Deleafing Or no Deleafing ?? Any experts that can help me out????

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #1

Im talking about 4 plants per light in 5 GALLON buckets...
i done different techniques but can't make my mind up of what's actually better..... I bended the leaf steam with out taking leaves out, remove the bottom of the bush, and taking leaves to max light....supper cropped and topped them... I know it varies between strain but let me know what works better for you Thanks anything helps.

 

RetroGrow

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #2

When leaves are no longer necessary, the plant will drop them.
There's no reason to remove functioning leaves.

 

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Pops

Resident pissy old man

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #3

I agree with Retro. I see a lot of folks removing fans so light can get to buds. The fans are the food factories of the plants. They are what make buds big, not the pissy little bud leaves.

 

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Hal

• Mar 23, 2009

• #4

Fan leaves make the food for the growth of the buds, it is a mistake to cut them off, even lower leaves. As said above, when the plant no longer needs them they will wither and die.

Those little popcorn buds at the bottom of the plant, on the other hand, those just steal food from the upper buds...I usually cut those off early on before they take up too much plant energy.

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #5

thats what I always thought but friends keep telling me otherwise... thought I ask, they are monsters tho so its hard for the light to penetrate to the center...and i cant really spread them out..... maybe i should try to tie them down so lower buds get more light???? i notice when buds are in between and not get enought like they get light colored... and not so big...hmmmmm Thanks for the fast reply
keep it green ;D

 

swampy_nz

Member

• Mar 23, 2009

• #6

I agree.just remember that just because it seems darker under the canopy it is because the leaves above reflect the green light which our eyes are most sensitive to.85% of usable plant light passes through to the leaves below.

 

gladysvjubb

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #7

I collect all the naturally given up leaves and make hash when I have enough of them. DO NOT remove green healthy leaves.

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #8

hal I trim the bottoms before llolipop them i think its calld, but found out that thats 25% of the bud..... so instead of bigger buds same quality more buds same quality.. i smoke a ton so works for me.... but sometimes its nice if you do it early early and keep doing it to the start for 12/12 and they are already pretty darn big thats just my thought

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #9

thanKS i always was agains removing leaves just alot of controversy around here lol... its not normal or natural to remove healthy leaves... but im open to new ideas if they work thanks you doods

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #10

hey is the hash any good from those leaves???? i ask because i throw them out.. i keep the last fan leavs and close ones

 

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DeebeeAhhSee

Member

• Mar 23, 2009

• #11

It always depends on the circumstance. i have a friend that grows in hydro... and by the end of his run there are no fan leaves left except near the top if at all. The hugest, thickest, indoor buds i'be seen with such a short veg time. It depends, on your methods... flat grow, vertical, stadium. If the lower leaves cover the top of your next plant, are you just gonna leave them there and sacrifice the other plants growth? Prolly not. So it depends.
I stopped asking questions like this cause everyone knows everything. if you really want an answer... take two plants and chop leaves, lolly pop, LST or whatever else you want to do. Compare in your own environment, use your own control system, and get info yourself. i know in some cases you ust can't... but in a case like this, go for it on your own and find out.

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #12

i did and found out that the ones that I didn't take any leaves out had more formed buds and not any gaps in between and the other ones that i did looked a bit more fluffy... but i lollipoped them all and they really didn't look too much different besides that i THINK the one that i took some leaves out got maybe a little bigger buds on bottom.. and their hairs finished faster.

 

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Cozy Amnesia

• Mar 23, 2009

• #13

I subscribe to the school of thought that says you should not de-leaf your plants.

I once did an experiment on this subject. I left large fan leaves on one side of the stem and trimmed them on the other (both receiving equal light). The nodes with a fan leaf still attached grew much bigger.

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #14

nice thats awesome!!!!! where is that school at?? i been to the cannabis college in amsterdam when I was 17

 

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antimatter

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #15

Im no expert on this, but I have been removing fan leaves that block bud sites but I don't remove all of them only the ones that are blocking budsites, im not hardcore about it like some people are, but I can tell you if I didn't remove the ones that I do the lower grow would turn all yellow and be fluff.

Some good links on pruning fan leaves
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=102531&pp=15&page=2

http://www.weedbay.net/overgrow-thebook/BloomingRipening/1546.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TbhY6aG9Uo&feature=channel_page

Heres a quote from a guy who was getting 2+ per light on SOG running anywhere from 6-8kw with Purple Kush it was epic but he removed his pictures.
"Pruning all depends on how closely your growing them together and how much shade is on the flowers. I don't let any of my flowers get shaded. I lollipop around days 12 flower to 16, and prune around day 14 flower to 16 and again around day 30 flower to 35. Sometimes if they are shading again I'll prune a bit near the end too around day 45 flower to 55 if they need it again."

http://www.marijuanagrowing.eu/522-purple-kush-8-light-sog-update-page-24-dec-12-08-t33054.html

http://www.marijuanagrowing.eu/purple-kush-4-347-plants-6-1000w-update-page-27-oct-26-08-t32750.html

quote from jros he was getting 2 lbs under a 600w.
"prune on Day 21 flower and again on day 45 flower."

 

Hammerhead

Disabled Farmer

ICMag Donor

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #16

I do the same It's called pruning. I take leaf off thats blocking light just dont get crazy and cut them all.

 

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Organic-Dank

• Mar 23, 2009

• #17

damn thanks alot antumatter I got 2plus with out pruning 4 plants per light... but thanks alot thats in soil now i heard of buddy of mine getting 4per light in rocks.....

 

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antimatter

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #18

Organic-Dank said:

damn thanks alot antumatter I got 2plus with out pruning 4 plants per light... but thanks alot thats in soil now i heard of buddy of mine getting 4per light in rocks.....

Click to expand...

No problem, sounds like your growing some trees!

 

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bterzz

Active member

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #19

I've noticed the plants with more fan leaves produce larger buds, even in areas light is being blocked.

On another note, I remove all lower branches that do not get as much light around week 2-3 so the top colas beef up that much more.

 

swampdank

Pull my finger

Veteran

• Mar 23, 2009

• #20

I just pluck a few here and there that might hinder further light penetration. I dont believe in butchering the plant, but a haircut wont hurt. I do it more to shape the plant than to allow light through. I found this last harvest that my plants were healthier and had a better, beefier shape in the end. This time I took all of the growth off of the plant from the bottom to about halfway up the plant. So far it seems that this is the way to go for me. Lemme show you an example....