Should I Tie Up Tomato Plants in the Morning or Afternoon?

Time Frame

• The best time to tie up tomato plants is in the morning, while the plants are fresh and springy. Late afternoon heat causes the plants to become limp and more prone to damage. Prune, stake and tie tomato plants during cool, cloudy weather if possible to reduce injury.

Infection

• Tomato plants aren't generally damaged by tying them, but rather from the pruning that often accompanies tying them. Remove 3- to 4-inch suckers, or the growths that spring up between the main stem and flowering branches, in the morning when the plants are crisp. Pinch the suckers between your thumb and forefinger to remove them. Try to remove them as closely to the stem as possible, without pulling long strips of flesh off the plant. Large flesh wounds open the tomato plant up to potential infection.

Method

• Use strips of soft cloth or old nylon socks to tie tomatoes, rather than wire or twine, which can bind and tear through the tomato plants. Tie the strips in a figure eight between the stake and the tomato plant, securing it to the main stem. Leave enough slack to allow room to grow and also to provide some give in the wind. Tie tomatoes about 6 inches above the lowest leaves and another 12 inches above that. As the plant grows, add ties if necessary for good support.

Considerations

• Tie up tomato plants in the morning or evening if you aren't pruning out suckers. Afternoon is usually the worst time to attend to tomatoes because the hot sun is uncomfortable for you and the plants are at their limpest. Do not tie the plants up when the garden is wet because wet leaves spread diseases.