4 proven pruning tips for healthy tomato plants

There’s nothing like a fresh, juicy tomato from your own yard. The taste is second to none and they can be used in everything from salads to pasta sauces. To make a tomato plant grow healthily, you need to prune regularly. These 4 tips will help.

Watch out for tomato plants with leaves that reach the ground.

• Tomato plants with low leaves are at a higher risk for insect damage, infestation or catching tomato blight.

What is tomato blight?
Tomato blight, also known as late blight, is a disease that affects many varieties of plants.

• Caused by fungi, blighted plants will shrivel and decay at an accelerated rate.
• Plant leaves close to the ground often do not get enough sun to be healthy. What's more, they also tend to stay wet for longer, making them more susceptible to fungus.

Be sure to prune low on the plant to remove leaves that touch the ground.

Suckers are branches of the tomato plant that won't bear fruit. These branches needlessly sap energy from the rest of the plant, making the end tomato smaller and less flavourful.

You can easily identify suckers. Here's how:

• Look for small shoots growing from the joint of an already-full-grown branch and the main stem.

To remove them, simply pinch and remove suckers with your fingers.

• You'll want to remove the first round of suckers that appear if your plant is a determinate plant, but you can remove even more branches from an indeterminate plant and still end up with many tomatoes.

Tomatoes are sensitive, fickle fruits. Although pruning may help the tomato plant divert its resources to fruit and not excess branches, the shade removed by pruning may make the tomato vulnerable to the sun.

• Too much sun can burn the tomatoes and cause them to rot.

Be careful pruning plants in hot weather. If you do, be sure you aren't pruning branches that would otherwise shade the fruit.

Leaves that are turning yellow often wilt quickly and sap unnecessary energy from the plant.

• Use your fingers to pull yellow leaves as they appear. Pulling yellow leaves will keep the plant free from disease and it can also help the fruit grow.

Caring for your tomato plant includes careful pruning for a healthy, delicious crop. These simple tips will help you grow tomato plants that yield a tasty bounty!