How to Sucker Your Tomatoes 101

Okay, so with this season of unprecedented growth, comes a unique set of problems. I have had many a customer & friend tell me that their tomatoes are going crazy or growing out of control . . . .

Suckering Your Tomatoes 101

When your tomato plants are growing like crazy, it is a good idea to "sucker" them. This will help the plant direct vital energy into creating & ripening tomatoes, as opposed to growing more & more greenery . . . . Living up to their name, these "suckers" are sucking energy away from the fruit of your plants . . .

Step #1- Locate the sucker -

The "Sucker" is the growth that appears in the crotch between the stem & a branch (it is the portion of the plant that my fingers are grasping in the picture below:

Step #2 - Snap off the "sucker". If you break it between your thumb & forefinger, you should be able to get smooth snap

Step #3 - Repeat throughout the plant, and enjoy the fruits of your labour in the harvest to come . . . . You may have to continue this process throughout the summer

My Lakefield plants have not started to grow a lot of "suckers" yet, but I will post a before & after photo of suckering at the Havelock garden when I have done it!