Identifying & Understanding Tomato 'Suckers' - They Produce Flowers & Fruit: Two Minute TRG Tips

I show you how to identify 'tomato suckers' and discuss how they are actual production stems that will produce flowers and tomatoes. You have to know how to find them before you can decide how much or how little to prune them from your tomato plants.

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[olderpennsylvanian-op]

Last year when I was pruning my Sweet 100s and Husky Cherry Reds, I experimented with rooting them, and they were amazing. Those plants grew as big as the originals and all the tomato lovers in my community were thrilled to have fresh tomatoes right up until the frost finally killed them. Sadly I have a reaction to tomatoes and can't enjoy them myself but I love growing them.

[BigSmoce]

I swear you're in my head. The last...idk, 6 times I had a question hat required visual explanation explanation, within 2hrs I get a notification on a vid you released...and its literally answering my question. 1st time it was about peppers...after that vid my second tray of seeds had a drastically higher germination rate. 2nd time was with cucumbers...that second round had a 90% germination instead of the 40% I got the first time. So amazing how in depth you go. Very helpful.

[bonnieo]

Thanks for this video. Short and to the point.

[melissasullivan]

I’ve taken my tomato growing way more seriously this year after having a horrible tomato year in 2020 (new environment = new rules of growing; I failed miserably).

This year I’ve noticed that if I have a plant flowering, that removing the nearest sucker below the flower cluster helps speed up the flower opening process, but the other suckers below/above it it don’t effect anything. It was a good little a-ha moment. Selective suckering = more tomatoes. 🥳

[chuckp]

I single stem mine. Your garden looks great this year!

[poststructure]

I love the sound of those magicicada septindecims in the background. Thanks for the helpful video!

[TheRLeske]

I love tomato videos! :} If you grew 50+ different varieties and did a taste comparison for every one... I'd prob watch them all...lol :}

[ccook]

I keep them mostly pinched when the plant is small, but after the plant gets about the size of those I let some grow out a couple inches and root them so I can save my seed and don't have to wait so long for starts. Then, I just pick them out when I think I need to.

[lgarden]

Your plants look very healthy...thanks for the video.

[ritayeoh]

Tqvm Bro, so many videos I have seen all don't show too clearly as pic taken too far away .... only your this video helps me to really Understand & SEE Clearly the Suckers. Tqvm. Great Blessings..

[cynbdavis]

Thanks Gary! I needed this reminder. Not sure last year I left suckers on determinate tomatoes but I will this year.

[claraslate]

Looking forward to the video about double vs triple stem, etc.! Thank you!

[HamCubes]

If you're not careful it's very easy to end up pruning a determinant variety by mistake. When I see how tall my single-stemmed indeterminants look in comparison to my determinants, my first instinct is to prune.

That's how I ended up with <a dozen tomatoes from one of my determinants last Summer.
So be aware that determinants are supposed to be shorter and fuller -- they're called bush tomatoes for a good reason!

[mjsikes]

Thank you so much! I needed to know this & you made it easy to learn! 😊

[markstevenson]

I love your videos which are quick and information packed! What was that hydrogen peroxide formula for tomato diseases you mentioned, please? Which video is it in, please? where did you get those big tomato planters you showed for the determinant tomatoes, please? Thank you!

[David-fvzg]

Replant the suckers, they make great tomato plants.

[gregbluefinstudios]

Really looking forward to understanding single stem v. double stem

[mattkelly]

I’m just sprouted 6 orange hat tomato plants from baker creek. I’m well versed in pruning determinate and indeterminate varieties but is there anything special I need to know about dwarfs?

[fstudio]

Thank you. Quite helpful. When I buy my plants I do not know if they are indeterminate or the other. They are not labeled that way.