Watering question

[Weaselcracker]

Yes you can- most people ( I think ), when they do this, time it remove the shaded growth after the flowering stretch stops, which is usually after three weeks or so from when it is flipped to 12/12. That stretch time varies by strain and the plant's maturity and whatnot. But- whenever it's done stretching is when I usually remove all the undergrowth. A lot of my plants are in scrog screens- I remove everything below the screen, which is often a lot of foliage. Other people may time it differently of course but I think that post stretch cleanup is pretty common.

 

[Major PITA]

I'm not opposed to the moisture meters as long as they work for you.
The problem with the usual inexpensive models is, they do not measure moisture. They estimate moisture from the galvanic action of the soil and they don't know what that potential is. When we feed our plants we typically increase the EC of the soil. This changes the redox capability of the soil on the probe(s) giving different readings that have no bearing on the amount of water contained in the soil.
To me, learning how/when to water is the most basic gardening skills a grower needs to learn. It should become a quick simple process, learned ASAP regardless of what you grow.