defoliating around the buds? Advice - Pics

[Ripples]

I'm a few weeks into flowering and still learning... My first grow! I have done some stripping of the larger fan leaves to allow more light to get to the bottom and this appears to be working? The question I have is should I be defoliating around the buds themselves or do they need the leaves for a source energy or food. I know people have mixed views on this? I would like to remove some of the larger ones again to allow more light below. I have too many girls in 1 tent but have no choice now but to move forward and do the best I can.

 

[BuddroGreen]

Re: defoliating around the buds? Advice. Pics...

Wait until after the stretch day 21-24, then you can do a mild defol...and then a heavier top 1/3 of plant at day 45-47 if this is a 8 week strain.

You can also tuck the fan leaves as best as possible.

Sativas do not like this technique..but from your leaves you seem to have an Indica hybrid and should work fine....start slow and if the plant doesn't like it, it will let you know....most Indica/hybrids like to be defoliated.



Tips:

DO NOT:

Sativas generally DO NOT LIKE defoliation - rarely if ever will you have success with this technique on sativas.

NOT ALL PLANTS can handle being defoliated. Start slow, it will be obvious if they don't like it.

If your plants are not in tip-top health, DO NOT defoliate - it will only make them weaker.

DO NOT defoliate within 2 weeks before you intend to begin flowering - this will make them weaker during the initial flower since they need to recover from losing leaves.

DO NOT pick fan leaves that are directly connected to a newly budding site, it slows that new bud site down significantly.

I WOULD NOT defoliate an Auto Flower, some people do it, but I wouldn't since they are on a time schedule and the defoliation takes the plant a few days to recover.




DO:

Use defoliation technique to make plants bushier and more dense.

Defoliate on Indicas and Indica-dominant hybrids, even some 50/50 and 40/60 (indica/sativa) hybrids do well.

Pick off fan leaves that are established with a stem connecting them to the main shoot of at least 1" long.

Be aware that defoliating will slow a plant's growth down, at least for about 3 days afterward

Defoliate fan leaves in flower post stretch - day 21-24 (MILD---fan leaves covering bud sites) and later in flower at day 45-47 (HEAVIER--- upper 1/3 of plant fan leaves, anything below that can be left alone)

 

[Ripples]

Re: defoliating around the buds? Advice. Pics...

Thanks for the input. Very good info. Will do as mentioned. Keep an eye out for more pics in the near future! Thanks again! Peace...

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: defoliating around the buds? Advice. Pics...

Dutty Panty turned me on to this thread

Defoliation during flowering for greater yields!

 

[DebonaireBeef]

Hey bro - no doubt ya probably harvested up by now for this lot but id say from the pics I can see - leave em. Your plants look happy and healthy! Why defol now? looks like stretch is well over with .... nice waxey leaves to.. mate they healthy leave em bro! I personally have mixed views on defol. May work for some however I note many a farmer who uses defol have a "solid nute regime" which is fine n dandy but to me makes no sense to take what the plant uses to convert that "solid nute regime" in to its "energy" needed to give us a nice yield of sticky chronic and replace it with nutes?!?!?? Anyways I'm not knocking the technique...I'm sure it wrks fine for some but what works for some may not for all. And it from experience it is important to remember that the plants slow down a fair bit on defol - but if you do give it a crack- just follow the advice form the good folk here. Churr.