giving defoliation during flower a try

[DCobeen]

It is a training technique to produce bigger bud sites. Think of it as lollypop to an extreme with sucker branch removal. Exactly opposite of what you would think to do at this stage.. Try it on one and see if it doesn't produce bigger pieces with great bag appeal and weight.

The central shoot is the key and you remove almost everything else including all the sucker shoots that are not the main. You also remove almost all the leaves(90%) because you want the plant to devote all of it's energy to the forming of bud sites in the 18 inch space directly below the light source. About 10-14 days into flower most plants will start to produce bud and stretch is at its max. The main shoots will swell to a massive size directly under the light source and will form 1-2 oz buds on each branch. Anything on the lower branches are larf and pull energy and food from the top mains colas. That's why they have to go. Their weight (loss) is made up for by the extra weight on the main branches.(Usually 6 or more main branches) You prune off all the new leaf sites up to the last two on each keeper branch. All the lowest branches are removed as well. It's that extreme and the branches look like shit for a few days before they rebound. You end up with all tops. So before the hords decend, this is indoor growing specific. However could be used on outdoor plants as well the pruning of each branch..

Will say there are many other conditions involved and benefits to this method. And you wouldn't know to do it unless told or shown.
So there it is. Best thing you'll learn today.

I agree but i leave a bit more i go down 2 feet to 30 inches and then remove the rest below. but my canopy is so dense with 6 huge ladies all close together i may have to jsut leave 20-24 inches. I will do it on 3 of them that way and only do bottom 18 inches on the other 3 so i can prove the difference.

 

[Hot Diggity Sog]

If they are more than 3 ft from light source and will receive little light get rid of them. Only the main branches near the ends will produce if you did the rest correctly.

I'm trying to create a single cola with all of the plants energy going into that. Not interested in keeping the popcorn fluff or any side branches. But I've never done this so I just don't know how or when exactly.

 

[DCobeen]

It is a training technique to produce bigger bud sites. Think of it as lollypop to an extreme with sucker branch removal. Exactly opposite of what you would think to do at this stage.. Try it on one and see if it doesn't produce bigger pieces with great bag appeal and weight.

The central shoot is the key and you remove almost everything else including all the sucker shoots that are not the main. You also remove almost all the leaves(90%) because you want the plant to devote all of it's energy to the forming of bud sites in the 18 inch space directly below the light source. About 10-14 days into flower most plants will start to produce bud and stretch is at its max. The main shoots will swell to a massive size directly under the light source and will form 1-2 oz buds on each branch. Anything on the lower branches are larf and pull energy and food from the top mains colas. That's why they have to go. Their weight (loss) is made up for by the extra weight on the main branches.(Usually 6 or more main branches) You prune off all the new leaf sites up to the last two on each keeper branch. All the lowest branches are removed as well. It's that extreme and the branches look like shit for a few days before they rebound. You end up with all tops. So before the hords decend, this is indoor growing specific. However could be used on outdoor plants as well the pruning of each branch..

Will say there are many other conditions involved and benefits to this method. And you wouldn't know to do it unless told or shown.
So there it is. Best thing you'll learn today.

I agree but i leave a bit more i go down 2 feet to 30 inches and then remove the rest below. but my canopy is so dense with 6 huge ladies all close together i may have to jsut leave 20-24 inches. I will do it on 3 of them that way and only do bottom 18 inches on the other 3 so i can prove the difference.

 

[DCobeen]

I'm trying to create a single cola with all of the plants energy going into that. Not interested in keeping the popcorn fluff or any side branches. But I've never done this so I just don't know how or when exactly.

if this is your first time and have just 1 plant let it grow normal. if you have 2 try it on 1 of them.

 

[Hot Diggity Sog]

if this is your first time and have just 1 plant let it grow normal. if you have 2 try it on 1 of them.

I have a lot more than that but different strains...so the growth patterns vary a lot. I'll post 2 example pics for you guys to look at when lights come on.

 

[Uncle Ben]

i was on acid this morning from seeing the new mastersounds last night up here in seattle. a friend gifted me some hits that were a lot stronger than i have seen in a long time....it did take me like an hour to type that but i couldn't sleep for the obvious reason and felt inspired to get online and check on some posts and reply.....my bad....all back to normal now. kinda

Yep, WA produces great wine.

Just a thought. I don't know how much acid you do but if it's like the stuff we got back in the 60's, don't over do the frequency. I went overboard and it really screwed up my college work and emotional well being. Take it from a wise old man - too much pot and psychedelics is NOT a good thing. There is a payback coming, trust me.

It's all about moderation.

End of preaching....

 

[Uncle Ben]

There are a lot of false assumptions being made here. Good example is that light doesn't reach down 3'. The most important part of the spectrum does which has a relationship with phytochrome - red and far red light. It is filtered right thru the leaves.

Do some homework and see my sig line in red.

Your plants know best when and if they should drop leaves, not you. They use a sophisticated CO2 flag before taking action, not forum hearsay.

 

[tekdc911]

Yep, WA produces great wine.

