I could use some pointers before defoliation

[PlanetJ]

Hey all .. as per my last journal entry .. I'm in week 2 of flowering and my ScroG is about how I want it. Can I defoil all at once ? Should I do it in steps ? Anything I need to know in order not to kill or hermie them ?

Ton of pics in my journal, any requests for views ?

 

[theengineer]

if a leaf doesn't pull cleanly away under the weight of pulling on a blade I leave it till it does.

there is a great misconception about leaves being parasitical, when in fact, they're much greater givers then takers - nature has evolved them this way for a reason

 

[chortlesmurf]

I like to think of leaves as mini solar panels for plant growth and development!

 

[PlanetJ]

I'm a totaly new grower, and under the impression that a ScroG method requires cutting off everything below the screen in orde to maximize the output of the buds on the screen. Leaves there wont be touched .. just the low-light condition stuff. This because my CFL's dont have that much penetration power ... somwthing nature's solution to that problem does have

I fully understand what you say .. but my situation is as artificial as it gets .. pruning sounds like helping her out from that perspective ... instead of having her waste resources on stuff that just wont get there ?

 

[theengineer]

oh, sorry, I see; in that case, I cannot help, I'm traditional soil, seed and light type

 

[PlanetJ]

Mine are in soil as well .. and I feel very hesitant to take them off .. but having the plant waste resources on new growth in shady conditions because all light gets filtered out by the screen, doesnt sound productive either .. so far I've been able to bend and twist her into submission, but she's growing fast now .. so I'll have to give up on anything beneath that screen I think .. cuz it just wont make it to the top in time to produce ..

But I'm not sure how much it will shock her and if how I go about it makes any difference.

Your insight is very appreciated tho .. I love to learn

Edit: would it be a good idea to cut off the buds and new growth only, and leave the fan leaves ?

 

[PlanetJ]

Pictures of the ladies:

Plant 1:

Plant 2:

Benjamin:

 

[Buddy Ebsen]

Hi Planet J,

Yes, you can take off the leaves that aren't receiving light. This will not hurt your plants & it'll make watering easier for you also. Scrogs are ideal for a good Defol. Don't get carried away though, only take off what needs to be taken off. I Defol'ed at week 2 of flower and thinned the lower & inner part of the plants out. Any leaves that couldn't be tucked any further were taken off. Popcorn bud sites can be removed also. The plants will concentrate their energy further up the plant on the real good bud sites and colas. That is exactly where you want them to be concentrating on now.

Defol is a touchy subject, so it comes down to personal preference and experience with it.

Good Luck!

 

[CascadianDank]

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

I dont know if you have read that journal or not but Defoliation does have its benefits. Somewhere in there it says when and how to do it for best results.

 

[lendee]

Hi: I'm by far no authority on it but for the last 3 grows I've used aeroponics and a scrog net. I have always removed all vegetation below the scrog net. This vegetation can bring in unwanted pests, and other things like mold and most of all this veg is not needed and works as a parasite to the health of the grow and contributes up to 20% loss of upper vegetative production. I am now in my 4th grow and 1st RDWC grow and look at the pictures of my system.

The third photo is the top of the scrogs I use two 600 watt lights and a 4' X 96" scrog across 2 28 gal containers with 10" net pods with 2 girls too each net pod and this is 4 weeks into the flip (bloom).

 

[PlanetJ]

Those are some nice looking plants there! I went ahead and lollipoped 2 of my girls .. if they respond well, I'll do the third tomorrow. Pics on page 9 (bottom) of my journal.

Thanks for the advice and sharing those great looking ladies!

 

[Calyx Hunter]

Damn lendee that is a 4 plant forest! Holy crap that is amazingly dense. You'll need to hire some extra help for that defol.