Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Grubbypaws on November 06, 2013, 15:33
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I am confused :unsure:
Last year I just cut leaves as I needed them. When researching this year I have found 2 completely different bits of advise. T&M state 'Pinch out the centre stem first to encourage side shoots to develop' whilst another site states 'Pick about one fistful of leaves per harvest. Avoid picking the terminal bud (found at the top center of the plant) because this will help to keep the plant productive'
Does anyone know which is correct?
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I can only tell you what I do, and it carries on growing just fine
I cut off as many leaves from each plant as I think it can stand, taking older leaves not the middle clump.
Towards the end of the season each plant grows a flower stalk head, which I cut out and then there are numerous broccoli like stalks grow from several leaf axils. I cut these to eat too, as well as continuing to harvest leaves.
The growth usually outstrips demand and eventually I uproot the tatty plant and it goes to a friend's chickens to play with :D That is about end of March /beginning of April most years.
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I can feel an experiment coming on ::)
I have too many Kale plants anyway so half will have the growing point taken out and half will have the middle clump left intact.
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I can only tell you what I do, and it carries on growing just fine
I cut off as many leaves from each plant as I think it can stand, taking older leaves not the middle clump.
Towards the end of the season each plant grows a flower stalk head, which I cut out and then there are numerous broccoli like stalks grow from several leaf axils. I cut these to eat too, as well as continuing to harvest leaves.
The growth usually outstrips demand and eventually I uproot the tatty plant and it goes to a friend's chickens to play with :D That is about end of March /beginning of April most years.
Dito
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I have grown Kale on a commercial scale, and have always taken the lower older leaves (Millions of people across Africa do it this way also!). This isn't to say that the T&M advice won't work but I can certainly recommend the other way.
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I take the outer leaves, leaving the middle to grow on and make new leaves. Generally get several pickings this way.
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I can only tell you what I do, and it carries on growing just fine
I cut off as many leaves from each plant as I think it can stand, taking older leaves not the middle clump.
Towards the end of the season each plant grows a flower stalk head, which I cut out and then there are numerous broccoli like stalks grow from several leaf axils. I cut these to eat too, as well as continuing to harvest leaves.
The growth usually outstrips demand and eventually I uproot the tatty plant and it goes to a friend's chickens to play with :D That is about end of March /beginning of April most years.
Dito
Likewise, ditto :)
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Maybe the T&M advice to take out middles should have been done earlier than this. That would make sense as the plants would now be bushy with several centres and lots of leafy growth.