30% More Indica Yield

[indochronic]

Whats up Just something i came across on my indicas research It mainly applys for Indicas and partly Sativas, and i suppose u could u use it to on autos

Most growers think that removing one or two big leaves is okay, especially since removal of the large ones allows other parts of the plant to produce bigger sticky buds. But then again, those big solar panel leaves are gathering energy for the plant. Removing them is like cutting off a source of energy for growth.
Recently, while visiting one of the more skilled growers I have met in my travels, I asked the secret for getting consistent quality and big yields from top to bottom on very-tall indoor plants. I was told that plucking leaves was key. Turns out the answer has more to do with when rather than yes or no.

With OG Kush crops, after about four weeks into flowering, the growers almost completely defoliated the big, beautiful leafy plants. Seeing the before and after, I was a little shocked (what are these guys smoking?) Big, healthy bushes stripped to sticks with just a few fan leaves, but with all of the budding sites intact.
Yet, when they showed me a section that had been treated this way and was now ready to harvest, it became clear that there was a method to what appears as madness.

Not all strains will respond favorably to this method, but all of the tested Kush strains and indica-dominant strains responded very well, sometimes giving up to 30% more yield. Some Sativa hybrids respond well too, although they typically need to have fewer fan leaves removed.
By removing the big leaves, the canopy opens and breathes a second wind into the crop.

Since more light reaches all parts of the plant and humidity isn't trapped in the canopy, you will see bigger, harder and frostier nugs at harvest time. Buds swell up almost overnight, because the roots can now channel more juice into buds and there is no foliage to rob the bud of fluid.

Do pluck all at once: not a little here and there. While it does shock the plant, healthy plants recover virtually overnight; especially if you follow up with a feeding of vitamins and trace minerals (post-surgery feeding).
Also note that plucking one or two leaves off in veg to open up the canopy isn’t a bad idea either, but wait untill all the budding sites have formed before chopping most of them

 

[CareStaker]

I am a leaf puller. Four weeks into 12/12, or three weeks into 'flowering' is when I pull a bunch - all at once. On a good sized plant, maybe 40-80 or so fans come off. I'll pull as much as I need to on both wide and narrow leaf cultivars, in order to let the light in, air in, and keep mold out. I'll hit em again in late flower, after budswell, but before flush - seems to fatten and tighten them up. Great post!

 

[indochronic]

Great stuff good to know someones seeing results with it im yet to try on a mainly indica auto on its 3rd week into flower since its doing everything quicker i thought id drop a week Hope it works for me and in soon too come indica photos

 

[LEDBud]

I only pull the leaves that block the buds from getting light , I will try stripping one *more* completely (but not all) of its fan leaves and see how it does.

As a bonus one will get some smoke before harvest lol

 

[CareStaker]

I only pull the leaves that block the buds from getting light , I will try stripping one *more* completely (but not all) of its fan leaves and see how it does.

As a bonus one will get some smoke before harvest lol

That's about what I do too. If I'm growing plants with many tops, I end up with a lot of leafs blocking buds though. I just came from stripping most of the upper fans of 2 plants, that are only 16 days in flower, 23 in 12/12. They were done stretching and had some nice bud growth, so I hit em early. :surrender:

 

[LEDBud]

Yuppers its good to give the Buds light as by the time the plants have little buds on them the leaves are much less important then before they start flowering. The buds become the plants focus.

on a side note for our beginners:
The plant has or should have reserves stored in its stalk to supply the energy/ food needed for budding so the leaves matter less* at that point.
Having a thick lower stalk is important and lets you know if the plants are healthy as that's where the nutrients are stored to complete the flowering or most of it.

 

[420Amard]

I'm a fan of moving the fan leaves out of the way of the budding points. Kinda the same principle only low stressful even more so on the autos I always thought a few that you can't move with blocking another. But cutting em off wouldn't that cut off a huge supply of food.

 

[LEDBud]

I find the buds mature faster if they are giving light.
The lower 1/3 of the plant is often shaded (for me) leaving those buds small immature and covered with white hairs.
So when the top 2/3 is ready I cut it off and leave the bottom to mature under direct light.

 

[uptheholler2]

This is absolutely a valid observation and a solid cultural practice. But , and this is an important but, you have to recognize your plant's growth stages. It works extremely well with sativas also it's just that they enter the stage where this is effective a little later in life. I start to strip indicas at the first sign of calyx swelling. At this stage the plant is really relying less and less on photosynthetic activity. But before anyone says, " Holler a plant always is photosynthesizing!" Well that's true to a point, but it gradually begins to shut off leaves as it slides in to mid flower. That is why they begin yellowing. If you begin too early it can have a detrimental effect on overall harvest. If you wait until the plant begins to give you the sign of the stage that it is in, you can maximize both the growth potential stored in the roots from photosynthesis and still have enough time before senescence to maximize bud growth. Best of luck in all that you grow!!!

 

[indochronic]

Great follow up on that man, now i understad it fully when i need to do it properly handy when something usfull is easy to do, and u have all the info to back u up to help

 

[TheFertilizer]

Is this kind of like the same thing as "lolipopping" the undergrowth or different concept?

