On 25/08/2014 21:23, Malcolm wrote:

In article ,
Roger Tonkin writes
Years ago, I watched a TV documentary on tomato growing. The
grower was asked why he removed all the leaves from his plants,
and he said that he supplied all the nutrients they needed, and
he wanted it all to go to the fruit, not into the leaves. He
was growoing in I think a heated greenhouse.

Does anyone do this to their toms?

I'm wondering this year, as they have made an awful lot of
leeaf growth in the greenhouse (cold), and I would like to get
as much sun onto the fruit as possible, giving the weather we
are ahving.

I grow tomatoes in an unheated polytunnel and was told by an experienced
gardener a few years ago to remove the lower leaves, up to a foot to 18
inches above ground, to allow the air to circulate which would cut down
the chances of mildew developing. Since adopting this procedure, I get
less mildew than I used to, but I don't have any plants without leaves
removed, so no control. The gardener at a local commercial garden
removes all the leaves once the first fruits are ripening and seems to
share the view of the TV grower. Looking on the internet also seems to
produce no consensus on how many leaves to remove or, indeed, why do it
at all!

Sorry but I don't thin I've ever heard anything so daft.
You can give the plants all the food you want but the plant still has to
process it into a form it can use.
It would be like giving you a bag of flour a bottle of water and some
yeast and a bit of salt. It would take your skill and know how to turn
it into bread.
You might get some fruit on the plants but it would be tasteless.
I would strip off the leaves up to the truss that is ripening but no
further, this will help the light get to the fruit and give you a more
even ripening.
Look at the Large growers such as Thanet earth and they only strip to
ripening fruit.
This sounds more like a wind up than a serious question.
reminds me of an Italian lady I had a a customer many years ago, her
neighbour told her to remove all the flowers from her cucumber plants,
luckily she asked before doing it.