Defoliation: Hi-Yield Technique?

[BIG JT]

My plants are so closely packed together, that if I didn't defoliate the canopy, the whole table would be inefficient and everything but the top 2 inches would be completely shaded. I do it gradually, and it works great for me. Heavy defoliation all at once is a bad idea though. Peep the album and you'll see what I mean

 

[smokefrogg]

it's just about letting more light through the canopy in order to increase growth in areas that wouldn't naturally get as much light

i keep on keepin' on with this, it's made a massive difference in my personal yields, vegetative growth is quicker too

 

[libby]

My plants are so closely packed together, that if I didn't defoliate the canopy, the whole table would be inefficient and everything but the top 2 inches would be completely shaded. I do it gradually, and it works great for me. Heavy defoliation all at once is a bad idea though. Peep the album and you'll see what I mean

How many plants would you consider, enough, or too many?

 

[TicalionStalion]

My plants are so closely packed together, that if I didn't defoliate the canopy, the whole table would be inefficient and everything but the top 2 inches would be completely shaded. I do it gradually, and it works great for me. Heavy defoliation all at once is a bad idea though. Peep the album and you'll see what I mean

I hear that bro, I did a hydro grow with way too many plants on a small flood table, didnt defoliate anything...terrible yield.

I yielded way better with less plants, even a smaller watt light...the key was less plants, or a heavy defol.

 

[BIG JT]

Too many is when they are so close together, that heavy defoliation is needed to avoid the majority of your crop being airy. I'm stuck with 32 site aerotable in a 5X10, so i deal with overcrowding by letting them veg for only 2 days, keeps them small, light penetration is good, solid nugs bottom to top without having to do a ton of defoliation, trimming goes so much faster, yeild is equal to if i let them veg for 2 weeks with heavy defoliation

 

[huntingbb]

Fuck, my life is awful!

First i break up make up with the old lady, then buddy who's old lady had been over breaks up and goes through some crazy shit, and now the DAY BEFORE i fucking flower i have to end my current fling.

like wtf...

On the upside... moving means more veg..... (i dont need it got like 4months in right now....) goDDamnit.....

But yet again, i'm not going for an oz or two i'm going for a few lb, so patience will pay off, and i see a shitload of things i could have done faster better, so if (and it seems likely) i do shut down and move.... i'll probably have one fucking hell of a grow...

Now to see what the next 48 hrs bring...

oh, and i hereby swear i'll never bring a person who's not been to the grow to the grow ever fucking again. If i cant do it i dont need it. and that's gotta be that.

Which also reminds me... if it wern't for defoliation i'd be even more fucked right now.... and while i was typing this i did find one more reason for defol vs topping:

the stall is similar between them. 7-10 days. However!! the defoliated plant never had to get chopped - so over time I think it would have an advantage over a similarly topped girl. Time will tell when i have it to play.

Good luck to all of you my friends.... keep the greens coming, it looks like I'm gonna have to continue with shop weed for a while =[

 

[TruthOrLie]

talk about counting your birds before the eggs hatch

 

[huntingbb]

talk about counting your birds before the eggs hatch

Don't see it...

 

[TruthOrLie]

Don't see it...

he's talking about how much defoliation has helped him and hasn't even entered flower yet...

 

[huntingbb]

he's talking about how much defoliation has helped him and hasn't even entered flower yet...

he's I and i'm you in this instance...
but Ive defol'd minimally my last two rounds, but for the vegging girls its all about that.. and it's controlled size and shape nicely, (though I did top again on a bunch of girls), which is exactly how it's helped me... never claimed it helped yield - not once.

 

[!!!]

what about them? they typically devastate the whole plant

They don't devastate the whole plant. Only up to what they can reach. You'll usually find rings around the plants/trees.

 

[WoodElephant]

So I have an idea to run by everyone. I was reading on this thread, specifically this post:

@ OM&tW:

You bring up something I plan to try: chitosan (i.e., chitin oligosaccharide) with jasmonates. Chitosan induces SAR and jasmonates induce plant defenses via other mechanisms (not by SAR to my understanding). Jasmonates induce greater trich production (number and density) than inducing SAR from my experience using aspirin and harpin protein to induce SAR (separately). Using both chitosan and jasmonates together could negate the possible growth reduction from high application rate of jasomonates because SAR induction causes many plants to increase growth rate/yield. Granted, it is only my speculation that both together could offer synergistic response. SA and jasmonates are not a good mix, yet I have not found info stating chitosan and jasmonates may have negative cross-talk like is the case with SA and jasmonates.

