Squash

[Verna Gross]

We have big healthy squash plants that are dropping blossoms but there are many small squash as well. We are starting to pollinate manually. Our question is-- will my plants suffer if I term off the large lower leaves. We have them growing up on a trellis

[Chris Soliz]

Hey there! I've been researching this in the past few days. Apparently leaves are important to provide cover and shade for the squash, so don't prune those. However, pruning is fine in general as long as the main stem is left alone. I plan on removing some of the branches that are extending and covering other plants. The other consideration is that pruning signals the plant to direct it's energy into producing fruit. So overall, if you prune the plant will just have more energy for the remaining structure. This is coming from several gardening sites I found on Google. Hope it helps! Good luck.