Increasing yield with defoliation indoors: What's it mean? How to do it?
- Thread starter Bassman59
- Start date
dlchobbes
Active Member
Funny, I was asking my hydro gal about that yesterday and she said she does that sometimes. I tried it last crop with mixed results, but it was only my second grow.
One thing I found was that an HPS bulb has a certain amount of yellow tone to it. As a result, if you don't cover the clear plastic guard that protects the led light in your microscope that color makes the trichomes look more yellow than they are, resulting in premature harvesting. I wrap that plastic with some tape and get, I think, a better gauge of readiness.
Anyway, as I understand it you're only really looking at a couple of days of harvesting.
GrowYerOwn.
NoBloodWeed!
I still cant imagine it. There is something I am not grasping here
But I dont know what you mean by wrapping the fonds. I am assuming the fonds are the fingers of the leaves. But rolling them up or what ever you mean I cant picture.
And what is the purpose if they are rolled up?
Lets say my hand is a leaf. I hold it out, fingers spread. The light hits the back of my hand.
Now I guess I am supposed to hold my hand down with my fingers all held tight together, how is the light now hitting my fingers/back of my hand?
dlchobbes
Active Member
I still cant imagine it. There is something I am not grasping here
But I dont know what you mean by wrapping the fonds. I am assuming the fonds are the fingers of the leaves. But rolling them up or what ever you mean I cant picture.
And what is the purpose if they are rolled up?
Lets say my hand is a leaf. I hold it out, fingers spread. The light hits the back of my hand.
Now I guess I am supposed to hold my hand down with my fingers all held tight together, how is the light now hitting my fingers/back of my hand?
You've got the idea. The point is that fan leaves don't really deliver the punch that we want the buds to pack so you wrap them and that allows the light to get to the lower buds. It's defoliation without the stress associated with removal and doesn't require the plant to expend any energy repairing itself. I found a camera, I have to charge it, and I'll post an instructable. But what you're describing is right and that gives the buds more exposure to light. And that's a good thing.
dlchobbes
Active Member
I found a camera, but can't figure out how to add the images to the post. Can someone help me?
This should help you in adding photos: Photo Gallery Guide - How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos
dlchobbes
Active Member
Hash Hound
So click on my name and click on gallery.
So click on my name and click on gallery.
- Thread starter
- #588
dlchobbes,
You said it numerous times in this thread that you think this defoliation craze causes stress, shouldn't be done on young plants, etc.
Do the pics in the very first post of this thread show any signs of stress? Do those little girls in the very first post with tiny little leaves left appear to have been harmed in any way? Just look at the follow up pics days later of the very same plants.
There are tons of people applying these methods and have been for years with great success. Quietly, going against the norm of the mmj society. Not unlike the mmj society as a whole goes against much the rest of societal ways of treatment for many health issues we've proven mj works with.
You said it numerous times in this thread that you think this defoliation craze causes stress, shouldn't be done on young plants, etc.
Do the pics in the very first post of this thread show any signs of stress? Do those little girls in the very first post with tiny little leaves left appear to have been harmed in any way? Just look at the follow up pics days later of the very same plants.
There are tons of people applying these methods and have been for years with great success. Quietly, going against the norm of the mmj society. Not unlike the mmj society as a whole goes against much the rest of societal ways of treatment for many health issues we've proven mj works with.
dlchobbes
Active Member
I completely agree with your results and need for recognition for your efforts. I would have thought that, given your experience with being labeled an outsider, you would be more open to an alternative approach. Your plants are happy, my plants are happy. What's the problem? I apologize for the one use of the word, "craze".
- Thread starter
- #590
I do not need recognition.
Nor did I ever make a single comment towards your approach.
You have however tried to suggest things that are just not true. Especially things you "think", even in light of evidence to the contrary.
Nor did I ever make a single comment towards your approach.
You have however tried to suggest things that are just not true. Especially things you "think", even in light of evidence to the contrary.
Smokemupm8
New Member
Well in my opinion some defoliation, especially if youre LST ing your plants - is neccessary as well as beneficial. Sure if you hack away all your fan leaves at some random point in Veg you may notice slower growth rate as a result, But it will still grow!!
I LST and I use " Trimming" selectively Id call it, removing only fans that shadow branch/bud shoots below it pending on trim time, I usually trim say once fully in Veg, then again in flower once flowers/buds are forming but I do not remove them all,just what is needed. I get ok results with my girls, I wish I can improve and pull 1 pound p plant but there is a tuning process I had to feel out before I have the faith that if I react a certain way to the plant, it will react in a certain way too!!
At present I am removing fans from buds as its nearly pull time and theres buds below the cola's that are getting indirect light which I try to spread as even as I can..