Both chitosan and jasmonates have been found to inhibit powdery mildew, fwiw.

Also, if/when you use Jaz spray again on other plants you should try using 1/4 strength (or less, even 1/8 strength). Jaz at full application rate (from bottle direction) is ~320 ppm, or thereabouts. Using ~100 ppm or less may provide increased trichs and smell (terpenoids) on par with higher ppm but not reduced bud growth (or as much reduced) as you have noticed with higher ppm of MDHJ.

I plan on testing 1 ppm and 10 ppm of MeJA, I have used 100 ppm before. With many PGRs less is more, and with MeJA using less, ex., 1 ppm in working solutoin (foliar spray) means one could make a stock solution and not have to buy a lot of MeJA.

and it got me to thinking about how it could be applied to the defoliation technique. I think spraying with Jasmonic acid just prior to a serious prune job would help it recover faster, then spray with chitosan shortly after the prune job. I think probably a day either way, just to give the plant a chance to gear up it's defense mechanisms with the JA, then to boost growth after it has a day to recover with the chitosan. If this is off base bringing it into this thread, I apologize. I thought it might be an interesting experiment to run with defoliation. I would do it myself right now, but I just finished my first grow with limited success (hydro using tap water in a tight closet). I will be growing again this summer and plan on trying my experiment, barring anyone trying it and finding detrimental results.

After reading about the results with defoliation, and reading up on plant hormones and spraying with these compounds, I think the yield could be pretty awesome, with as good or better quality buds.

Cheers all!

 

[TruthOrLie]

Interestingly, my tomato growing research has led me to this:

http://www.weekendgardener.net/vegetable-gardening-tips/growing-tomatoes-070707.htm

To Pinch out Suckers or Not

Some gardeners prune tomatoes by pinching out suckers or the leafy shoots that grow from leaf axils. The leaf axil is the "V" between the central trunk (stem) and lateral branches.

Here is how you determine whether to remove suckers or not.

If left on the plant, suckers will keep growing and usually produce fruit. It can be helpful sometimes to prune suckers out so the overall plant doesn't get top-heavy, or produce more fruit than the plant can mature in time for fall. Just keep in mind, if you prune them, you will get fewer, but larger fruit.

You can let some of the suckers stay on if you want, suckers don't hurt anything. It's up to you how you want your tomatoes to grow. For instance, if your plants are allowed to sprawl along the ground as I do with my tomato plants, I never remove any suckers at all!

If you just don't know, try pruning one plant and not another, and see how each one turns out. That way you'll know for sure which technique works best for you.

----
----
----
Here it would seem that pinching off small bud sites leads to larger, fewer remaining bud sites.

...and even tomato growers suggest the benefit of a healthy side by side.

 

[shorty68]

med.indoor grow first timer

med.indoor grow first timer

trying this on a couple i have n flower now.started off slow to make sure there wasnt to much stress. in wk 6 now and looking good i think.will try this with diesel too. thx for new way to yeild bigger buds

 

[omgomg]

so remind me how defoliation creates a higher yield?

 

[huntingbb]

so remind me how defoliation creates a higher yield?

Dood reread the fucking post. God its that empty skull of yours ringing or something!

The post:

trying this on a couple i have n flower now.started off slow to make sure there wasnt to much stress. in wk 6 now and looking good i think.will try this with diesel too. thx for new way to yeild bigger buds

Could you please tell me how that's a higher yield?

God, learn to read, then learn to process, then reread again before posting plz. ~_~;

Hint: larger bud's != larger yield.

 

[Storm Shadow]

works all the time for me

 

[hdrandy]

very nice think i might try it

 

[tjo]

should i defol or not in 59 day of flower??
i have many fan leaves and prechaps is good idea..
someone suggest me that but im not sure..any thoughts??

 

[TruthOrLie]

if you have two plants, why not defoliate one and not the other... and see what happens?