Tomato Suckers - Garden Quickie Episode 153

Tomato Suckers Suck. Sort of. Adventitious little shoots that seem to pop out everywhere, suckers simultaneously help your tomatoes to give absolute epic harvests, while also being a complete drain on the plant.
For the most part, suckers are removed as soon as we see them. Yes, we leave a few on, especially near the top of indeterminate plants to add to the harvest, but all others simply have to go.
In today's Quickie, I'll show you what suckers look like, where to find them, and how to remove them! Its not hard, but it is a constant process throughout the tomato plant's life cycle!
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#tomatoes #gardening #gardeningtips

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

If you're just starting out gardening in 2023, please check out my Amazon Affiliate links below to get the right tools for the job! It doesn't cost you a cent, but this channel receives a small incentive for any items purchase through Amazon. Happy Gardening! Seedling Trays! Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3xiKAgi Amazon USA: amzn.to/3DWD2DR Amazon UK: amzn.to/3RRlrCQ pH/Water/Light Meter Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3yafmrV Amazon USA: amzn.to/3OKRW30 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3nvEIM4 Composting Tumbler! Amazon Canada: amzn.to/39CgtYw Amazon USA: amzn.to/39Dha49 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3yLsKVf Handy 12-piece Garden Tool Set!: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3jsNIyk Amazon USA: amzn.to/2YZhFwx Amazon UK: amzn.to/3qapNql Hand Pruners: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/2YSIFxP Amazon USA: amzn.to/3q3Oftq Amazon UK: amzn.to/2YR3Xf8 Watering Can: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/39U4nIc Amazon USA: amzn.to/2YR3p94 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3oX7hAa Spray Gun: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3aBxijm Amazon USA: amzn.to/3aL7UHS Amazon UK: amzn.to/3ruol1Z Gardening Gloves: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/2Lt6ZDx Amazon USA: amzn.to/3tzJ32t Amazon UK: amzn.to/3jpf1cU

[@janw491]

If you let them grow a bit pick them, put into water or just stuff them in good dirt and you have another tomato plant!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yup, works great..... if you have enough time left in the season....

[@PE9A3p4hUfwv]

Great presentation! I wasn't going to watch a 15 minute dissertation on suckers. This is helpful.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Stewie, appreciate it!

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

There is one advantage to suckers, which is that if your tomato plant gets damaged by pests, the topmost sucker becomes the new main stem and the plant can keep growing. Last year I had a deer cut off the tops of my tomato plants, so I let the plants recover on their own. The severed main stem was pushed off to the side and the sucker took over like nothing had happened.

[@redhen689]

I’ve never had deer eat my tomato plants before. This year they are decimating them. 😢

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

@@redhen689 Put a physical barrier around them, like a fence or hardware mesh. I also make a solution out of hot peppers and spray that on my plants, which trains the deer to avoid the scent.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 so true.... Suckers are just THAT vigorous!

[@sandyhayden-bristow1382]

Hallelujah, this is the best video showing suckers I have seen. Mine usually end up growing because I was never quite sure which one to take off. Thank you, this should make a big difference to my harvest. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? 🤗🤗

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks so much Sandy, happy to help! 🙂

[@mamabearthrives7815]

And if you want, You can stick those suckers in water and have another plant! Amazing! 💓💪🤷‍♀️😎 thank you!!!

[@godisincontrol32]

I did not know that.. Thank you 😊

[@mizsparkie5479]

You never suck, Jeff! Always useful info. Thanks!💚

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Ha ha thanks!!! :-)

[@godisincontrol32]

Awesomeness and quick.. Love your style of teaching 😄 Keep up the good work...

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks so much, and thanks for watching! 🙂

[@tonifleischmann704]

Man I’m growing my first tomato plant ever that my friend started from seed and I was a little overwhelmed at first but finding your channel has helped a lot, thanks for being clear and informative!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@tonifleischmann704 that's so awesome to hear! Do you know what kind you have?

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Right on! Suckers are a huge pain. I have trimmed them off and started new plants from them, but our season isn't really long enough to be able to harvest any fruit. I have had blossoms and thimble size tomatoes though. I've had suckers get away from me before because we had so many plants. A few get missed lol. Enjoyed Jeff, take care!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Same here michael! Enjoy the wekend! :-)

[@jacoblanglois]

I feel like I pull whole plants off my tomatooes every other day, and no matter how much I think I've got them all one always manages to grow a foot seemingly out of nowhere. I also say "gotcha sucka!" as I pull them off.. neighbors probably think I'm nuts.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Ha ha imagine saying that 200 times every morning...my neighbors would call the funny farm!

