Q. In Mittleider’s books, he mentions pruning *some* squash. I suspect that the pruning of those vine-type squash would be like the cucumbers???
However, what about a non-vine squash? Is it okay to prune off some of the leaves? We have some growing quite nicely, out in the rows, and we would like to get around a little better.
A. Pruning squash that you are growing vertically will be similar to other vertically-grown crops. You have to become familiar with the variety and not take off the fruit-producing vine(s).
For zucchini and other determinate varieties, you will do well to prune leaves regularly. Without pruning the plants get too many leaves, which restricts airflow and light. They will also be less susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew with proper pruning.
Jim Kennard
