intense Texas sun. Ive heard arguments both ways. I also don't have any space restrictions on how big the plants can get.
I did have one sucker and I pinched it off, if I'm notes taken, my tomato is celebrity
Omg ... I have been gone for 2 weeks and it has been raining a lot in DFW ... I always prune my suckers on my indeterminate tomatoes ...I might have a jungle of tomatoes leaves at home.
I am flight back tonight ... I cannot wait to taste my first tomato !