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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks and onions
- Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:40:21 -0400
On Mar 21, 2010, at 9:20 PM, rosnide3 AT vt.edu wrote:
In theory trimming makes for huskier and therefore better plants. There has been
some research to suggest that trimming is bad. An abstract can be found at
http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=194_12
From the abstract:
"Leaves of a portion of the seedlings were cut back either one month before transplanting (75% defoliation) or at transplant (25% defoliation)"
75% defoliation?? Good grief, I never cut mine back anywhere near that hard. I'm not surprised that set them back.
The 25% sounds more like it; but that was done at the same time as transplanting. I don't cut them back when transplanting, either; I figure one major shock is enough for one day. But I do, most years, cut onions back once or twice earlier in the process of growing them to size: the first time I'm pretty much just taking the tips off; I'll do it again if they get really tall much before I'm likely to be able to plant them out. I think it does make the plants a little sturdier; they seem to put on more leaves in response to the trimming; but I don't always get to it and am not sure it makes much difference either way.
I suppose I really should try trimming some but not all of each variety; but I've already got so many variations of things which I need to keep track of that I don't know if I'm actually going to do this.
-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
-
[Market-farming] trimming leeks,
E C GRANATA, 03/17/2010
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
-
Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks,
Pam Twin Oaks, 03/21/2010
-
Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks,
rosnide3, 03/21/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks, E C GRANATA, 03/21/2010
- Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks and onions, Road's End Farm, 03/22/2010
-
Re: [Market-farming] Trimming Leeks,
rosnide3, 03/21/2010
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