Tomato growing technique-anyone heard of this?
Does anyone know anything about the de-leafing technique of growing tomatoes? Supposedly, one leaves only 3 leaves per tomato plant and will get more fruit this way, because the energy is not being used to make more leaves. I'm curious about this, but it sounds bizarre.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by anita legvold on -
if this is true, it does not make any sense. The leaves are what produce the energy from the sun and water and all. If you reduce the amount of leaves, you reduce the potential energy the plant can produce. I do know that you remove the extra leaves that grow in the 'y' of a stem. The plant wants to take the sunlight and convert it by photosenthisis(sp) into all the good stuff the fruit needs to grow.
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Permalink Reply by Julie D. Taber on -
I read about this from a website called www.joyfultomato.com. It sounds a little too strange to buy the book, because what if is doesn't work: you've ruined all of your plants, not to mention losing the money you spent on the book.
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Permalink Reply by Julie D. Taber on
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Thank you very much for the video. I will try this on some plants next year. I am concerned that here in Texas we have so much hot sun that my tomatoes could get sun scald.
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Permalink Reply by Julie D. Taber on
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My Tiny Tim tomato only gets morning sun and is absolutely loaded with greenies and blooms. I'll try pruning back its lush vegetation and report back.
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Permalink Reply by Melanie Baltzer on -
I have not heard of taking off quite THAT many leaves but yes if you do remove some leaves you will end up with more tomatoes. Ok picture the main central stalk of the tomato plant and off of the main stalk there is a leaf. When another leaf starts to appear in the middle of the main stalk and the leaf, remove that one. You only want more of a Y than a W, if that makes any sense;)
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Permalink Reply by Mark-Anthony Rector on
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So here's an idea, try it with a couple of your plants, and grow the rest the same way. I tried one of those Topsy tervy planters, You know they grow the plants upside down. I think I may have got one or two fruits off it, but nothing like it said I should have.
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Permalink Reply by Yvonne Isakson on -
It does sound bizarre, maybe try just one like that this year and see how it goes. Keep us posted though in case it's the next great tomato break through. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Tina Garner on -
I do this every year, seems to work great! I started out just doing it in order to make my cages work better an be able to get to the tomatoes easier. I don't usually take all the leaves, I leave a few on every vine. Sometimes though, it seems like they get some kind of fungus easier.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Mosiman on -
It sounds reasonable -- it's true of growing wine grapes -- the canopy (or leaves) take most of the nutrients and block the sun...you will have sweeter grapes by removing a great deal of the leaves -- I would think it would work much the same with tomatoes. I haven't done on my tomatoes, but I might do some trimming...
Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Danny Jacobsen on -
Out here on the west slope of Sierras,....it gets hot, hot..I have found that the leaves shade the fruit (otherwise the tomatoes blister)...I am growing Brandywines and cherry tomatoes...some of the bushes have no tomatoes (lots of flowering going on..but thats it)...these are 3 feet from a bush that has lots of fruit..what goes?
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Permalink Reply by Mike Tansy on
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Danny -
You have a good question and one problem that I also share. If there is too much nitrogen or it is too hot tomatoes flowers will not set fruit. That does not explain why some plants are very productive and the one next to them produce zip. Perhaps some plants are just "late blommers" like people and given time will set fruit late. I can not believe the suggestion of stripping all the leaves off a plant will produce more tomatoes. I look forward to those who are brave enough to try it and then report their results. I prune some leaves to improve picking and air flow but do not strip the plants bare.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle's Green Thumb on -
I am growing my tomatoes in my greenhouse this year & they are monsters! I actually planted them a little too close together, so have been pruning the leaves so that they don't sit on each other too much. I usually cut half the leaf back, not the whole thing. I also pruned up from the ground so that there is proper air flow around the plants as I don't want things to start moulding. My greenhouse isn't yet a hothouse - I tend to open the door during the day (when the temps are above 20 Celcius). I also have a heavy piece of landscape fabric for a shade cloth, as the basil seems to do better. I get about 8 hours of sun on the front side of the greenhouse & then an additional 2 to 3 hours late in the afternoon/early evening, which heats things back up again once I've closed the door.
My concern now deals with the summer fog that has rolled in early. We usually don't get it along the coast til August, so I'm hoping the sun returns on a more regular basis later on for things to ripen up. I've got some 'maters in pots with red plastic draped over top of them to aid in ripening & dew protection. We'll see if that helps at all.
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