Plant techniques
Support tomatoes and identify side shoots
Check the label: indeterminate tomatoes are usually trained as cordons; determinate bush varieties keep their branching growth.
When to do it
Install support at planting and inspect during active growth.
What you need
- Variety label
- Suitable stake, cage or trellis
- Soft ties and clean snips
How to do it
- Check the label: indeterminate tomatoes are usually trained as cordons; determinate bush varieties keep their branching growth.
- Install a support sized for the mature plant. A bush may benefit from a cage, while a tall cordon needs a firm stake or trellis.
- On a cordon, identify the main stem and a leaf stalk. A side shoot grows in the angle between them; a flower truss is different.
- Remove small unwanted cordon side shoots gently and tie the main stem loosely as it grows. Do not routinely remove bush tomato side shoots.
- Recheck ties and fruit weight. Retain useful leaf cover and avoid stripping the plant in hot weather.
What success looks like
- The intended main stems remain supported without losing flower trusses.
Watch out for
- Pruning a bush tomato as a cordon.
- Mistaking a fruiting truss for a side shoot.
Plant guides using this technique
Tomato
Ripe fruit from a well-supported, sunny plant.
Related help
Check supports and tie in climbing plants
Give growing stems support without squeezing or rubbing them.
Make a clean pruning cut and choose what to remove
Identify the plant and its flowering or fruiting wood before cutting.
Sources and review
Checked 24 September 2026. Source-checked editorial guidance; not field-tested or independently reviewed by a horticulturist.