[@melindaroth5796]

YAY JEFF, JUST IN TIME. HUBBY GOT 1 TOMATO 🍅 SO FAR. THANK YOU JEFF. LOVE YALL ❤

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Nice!!! Harvested, or still on the plant?

[@melindaroth5796]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms HE pulled it off still a little yellow and set in window

[@melindaroth5796]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms HE keeps planting new seeds so he has several in different growth sizes.

[@Giterdonek1]

Thank you for a a great video, and not beating me with a horticulture book. I’m not here to watch a movie , just the facts!! Great job man!!

[@erichaskell]

When we get into mid August, I start removing suckers that have no fruit on them and flowers in an effort to force the tomatoes that are already formed to grow and ripen.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Smart.

[@gazellecarlson6543]

found some big suckers i missed and just popped em into a jar of water and some directly into wet soil in a pot. they are growing well free plants. it's going to be a tomato bonanza

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Suckers grow like crazy when plucked from the plant....its aweome!

[@covahsmusicvault8953]

Thanks Jeff. I was concerned I'd mucked up when I took the flowers off my baby tomato plants which are my 1st determinate ones. I was like, oh sh!t! I just took away part of my bounty. I'm so used to indeterminate ones which I pinch all flowers & suckers from so the plant focuses on rooting as well as healthy growth. I have a Peach variety tom this year. It's healthy overall, but I'm not sure it's going to produce in time for our short season. Oh well. Gardening is intended to be fun & excellent therapy. Take care & give Emma my love, ~ Covah

[@Ben-ee3td]

Have been successful with vibrating behind flower. Great info.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

For pollination?

[@blurose2479]

Best info on suckers out there! Ty.

[@shannanknight6485]

Thank you. I have about a 50% success rate, with a healthy removed sucker, to get it to root and start growing, in water or wet dirt, into another plant. If it isn't healthy I compost it. If I leave the sucker on the plant, then the branch at the point it grew out from, usally will get sick and die.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I hear you shannan. For me, by the time suckers appear, its too late to start any more tomatoes in hopes of getting them to yield. So yes, I can make a million more plants, but there's little point with not enough time left to fruit.

[@GabyP17]

Have you done a garden quickie on indeterminate care vs determinate tomatoes? This is one I still don’t fully get 😂

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Its touched on here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5TLeWqOaK2lgpY but it really should get its own video.....next week! Good idea!

[@GabyP17]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms yay thank you! I’ll keep an eye out for that too! 😊

[@donnakacz6460]

Hi Jeff. Better late than never. I've been doing good keeping up with my suckers. I don't know about your weather, but here in PA. It's still low 50s overnight. Occasional 58. Forecast claims 40' this coming week. Now that sucks.!! Thanks for the video. Oh, I'm wondering if those suckers can root. I'll Google it. It just came to mind. Well, take care. God bless. ❤

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey donna....suckers root like crazy! Weather ok here....not enough rain, but certainly warmer temps....we went from winter straight to summer...basically zero spring

[@johnkeddy2557]

I thought leaving on like 3 suckers on non determinate and leaving on all sucker on determinate was the way to go 🤔 now I’m not sure what to think!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

It all depends on the length of your growing/warm season. If you have enough time and the plant can support it, you can leave ALL the suckers on. There's no hard fast rule because we all live in different climates. Most people will prune all suckers up to the lowest cluster of flowers to be safe.

[@debiegordon3787]

Me as well

[@summerw.1425]

This might have been good info to put in the video. People might go out and pluck all their suckers off their plants thinking it's the right thing to do when it's absolutely circumstantial.

[@BeingSardar]

Nice new thing learnt today!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers, thanks so much for watching!

[@veganmermaidyogi3299]

In all of the research I’ve never seen a peep about suckers. My father told me; he read about them. Going to pinch all of mine off right now! Here I thought it was fruiting. I was wondering why yellow lol and on specific areas. If I have no fruit yet; is it common that suckers may come first , prior to the tomato fruit itself? Or are my plants duds and producers suckers only?

[@ladyb5888]

Thank you!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers! :-)

[@kathygill1923]

I am getting a (very) late start on my garden and have DOZENS of tomato plants started from seed. I am seeing some lower branches have suckers but the main branch has collapsed and died. I know tomatoes can be laid sideways and/or planted deep but I'm wondering if the sucker is allowed to grow instead in the absence of the main branch, will that be detrimental to fruiting? Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@neilmalvalli3212]

Amazing video but i got a question, do suckers grow back after pruning?

[@woogie6785]

It's funny that it's called an axil because our armpit is our Axilla, or our Axillary Area, and the suckers grow out of the armpits of the plants!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@woogie6785 gotta be a Latin connection there somewhere!

[@oluwawenmemoadeyemo3125]

Thank you.

