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

Ok I'll try to make sense here but I doubt I will lol. I am running 3 skywalker og from reserva privada and 3 Girl Scout cookie in a 4x4 tent (to many) this is my first ever grow and due to overcrowding I found this thread but I fear to late well fear is a bad word. So in s nutshell I defoliated through out veg and flower but switched to 12/12 only 1 day after HEAVY defol and this brings me to my question/observation. So the 3 gsc didn't receive much defol because I'm a first time grower and using rdwc and focuse on the skywalker. As a multi strian grow and my first grow period I had to make a choice since the strain responded much differently to ppm/feeding. The skywalker on other hand was stripped bare an for good reason they grew like a jungle. 1 sky was in back of tent an hard to Reach so it got less defol but 2 others were front row and I picked them non stop. Let me stop and mention my friends who grow reguraly sware they never seen such growth an health but mainly speaking of the sky in back row with least defol (still a massive defol but less than te 2 in front) it appears to be 8-10+ zips on back row sky but the front row and 2 more (total) strip still never showed pistals even after back row sky had been for 3 WEEKS. All TOP o line FEM seeds so I held on to them well I started to tear them up basically an experiment but out of know where it went flower crazy but not same as huge sky in back row, the diff is even tho 2-3 weeks behind although on same schedule as rest they have created off shoots on main colas and are budding compactly. The back row sky has 24 MAIN colas and twice as many smaller branches but they bud in a line up the stem as apposed to the front row sky's who were stunted they have an array of extra bud sites. Now even so I sill expect back row sky to have better yield but because of my focus of attention to it via light love an so forth but still this is impressive to see. I'm week 6 of flower and I am guessing will yield over 20zips on first attempt and I think defol did a lot to help that
 
Hi all, great thread!
New here but been around a while on some others.
Love to come here to read, so I thought I'd join here as well.
I grow inside a full sized fridge, Hydro RDWC, 2 plants per run.
I am currently on my third run, mainlining AK-47 and GoldLeaFuck 25 days into flower.
I have defoliated a bit more than this, more pics to come....
20151106_090853_resized.jpg
 
SkyDro said:
Ok I'll try to make sense here but I doubt I will lol. I am running 3 skywalker og from reserva privada and 3 Girl Scout cookie in a 4x4 tent (to many) this is my first ever grow and due to overcrowding I found this thread but I fear to late well fear is a bad word. So in s nutshell I defoliated through out veg and flower but switched to 12/12 only 1 day after HEAVY defol and this brings me to my question/observation. So the 3 gsc didn't receive much defol because I'm a first time grower and using rdwc and focuse on the skywalker. As a multi strian grow and my first grow period I had to make a choice since the strain responded much differently to ppm/feeding. The skywalker on other hand was stripped bare an for good reason they grew like a jungle. 1 sky was in back of tent an hard to Reach so it got less defol but 2 others were front row and I picked them non stop. Let me stop and mention my friends who grow reguraly sware they never seen such growth an health but mainly speaking of the sky in back row with least defol (still a massive defol but less than te 2 in front) it appears to be 8-10+ zips on back row sky but the front row and 2 more (total) strip still never showed pistals even after back row sky had been for 3 WEEKS. All TOP o line FEM seeds so I held on to them well I started to tear them up basically an experiment but out of know where it went flower crazy but not same as huge sky in back row, the diff is even tho 2-3 weeks behind although on same schedule as rest they have created off shoots on main colas and are budding compactly. The back row sky has 24 MAIN colas and twice as many smaller branches but they bud in a line up the stem as apposed to the front row sky's who were stunted they have an array of extra bud sites. Now even so I sill expect back row sky to have better yield but because of my focus of attention to it via light love an so forth but still this is impressive to see. I'm week 6 of flower and I am guessing will yield over 20zips on first attempt and I think defol did a lot to help that
Click to expand...

As you already stated, too many plants for the area.

a couple notes to keep in mind imo:
1. Don't defoliate right after flipping. Let them transition3 weeks then strip. What I normally did was defoliate 1 week BEFORE flip.
2. LIGHT is HUGE! You mentioned the back SKY getting more light love even though less defoliation. The whole point it is to get the most amount of light possible top to bottom. This is also why we keep them short. Usable lumen from any bulb only goes so far. Check out the light-depth charts on this site. Basically 36" for a 1k hid.
3. Off shoots and compactness is one of the main things you'll find. Many more compact buds in areas that wouldn't commonly produce much at all.
4. I never suggest using this technique until you have at lest a couple grows completed. The learning process is steep enough. Why hinder it with a more advanced technique. When not happy at the end, you're likely not going to know the real reason because you were doing too many things you've never done before.

GL and best wishes.
 
I feel that fan leaves, and most leaves on this plant, become almost vestigial, much like our appendix,. My read on leaves, in general, is that they are there in size and abundance, because they are trying to grow in a hostile environment. We provide everything they need and give them a stress-free existence. Leaves, shmeaves.
 
**Been a long time since coming here.

dlchobbes, please read and re-read my original post from the beginning. It's highly unlikely you lost your crop due to defoliation.

Now, I can't speak for using this technique with your small bulbs. But as I hope you've gathered, light is key and getting more of it to the flowers is the entire point. Also, training early is a big part of this.

Keep working at it, may all your grows be bountiful.
 
Hi Hat said:
Hey Bassman and 420mag, I had to register just to tell you how informative and great this thread has been. Defoliation has always been a controversial technique (I'm all for it tho!) and on other forums, I've seen hundreds of pages long flame wars but here, almost no negative comments!

I know you, Bassman, have been having trouble with the authority all the best you and all of you guys at 420, truly positive forum!

Namaste-Smiley.gif
Click to expand...

Thank you Hi Hat! Did over 1 yr on house arrest, but kept my job at least. Got super lucky, got out of pokey to go house arrest on the final day of my paid time off! Hell work still doesn't even know. But, I expect I'm out of my profession when my license comes due next year and background checks hit again.

I guess I should go talk to a local dispensary for work since rec just got passed last night!
 
Ah, Bassman, in any other situation, you'd be right. I did go and reread your stuff, unfortunately, too late.
Did I mention that I cut off EVERY leaf in the second week of bloom. Got tons of leaf back, huge root balls and totally stalled growth. Cut a third off the bottom of the root ball, to no avail.
I'm a big fan of defoliation now, just gotta pay more attention to your details.
 
Bassman I think I have the answer ( at least it seems to be for me now ) in how to maintain the height issue I have been getting a nice spread on my girls by manifolding with a little lollypopping reading and re-reading your pruning methods as I think I will try this one my next veg cycle defoliate when I top this would work along with my tie down this defoliating will help getting my tops longer and make them easier and much saver to tie down they can be so easily snapped off
another big bennie --that first strip down must make those roots go crazy !! thank you for sharing
 
Back
Top Bottom