Hi Walter, sorry to hear someone got in your patch, it is sad that people do that to others, I believe your plants will do about the same after removing the leaves, if you remove them early in the year while the sap is up in the stalk, they should heal & keep growing normally, I have found four prongs in the woods before that deer or other animals have ate the top & the plants I found look normal & crisp, it would be best if you cut the leaves off with sissors not to disturb the stem,where it enters the root system, If you damage the Stem where it enters the root or damage the Bud for next year ,the plant may not come up for several years. I am unsure how much you know about these plants ,but, Next years bud is at the top of the neck by the Stem, it is a small White looking bud which sticks out to the side at the very top of the Root neck, If you damage this bud ,the plant can lay dorment continuing to grow without the stalk comming up until the bud heals, this is a slow process & can take several years, I have found plants in the wild that were huge with only a few notches at the neck area, this happens when the bud is damaged & the plant just does not come up until it heals. also when the Bud for the next growing season is damaged, that plant may come up as two two prongs growing together in one root ,or as a One Prong or possibly a stunted looking four prong. This happens alot when Timber is cut & the treetops fall on plants breaking them off also damaging the bud area, you can find huge plants in cutover timber years after the timber is cut & the area shades over again, You will find four prongs with only a few notches on the neck. this means that the plant was damaged in the bud area & did not come up for several years until that Bud Healed. Hope this helps.
Les