Im currently going thru a final bloom I believe where calyxes are bulking up solidly not just balls of fluff,hoping they have substance and weight over the coming days, the branches are bending under the weight so thats a good sign, but I guess I may only get 8-10 Oz?? I failed at the start with my method and this is the result, my new gal, Lil Kim will hopefully continue as she is and grow large fast, with her training Im hoping to have around 12 or so main cola s each at a height of 5.5ft.
Here s a couple of my current::
Sorry pics arent the best but some are from early flower and then not too far ago.. GOODLUCK TO ALL AND THERE IS NO HARM IN LEARNING!!!
Take care and Happy Harvesting! 
Smokem..
I LST and I use " Trimming" selectively Id call it, removing only fans that shadow branch/bud shoots below it pending on trim time, I usually trim say once fully in Veg, then again in flower once flowers/buds are forming but I do not remove them all,just what is needed. I get ok results with my girls, I wish I can improve and pull 1 pound p plant but there is a tuning process I had to feel out before I have the faith that if I react a certain way to the plant, it will react in a certain way too!!
At present I am removing fans from buds as its nearly pull time and theres buds below the cola's that are getting indirect light which I try to spread as even as I can..
Im currently going thru a final bloom I believe where calyxes are bulking up solidly not just balls of fluff,hoping they have substance and weight over the coming days, the branches are bending under the weight so thats a good sign, but I guess I may only get 8-10 Oz?? I failed at the start with my method and this is the result, my new gal, Lil Kim will hopefully continue as she is and grow large fast, with her training Im hoping to have around 12 or so main cola s each at a height of 5.5ft.
Here s a couple of my current::
Sorry pics arent the best but some are from early flower and then not too far ago.. GOODLUCK TO ALL AND THERE IS NO HARM IN LEARNING!!!
Take care and Happy Harvesting! Smokem..- Thread starter
- #592
Smoke, " but there is a tuning process I had to feel out before I have the faith that if I react a certain way to the plant, it will react in a certain way too!!"
key words there friend. Keep up the good work.
I would offer some thought though to height. Mostly because unless you're adding supplemental light, a 1k hps for instance can really only deliver decent growing power about 35" deep. That for me has been the biggest thing. Learning when to flip by size, and training to said size. Each strain stretches so differently and takes some "tuning time" to paraphrase your words.
I kinda wish I could get out of tents allowing a little more room for side lighting and what not. Maybe even vertical lighting. But my conditions just don't permit it.
key words there friend. Keep up the good work.
I would offer some thought though to height. Mostly because unless you're adding supplemental light, a 1k hps for instance can really only deliver decent growing power about 35" deep. That for me has been the biggest thing. Learning when to flip by size, and training to said size. Each strain stretches so differently and takes some "tuning time" to paraphrase your words.
I kinda wish I could get out of tents allowing a little more room for side lighting and what not. Maybe even vertical lighting. But my conditions just don't permit it.
Gallery,,,upload photos,,,select files for up load,,,up load and submit,,,process photos
Then when you are in a post window, you select the camera icon and a window with your photos should appear.
You select them and they go where ever you have your cursor on the post window
Then when you are in a post window, you select the camera icon and a window with your photos should appear.
You select them and they go where ever you have your cursor on the post window
Smokemupm8
New Member
Thanks Bass
Well for most ppl starting out you do sort of need to know how the plants grow and mature etc; Ive done more outdoor than in and I had to learn about lumens,Training,Topping,Spectrums and all other stuff I found myself captivated!
Basically you can grow a plant under a light but how you do so will effect the yield or size of plant.
I have a space of 7ft to fit my girls, but as you said having the light penetration is a main factor in how far down you will get good growth, if I SCROG d it would better organise my branches position wise, but I just do it minus the screen!
So over time Ive found that if I restrict the height of my girls to under 6ft mature height, I will get a decent yield under a 600W HPS, I do get ok light thru as I trim for this - at the base im still getting about 1,000 lumens of light, not ideal, but better than when I started.. So out of a say 6ft plant ill get around 3-3.5ft of adequate lighting thru to the mid section of my girls producing decent bud , so there s wastage for sure tho I am getting better size bud lower down now than I started with.
Adding side lighting is an idea im toying with, I am keen on these CREE-LED lights, I have a 3W Cree LED light and it produces a greater white light than standard LED s, a solid beam of light reaching over 250m, so I am wondering what a nice set up of these would be like?? They may be a new revolution if introduced to hydroponics, I am unsure of the exact specifics of these lights but they produce way less heat than a HPS/MH , tho they are a bit expensive here at present.. HAve you heard or seen any of these Cree LED s being used to grow for Veg??
Thanks for the kiind words, and sorry Ive been away for like a century! But there been alot going on and I had planned on keeping Myley s journal more specififc and updated more often but things did not turn out this way, me being lazy didnt help the cause ...
HAPPY HARVESTING EVERYBODY AND A GREAT GREEN DAY TO YOU ALL!!!
Smokemup..
