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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Sunday, October 19, 2025
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Little Ketchup
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Grittyville, WA
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Entry 277 of 277 |
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Is the purpose of pruning to direct more energy into the fruit or into the roots (or both). I think the main size-influencing factor might be directing more energy into the roots. Generally pruning is a good rule to follow but I got some decently plump tomatoes off some unpruned plants and some scrawny tomatoes off some well pruned plants. I'm less and less certain that pruning always does what we think it does. In some cases there may even be negative affects. I would speculate about why but the only evidence I have is the damage I have seen when leaves are overloaded with sugars, and even this is speculation concerning a rare phenomenon where leaves get damaged when a major phloem (sugars) sink is removed.
The boost in sugars in the pruned area of the plant might trigger hormone changes that would actually negatively affect other areas of the plant and/or cause oxidative stress which would actually be detrimental. The best parts of the plant metabolically may be the youthful parts and pruning removes/ prevents this newer growth/ skews the plant towards having predominantly older growth which may appear impressive, but it may be doing less actual work than we assume.
No facts here, just trying to come up with a possible alternative conceptual framework as I question my existing assumptions...
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