Removing fan leaves during flowering

Growan

Well-Known Member
Good question and it's a shame it will be lost in this thread forever, after the thread is closed.

Like I said I'm no expert but I would hazard a guess at that not being correct, the reason I say that is because if you defoliate too soon after flipping to 12/12 you will stop the stretch. So if the plant was stretching to get more light then I would have thought it would have been the other way round, and the plant would stretch even more.

I can't be 100% sure on that as I said I'm not a botanist, so it's just a best guess.

I would post more pictures and experiences in a thread that isn't doomed for closure, and one that was run in a constructive way but until then I don't feel inclined to post much more information.

Of course, I mustn't for get the title of the thread is '...during flowering..'
To my mind, by flowering time a plant should have enough leaves to cope with loosing a few and not having to stretch to equalise light. I always figured the post 12/12 stretch was a response to having available light halved, and the plant attempting to compensate. Compounded in the flowering cycle by the hormones in the plant having shifted to 'lets flower' rather than 'lets leaf'.
I'd say though that in early stages where there is, lets say 'enough' foliage rather than an abundance like at the end of the vegetative cycle there is a possibility that the plant's first response may be to reach for the light and stretch whilst it get's it's shit together and throws out multiple leaves to replace the leaves removed (I think that's one result reported following defoliation?). Perhaps the initial stretch requires less energy than the lesf production and is a stop gap until the preferred response (regrowing leaves) kicks in?
 

Growan

Well-Known Member
Growan, my strain normally takes about 90 days, start to finish from seed, on a geustimation, how long wouldnit extend my entire grow in time frame...
A guestimate would be a scrogg may be 10% to 25% longer. That based on expectations of mine taking 120 days, and knowing with lesss mistakes it could have been less. Off topic, but so what. I think neo's had enough of this thread judging by his last post. :(
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
Leaves Yes...... but don't remove your buds



extreme fan leaf removal after onset (3 weeks after start of 12/12)



and the end results
 

neo12345

Well-Known Member
Of course, I mustn't for get the title of the thread is '...during flowering..'
To my mind, by flowering time a plant should have enough leaves to cope with loosing a few and not having to stretch to equalise light. I always figured the post 12/12 stretch was a response to having available light halved, and the plant attempting to compensate. Compounded in the flowering cycle by the hormones in the plant having shifted to 'lets flower' rather than 'lets leaf'.
I'd say though that in early stages where there is, lets say 'enough' foliage rather than an abundance like at the end of the vegetative cycle there is a possibility that the plant's first response may be to reach for the light and stretch whilst it get's it's shit together and throws out multiple leaves to replace the leaves removed (I think that's one result reported following defoliation?). Perhaps the initial stretch requires less energy than the lesf production and is a stop gap until the preferred response (regrowing leaves) kicks in?
It may well be all part of the same response, I would be interested to find out.

Whatever is causing it, the growth rate is phenomenal. I topped them in the hope of slowing them down a bit, but it made no difference. There was no shock and the plant kept on growing both leaves and in height, it just laughed in the face of topping and was ready to defoliate again just 2 days after those photo's. So in the space of six days that plant was defoliated and topped, but still managed to grow taller and grow back twice as many leaves as before and was ready to defoliate again!
 

Growan

Well-Known Member
Now please repeat your fantastic grow but leave maybe 5 of the million plants with leaves! That scale of grow could actually prove this one way or another. Please do it...?
 

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
@ colonnugs. They are very green and healthy...props for that.

but I would be unhappy with colas of that size.

get em up to 1 liter pop bottle size and we're talking.....seriously
 

Growan

Well-Known Member
I just realised. I'm 21 days into 12/12. Will defoliating individual branches on a scrogged plant be a fair test, or do you have to do every branch to get fair results?
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
@ colonnugs. They are very green and healthy...props for that.

but I would be unhappy with colas of that size.

get em up to 1 liter pop bottle size and we're talking.....seriously
you mean like this......bud size is strain/genetically related dude....but if you look at the main bud here....there are hardly any leaves :) just huge buds

my pre8 bubba..... will never get huge buds....strain genetics wont allow it



Defoliation is also strain related.....some strains respond better to it
 

the church man

Well-Known Member
Thought I was missing something!

Would you consider that perhaps Red is stretching more than Blue due to being deprived of light due to the defoliation?
I would consider this, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Defoliating isn't taking away any of the light, in fact, it is allowing more light to penetrate. Yes, we've taken away many of the leaves but there are still plenty of green material for photosynthesis and either way, its not like any of our plants are starving for nutrients. Our plants aren't fending for themselves in nature, our plants are fed directly at the roots with nutrient rich products and given excessive light.

Defoliating seems like it redirects vegetative growth to the nodes and branch tips, to where there is active growing taking place. Instead of putting energy into making new leaves why not just increase the size of the leaves that are already being produced in veg?

Let me know if that makes sense or I need to reword, reapproach.

Thanks
 
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