Suckers that grow in the leaf axils of tomatoes develop beautiful green foliage, can bloom, and produce fruit. For tomatoes grown in the garden, it is recommended to remove these side shoots. Suckers significantly slow down the development of fruits and the ripening process, and garden tomatoes have limited time before frost hits. Removing the suckers will accelerate the ripening of the tomatoes, allowing them to grow larger, as the nutrients will reach the developing fruits better, and the foliage of the suckers will not overshadow the flowers and fruits.
It’s not necessary to remove suckers from tomatoes on the windowsill. This is especially true if you have a dwarf specialized variety. An un-suckered bush is very decorative, the lush greenery smells pleasant, and it also blooms. Home-grown tomatoes are not afraid of frost; they can bear fruit even with their side shoots for three consecutive seasons. My tomatoes on the windowsill survived the winter without the main stems, leaving only a couple of side shoots. These suckers are currently blooming vigorously, and I hope for successful fruit set (the weather is not cooperating, though).
Tomatoes after Wintering on the Windowsill
There’s only one problem. The suckers require a lot of soil resources for their nutrition, causing the soil to deplete more quickly. If your plants are living in large pots (3-4 liters), then suckers shouldn’t become a problem. My tomatoes grow in 2-liter pots with 2 bushes in each. Despite the fact that they should be very cramped, they are blooming well and producing suckers; I haven’t noticed any problems with the plants.
I’ve decided not to remove suckers. However, if you choose to do so, pinch them off when they grow no more than 5 cm and leave a short stub.
The removed suckers can be placed in water; they will develop roots and these branches can be planted in soil - that’s how you can propagate tomatoes. However, mine did not root, and the reason is unknown. The suckers will bloom very quickly.
