Defoliation question-strategy

[AloeRuss]

Defoliation

Some like it and some don't.
I am on the fence on this one, but leaning towards it.
I have a question and hopping that some of you may help.

Removing fan leaves (not all. 35-40 percent) always stress the plants.
If I would move forward with the removal during flowering, when would be the good time to start and how often would it be smart to repeat.

Please note. This is not a question if I should or not or if it works or not.
This is a strategy question. How often and when.
Thank you

 

[Bennyweed1]

In veg I'll trim anything and everything but flower is another story.

I do my best to remove everything during the first 5-7 days. It's during this period that the plant is transitioning into bloom.

But during the course of bloom I don't have any issue removing a big here and there that is blocking a ton of light.

I'd never do 30% or whatever after that 7 day marker.

 

[ganja_guru]

I like to remove the biggest fans about 10 days before I kick to flower, then around week 3 of flower I prune and de-leaf some more. At 6 weeks I will de-leaf to open up the plant( air circulation and light penetration) then when I start my flush I de-leaf some more, removing the majority of leaf.

Cheers GG

 

[Coconutz]

High again, homie
From what I know about your grow you are only safe removing your damaged leaves.
Any healthy leaves you still have left I would suggest you keep them even if you could get extra light to the bottom of your cannopy.
I remember your last grow looking like it had moisture stress or something from being overcrowded, and your last post suggests you have 100 plants.
Id recommend you remove the lower stuff if its not getting enough light.
I use the defoliation method myself on strains that need it.
Most of the strains I grow dont need it though.
The most important part of the original defoliation thread that gets lost in all the stupid bickering in those threads is that ki3f says never do this on a plant that isnt 100% healthy and VIGOROUS

 

[Jnugg]

OP bring this question over to the vert forums as we vert growers implement the proper use for defoliation.


https://www.icmag.com/ic/forumdisplay.php?f=65628

 

[RonSmooth]

I pull large fan leaves throughout veg and flower. Every time I tend to the plants (once a day) I pull any leaves that are shading lower tops or inhibiting good air circulation.

I dont get the fear of touching the plant in flowering. It is adapted to handle winds, rain, animals, insects and anything else mother nature throws at it. Its not like these hazards suddenly stop during flowering outdoors.

Besides defoliation, bending, pinching and tying down, I have split main stems 2" right down the middle mid flower and the plants finished fine. The damaged areas usually become the strongest & best producing areas.

There shouldn't be much debate regarding the technique. People have done it with great results and documented the grows with pictures.

 

[tokersmoke]

This thread is just like all the other threads about defol.The info is all over the place why ask again?

 

[DHF]

Go read my last post and earlier ones in defoliation side by side experiment thread.....please...

Peace...DHF........

 

[tokersmoke]

Ron why wouldnt there be debate?This is one of the biggest debates on cannabis cultivation.There are pages upon pages on these forums about defol with debate after debate.At least defol makes sense a little.Why would you split the main stem half way through flowering?With pulling leaves everyday and splitting the main stem i cant imagine it didnt slow it down.

 

[medicalmj]

Perhaps it should be called high intensity (or risk) pruning. Anyway, my 2 cents:
I found variation of response with different strains. For most hybrids I prefer to limit to a couple weeks before flower, letting the predetermined allotted space for each top develop to its ideal size. However, i am in process of some intense leaf pruning in flower of one of my Indicas with huge and prolific leaf production. I have left a sister clone alone to compare.

 

[AloeRuss]

Thank you everyone and coconutz naturally as well.
My last grow I defoliated for the very firs time. The rough result was half a pound per light then usual.
Could it be because of something else? Maybe, but the only thing different this time was deff.
So I want to do it but do it right again, so all your advice here helps tremendously.

I am hitting week 3 in a few days, so I will put some time removing some leaves.
Now, do you think it's good to give revive or other stress related adds after I am done.
Also, how much down time flower takes to heal after defoliation? Do you know?

Coconutz?

 

[RonSmooth]

Ron why wouldnt there be debate?This is one of the biggest debates on cannabis cultivation.There are pages upon pages on these forums about defol with debate after debate.At least defol makes sense a little.Why would you split the main stem half way through flowering?With pulling leaves everyday and splitting the main stem i cant imagine it didnt slow it down.

I didn't mean that there is no debate, just that I don't see what the debate is about. There is documented, photographic evidence of the technique being used in grows with success. If it were harmful to plants, I think it would be evident in those photographs.

If someone choses not to do it thats fine but it shouldn't be because they don't want to "hurt" the plant.

And I didn't mean to split the stem. I was training the plant by tying branches down and bent one too much.

But why would it have to slow the plant down? I'm sure branches get broken, leaves get ripped, eaten and all sorts of beat on in the wild. I don't think the species would make it if it had to stop a recover every time it were damaged.

 

[tokersmoke]

its called high stress training..

 

[tokersmoke]

Of course it has a recovery time.In the wild plants dont need to have the quality we are growing them for.Naturally the plants would have adapted to such stress but there is always a recovery period.If you are pulling leaves everyday you are being counter productive.You are hurting the plant clearly.One must decide if the risk is worth the benefit.

 

[DamnUglyDogE]

But why would it have to slow the plant down? I'm sure branches get broken, leaves get ripped, eaten and all sorts of beat on in the wild. I don't think the species would make it if it had to stop a recover every time it were damaged.

My experience has been:

Stress x 1 = No biggie~Pull some fans Pre flower-After stretch(slowly)
Stress x 2 = Little recovery time~Fans pulled over a few days(Quickly)
Stress x 3 = Stall~Fans pulled in stretch and done in 1-2 days(Insane)
Stress x 4 = Nanners~ Fans pulled quickly and topped/split in flower(Fem)

At least those are the results I have run into over that last couple years playing with the concept...

For myself... I like walking the fine line between stress x2-x3...(Lack of patients for pulling slow)
Not caring about maximizing yields myself, helps walk this line but If I were
yield orientated Id definitely shoot for stress x1-x2.
Where the benefits in quality and yield speak for themselves...IMO,of course...

 

[Coconutz]

I was joking about the revive last week bro...
If youre gonna defoliate I wouldnt consider any results conclusive because you are on your own here and not really following any of the guidelines.

 

[AloeRuss]

Understood.
Just so we clear, I am not talking about extremes. 30 percent I mentioned did not actually occurred. The most I ever took is 4 to 5 leaves from the plant and never in days in a raw.
I usually only pulls the leaves that cover buds and nothing other then that.