IS it true that taking the bottom leaves off a tomato plant helps the fruit to ripen?

We sometimes have debates about this at the allotment site and I thought that I heard you say on the radio that it did not matter, so can you tell me again please?

P TILL

YES, you did hear me say that it made little difference as the fruit will ripen when it is ready.

I know commercial growers do it, I’d used to do it myself when I was working as an apprentice but really the main advantage was in pest and disease control.

You see the older leaves were much more likely to be harbouring pests and diseases so removing them meant that the spread of these problems was greatly reduced and another benefit of de-leafing was increased airflow around the plants – possibly taking disease spores away from the foliage.

Yes, the fruit also got more exposure to sunlight but, you know, this can also result in them getting sun scald and becoming more dehydrated if you’re not careful.

Leaves are valuable food factories for your plant and when it is producing lots of fruit it needs all the food that it can get, so if the foliage is healthy, my advice is leave it on.

Just because commercial growers do something it does not necessarily follow that this is also the best policy for home gardeners.

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Write to Reg Moule Gardeners’ Questions, Editorial, Worcester News, Hylton Road, Worcester WR2 5JX. No correspondence can be entered into. Reg Moule answers your questions courtesy of David’s Nurseries, Martin Hussingtree.