Should I pick off the leaves from my tomatoes?

Tomatoes

Tomato leaves are the most important organ of the plant, along with the stems and roots. Without green foliage, photosynthesis is disrupted, the plants will stop blooming, become depleted, and soon dry out. At the same time, excess foliage shades the fruit, impedes proper ventilation, and creates ideal conditions for the development of viruses, fungi, and pests. Find out whether you need to pluck tomato leaves in the open ground and greenhouse, why, when, and how to do it.

Why and what leaves need to be removed

The idea that it's best not to trim tomato plants from planting until fall is common among beginners. Experienced gardeners describe numerous benefits of pruning, calling the procedure as essential as pinching. In open ground, tomato plants should be pruned carefully, ensuring the fruit isn't completely exposed or sunburned. In a greenhouse, plants are already protected from direct sunlight. Under any growing conditions, pruning should be done gradually, from the bottom up.

Attention!

If you don't trim the leaves of your tomato plants, the vigorous bushes may produce fruit normally, but the tomatoes will be sour and tasteless.

The lowest leaves that touch the soil are removed first, after watering they begin to rot, foci of infection are formed, which leads to the development late blight and other diseases. Lower yellowed leaves, possibly even with dark spots, are especially dangerous and should be removed immediately. In addition to the lower, healthy or yellowed leaves, it's advisable to remove dried-out specimens, no matter where on the bush they are located. Thinning the crown promotes ventilation, but in this case, it's best to remove leaves from the north side, and only those facing inward, which will cause the bush to become denser. Let's highlight the benefits of pruning tomatoes:

When the leaves are removed, the bush becomes open, allowing for proper air exchange to ensure rapid evaporation of moisture from the topsoil and the plant itself. The risk of disease and pests is minimized.
Leaves that are old, sunburned, or infected can dry out. In the first two cases, they are no longer needed, as they absorb nutrients until they dry out completely. If dry spots on the leaves are caused by disease or insects, promptly removing them will prevent the spread of the disease to healthy tomatoes.
Removing excess vegetative matter reduces the tomato's need for frequent watering and reduces water consumption. The nutrients and water are used for fruit development.

Rules for pruning tomatoes

For the procedure, prepare sharp, disinfected gardening tools (knife, scissors, or pruning shears). Clean the tools after pruning each tomato plant. Leaves can be plucked rather than cut. The petiole is firmly held at the base and pulled upward (along the stem). To avoid damaging or breaking the stem, support it and pull the leaf firmly, but gently. Do not pull the petiole downward, as the skin of the stem often peels off along with the petiole base, creating a wound that can be a gateway for dangerous infections.

Attention!

Bushes showing signs of disease (dried and yellow leaves) require extensive, strong pruning to prevent the spread of the disease.

Don't rush pruning tomatoes; pruning immediately after planting seedlings can stunt their growth. Wait until the tomatoes are fully established (10-15 days). Active growth indicates that the plants are strong. Before pruning, carefully inspect the tomatoes. First, remove the lower leaves that have begun to yellow or dry out, then those that have fallen to the ground.

If you're unsure whether to remove healthy lower leaves, consider removing those on the north side of the plant, as they contribute little to photosynthesis (they're in the shade), and removing them won't harm the plant. While pruning, monitor the bushes; sometimes this process stimulates the development of new inflorescences. It's best to leave these only if the bush hasn't bloomed well before. If there are numerous buds and ovaries, remove the emerging tassels.

In a greenhouse, tall tomatoes are trained with one or two stems, and the plantings must be well-ventilated. Indoors, air circulation is poor and the soil becomes excessively humid. This environment encourages the development of fungal and viral diseases, so leaf removal is essential, and not as usual in the open field. The table below describes how to prune tomatoes without damaging the plant under different growing conditions.

Open ground	Greenhouse
The procedure can be performed on a sunny day and only before lunch. After removing the leaves, the wounds should heal as quickly as possible.	It is permissible to trim the leaves at any time of the day, but on the day of the procedure, you should skip the greenhouse ventilation session.
Pruning should be done once a week, removing no more than 2-3 leaves at a time. If you remove more leaves, the bush will experience stress, which will negatively affect the size and taste of the fruit.	The frequency of pruning is the same as in the case of open ground, but it is permissible to remove 5-6 leaves per day.
Leaves are always left on the bushes to shade the fruits from the sun.	Once the ovaries have formed on all the clusters, you can trim all the leaves except for a small tuft at the top of the stem. After pinching the growing point (around mid-August), no more than four leaves should be left at the top to ensure proper sap flow.

Attention!

The general rule for pruning tomatoes is to avoid removing the leaves under the flower clusters until the fruit has set. Once the fruit has formed, the foliage underneath is gradually removed.

To avoid confusion about timing, perform the first pruning wave after all the ovaries have formed in the lowest inflorescence. Perform the second pruning wave when the tomatoes are fully formed. This will ensure maximum nutrients are directed to the fruit. After removing the leaves, reduce watering; excess moisture can cause the tomatoes to crack. If it rains, additional watering is not necessary; loosen the soil frequently around the base of the stems to promote faster evaporation and prevent standing water.

Reviews

Catherine

There's no doubt about the usefulness of pruning tomatoes; the procedure is essential for the normal development of the fruit. It's usually recommended to remove no more than three leaves at a time, but I break this rule, often removing five or six, even in open ground. Much depends on the amount of foliage; if it's bothering the plant, why leave it? I haven't noticed the bushes suffering after heavy pruning. If I have to remove too many leaves due to a plant disease, I place stakes in the open ground and cover them with special netting to prevent sunburn.

Valery

When I pinch back my indeterminate tomatoes in a greenhouse, the stems are completely bare up to the top inflorescence. In open ground, I leave some greenery—two or three leaves under and above the clusters, sometimes trimming them in half. I make sure there's less vegetative growth on the north side of the plant than on the rest. I also sometimes prune determinate tomatoes, but for thinning. I always follow this rule: if all the buds in a cluster have formed, I remove the lower leaves. If a couple of flowers in a cluster haven't set buds yet, I leave the leaves under that inflorescence alone.

Regardless of what others say, pruning tomatoes is a necessary procedure aimed at preventing disease and producing higher-quality fruit. The key is to follow the guidelines and take your time. After each pruning, remove all plant debris from the beds. Even healthy leaves should not be used as mulch, as they can harbor cutworms and other insects. Tops uninfected by fungi or viruses can be composted, burned, or used as a decoction to spray on other plants against aphids, Colorado potato beetles, sawflies, leaf-eating caterpillars, and spider mites.