I would go easy in pinching off many tomato leaves in our Tennessee heat and sun...Might sunburn/scald the fruit.....Worth a try on selected plants...I thought the leaves helped the roots make food for the fruit.... Okra, though, I prune off the big leaves on the side I always pick it from...Just take my paring knife and flick the leaves off as I walk down the row. Doesn't seem to hurt them, lets you see the okra pods more easily and not so prickly to pick if you can see them good. We used to raise it to sell when I was a kid...Jeannie T ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > This reminds me of an article I read by a man whose father grew tomatoes as a career. He said his father would even pinch off most of the leaves. This would lead to larger tomatoes. I have never tried that but may try that this year. Marilyn ____________________________________________________________ Get Free Email with Video Mail & Video Chat! http://www.juno.com/freeemail?refcd=JUTAGOUT1FREM0210

I have heard if you over water the tomatos they go all to leaves and they need to be stressed some to bloom? Just what I have heard. Louise ----- Original Message ----- From: <askgranny@juno.com> To: <memory-lane@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 10:14 PM Subject: Re: [ML] tomato plants >I would go easy in pinching off many tomato leaves in our Tennessee heat > and sun...Might sunburn/scald the fruit.....Worth a try on selected > plants...I thought the leaves helped the roots make food for the > fruit.... > > Okra, though, I prune off the big leaves on the side I always pick it > from...Just take my paring knife and flick the leaves off as I walk down > the row. Doesn't seem to hurt them, lets you see the okra pods more > easily and not so prickly to pick if you can see them good. We used to > raise it to sell when I was a kid...Jeannie T > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >> >> This reminds me of an article I read by a man whose father grew > tomatoes as a career. He said his father would even pinch off most of the > leaves. This would lead to larger tomatoes. I have never tried that but > may try that this year. Marilyn > > ____________________________________________________________ > Get Free Email with Video Mail & Video Chat! > http://www.juno.com/freeemail?refcd=JUTAGOUT1FREM0210 > > > > > > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mbousman1/memory.htm > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MEMORY-LANE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Also if you over water it kills the juice in the leaf that makes the tomato and when it finishs there it kills the roots.. Viola