Increasing yield with defoliation indoors: What's it mean? How to do it?

[TsaktuO]

Hey Bass I just placed my month old KushBerry into 12/12. How much of a stretch will i get as it is about 6 inches now. This picture was taken today 15 days after it's first defoil.
Oh, should i wait about a week or 2 before stripping again?

 

[oldman60]

Wow!

 

[vicarious]

Hey Bass I just placed my month old KushBerry into 12/12. How much of a stretch will i get as it is about 6 inches now. This picture was taken today 15 days after it's first defoil.
Oh, should i wait about a week or 2 before stripping again?

 

[Bassman59]

Hey Bass I just placed my month old KushBerry into 12/12. How much of a stretch will i get as it is about 6 inches now. This picture was taken today 15 days after it's first defoil.
Oh, should i wait about a week or 2 before stripping again?

Let me preface by saying I've never defoliated to that degree. So my experience is lacking here.

But, my gut feeling is that because you left no growing nodes, you're seeing this extremely slow recovery. Unfortunately I no longer have the photos except in my previous journals to explain, but at 10 days after a heavy defoliation the plant should be fully recovered and have extreme amounts of full fan leaves. Even more than prior to defoliation. I think what you're showing here is the extreme slow recovery of a full 100% stripping of all vegetation. I certainly wouldnt flip yet. But rather leave it in veg till it's robust with leaf, then flip. Then not strip till after stretch, approximately 21 days. I bet she bounces back, but again with no personal experience going that far, I can't say how she'll do with any certainty. It will really be worth watching and learning from though!

 

[Bassman59]

I'll have to post some pics later, but I just harvested and am now curing my last 4 plant grow. Now mind you I grew them 4-6" too tall and thus didnt get proper light spread and depth. Something that I need to dial in with these strains. But I still yielded 28oz dry from 4 plants under 1k hps, with max height of 34-35". My best plant was again over 10oz of hard dense nugs. The two with worst light penetration, gave me only 5 or 6oz (I don't recall exact), and were lighter fluffier buds but still super sticky.

I look forward to dialing in the optimal veg height for these strains and seeing 10oz plus per plant avg.

 

[holerdigger]

you are right on been doing this for about 4 yrs if everything else is good it works 100% i am growing BC god grossed with og every 3 to 4 days i take off around 8 leaves off each plant they are only 27in. but sure are bushy i did not top these started bloom cycle today may grow another 4in looking forward to try this puff puff

 

[holerdigger]

your right on bro

 

[TsaktuO]

Let me preface by saying I've never defoliated to that degree. So my experience is lacking here.

But, my gut feeling is that because you left no growing nodes, you're seeing this extremely slow recovery. Unfortunately I no longer have the photos except in my previous journals to explain, but at 10 days after a heavy defoliation the plant should be fully recovered and have extreme amounts of full fan leaves. Even more than prior to defoliation. I think what you're showing here is the extreme slow recovery of a full 100% stripping of all vegetation. I certainly wouldnt flip yet. But rather leave it in veg till it's robust with leaf, then flip. Then not strip till after stretch, approximately 21 days. I bet she bounces back, but again with no personal experience going that far, I can't say how she'll do with any certainty. It will really be worth watching and learning from though!

Okay great, that's what I was having in mind also. Be aware that I only did this to 1 of my plants. Completely experimental. I'm sure she will recover, though how long I just told her "Fight or Flight" right before I stripped her, the rest was history.

On another note, your thread will be the first to know about the progress she brings in next 21 days.

What would you make of this one, veg for another 2 weeks then switch it?

 

[Bassman59]

@TsaktuO, On the above plant, it depends on two things imho. 1. She's fully re-leafed when you flip her. 2. She's at the height you want so that when she stretches 2x or 3x (you gotta know your strain characteristics) she'll be at your optimal height based on light being used and depth of penetration for said light.

Example, I want my plants to be in the 28-32" tall zone at full bloom, max height with my 1k hps. I know the stretch of my Master Kush is a little more than 2x. So I send them into flower at about 12"-13" tall. Now, I do top mine, and I train them some, but mostly lateral training for width. And my plants are primarily indica.

Hope that helps.

 

[GigaGrew]

Okay great, that's what I was having in mind also. Be aware that I only did this to 1 of my plants. Completely experimental. I'm sure she will recover, though how long I just told her "Fight or Flight" right before I stripped her, the rest was history.

On another note, your thread will be the first to know about the progress she brings in next 21 days.

What would you make of this one, veg for another 2 weeks then switch it?

i for one have to say that those two are the most beautiful skinhead girls i have ever seen.
holy crap on your nodes per inch ratio!
was is defoliation that produced so many nodes or a combination with other tactics? ive only ever beat that by going bonsai and that hurts yields.

 

[TsaktuO]

i for one have to say that those two are the most beautiful skinhead girls i have ever seen.
holy crap on your nodes per inch ratio!
was is defoliation that produced so many nodes or a combination with other tactics? ive only ever beat that by going bonsai and that hurts yields.

@GiGa
Korlion and my self where just talking you up on my Journal. Thanks for the kind words! I'm very impressed my self with the progress. The one the is being LST is only 6 weeks old with over 10-11 vertical nodes, and the rest speaks for its self. She was around 10 inches before I bent her over which was like 5 days ago?