[@Kat-mf7mt]

Is this tip for all tomatoes? I have patio tomatoes and I have a bunch of these suckers coming out.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Lower suckers for sure.....but it also depends on the length of your growing season.

[@AntiUttp918]

I always grow tomstoes on balcony on 2 stems

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

What kinds are your favorite?

[@AntiUttp918]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms but there is a problem and this is an Polish species but ok you Ask for It koralik(bead) and rumba ożarowska one cherry and one normal

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@AntiUttp918 very cool, thanks for sharing! I'm on the hunt for more determinates this year

[@lorifitzgibbon3085]

Should these also be taken off cherry type plants?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I remove all suckers up to the lowest flower cluster. After that, its dependent more on the length of your growing season.

[@martell203]

Oh wow! This is my first time growing tomatoes. You’re supposed to remove ALL of the suckers? From another channel I had gathered that the tomatoes actually came from them. I picked off the ones at the bottom of the plant. I’ve got work to do!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

It all depends on your season martell....longer seasons can support more suckers. Removing all of them up to the first batch of flowers is a good start. If your plant is going to grow for longer due t a more favorable climate, then it can support more suckers. But no, tomatoes don't strictly come from suckers. Yes, the suckers CAN produce more flowers....but the plant itself should produce a lot without the aid of more...

[@martell203]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms But for me, the first timer, would you advise that I remove them all? I’m in zone 6b. The plant has been growing like CRAZY! It’s about a foot and a half tall now.

[@chrishall5141]

So I’ve been studying and people say that you should remove the suckers on indeterminate but not with determinate tomatoes. Thoughts?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

It all depends on your growing season length. Determinate tomato plants certainly produce enough flower clusters (and thus tomatoes) without the aid of suckers.....but if you have a long season, taking off the suckers could be "leaving money on the table". However, in Canada where I live, trying for more fruit than the plant has time for puts the fruit that is ALREADY guaranteed for me at risk....so there's no one right answer.

[@naomi2646]

Oh Jeff they everywhere.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Literally everywhere

[@itowmyhome797]

Are suckers handled differently depending on if you have determinate or indeterminate tomatoes?, I’ve been told determinate tomatoes You should not remove the suckers and indeterminate tomatoes you should remove them, what’s your opinion?

[@summerw.1425]

This. I have a suckered on my roma starting to form but very few flower buds. If I don't let the sucker go, I might not get very many tomatoes?

[@sandrarobertson5578]

I thought removing the suckers from cherry tomatoes and determinates was not recommended. I was wondering about my Cherokee Purples, which are semi-determinate? Now I’m unclear on which suckers to remove🤔

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Suckers can definitely drain energy from all growth types, including determinates. It depends on the length of your growing season whether or not the plant is going to be able to take advantage of a constant barrage of new suckers in time before winter. Or, do you remove them maximizing the fruit you already have...

[@isador4784]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Thanks Jeff. My season is now very short since I moved away from the Lower Mainland. No more suckers for me!

[@sandrarobertson5578]

Thanks Jeff. I’m in Coquitlam, 8B. I think I’ll experiment and remove the suckers on most, then compare results at the end of the season.

[@CalMindedGuidedMed]

Thank YOU for Sharing! I Appreciate US ALL. “LIKEd” and SUBBED!💞💪🥰 UNITED WE THRIVE!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks! And thanks for watching! :-)

[@tomm5228]

Hi great video but should have mentioned take suckers only off Non-determinate

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I take suckers off my determinates. Commercial growers do too. Its all about the length of your growing season. Sure, if I lived in Florida I'd let them go forever.....but in Canada, suckers can most definitely drain the plant for no added benefit, determinate or indeterminate.

[@tomm5228]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I live in England, start my toms under lights, shortish summer, great tips

[@nchestercountynews4955]

root the suckers in a jar of water. and vioula you have another plant.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yup, definitely if you have enough time left in the season

[@fletchybabe6172]

Not suckers! They are side shoots. Suckers only grow from the base of plants Jeff 😉😁🌱☀️

[@debiegordon3787]

I heard NOT 2 pick them off DETERMINANTS (smaller varieties)...ONE CHANCE 2 FRUIT so GET AS MANY AS U CAN!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I take suckers off my determinates. Commercial growers do too. Its all about the length of your growing season. Sure, if I lived in Florida I'd let them go forever.....but in Canada, suckers can most definitely drain the plant for no added benefit, determinate or indeterminate.

[@roottrackerzbyyaira]

Remove those yellow leaves too just in case of disease. I'm sure that's another video 😂

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yup...that's in the pruning video......Sunday! 🙂

[@roottrackerzbyyaira]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I knew it was on the schedule!!