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Can I cut off some squash leaves?

msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
in Fruit & veg
My first year growing Squash Uchiki Kuri. Quite a few fruits have formed but are hiding behind those giant leaves. Can I cut off some leaves to expose the fruits more to sunlight pls? Thanks!


Posts

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    No.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    There’s no need … the warmth with ripen your squash with or without direct sunlight. 
    Your plant needs its leaves to produce feed for the fruit. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • scrogginscroggin Posts: 437
    The only thing I do with trailing squash is nip out the growing tips when enough fruit have set, but as others have said leave the leaves.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    For now, just stop the plant after 3 to 5 good fruits have formed.  This means cutting the stems above the last fruits to concentrate energy into producing good squashes.

    Feed and water the plants regularly and only remove leaves if mildew starts or in September to get the best of the sunshine on the fuits to ripen them but you have to leave enough leaves to keep the plant healthy as they are the food factory.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    In general, you can prune leaves and vines with leaves attached to stop and redirect growth. It is also done to keep everything neat and tidy.

    Some people look to do both of the above as a consequence of harvesting the leaves as an ingredient for curry recipes (yes, cooked squash leaves are edible).

    When growing squashes for food, it is not desirable to expose the fruits to sun light until near the very end of the season.

    Keeping them in the shade keeps the outer rinds soft and supple so that they can expand and grow in size rapidly. This is one of the tricks for growing giant pumpkins and is applicable to all cucurbits.

    In Vietnam and China, they slip an open ended plastic bag over the pollinated developing fruit for that very same purpose.
     
  • msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
    Thank you all for the very useful comments! I'll leave the leaves and probably prune off the growing tips then. In my hometown in China pumpkin vines are a gourmet... stir fried when they are tender!
  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
    You're fine to cut off lower leaves if they start to go yellow or brown. They will have more or less ceased to do their job and cutting them off will increase air flow (as with melon, courgette or tomatoes).
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