:Edit for not answer your questions _Blazed_

Yes Defoil was the main technique. Went through and clipped all her fans leaves off at week 2. Then from there I would wait 2-3 days... then she would have a new set of nodes. I would then clip off the oldest pair. So the process continued, then after a week or so I noticed I was at around 6 nodes on my banches and 9-8 on my vertical stock!!

My plants have bounced back within 2-4 days.. with new growth.. reason for 100% defoil on the KushBerry there.
The LSTed one is Bubbha Kush

 

[GigaGrew]

yeah i love defoliation...i still think its in its infancy tho as an advanced technique.
im about to start experimenting with a new method of only plucking the penultimate leaves (the set below what one would normally FIM)
i have a feeling that they are the only ones that need to be taked for vertical node upgrade...if im right then we may be able to get the same amount of nodes during veg, but with less overall shock meaning a reduction in veg time for the same scale of yeild.....just trying to tighten up the screws a little bit

 

[vangs]

I'll have to post some pics later, but I just harvested and am now curing my last 4 plant grow. Now mind you I grew them 4-6" too tall and thus didnt get proper light spread and depth. Something that I need to dial in with these strains. But I still yielded 28oz dry from 4 plants under 1k hps, with max height of 34-35". My best plant was again over 10oz of hard dense nugs. The two with worst light penetration, gave me only 5 or 6oz (I don't recall exact), and were lighter fluffier buds but still super sticky.

I look forward to dialing in the optimal veg height for these strains and seeing 10oz plus per plant avg.

when you say my last 4 plant grow are your refering to your master kush grow? or your grow#4kosher kush???

 

[Smokemupm8]

Interesting is all I can say... As with Bass, Ive never Defol. that much or even seen a plant that stripped for that matter!
So my input on how it will respond isnt going to be of much use I believe..
I stripped a lot of foliage off my last grow, Id guess about over 3.5oz of leaf material over couple months ( a fairly big plant, 6ftx4.5ft ) and when it came to flower, Sure I had some huge buds, but I possibly should have removed a little more to gain a little more size on the top canopy. I have just flipped my girl now, and have started her trimming - removing branches and most large fans in the mid area to allow light to shoots coming up.
Depending on how she responds in the next week or so, I may have to trim again. I like to stagger where I trim, so rathr than stripping a few fans off the one branch, if I can, I take an opposing leaf to let light thru.
Goodluck with your growing guys!!! Smokemup..

 

[Bassman59]

when you say my last 4 plant grow are your refering to your master kush grow? or your grow#4kosher kush???

The Master Kush grow #5.

I just sent 4 more plants into the flowering tent, 2x Martian Kush and 2x Master Kush. I'm going to get back to Kosher Kush as I really really liked that strain, but I'm waiting on seeds. Link to newest grow is in my sig.

 

[george w kush]

thanks bassman ,for the well explained thread on a topic i was wanting info on..i have 3 super healthy 3 foot OG ,3 weeks into bloom and imgoing to thin the leaves ,i also have 2 white widows,one healthy and the other looks kinda like the charlie brown christmas tree...im thinking of just thinning the OG and some of the top on my healthy WW

 

[Ruhaa]

Here is my defoliation of Querkle. She is in 52 days of budding. She ha sbeen crop to. I followed your grow and applyed it to 2 plants Querkle and Blue Dream. The Querkle is 18 x18 and the Blue Dream is 4' wide and 40" tall under 1k in DWC with Blue planet nutrients.
Here are my pix.
The querkle

The Blue Dream

These pix where from earlyer this week.
Check out my grow. and That pix of the blue dream with the tapemaesure was the main area I couldn't get a full pix of it. Thank for the info Bass!! I took off on it. and I have been experamenting with other plants.
Querkle & Blue Dream

 

[Bassman59]

Looks great Ruhaa

 

[Smokemupm8]

Yeah nice looking girls there mate
My girl has just started to show signs of flowers @ day 9, just starting to get a little mohawk of pstils coming out..lol. Already she is touching each wall ( 4.5 ft ) so now most of her growth should be focussed on vertically and filling out the bud shoots.
Ive been a little more aggressive trim wise on this grow, trying to better the size of the lil nugs under the main canopy. The 600w SonTgro has gone in now, and as she s spread out well enough for the mean time, in a week or so her tethers will be raised and she will be into final positons for finishing up.
An opposing branch has tried to send out a couple of apical tops again, but I dont think theyll get to the size of the 3 towers in the middle, again, Ive managed to create the huge stacks in her middle, with Cindy and Kiksumass theyve been the largest branches in each plant.

She had a few more leaves trimmed off after this.. She is looking a little bored - her leaves have lowered a bit, but it may be from the heat its getting hotter here now. But this is my girl she sprouted on 29/11/12 or there abouts, so she s only been vegged a little while compared to my last, so this is why im thinking I may have less growth, and there fore less buds
I was trying to complete a good yielding LST in around 12 weeks, as some people didnt like my 15/16 week grow period last time, but if I get less buds this time, Ill be going to give more Veg time like before.
Do you guys advise to, or Not to, trim the smaller leaves that are on the bud shoots prior to the buds forming?? Id just like to get some perspective on if there were any hinderance or progress.. THANKS TO ALL, and will chat soon guys, Tke care. Smokemup & Kiksumass

 

[Inkdot]

Here is my first attempt at defoil.

Plants were also topped on day 31. Are they ready for a second defoil or should I wait a few more days?