Well for most ppl starting out you do sort of need to know how the plants grow and mature etc; Ive done more outdoor than in and I had to learn about lumens,Training,Topping,Spectrums and all other stuff I found myself captivated!
Basically you can grow a plant under a light but how you do so will effect the yield or size of plant.
I have a space of 7ft to fit my girls, but as you said having the light penetration is a main factor in how far down you will get good growth, if I SCROG d it would better organise my branches position wise, but I just do it minus the screen!
So over time Ive found that if I restrict the height of my girls to under 6ft mature height, I will get a decent yield under a 600W HPS, I do get ok light thru as I trim for this - at the base im still getting about 1,000 lumens of light, not ideal, but better than when I started.. So out of a say 6ft plant ill get around 3-3.5ft of adequate lighting thru to the mid section of my girls producing decent bud , so there s wastage for sure tho I am getting better size bud lower down now than I started with.
Adding side lighting is an idea im toying with, I am keen on these CREE-LED lights, I have a 3W Cree LED light and it produces a greater white light than standard LED s, a solid beam of light reaching over 250m, so I am wondering what a nice set up of these would be like?? They may be a new revolution if introduced to hydroponics, I am unsure of the exact specifics of these lights but they produce way less heat than a HPS/MH , tho they are a bit expensive here at present.. HAve you heard or seen any of these Cree LED s being used to grow for Veg??
Thanks for the kiind words, and sorry Ive been away for like a century! But there been alot going on and I had planned on keeping Myley s journal more specififc and updated more often but things did not turn out this way, me being lazy didnt help the cause ...
HAPPY HARVESTING EVERYBODY AND A GREAT GREEN DAY TO YOU ALL!!!
Smokemup..Hello Bassman59,
I am a fairly new user in this forum, but i am currently getting ready to harvest my first crop where i used the defoliation process. You were correct in saying it takes practice to get right, even though i am not completely disappointed with my first attempt. This crop consists of 6 master kush feminized plants. I followed your grow guide from this forum for this grow. I did notice that some actions i took were not exactly like you did them, but close. First i started off defoliation at 4 weeks into veg. I took all the fan leaves with a growth at least 1/4inch long above it. I took no other leaves at this time, nor did i the entire grow, so by the end of the 4th week in flowering i had zero fan leaves. The plants are all very healthy, and i noticed you said the plants should be very healthy for this process to work. My question to you is, "how do you know which strains will accept defoliation and provide much better yields, such as 7 to 10oz or more?" Do you have a list of what you have tried, or is there somewhere i can find out which strains have been proven to work? My area is only large enough for 6 plants max, so you can see why i want to maximize my yields. My last question for now is, "should i use a light with more lumens than my 600w hps, or is that enough lumens for 6 plants?" I thought the light may have been the problem, but i also thought it might be the strain i was growing and using the defoliation process with, so maybe you can help me with an answer for this. I also thought your article was great! I like the way you took each step one at a time and included everything. I am a believer in defoliation now. I look forward to your reply. I can take some pictures and put them in the gallery, or place them on one of these pages if you would like. Peace
I am a fairly new user in this forum, but i am currently getting ready to harvest my first crop where i used the defoliation process. You were correct in saying it takes practice to get right, even though i am not completely disappointed with my first attempt. This crop consists of 6 master kush feminized plants. I followed your grow guide from this forum for this grow. I did notice that some actions i took were not exactly like you did them, but close. First i started off defoliation at 4 weeks into veg. I took all the fan leaves with a growth at least 1/4inch long above it. I took no other leaves at this time, nor did i the entire grow, so by the end of the 4th week in flowering i had zero fan leaves. The plants are all very healthy, and i noticed you said the plants should be very healthy for this process to work. My question to you is, "how do you know which strains will accept defoliation and provide much better yields, such as 7 to 10oz or more?" Do you have a list of what you have tried, or is there somewhere i can find out which strains have been proven to work? My area is only large enough for 6 plants max, so you can see why i want to maximize my yields. My last question for now is, "should i use a light with more lumens than my 600w hps, or is that enough lumens for 6 plants?" I thought the light may have been the problem, but i also thought it might be the strain i was growing and using the defoliation process with, so maybe you can help me with an answer for this. I also thought your article was great! I like the way you took each step one at a time and included everything. I am a believer in defoliation now. I look forward to your reply. I can take some pictures and put them in the gallery, or place them on one of these pages if you would like. Peace
splendidman
Active Member
My plants are 8 weeks in vegetative state and they are very small,should I try this method on my plants?
splendidman
Active Member
Splendidman,
I don't see any branching. Do you have side branching hidden under the leaves?
What strain/heritage, are you growing?
They look happy and compact plants.
Do you have more lights available, or are the pictures CFLs all you have to work with?
Radogast
splendidman
Active Member
Yes there are many branches hiding beneath the fan leaves,strain is sensi kush,and thats all of the lights I have.