Q:Β I live in the Green Valley area and my cherry tomato plants are 4 feet tall and somewhat scraggly. Some blooms and a few fruit. My question: Is it too early to prune back and how much to prune, half, a third, two-thirds? No hornworms yet, I just jinxed that..
A:Β The rule of thumb is donβt prune more than a third of your plant at a time. Tomatoes can be left alone and donβt require pruning but you may improve your yield by removing the suckers from indeterminate plants like yours. Suckers are the growth from the stem at an approximately 45-degree angle between the leaves and the fruiting part. They grow right out of the crotch between those two and the energy spent growing suckers takes away from energy used to produce the fruit. The other reasons to prune are to allow for air and light to reach the leaves or to keep the leaves off the ground. If your plants are scraggly, this might not be a concern until they put out more leaves. Also at 4 feet tall they might need some support. Hopefully you are already using a trellis or a stake.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
