Trimming old/lower leaves that have large sideshoots?

[afr0byte]

Hey, so, a few of my plants have large sideshoots coming out of the leaves on the first ~1-2 feet of the bines. Some of these sideshoots (especially on the cascade) are ~2 feet long. My plants still have quite a bit to grow (good thing I have 2.5 weeks of growth left I suppose), them being about 8-9 feet or so (I'm in central Vermont, plus I didn't fertilize/water them particularly well in previous years). Often people will mention trimming some of the lower growth to help limit disease potential from mildew/etc. What you do folks thinks, should I bother trimming the old leaves? Perhaps it'd help with vertical growth?

 

[cram]

I will often train some of these lower laterals up the bine and they often turn into thick, main bines and work their way up the rope, finally sending laterals of their own to turn into hops. But consider a few factors. If you already have three or more bines per plant climbing, then I would probable cut your lowest ones, since it's already enough of a nutrient draw for the plant to support the multiple bines. Also, I live in a hot, dry, and breezy climate, so I have very little to worry about with mold issues--where you are might change things. If you don't have good air circulation and if you live where it rains often enough, then you might consider trimming lower leaves. Where I live, I believe the lower leaves help in shading the soil for moisture retention.

In short, if you have one or two Cascade bines right now going up the rope per plant, then train one of the longest laterals (choose one and snip the opposite side) and let it go.

Either way, definitely feed your plants if you want to get the most out of them. It's crazy how during the vegetative stage you can apply nitrogen in the morning, water them well, and then notice a visual difference in the leaves and thickness of the bines by the end of the day. You can practically watch them eat.

 

[tgmartin000]

Yes, trim them. then the plant can focus it's energy on cones.