Defoliation opinions

[cr8grow]

Yeah good time. Stress is real so go easy. Best to do a little at a time but not over a long time period. The plants are very sensitive to change right now in early flower. This is when they will herm or grow male bits if stressed. So there's that. Just go easy you'll be fine.

Always keep vegetation off the soil line, this keeps the air flowing. Defoil is just not good practice for promoting growth or anything really. But taking off a fan leaf here or there won't hurt much.

The fan leaves have growth hormones in them and how the plant communicates its growth are those hormones. How plants know how to grow towards the light if shaded as just 1 example.

Air flow is VERY important so get a fan or 2 on the soil line it will promote good air flow and help a lot with transpiration.

BB14, I will trim lightly after stretch. I also ordered another small fan to run under the canopy. My passive air intake is at the back, right at pot height by design.

 

[cr8grow]

This is important when you have the plants crammed in a tent. I only run 4 plants in a 4X4. For airflow I run a separate 4" inline fan running full blast ducted into the tent at the bottom so that it blows are all around the pot area and up. I also run another 6" ossilating fan directed at the top of the pots below the line that I strip the plants. I run (3) 6" monkey clip on fans on the canopy and a 6" inline fan with my carbon filter for extraction. It's real easy to get mold in dead spots in the tent. Especially where the plant touches the sides of the tent.

In a larger tent I would say to go a little on the easy side. I am a propoent of stripping them after 3 weeks or so from the flip or when they are basically done stretching. In a small tent you have to have some kind of balance so I would thin them out a little more.

SamS...I will be adding another fan low. I will also check leaves touching the cabinet walls for mold issues. Trim down low and lightly will occur after stretch.

 

[cr8grow]

Hi @cr8grow , your plants look beautiful.
Had you been a more experienced grower, and if you had answered yes to the following question: "Are you positive that you can bring these girls to the end of flower without causing any feeding issues? I.e. when you know when to give them what, when, and how much without risking lockouts or overfeeds."
Then I would say - yes, defoliate the crap out of them. Remove all fan leaves, with a noticeable stem, that blocks light on anything below. Leave a couple of fan leaves at the top of each cola. A few can be left at the bottom of the plant, but the large and old ones should go. Then keep the colas tidy by picking fan leaves as soon as they block any light below until the plant stop creating new fan leaves.
This is my advise to experienced growers. I do this myself and since I started doing this my yields are heavier and stickier than ever.

But, as this is your second grow, I would only advice you to do the full on defoliation if you'd be ready to risk getting less yield. If something goes wrong it can go south quickly since the plant doesn't have as much defence without all that foliage.

In any case I would defoliate lightly and make sure that all bud sites get some light.

Nickel...I plan to defoliate lightly after the stretch.

 

[Dankman_420]

I found this on IG this morning posted by Mass medical strains. I'll just leave it here

Screenshot_20200420-104603~2.png

• Dankman_420
• Apr 20, 2020

 

[Scottylikesbud]

Dope picture dank nice to have visuals, adds another way of looking at plant growth

 

[cr8grow]

Thanks for sharing...I will commit that pic to memory.

 

[AdaminCO]

Start at 6:00.... or watch the whole thing.

 

[nickeluring]

Some people like growing leaves, others prefer buds. Each to their own.

 

[CigNv]

I think the truth may be somewhere in the middle, or even different depending on what it is you want to accomplish and how you want to go about doing it.

I will just leave this link right here. The same argument has persisted for years with tomatoes.

How and Why You Should Prune Tomato Plants

Pruning is not an essential part of growing tomatoes, but it is very easy and can help improve fruit production on indeterminate plants.

www.thespruce.com

 

[nickeluring]

Over and out for me as well.

 

[Scottylikesbud]

nice vid, so Is there more of those vids?

 

[Dankman_420]

Start at 6:00.... or watch the whole thing.

The DGC is a good show. Very cool people shooting the shit most of the time, but lots of good info on it too. I watch it all the time

 

[AdaminCO]

The DGC is a good show. Very cool people shooting the shit most of the time, but lots of good info on it too. I watch it all the time

Farside had a snip on the first page of his “without bloom nutes” grow, and I’ve been poking around on their channel ever since. I agree/disagree with about 50% of what they say, but they grow in a completely different setting.

Unfortunately it’s not one size fits all in this hobby. There are so many different variables that completely change ones grow, that one couldn’t possibly expect what works for this plant, must work for the other.

All I was saying with all of this is that for newbies, defol should be minimal. The leafs they chop off, would have ended up helping the folks out that didn’t quite get their nutes down.

I feel like there are plant sympathizers, (mainly organic folks), and those that would inject them with steroids if they thought it’d give them another gram.

Everyone has a different reason for growing. Bigger yields don’t really matter to me because I have 6 more I’m ready to get going again.

From my experience and how I smoke, I don’t care for the big ass buds. I think the ping pong ball sized, smoke and taste the best.

Maybe someone (I don’t have any clones) can donate some time and do a defol side by side comparison grow. ???

 

[Dankman_420]

Farside had a snip on the first page of his “without bloom nutes” grow, and I’ve been poking around on their channel ever since. I agree/disagree with about 50% of what they say, but they grow in a completely different setting.

Unfortunately it’s not one size fits all in this hobby. There are so many different variables that completely change ones grow, that one couldn’t possibly expect what works for this plant, must work for the other.

All I was saying with all of this is that for newbies, defol should be minimal. The leafs they chop off, would have ended up helping the folks out that didn’t quite get their nutes down.

