Hey everyone it’s me with my millions of questions. From what I have read it seems to be a debate during flower on whether to trim most the leaves. So what’s everyone’s opinion or experience with this topic? Are the leaves taking away from buds so should remove so buds get all the attention or are the leaves helping provide backup for the nugs? If that makes sense. On with the answers?
To cut off leaves or leave them during flower?
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What does a plant need leaves for anyway??
Just a weird evolutionary quirk I guess. You’d think plants would have figured out wtf they are doing over the last 500 million years but no... thank god for the Internet is all I can say.
DthPch78
Well-Known Member
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I understand they have a purpose and so far from my experience it makes a big difference to keep them. I am just asking because i get told different things from different people and others do to. So was hoping this would be a good learning posts for those who don’t know because there are people that recommend it. I was just told yesterday on a forum to remove them. My own experience it seems they do better with more leaves or at least a decent amount
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It’s to my understanding you trim indoors to mimic nature since leaves are falling all the time outside but they don’t inside unless we remove them. Like a lot of mixed info. This forum so far saying don’t and growweedeasy forum says the opposite.
It depends. Defoliation is (obviously) a hotly debated topic. Even when some people agree on defoliation, they disagree very much on just how much to snip.
If big fan leaves are blocking lower bud sites, go for it. Some even tuck the leaves instead of snipping. If they are out of the way, probably not much harm in keeping them around a bit.
Like with most things in life, the balance most likely lies between the two opposing "forces" in the discussion. So most likely a little bit will be of benefit, but too much could be disastrous.
If big fan leaves are blocking lower bud sites, go for it. Some even tuck the leaves instead of snipping. If they are out of the way, probably not much harm in keeping them around a bit.
Like with most things in life, the balance most likely lies between the two opposing "forces" in the discussion. So most likely a little bit will be of benefit, but too much could be disastrous.
I don’t hear anyone saying no. Yes of course you chop most of the leaves off, if you want. They’re your plants. There are sometimes even worthwhile arguments for doing this, I think, maybe. Though I’m not 100% sure what they are.
Maybe you can add some info about what you’re trying to achieve by doing this, and also the rationale or science behind it. It seems like you’d want a very good reason to do that.
I have to disagree with the idea that leaves are constantly falling off of plants outdoors. Older fan leaves get depleted and fall over time as the plant uses them to balance its nutritional needs, and also it’s growth pattern in the light. I don’t notice that happening more outdoors than indoors though.
They’re a great natural buffer against nutrient deficiencies. Cutting them off does not mimic that process in any way, it just means that the plant has less leaves to work with. Less to work with is not a good recipe for more bud.
The comment about the half billion years of evolution was just meant as food for thought.
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
I too found myself at a fork in the road when it came to researching this topic. My first grow I did heavy defoliations during flower. I did however find a couple seeds in that harvest. Perhaps my defoliation practices caused too much stress...
On my last grow I only plucked the big shades off that were covering bud sites. I had a better harvest that grow.
On my current grow I am only removing old leaves from low on the plant, and I have removed some of my large fan leaves that were straight up blocking light from some very prospective bud sites.
However I did not "defoliate" and I don't plan on doing that anymore since I have not seen the reward from it.
Just my opinion based upon my own experiences so far.
On my last grow I only plucked the big shades off that were covering bud sites. I had a better harvest that grow.
On my current grow I am only removing old leaves from low on the plant, and I have removed some of my large fan leaves that were straight up blocking light from some very prospective bud sites.
However I did not "defoliate" and I don't plan on doing that anymore since I have not seen the reward from it.
Just my opinion based upon my own experiences so far.
W. your nod to evolution in considering growing approaches makes sense along with being a neat quip in its own right. But even my outdoor grows with site selection for sun, nutes, lots of water and my verbal encouragement are so far removed from a natural process make me hesitant to opine. The extreme necessary artifice of the indoor grows put them at an even greater remove IMHO. But one has to be careful with forum opining, fortunately skepticism seems to grow with experience.
TysonOG
Well-Known Member
I use a really dense scrog so it is important for me to defoliate under the screen. In the canopy, I only remove fans when absolutely necessary. They provide lots of energy to the plant and most importantly are nutrient sinks that the plant can tap into. That being said, I probably remove more than most due to density alone.
HugePeckerhead
Well-Known Member
Id cut anything directly blocking a bud site from midway up.
HugePeckerhead
Well-Known Member
Its crazy when you do cut and 3 days later it dont even look like you touched them.
bonez4man
Well-Known Member
I'm having this dilemma. The bust seem to be growing fine but they are cramped. Any thoughts on mine guys. Almost week 5 of flower
bonez4man
Well-Known Member
Buds*
TysonOG
Well-Known Member
No doubt! That's why I dont worry about it much.
clrwatrtom
Well-Known Member
i have done quite a bit of defoliation on my 1st grow on the photos and it's true they just grow right back in a day of too. my aks has caught the gdp and both of my autos recieved minimum defol. The WW got most of it. my PK is small cause i didn't give her enough dirt to create a big rootball. Next time i'll get it.
SmokeLake
Well-Known Member
We typically manipulate the plant be it topping fimming ect so taking a few leaves is in my mind continued manipulation or a better word might be management of the plant thats been manipulated from the beginning. Indoor i am less aggressive but outdoor I want open airable plants especially around the base of the plant to minimize pests and molds
Freshly trimmed yesterday i did some 2 weeks ago and again yesterday makes watering easier and no sense wasting plant energy on useless bud sites.
Freshly trimmed yesterday i did some 2 weeks ago and again yesterday makes watering easier and no sense wasting plant energy on useless bud sites.
bonez4man
Well-Known Member
Yes they grow back quick. But surely this is taking energy away from growing the buds. Isn't there windows of time in which your should take these.
clrwatrtom
Well-Known Member
just my 1st grow but with @Emilya 's help i couldn't be any happier with what i have seen so far. Huge learning curve, but it's almost starting to feel natural.
