Q. Is it harmful to cut the leaves off my zucchini plant once it starts producing? My husband does this every year and it seems to slow down the production of zucchini. He also does this to my tomato plants and they stop blooming.
Allentown, Pennsylvania
A. Your husband should stop removing leaves from your vegetable plants. The leaves are needed for photosynthesis, which is how a plant creates the sugars to survive and produce. Without leaves, the plant will struggle.
If he is concerned that your plants do not bloom enough, then simply supplement your watering with a good liquid fertilizer, like Miracle Gro Tomato Food (which I use as a supplement to 10-10-10 Granular fertilizer in my garden).
Todd A. Efing, CNLP
Nursery Manager
Van Putte Gardens
Rochester, New York
