How to Use main stem in a Sentence

main stem

noun
  • Leave main stem intact and make sure not to cut through any of the florets.
    — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, 30 Nov. 2018
  • These are flightless insects that must crawl up the main stem or trunk of the plant to reach the leaves.
    — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, 6 Oct. 2017
  • Tomatoes, unlike most plants, can produce roots along their main stem.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Mar. 2023
  • The wood in a branch stub won't heal as effectively as the wood right next to a main stem.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Cut back to where the flower stem meets the main stem of the plant so unsightly stubs aren’t left.
    — Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 27 June 2019
  • Allow each plant to have just two main stems if they are spaced closely together.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 June 2026
  • Prune one branch or stem at a time, down to the ground or to a place where a branch is connected to a main stem.
    — chicagotribune.com, 17 Apr. 2022
  • As a young pear tree grows, the main stem of the plant should always be taller than the surrounding branches.
    — oregonlive, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Prune plants to remove leaves on the lower 6 to 12 inches of the main stem.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022
  • Use a potato fork or shovel to loosen soil all around the clump, working at least 1 foot away from the main stem.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2023
  • To clone your tomato plant, remove shoots that grow in the crotches between between main stems and side shoots.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
  • In general, tomato plants produce main stems and main leaf branches.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022
  • The improved nutrients from the wetlands will help provide food for salmon in the river's main stem.
    — Edward Stratton, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018
  • Suckers grow in the intersection between the main stem and main leaf branches.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022
  • Apply 2-4 inches around plants, making sure there’s space cleared around main stems and trunks to avoid rotting.
    — Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023
  • To establish plantings, be sure to drip irrigate the root ball margin and out from there, not at the base of the main stem.
    — Lynlee Austell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2022
  • Harvest the entire crop at the first sign of bolting by using a sharp knife to cut through the main stem just below the soil surface.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Each site will have a main stem site for data collection and progress to be monitored, Bower said.
    — Chevall Pryce, Houston Chronicle, 23 Jan. 2020
  • The neighborhood’s other main stem was Howard between Third and Fourth.
    — Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 10 Aug. 2019
  • Occasionally, the plants will produce fast-growing water shoots, which are branches that grow off the main stem.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Prune away select branches all the way to ground level or to a main stem, but make sure to retain some healthy branches to avoid losing all the flowers.
    — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
  • To divide a perennial clump, use an old, large knife, and cut the clump into sections, making sure to leave a main stem in each division.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Snipes says to remove any competing leaders—multiple main stems growing near the trunk—to maintain a strong structure.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 7 June 2026
  • His family ran a hotel on Fredericksburg’s main stem.
    — Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
  • His family ran a hotel on Fredericksburg’s main stem.
    — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Hernandez said there was no time frame for removing the drydock debris from the main stem of the channel, which is key to moving crude oil to refineries.
    — Libby George, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2017
  • Vining tomatoes are commonly grown as cordons, trained to grow upwards with one main stem, with side shoots removed to discourage a more branching form.
    — Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 25 July 2023
  • The department says sea lamprey spawn each spring in the main stem of the Connecticut River and in many tributaries.
    — USA TODAY, 10 June 2019
  • At one time there were more than 27 dams along Roaring Brook and its tributaries, including eight large dams along the main stem of the brook.
    — Peter Marteka, courant.com, 18 Nov. 2019
  • Adventitious roots are simply roots that form on parts of a plant that don’t normally grow roots, and the lower portions of a main stem is a common location.
    — Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'main stem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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