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Should I remove bottom leaves from tomato plants?

If you are planning to plant the tomato plants deeply (tomatoes can form roots along the stem if it is buried), then you should remove the leaves. However, this is not critical. If the leaves are buried, they will not be able to photosynthesize, so they will be of no benefit to the plant.

aces.nmsu.edu - Should I trim lower leaves from tomatoes when planting? - Prune ...

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Issue: April 19, 2008

Should I trim lower leaves from tomatoes when planting?

Question:

Do you have to trim the lower branches off of a tomato before you plant it or can you just plant it?

Answer:

I suspect you are asking if the lower leaves should be removed from the tomato stem when you plant tomatoes. Tomato plants have leaves with large petioles and many leaflets, so these leaves look much like stems. However, they cannot grow any further because they are leaves and have no buds. If you are planning to plant the tomato plants deeply (tomatoes can form roots along the stem if it is buried), then you should remove the leaves. However, this is not critical. If the leaves are buried, they will not be able to photosynthesize, so they will be of no benefit to the plant. If you have very large tomato plants that have actually begun to grow branches (with buds to allow continued elongation), then you may leave them if the growing point will be above ground after you plant them. If these stems will be completely buried, they are probably better removed to make sure that no disease enters the plant as these stems decay. In other regions of the country, removal of secondary branches even above the ground is recommended. This results in earlier, fewer, but larger tomato fruit. In our extremely high light conditions, this may result in sunscald damage to the fruit because removing stems removes leaves. In New Mexico, the greater number of leaves on the plant (due to additional stems) provides shade to protect the tomato fruit from our intense sunlight. For this reason, I do not prune the secondary stems from my tomato plants.

Prune lilacs, forsythia, and other spring blooming shrubs after flowering.

In last week's column you said that now was the worst time to prune trees. Is this true for shrubs? I have always pruned my lilacs after they flowered.

Answer:

Thank you for allowing me to continue this discussion. By maximizing the loss of stored food needed for plant growth, spring pruning can cause problems for many trees and shrubs. However, pruning early spring blooming plants in the winter removes their flowers (the reason we grow these plants). The lilacs and forsythias are examples of plants that are usually pruned in the spring after flowering. This pruning should only be to remove spent blossoms to prevent them from forming seeds. More extensive pruning than this will be more debilitating. However, when it is necessary to prune for safety reasons, proper pruning techniques and pruning only as much as needed will minimize the negative effects of this pruning.

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Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD, is the Extension Horticulture Specialist, in the Department of Extension Plant Sciences at the New Mexico State University Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, email: desertblooms@nmsu.edu, office: 505-865-7340, ext. 113. For more gardening information, visit the NMSU Extension Horticulture page at Desert Blooms and the NMSU Horticulture Publications page. Send gardening questions to Southwest Yard and Garden - Attn: Dr. Marisa Thompson at desertblooms@nmsu.edu, or at the Desert Blooms Facebook. Please copy your County Extension Agent and indicate your county of residence when you submit your question!

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Should I pinch out my tomatoes?

Pinching out your tomatoes is an essential part of tomato plant care. The reason for this is the tomato plant is a naturally bushy plant, and if you let it grow as it wants to, it will put all of its focus into growing foliage at the expense of fruit.

squiresgardencentres.co.uk - How to Pinch Out Tomatoes - Squire's Garden Centres

Once you have identified your side shoots, what you want to do is gently pinch them out with your finger and thumb. Some will come away easily, others may take a little jostling. You want to pinch or tear them away rather than using scissors or secateurs for a couple of reasons. Pinching off with your fingers results in better formation of scar tissue making disease less likely to take hold. Additionally, scissors can transfer diseases from one plant to another. Please note that side shoots do not need to be removed from smaller bush (determinate) varieties. Pro tip – you can use side shoots to create other tomato plants. Let it grow to about 5 or 6 inches, then pinch carefully and place into a pot of wet compost. Keep the compost moist over the coming days and before you know it a root network will be established, and you’ve got yourself another tomato plant.