[doug hutch]

hi everyone
a friend has suggested that i should be taking the bottom leaves
off my sprouts and then staking them they are big robust plants
with plenty leaf growth so would it damage the plants if i took
his advice

[DavidT]

Leaves are the powerhouse of any plant, why remove them unless they are dead or damaged? Leave them alone, if your plants didn`t need them they wouldn`t have them.

[peapod]

I agree with David, leave the leaves 

However he's right about staking the plants, and I'd also recommend earthing them up for the first 3 inches or so.  It just keeps them firmly bedded, and therefore less chance of the sprouts blowing

[DavidT]

If planted properly they don`t need staking.

[Comfortably Numb]

If planted properly they don`t need staking.

Depends on the height of the plants and how windy the site is really 

Also, it can be a good idea to take the lower leaves off when they start to go yellow with age.

[peapod]

If planted properly they don`t need staking.

I disagree David I'm afraid.  It depends how windy your plot is. Mine (along with many other I suspect after todays weather) has been a real wind tunnel at times. Staking is not a hard thing to do, and its better safe than sorry.

[DavidT]

If planted properly they don`t need staking.

I disagree David I'm afraid.  It depends how windy your plot is. Mine (along with many other I suspect after todays weather) has been a real wind tunnel at times. Staking is not a hard thing to do, and its better safe than sorry.

And I disagree with you. Who stakes them in the wild? And they still survive.

[peapod]

I have never found a wild sprout  :blink:

So as long as it 'werks fer me' as Munty would say, then its better safe than sorry. Sprouts can be awkward beggers

[Aunt Sally]

Oh you silly fish David - were talking sprouts designed (bred) by humans not by mother nature (she knows a thing or two about survival of the fittest). 

[DavidT]

So, how did sprouts originate? Did they never grow in the wild? I think they did.

[peapod]

maybe they did, but we don't plant them on our plots do we?

[DD.]

I'd best stop staking my purple sprouters as well, lest I incurr the Welsh wrath. They don't stake them in the wild either.

[DavidT]

If grown properly. in extremely firm soil they do not need support. Does a professional sprout grower cane every plant? I think not.

[peapod]

Luckily I'm not a professional sprout grower, and so am happy to take all the helpful tips I may need, including planting properly, earthing up, very firm soil, and staking.

[DD.]

We're not all professionals.