Fresh, home-grown tomatoes tend to be more flavorsome than those from the store, so it is no surprise that many gardeners make room in their garden for a few tomato plants. If you are new to growing tomatoes, you might be wondering, ‘should you pinch off the first flowers on tomato plants?’ So, should you?
Well, while the proposition of pinching off tomato flowers might make a lot of sense in certain cases, it can be puzzling. It is obvious that the flowers are the ones that morph into tomatoes.
For this reason, you don’t want to start removing flowers from your tomato plants at random without understanding why you should do it. Read on to learn whether or not it is sensible to pinch off the first cluster of tomato flowers.
To pinch or not to pinch first tomato flowers?
Many expert gardeners recommend pinching off the first set of flowers a tomato plant produces. This widespread notion has left many beginner gardeners confused about whether or not to pinch off tomato flowers.
In this regard, should you pinch off the first flowers on tomato plants. NO. Many fruiting plants tend to shed their first set of flowers or immature fruits, and tomatoes are no exception.
As such, the first cluster of flowers your tomato plants produce will likely fall all by themselves. They don’t need your assistance.
Flowers that survive the natural shedding will develop into tomatoes after they have been successfully fertilized.
However, if you grow indeterminate varieties, you may want to remove the first flowers as they appear to divert their energy to focus it on other growth areas.
Pinching flowers of indeterminate tomato plants and When to pinch the blooms off
If you have ever heard or read about pinching tomato flowers, the speaker or the writer was probably referring to indeterminate varieties. In fact, there are practical reasons why you may want to pinch off the first set of flowers of the indeterminate tomatoes, particularly when done before planting in the garden.
Pinching off the first set of tomato flowers before transplanting helps redirect the plant’s energy. Precisely, this technique encourages the plant to develop stronger root systems before they turn their energy and resources towards producing flowers and tomatoes.
This is very important considering that flowering and fruiting require a lot of energy, and tomato plants with well-established root systems are better able to draw the required nutrients and moisture from the ground during fruiting.
By encouraging the development of root systems, this technique also prepares your tomato plants to withstand windy conditions better.
In early spring, especially when the daytime temperatures are not consistently above 70 degrees, the first set of flowers is unlikely to be pollinated. Instead of leaving them to drain the plants’ resources, pluck them off and let the plant focus its energy on developing the roots, stems, and foliage.
Note: Once your tomato plants are in the garden, don’t pinch off the flowers. Removing flowers on already transplanted tomato plants is robbing yourself of flavourful tomatoes.
If you are growing indeterminate tomato varieties and they are already developing flowers, probably at an awkward time, here are great times to remove those energy-sapping buds and flowers:
- When the seedlings bloom while indoors, well ahead of transplanting time
- If the seedlings have blooms during transplanting
- Transplanted tomato plants that are severely affected by transplant shock
When your tomato plants have been strained by pests or diseases, removing the flowers at this time allows the plant to recover faster and continue flowering and fruiting.
When not to (never) pinch tomato flowers
It is pretty clear that the only reason anyone would pluck the flowers of their tomato plants is to encourage the plant to develop a strong root system. Further, the technique only works for seedlings before transplanting is done.
From the theory, it is clear that you should not pinch the flowers of your tomato plants if the plants are producing their flowers when already in your garden.
Far from this, tomatoes are warm-weather vegetables. For this reason, if you purchase tomato plants that have produced some blossoms and the summer is already in full swing, it is advisable to leave the flowers when transplanting. In fact, there is no fundamental reason for you to remove the flowers.
You want your tomatoes to bloom the earliest possible so their fruits can ripen before temperatures start dropping in the advent of the first frost. Leaving the blooms on saves the plants the time to flower again. This is very important for regions with a short growing period.
Should you pinch off the first flowers on tomato plants: Final thoughts
Whether or not to pinch your tomato flowers is a puzzling subject. Well, tomatoes have adventitious roots, meaning they can still develop stronger roots if they are planted deep in the ground.
That said, it is safe to say that there is no absolute necessity to pinch off the first flowers of your tomato plants.
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