Tomato plants may surely break when stressed. Some varieties are more prone to breaking than others (e.g. Early Girl F1); I’m not sure about San Marzano, although I’ve grown it without issues.
But, you do not have to support tomatoes to keep them from shattering. The plants just need a sufficient amount of potassium. With enough potassium, tomato vines, leaves, and roots become exceedingly robust and durable. Plants don’t need as much potassium as I’m talking about to do well, but if you have weak plants, adding extra is one way to strengthen them (don’t add extra nitrogen with it, however, unless you need it). But, more potassium may influence the taste and texture (for better or worse). This is my own experience. Plants toughen up quickly after receiving a high dosage of potassium sulfate (even old growth).
I virtually always grow my tomatoes without assistance, and the ones I’ve given additional potassium to have rarely ever broken. These days I usually use wood ash for potassium instead of potassium sulfate (since wood ash is fairly sustainable and has a wide array of nutrients, and tomatoes seem to benefit more all-around from it), but I believe potassium sulfate has a more potent effect in strengthening the branches and such.
When vines do break, if they’re still attached at all, often they’ll keep growing like nothing happened, as long as they’re still somewhat attached. It’s a little unexpected.
I’m not necessarily advising that you use more potassium since it alters plant behavior significantly, but I wanted to show you that it seems to work as an alternate option.
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Related Questions
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What is breaking my tomato plants?
Wind, insufficient support, poor handling, and deer are all potential reasons of breakage. If the damaged stem does not bear fruit, it is better for the plant to trim it. If the stem holds fruit that have not yet matured, you can attempt to repair the stem at least long enough to save the tomatoes.
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Will a tomato plant grow back if it breaks?
The plant will continue to produce even if a major portion of the stem falls off. The key to a good recovery is to trim the plant so that there are many primary stems. Let the tomato plant’s lowest sucker to develop in addition to the main stem while it is young.
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Can you fix a snapped tomato plant?
To root a broken stem, just insert the damaged end of the tomato plant into damp soil and keep it uniformly moist for a week to ten days.
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Is it normal for tomato plants to fall?
As tomato plants grow in size, they may fall over if they are not supported. Use stakes, cages or trellises to hold them up. As a consequence of transplant shock, your plant may begin to lean over. Before transplanting, always harden your plant.
