Tomato Plant No Trusses – Is It Normal?

While tomato plants are easy to grow, there are still some issues you can come across while growing them. One of these issues could be tomato plants growing with no trusses.

When a tomato plant has no trusses, it is usually because it lacks something in its diet or its environment isn’t right for it to thrive. This includes accidental pruning or a lack of oxygen flow to the roots.

Today, we will discuss why, sometimes, tomato plants grow without having any trusses and how we can fix this issue. Stick around. 

What Are Trusses?

Trusses are simply the stem that grows off of the main stem of a tomato plant. This stem is eventually where the flower grows from that grows the fruit. Every single tomato plant has trusses. They are a vital part of every tomato plant. 

What Causes a Tomato Plant To Have No Trusses?

There are a handful of reasons why tomato plants are not growing trusses. Let’s take a closer look. 

Weather

Tomatoes are a warm-weather fruit. They like full sun, around 6-8 hours a day, and temperatures between 75 and 90.

Often, if tomatoes aren’t growing trusses, it is because they aren’t getting the weather they require. If the plants are too cold or not getting enough sunlight, they will stop growing altogether. This also happens if they are too warm or blasted by the sun in the hottest parts of the day. 

Timing

It may just be that your tomatoes aren’t ready to start flowering yet! All varieties of tomatoes are different, and each has different growing lengths. Generally, tomatoes need around 5-7 weeks of growth before they start to flower. You need to wait a little longer if it hasn’t been that long.

Accidental Pruning

Human error can play a big part in how tomatoes are grown. Pruning is something that is recommended to tomato gardeners. However, it is easy to prune a little too much off if you are new to growing tomatoes. 

Incorrect Amounts Of Water

One of the easiest things to do is to screw up watering tomato plants. They can be a little picky sometimes. The root systems get flooded when a tomato plant gets too much water.

This results in oxygen and nutrients not being able to flow properly through the plant, which would halt growth, and trusses would not be able to form. Too little water dries up the root systems, making it hard for nutrients and oxygen to flow through the plant. 

Too Much Nitrogen

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. They require a nutrient-rich diet to thrive the way they are supposed to. We often think that because of this, they need lots and lots of nitrogen, and they do, but they can only take so much.

Too much nitrogen will stress out the plant; it is like if you or I ate too much and started to feel a little sick. The plant goes into a sort of shock and stops growing. 

How To Get a Tomato To Start Growing Trusses

With all the reasons written above why tomato plants aren’t growing trusses, there are ways to encourage truss growth. 

Plant At The Right Time Of Year

It is impossible to control the weather. Sometimes, there isn’t much we can do besides let it run its course and hope for the best for our gardens. However, there are some things you can do to make sure your plants are planted at the right time.

You can also try and protect them from the heat. Since tomatoes are a summertime, warm weather vegetable, you must plant them at the right time.

The best way to get tomatoes started is to sow their seeds in seed trays 6-8 weeks before the last frost and keep the seed trays in a greenhouse environment. This way, they will be ready to plant outdoors when the weather is perfect. 

If not having enough sunlight is your issue, you have to ensure that your tomato plants are planted in your yard with full sun; this means sunlight for at least 6 hours a day.

If you live in a climate with sweltering summers, and perhaps the weather is too hot for your tomatoes, then the best you can do is to put up shade cloth over your tomato plants during the periods of extreme heat and make sure to water frequently. 

Planting At The Right Time

If timing is why your tomato plants do not have any trusses, you’re in luck because this is the easiest fix. All you have to do is wait! As I mentioned above, different tomato varieties take different amounts of time to start flowering. Here are some examples. 

Varieties of Tomato	Time From Planting To Flowering
Beefsteak Tomatoes	50-60 days
Cherry Tomatoes	20-30 days
Brandywine Tomatoes	55-60 days
Roma Tomatoes	35-40 days

Proper Pruning

Accidental pruning happens to everyone, and it’s nothing to be worried about. If this is your issue, hopefully, after you leave the plant alone, it will start growing new trusses within a week or 2. 

Before pruning your plants, pay close attention to where you are cutting. Most of the time, you only need to cut the smaller branches growing at the very bottom of the plant. This is to help eliminate the more useless branches and send energy to the fruit and branches that will produce. 

Water Schedule

The easiest way to ensure your tomatoes get plenty of water is to have them on a schedule. Tomatoes need 2 inches of water a week; they are heavy water drinkers. I find it easiest to water my tomatoes every 2-3 days, unless it is extremely hot, then it is recommended to water every day, in the mornings. 

If you have overwatered your tomato plants and the soil is soaked, you will need to let it dry out before you resume your watering schedule. Once you start your tomato plants on a proper schedule, they should start growing normally within a few days. 

Nutrients

Not only are tomatoes heavy water drinkers but also heavy feeders. As I explained above, it is easy to overfeed tomatoes nitrogen because everyone recommends feeding them nitrogen so often. However, if you are feeding your plants liquid nitrogen feed, only do so once a week or once every two weeks.

You can even do it as needed. It is important to remember that if you planted your tomato plants in a quality, well-balanced fertilizer soil, then you already have lots of nutrients there waiting for your plants. You should hold off on feeding your plants for a few weeks after planting. 

If you have overfed your tomato plants, stop feeding them for a few weeks, and water them frequently, and they should resume growth as normal. 

Final Thoughts

Tomato plants with no trusses can be stressful; however, there is always a reason why it is happening. Whatever that reason may be, whether it’s a watering issue, a nutrient issue, maybe it’s a weather issue, or simply human error, these problems can be addressed, and your plants will begin to thrive again. Happy gardening!