How To Stake, Prune And Tie Tomatoes - Single Stem Pruning Method

This video teaches you how to stake, prune and tie tomato plants using the single stem pruning method for tying tomato plants to tomato stakes. This video focuses on the single stemming method of pruning tomatoes, where tomato plants are limited to a single main stem.

Pruning tomatoes plants is very important for fruit production and disease resistance. Pruning your tomatoes to a single main stem usually provides the largest fruit possible. Allowing multiple main stems usually results in smaller fruit, and it makes it very difficult to support your plants with stakes. If you want to grow tomatoes with multiple main stems, I suggest this tomato trellising method as shown in this video:

youtu.be/gxrAz8bWMXM

I do not recommend allowing more than two or three main stems because fruit size starts to suffer and the plants get very bushy and difficult to manage.

Staking tomatoes and growing them vertically is extremely important to prevent disease from killing your plants. Blight is the #1 disease that affects tomatoes, and it comes from soil-borne fungus. Keeping your tomatoes high and dry - not allowing them to sit in wet dirt or get splashed by rain ricocheting off the dirt - will help lessen disease pressure. This also helps prevent viruses and bacteria, such as leaf spot and a myriad of other tomato afflictions.

Pruning is also important to keep disease pressure lower. Pruning unnecessary growth creates more airflow. Airflow keeps your leaves dry, and fungi, bacteria and viruses need damp leaves to grow. The drier you keep your foliage, the less disease pressure you have and the best way to keep your foliage dry is to plant your tomatoes in the sunniest location possible with the best airflow possible. This is a reason why I don't like tomato cages, as they prevent airflow and promote disease.
 
This method will work for growing tomatoes in raised garden beds or earth beds or growing tomatoes in containers. If you have any questions about how to prune tomatoes, how to tie tomatoes, pruning your tomatoes for maximum yield, growing tomatoes from seed or if you have any questions about vegetable gardening and how to grow tomatoes in general, please ask them in the Comments below.

*********************************************************
VISIT MY AMAZON STOREFRONT FOR PRODUCTS I USE MOST OFTEN IN MY GARDEN*
amazon.com/shop/themillennialgardener

*********************************************************
VISIT MY MERCHANDISE STORE
shop.spreadshirt.com/themillennialgardener

*********************************************************
EQUIPMENT I MOST OFTEN USE IN MY GARDEN (INDIVIDUAL LINKS)*:

Miracle-Gro Soluble All Purpose Plant Food amzn.to/3qNPkXk
Miracle-Gro Soluble Bloom Booster Plant Food amzn.to/2GKYG0j
Miracle-Gro Soluble Tomato Plant Food amzn.to/2GDgJ8n
Jack's Fertilizer, 20-20-20, 25 lb. amzn.to/3AuNUFK

Southern Ag Liquid Copper Fungicide amzn.to/2HTCKRd
Southern Ag Natural Pyrethrin Concentrate amzn.to/2UHSNGE
Monterey Organic Spinosad Concentrate amzn.to/3qOU8f5
Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer (BT Concentrate) amzn.to/2SMXL8D

Cordless ULV Fogger Machine amzn.to/36e96Sl
Weed Barrier with UV Resistance amzn.to/3yp3MaJ
Organza Bags (Fig-size) amzn.to/3AyaMUz
Organza Bags (Tomato-size) amzn.to/36fy4Re

Injection Molded Nursery Pots amzn.to/3AucVAB
Heavy Duty Plant Grow Bags amzn.to/2UqvsgC
6.5 Inch Hand Pruner Pruning Shears amzn.to/3jHI1yL
Japanese Pruning Saw with Blade amzn.to/3wjpw6o

Double Tomato Hooks with Twine amzn.to/3Awptr9
String Trellis Tomato Support Clips amzn.to/3wiBjlB
Nylon Mason Line, 500FT amzn.to/3wd9cEo
Expandable Vinyl Garden Tape amzn.to/3jL7JCI

*********************************************************
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Me on TWITTER (@NCGardening) twitter.com/NCGardening
Follow Me on INSTAGRAM instagram.com/millennialgardener_nc/

*********************************************************
ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8A

*********************************************************
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
© The Millennial Gardener