[hermon]

read on here somewhere that you can cut the foliage down and it makes the white bit larger,well i have done this so i hope that advice wasn't false!
does any one else do or heard of this am i going to loose all my leeks?!! :shock:

[digital_biscuit]

Ive read you can do this to enhance the white bits, then i have also read that it actually does nothing to help! Either way, it shouldnt harm your leeks!!

[WG.]

read on here somewhere that you can cut the foliage down and it makes the white bit larger

On here??   Can you remember where??

I don't think you'll lose them but you will end up with much smaller leeks (white or green).

Earthing up (or planting in a hole) is what makes the white part white.

[hermon]

damn yes it was on here i was gonna leave a few but thought well if it does work i will have all big leeks so instead i will have all little leeks! quite funny really its gonna do the opposite of what i was try to do! i will earth up what i can!
thanks for your help

[smithyveg]

I can't imagine why anyone would have written that......the leaves are the 'engine room' of the plant and so are essential surely?

What it might have referrred to is the practice of cutting half the leaves off and trimming the roots when transplanting to dibbed holes in the soil during the Spring. This prevents excessive moisture loss through tranpiration (in much the same waay s when you take a dahlia or fuchsia cutting) until the leek has established in its new planting hole.

[GrannieAnnie]

I can't remember anyone saying you get more white from trimming leeks.  I did try trimming last year to see if it made any difference to the overall leek, but it didn't, so I don't bother anymore.

[muntjac]

sorry folks this was a " new idea " abandoned many years back .to stop the greens being to large and increasing the white my idea has born results year after year i just wrap a few sheets of newspaper around the leeks leaving the tops to go where they will, then i found the taste is in the green is  more to my liking  than the white anyways so eat the flipping lot ,without chopping the green off like wot these lasy but chefs do  

[richyrich7]

an I always thought you chopped the leaves when you transplant them to reduce transpiration so they get going again quicker .

[shaun]

and trim the roots

[muntjac]

erm why trim anything ? how you would like ur hair cut n ur root trimmed ?i know it would set me back  :roll:

[richyrich7]

and trim the roots

ohh I do that too. treat em mean and keep em keen.  

[muntjac]

well matey it stands to reason ,,,,,, they grow with the roots taking good stuff from the soil ,,,,,trimming em is a  bit like sowing half ya mouth up ?

[Aunt Sally]

Yes..  It seems like an strange thing to do to me (and I do it)  Why do so many people say trim the roots  :?:

[richyrich7]

Well my theory is that like shoots if you chop 'em they come back fast and makes em bushy rooted, so you then get more smaller roots which do the work, them big thick ones are only like pipework the smaller ones work harder, more surface area etc

[muntjac]

mmmmmm werth  thinking on matey