Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Should you prune squash leaves? 🤔
Social media is full of advice telling gardeners to remove squash leaves, cut off lower foliage, and heavily prune zucchini, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash plants for bigger harvests. But does the science actually support it?
In this video, we’re breaking down the research behind squash pruning, plant physiology, disease management, and photosynthesis to find out whether removing leaves actually increases production—or if it’s doing more harm than good.
As a Soil Scientist, I’ll explain:
🌱 When pruning squash can actually help
🌱 When pruning reduces yield
🌱 How leaves fuel fruit production
🌱 The biggest pruning mistakes gardeners make
🌱 What research says about healthy squash plants
Whether you’re growing zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, or other cucurbits, this video will help you decide what to cut—and what to leave alone.
Have you tried pruning your squash? Let me know your results in the comments!
👍 If you enjoy science-based gardening, don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss a new video.
#gardening #squash #zucchini #vegetablegarden #gardentips #gardeningscience #soilscience #butternutsquash #spaghettisquash #growfood #organicgardening #gardenadvice #gardeningincanada #plantscience
Helped Design A Plant Sensor! Grab one of these here is the link: earthone.io/?ref=GARDENINGINCANADA
For a Discount code: GARDENINGCANADA
👩🔬 G R A B A P L A N N E R
Paperback 2024 Garden Planner:
geni.us/1Q7xaE
📝 S T A Y I N T O U C H
Website/Blog & FREE printables: gardeningincanada.net
Instagram: instagram.com/gardeningincanada
➡️ A F F I L I A T E S
Westcoast Seeds Affiliate Link: bit.ly/33mGGaI
Seeds Now: seedsnow.com/?rfsn=6354409.1f000b
🎉 S O C I A L S
👩🔬PATREON: patreon.com/gardeningincanada
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/gardeningincanada
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/GardenInCanada
👩🏻🦰 A B O U T M E:
Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
Disclaimer
This description or comments section may contain links to affiliate websites. I receive a commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such a link. This includes the gardening in Canada website. You should assume all links both on the gardening in Canada YouTube, Blog, and all other social media are affiliates and I will receive compensation.
Should you prune squash leaves? 🤔
Social media is full of advice telling gardeners to remove squash leaves, cut off lower foliage, and heavily prune zucchini, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash plants for bigger harvests. But does the science actually support it?
In this video, we’re breaking down the research behind squash pruning, plant physiology, disease management, and photosynthesis to find out whether removing leaves actually increases production—or if it’s doing more harm than good.
As a Soil Scientist, I’ll explain:
🌱 When pruning squash can actually help
🌱 When pruning reduces yield
🌱 How leaves fuel fruit production
🌱 The biggest pruning mistakes gardeners make
🌱 What research says about healthy squash plants
Whether you’re growing zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, or other cucurbits, this video will help you decide what to cut—and what to leave alone.
Have you tried pruning your squash? Let me know your results in the comments!
👍 If you enjoy science-based gardening, don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss a new video.
#gardening #squash #zucchini #vegetablegarden #gardentips #gardeningscience #soilscience #butternutsquash #spaghettisquash #growfood #organicgardening #gardenadvice #gardeningincanada #plantscience
Helped Design A Plant Sensor! Grab one of these here is the link: earthone.io/?ref=GARDENINGINCANADA
For a Discount code: GARDENINGCANADA
👩🔬 G R A B A P L A N N E R
Paperback 2024 Garden Planner:
geni.us/1Q7xaE
📝 S T A Y I N T O U C H
Website/Blog & FREE printables: gardeningincanada.net
Instagram: instagram.com/gardeningincanada
➡️ A F F I L I A T E S
Westcoast Seeds Affiliate Link: bit.ly/33mGGaI
Seeds Now: seedsnow.com/?rfsn=6354409.1f000b
🎉 S O C I A L S
👩🔬PATREON: patreon.com/gardeningincanada
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/gardeningincanada
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/GardenInCanada
👩🏻🦰 A B O U T M E:
Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
Disclaimer
This description or comments section may contain links to affiliate websites. I receive a commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such a link. This includes the gardening in Canada website. You should assume all links both on the gardening in Canada YouTube, Blog, and all other social media are affiliates and I will receive compensation.