I feel like there are plant sympathizers, (mainly organic folks), and those that would inject them with steroids if they thought it’d give them another gram.

Everyone has a different reason for growing. Bigger yields don’t really matter to me because I have 6 more I’m ready to get going again.

From my experience and how I smoke, I don’t care for the big ass buds. I think the ping pong ball sized, smoke and taste the best.

Maybe someone (I don’t have any clones) can donate some time and do a defol side by side comparison grow. ???

I think we have similar views, at least one some things. I also like the smaller golf ball sized buds. I'll probably get some heat for saying this but I believe the bigger yeilder plants seem to be the more mediocre or at least the ones I have grown.

I don't do long veg's. I only grow for personal use and donate to some loved ones. So I don't need huge yeilds. What I do enjoy is variety and fresh erbs. My average veg time is 4 - 6 weeks.

As far as DGC channel. It's like everything else, take it with a grain of salt and come to your own conclusions. Your completely correct about this hobby is not a one size fits all. The grower has to find out what works for them and their environment

 

[safeman]

I clean out the lower branches to keep leaves from touching the soil line in VEG. This promotes healthy plants (no soil pathogens on the leaves). I don't do anything to plants in flower stake them up maybe supercrop if they are in the lights.

Show me some science on defoliation and how it would help with anything plant related I'm all ear and eyes. I've looked just in case I'm missing something important. So maybe you will have better luck with your searching and reading.

have you ever heard of "Swithczing" (mis-spelled) you do a heavy defoliation in week 4 veg at transition and 4th week in flower (meaning taking all leaves except top 2-3 sets of leaves)

 

[bobrown14]

Some people like growing leaves, others prefer buds. Each to their own.

Confused with the facts??

Cant have flowers without leaves.

Did you listen to the guy that said "dont take off leaves" and also he said that flowers have very little in the way of photosynthesis so they do not need to be in direct light to get fatter danker whatever you want your flowers to be??

Unfortunately it’s not one size fits all in this hobby. There are so many different variables that completely change ones grow, that one couldn’t possibly expect what works for this plant, must work for the other.

Plants grow and there are a basic set of biological/physics laws that are true to all plant species.

So if you look at growing plants and what is the process of bringing out the best in the plant and how it relates to growing, the main difference is genetics not your growing technique.

Plants of the same species all grow the same. If you grow a plant like it was a cactus and its not, likely it won't grow like a cactus right?

I think a lot of cannabis growers think their individual process they use has a profound influence on the final outcome. I don't agree. Genetics are the driving force weather I use "product A" or "Process B" or not use any product at all has vary little influence on the final product. But genetics does.

Our human contact with cannabis and how we changed and cultivated it for say THC or CBD is genetic its not process or fertilizer it was/is genetic selection.

 

[bobrown14]

have you ever heard of "Swithczing" (mis-spelled) you do a heavy defoliation in week 4 veg at transition and 4th week in flower (meaning taking all leaves except top 2-3 sets of leaves)

No and I would ask this question:

Why would I do something like that?

You should always ask questions about a process someone says you should do and haven't ever herd of it and it goes against any real common sense. Question it and research for an answer from someone besides Farmer Joe.

I don't "defoil", I'm telling you its counter productive and bad practice and has no factual basis. Thats just the science tho.

 

[nickeluring]

have you ever heard of "Swithczing" (mis-spelled) you do a heavy defoliation in week 4 veg at transition and 4th week in flower (meaning taking all leaves except top 2-3 sets of leaves)

It's usually spelt schwazzing

Confused with the facts??

Cant have flowers without leaves.

Did you listen to the guy that said "dont take off leaves" and also he said that flowers have very little in the way of photosynthesis so they do not need to be in direct light to get fatter danker whatever you want your flowers to be??





Plants grow and there are a basic set of biological/physics laws that are true to all plant species.

So if you look at growing plants and what is the process of bringing out the best in the plant and how it relates to growing, the main difference is genetics not your growing technique.

Plants of the same species all grow the same. If you grow a plant like it was a cactus and its not, likely it won't grow like a cactus right?

I think a lot of cannabis growers think their individual process they use has a profound influence on the final outcome. I don't agree. Genetics are the driving force weather I use "product A" or "Process B" or not use any product at all has vary little influence on the final product. But genetics does.

Our human contact with cannabis and how we changed and cultivated it for say THC or CBD is genetic its not process or fertilizer it was/is genetic selection.

As I said I'm out of this conversation. I have no interest in getting into discussions with less talented people who only wants to cause arguments. I have better things to do with my time while in lockdown...

 

[safeman]

No and I would ask this question:

Why would I do something like that?

You should always ask questions about a process someone says you should do and haven't ever herd of it and it goes against any real common sense. Question it and research for an answer from someone besides Farmer Joe.

I don't "defoil", I'm telling you its counter productive and bad practice and has no factual basis. Thats just the science tho.

Don't believe in it my-self - the whole idea behind it is the light on buds, will get the spelling of so you can look it up. Here is the spelling "Schwazzing" The book" Tree of Life" cost of book is $500.00 but one can get a $250.00 discont. Can you believe this Shit paying that amount of money for a book !!! They offer a pod cast of theis method from start to finish

 

[cr8grow]

Day 63...end of week 9...3 weeks since flip to 12/12. I added a 3rd small fan to increase airflow under the canopy this week. Plants are still stretching, raising the light daily, height around 20”. Today I did a light defoliation, taking thin branches low. I am getting a nice lower canopy of secondary bud sites on two of the four...those are staying. Main buds are developing nicely. Pics are from this morning before and after thinning.