 

[indochronic]

I dont know what lolipoppibg is, but if it is the same now i do im sure the others will know

 

[420Amard]

Lollipopping is pretty much taking off all the lower branches and leaves and letting the top colas get all the focus of well everything.

 

[420Amard]

 

[Conradino23]

When I grow small plants in pots I use LST, and they always get crowded, so pruning is a necessity. However I never defoliate heavily. I try to keep the canopy even, and I trim the undergrowth, which very often yellows out quickly by middle flowering if nitrogen level is within reason, and that confirms for me that you have to prune everything that doesn't get the light. They uncover budsites on the other hand, and that pushes them to the top which adds to the yield. But I never looked at it as strain-dependant, and there just might be something in it. Anyway, to check really what it does to a plant you'd have to split three clones from the some mother, defoliating one, pruning the other one lightly, and leaving the other grow normally, and then thoroughly checking the wet/dry weight. Measuring Brix could be useful too and smell/taste double blind

Just smoked some stuff called The Pure Kush, not bad

 

[uptheholler2]

Lollipopping is pretty much taking off all the lower branches and leaves and letting the top colas get all the focus of well everything.

Lollipopping Is another time sensitive cultural practice. I will use the giant pumpkin analogy to explain why. I know several absolutely obsessive giant pumpkin growers. These guys take it seriously. Even tenting their plants early on and hanging 1000 watt metal halides over their plants early and late in their life cycle. They remove all female flowers and small fruit except for 1 carefully chosen and placed fruit per plant. But .....they get some 1200 pounders. Now 1200 pounds of pumkins per plant would be incredible for a single plant with many pumpkins on it.So let's bring this back to weed....I don't lollipop except in rare situations. I prefer to keep all of my flowering points and then through a combination of pruning and training to try my best to get adequate sunlight and air movement to those developing buds.
But....if you do lollipop...again timing comes into play. To get the maximum benefit it must be done early enough in the grow for the remaining buds to have enough time to benefit from the extra stored energy in the roots that they can now capitalize upon.

Best of luck in all you grow!

 

[TheFertilizer]

Lollipopping Is another time sensitive cultural practice. I will use the giant pumpkin analogy to explain why. I know several absolutely obsessive giant pumpkin growers. These guys take it seriously. Even tenting their plants early on and hanging 1000 watt metal halides over their plants early and late in their life cycle. They remove all female flowers and small fruit except for 1 carefully chosen and placed fruit per plant. But .....they get some 1200 pounders. Now 1200 pounds of pumkins per plant would be incredible for a single plant with many pumpkins on it.So let's bring this back to weed....I don't lollipop except in rare situations. I prefer to keep all of my flowering points and then through a combination of pruning and training to try my best to get adequate sunlight and air movement to those developing buds.
But....if you do lollipop...again timing comes into play. To get the maximum benefit it must be done early enough in the grow for the remaining buds to have enough time to benefit from the extra stored energy in the roots that they can now capitalize upon.

Best of luck in all you grow!

Yeah I'm still in the middle of my first grow. I feel like I should just get a feel for how they grow naturally before trying defoliating or lollipopping but it's tempting to try these techniques.

 

[DebonaireBeef]

Heyo- interesting the ol'defol tech no? ~ personally like leavn me "panels" on plant 4 max bud production. However i think 2 have bountiful yield use'n defol it MUST be done at the correct growth stages of ya gals-otherwise you have very real likely hood of stressn ya plant minimising both your yield & POTENCY! Dont misunderstand my thoughts here - i dont knock any farmers "tricks of they trade" each 2 they own...moreso if its works 4you right!?!?!! Tbh when i see posts re defol "potency" is a factor neglected to be reported on. Kindad defeats purpose if you can get extra yeildage that dont rock ya world

 

[Dave Groomer]

Heyo- interesting the ol'defol tech no? ~ personally like leavn me "panels" on plant 4 max bud production. However i think 2 have bountiful yield use'n defol it MUST be done at the correct growth stages of ya gals-otherwise you have very real likely hood of stressn ya plant minimising both your yield & POTENCY! Dont misunderstand my thoughts here - i dont knock any farmers "tricks of they trade" each 2 they own...moreso if its works 4you right!?!?!! Tbh when i see posts re defol "potency" is a factor neglected to be reported on. Kindad defeats purpose if you can get extra yeildage that dont rock ya world

The first time I defolled, I did it too early (about 10 days into flower) and I think I stunt the stretch. Now I do it around day 25 and I Take all the big leaves off. I will do it again around day 45 or so if they need it. I take the trim and I put them in my MB2 and make olive or coconut oil of VG tincture.

 

[TheFertilizer]

Well I just tried it out with my plants, Super Skunk, Sweet Black Angel and Prezidential Kush 1.2 It's my first grow so I won't be able to compare yield differences but I have a lot of little "popcorn" buds on lower branches I hope to see fill up now that I've opened up the canopy to more light exposure.