Can you trim off sun leaves on your plants to increase bud growth

[captain bud]

I have 21 very healthy plants approximately 3 to 3 1/2 foot tall and bushy like Christmas trees. I have had them in bloom stage for 2 weeks now. I have noticed that the large sun leaves are blocking out light from the lower branches on the plants. I have a grow room of 4 1/2 foot by 8 1/2 foot with an 8 foot ceiling. I am using two 600 watt led light fixtures and this is my third grow using them. The strains are blue kush, bomb thc bomb and dr. kippling. I am wondering if it will hurt the plants to trim the larger sun leaves on them to get more light to the buds? Many Thanks for any feedback and input.

 

[shottafire]

This topic is a toss up. I myself defoliate my plants and will take leaves a few at a time but never strip them down too much.

At around day 21 in flower I will remove a good amount of lower growth that is not reaching the light. I will do this again around day 42-45 focusing on thinning out the canopy to improve light penetration but more importantly air flow around the buds. depends really on your flowering times of your genetics. If you can tuck the leaf out of the way tuck it if you cant pluck it.

Take some pics and you can get some more insight im sure.

good luck

 

[Weaselcracker]

Check out AK Greenlover's journal Lots of info there

 

[Ripples]

I follow nearly the exact plan Shottafire does but I'm pretty aggressive when defoliating. I suggest you clear the large fan leaves, if you feel there are too many to remove at once remove half and pin back the rest. Keep an eye on the plant, it will let you know if it's stressing too much! Around 15-18 days before harvest I strip the bottom completely and remove all useless leaf and leave only those on the bud. Works well for me... The best way to learn is to experiment! Good luck my friend... Keep us posted and add a pic!

 

[lushgreen]

If you cut off your legs to save weight, do you think it would help you run faster? Cutting off the leaves has the same affect on the plant.

 

[captain bud]

Thanks everyone for the info. Upon a lot of further research, I see that there are three camps regarding this. One, do not trim at all. Two, trim sparingly before blooming. Three, trim agressive before and throughout the bloom. I am going to experiment with all three methods and see which one gives me the best results per the strains that I am growing. I will know in about 5 to 7 weeks the results and will post back on this thread. Again, many thanks to everyone and the time it takes.

 

[captain bud]

Hi Everyone, Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you with some results. I have found out that aggressively removing the fan leaves is detrimental and shocks the plant. Very selective pruning of the fan leaves is beneficial. I found that the strain of the plant made a big difference in how it reacted to the trimming. For instance my Dr. Kippling and Bomb THC Bomb liked the pruning, but my Strain Hunters did not. Also found out that in pruning that for me it seems best to concentrate on the lower growth and try to just tuck the fan leaves in the upper canopy. I am experimenting with trimming on this next bloom grow and hope to refine my prune method vs strain of plant to try and develop some sort of pruning guide lines. Again, Many Thanks to all for the advice and help.

 

[Ripples]

I grow Chronic and I find it does well with Defol. I started slow but found that I could be very aggressive with no ill effects. I'm sure not all strains are the same. Starting slow and experimenting is the smart way to go! That's the best way to learn. This is my third grow with Chronic. The yield has been good? I average anywhere from 3-5 oz. per plant. Not sure if that's good or bad? Have 2 new clones going. Super Skunk (SS) and Lime Green (LG)... Have no clue what they will do but we will find out soon enough.. Good luck and happy growing!

 

[AKgramma]

Because my Purple Mazars are outgrowing their tents width-wize, I take a few large fan leaves off every day or so, and those that are hanging or shaded, pretty much like you would prune a fruit tree for maximum yield. You don't want to rape your plants, but you want to open the middle for light penetration, and avoid leaves being crunched against the tent.

Too much at one time can slow growth, so give them a good drink after defoliating.

 

[NateToke]

Thanks everyone for the info. Upon a lot of further research, I see that there are three camps regarding this. One, do not trim at all. Two, trim sparingly before blooming. Three, trim agressive before and throughout the bloom. I am going to experiment with all three methods and see which one gives me the best results per the strains that I am growing. I will know in about 5 to 7 weeks the results and will post back on this thread. Again, many thanks to everyone and the time it takes.

All three methods have benefits and drawbacks. I do a combination of the three depending on what the plant tells me it wants. I think your idea to play with all three is excellent.