*Spoiler Alert* Yes, you probably should be cutting some of your tomato leaves.
I say probably because I loathe blanket gardening advice. Nuance is what is missing in most conversations about most things these days. I digress.
When to cut tomato leaves?
When they are sick!
Obviously. Septoria speckles? Big brown blight spots? Old and yellowing?
When they are too thick!
This one is a maybe. If you live in a place where the humidity is low and the breezes are consistent, you may not need to thin your leaves. Here in Kentucky where the temperature is about to hit 90 f and the humidity is at 75% and it’s not even lunch time… I gotta thin ’em. This helps to prevent molds and fungi, which weaken your plant and attract pests.
When they are low!
You’ve probably heard people say that they trim about 12-18 inches of leaves from the bottom of the plant. But why? In addition to the airflow, it prevents soil splash. The soil is full of all sorts of living things. Wonderful microbes that help to turn organic matter into nutrients for your tomatoes, mycorrhizal fungus that form a symbiotic relationship to your plants, and, unfortunately, the spores of molds and fungi that will cause blight. Can you see how we are working backwards towards the root problem here?Those little spores go airborne when a big heavy raindrop hits the ground with force and splashes up and finds a new home on your tomato leaves.
In addition, I like to use mulch under my tomatoes. This helps to give an additional buffer zone to absorb big raindrops. It also helps to regulate soil moisture and temperature.
For more info on preventing and treating blight, check out this article from Iowa State University.
This brings me the the absolute MOST CONTROVERSIAL subject in tomatoes.
Tomato Suckers – To Pinch or Not To Pinch?
Ha, this one deserves its own post. I touch on it briefly in my latest youtube video, above.
Thanks for spending some time with me talking about one of my favorite subjects. I appreciate you! Drop any comments on how your garden is doing below and any questions that I can help answer!
Living Wildly Well 