![]() Remove all tomato leaves from the bottom 12” of the plant, or up until first flowers. During plant establishment, pruning is best done when flowering begins, usually when the plant is about 24” tall. ![]() This is done in two phases.Īt planting, remove plant leaves that will touch the soil to minimize soilborne disease transmission. By strategically selecting and removing a portion of healthy tomato growth during crop development, gardeners can improve the quality and longevity of the tomato harvest. This will do much to prevent common tomato diseases, such as powdery mildew, Septoria leaf spot, and Early blight. The goals of tomato pruning are threefold: increase airflow below and through the plant, even out light distribution around the plant, and make it easier to trellis or support it later. Common enemies of tomato plants are aphids, hornworms, thrips, whiteflies, tomato psyllid, fruitworms, and flea beetles.Photo of sucker remove these season-long (indeterminate tomatoes only) Photo Credit - Nick Frillman Fewer leaves also make it easier to spot insect pests that like to hide in thick canopies of leaves. Other diseases to read up on and look out for include early blight, southern blight, fusarium wilt, buckeye rot, blossom end rot, septoria leaf spot, gray wall, anthracnose, verticillium wilt, and bacterial speck. It can kill the entire plant and is highly contagious, spreading by releasing spores into the wind. Among the most common, and perhaps the most detrimental, is late blight, caused by the Phytophthora infestans fungus. Fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases can all infect tomato plants. A well-pruned plant will also dry faster after a rain, so they are less susceptible to diseases that develop from prolonged moisture, humid weather, and poor air circulation. Fewer leaves mean the plant is less dense, which allows for more air to flow among the stems.
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