Fact or Fiction: False Stems

[TamaraJM]

OK guys, I'm new to the whole gardening thing, but have done tomatoes once before. I'm hearing now that if a third stem comes up with the same point of origin as two already, to prune out the middle one, that it's a false leaf or stem.

Is this right?

[firefighter23]

I would say that it is a sucker, but cant be sure... most people pinch out the suckers... read up on that.

[opabinia51]

If you have a young seedling the first two leaves to come up will be the cotyledodones they look like small oval leaves, above them will be you first two true tomatoe leaves.

Before potting up this young seedling, pinch the two cotyledons off. Now as the plant grows there will be established leaves (aka branches growing out below the top two leaves, leave them on the plant. A sucker is a leaf that grows in betwen the established branches and the main stalk. These should be pinched off with the thumb and forefinger.

Is that an adequate description?