Cutting First Growth
 

I know that the commercial growers cut off the first growth of the season. Is this something I should do. This is the second year for these plants.

I'm not positive, but I think that commercial growers may cut theirs to prevent certain diseases that attack the first growth. It's easier for them to cut all of it that search for which shoots may possibly infected. In a homegrowing atmosphere, we have much less to care for. Check you shoots individually... if they show signs of disease, then yes, cut them. I usually let mine go, and have never seen diseases in my area.

Typically the first shoots are cut to delay growth in a given field by a couple of weeks. So if you had two fields of Cascades but only had the harvesting equipment to do 1 field, you can cut one to delay that harvest.

That make a lot of sense. Thanks