Just a thought. I don't know how much acid you do but if it's like the stuff we got back in the 60's, don't over do the frequency. I went overboard and it really screwed up my college work and emotional well being. Take it from a wise old man - too much pot and psychedelics is NOT a good thing. There is a payback coming, trust me.

It's all about moderation.

End of preaching....

it got to where i couldnt smoke weed for almost year once the flash backs would come on strong every time i smoked pot this wasnt ...... awe look at the pretty colors , but instead border line paranoid psychosis almost immobilizing ............ good times .... good times

 

[Hot Diggity Sog]

So I'm posting a few pictures. This forum can get heated over the topic of defoliating. In my case, I am doing an experiment and defoliating may become a necessity. I'm using 3" wide pots and 4" wide pots so I have obvious crowding issues.

Knowing that I am trying to achieve a dominant single cola with no side branching I hope you guys and give me your input.
These pictures are in day 5 of flower so they are still stretching.





And then here is an overview of all of the plants as a reference for just how tight the spacing is:


I don't feel like I *need* to defoliate at this point as the crowding is not too bad yet. But, if removing the lower stuff will mean more energy is being directed to the top formation then it's a no-brainer decision to do so.

 

[tekdc911]

i defoliated this round ...... flame me up ........

i was worried about air movement ........ so i went EMO and started cutting ........
pruned in late veg and defoliated after flip

 

[Hot Diggity Sog]

i defoliated this round ...... flame me up ........

i was worried about air movement ........ so i went EMO and started cutting ........
pruned in late veg and defoliated after flip

Can you give me some info on how you did it and how the plants responded?

 

[tekdc911]

Can you give me some info on how you did it and how the plants responded?

they acted like i pulled all the fan leaves off didnt ask if they enjoyed it ........

 

[Hot Diggity Sog]

View attachment 3261392 they acted like i pulled all the fan leaves off didnt ask if they enjoyed it ........

Not very helpful but I did enjoy your sense of humor and the pic

 

[Uncle Ben]

I have ALWAYS packed/crowded my plants - leaves over leaves, branches over branches. No problem, up to 10 oz per plant. Lost very few lower leaves by harvest. I don't really know what you guys are thinking except you are just starting out and reading too much shit.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/no-lower-budsites-do-not-need-light-to-develop-get-educated.829061/

The crowding justification just doesn't fly and neither does the air movement. If you FEEL you need more air movement, get a small Vornado fan. Mold will not affect the lower buds which will always tend to be airy no matter how much you spread out your plants or how much lower light you give them. Mold will affect the dense upper part of the colas.

Uncle Ben

 

[pandorasboxg]

If they are more than 3 ft from light source and will receive little light get rid of them. Only the main branches near the ends will produce if you did the rest correctly.

not true depends on thow many watts your using in your room. i have produced good buds more than 3 feet from a bulb... at that rate i woud be getting just a couple plants. i filled a 10X20 room with 2 1k lights and 2 600w and a few led pannels lights and it worked great there were entire plants more than 3 feet from a bulb

 

[tekdc911]

I have ALWAYS packed/crowded my plants - leaves over leaves, branches over branches. No problem, up to 10 oz per plant. Lost very few lower leaves by harvest. I don't really know what you guys are thinking except you are just starting out and reading too much shit.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/no-lower-budsites-do-not-need-light-to-develop-get-educated.829061/

The crowding justification just doesn't fly and neither does the air movement. If you FEEL you need more air movement, get a small Vornado fan. Mold will not affect the lower buds which will always tend to be airy no matter how much you spread out your plants or how much lower light you give them. Mold will affect the dense upper part of the colas.

Uncle Ben

i have PM problems with this strain its hella leafy and no dehumidifier ... temp drops plus a week of rain ...... and i pulled out the hedge clippers ....... im not saying i will yield better but at least i know i will yield and not have to fight a mold issue
and i have no lower bud's they are LST'd flat with lollipopped branches

 

[tekdc911]

they were so slow growing after a 3 month veg i didnt expect them to explode like they did :/


@Unckle ben
is this a iron issue ?
im in peat mostly ...... fed micro nutes .... 4-16-15 ..... mild humic acid ...... top dressed lime ..... fed again with micro nutes
i figured it was iron its just on the leaves ........ but the airlayer clone started doing it and its in soil so i have no idea ..... starting to think is genetic
3 weeks into flower ......

 

[pandorasboxg]

I have ALWAYS packed/crowded my plants - leaves over leaves, branches over branches. No problem, up to 10 oz per plant. Lost very few lower leaves by harvest. I don't really know what you guys are thinking except you are just starting out and reading too much shit.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/no-lower-budsites-do-not-need-light-to-develop-get-educated.829061/

The crowding justification just doesn't fly and neither does the air movement. If you FEEL you need more air movement, get a small Vornado fan. Mold will not affect the lower buds which will always tend to be airy no matter how much you spread out your plants or how much lower light you give them. Mold will affect the dense upper part of the colas.

Uncle Ben

there will be around a 1/4 of solid bud on this tiny bottom branch if there isn't already shit branch is 4 feet from the light six inches from the cocoa...i guess i will re post it. yet again the branch on the left is the lowest branch on my plants the second pic is from a branch from my other test plant. that node is is 8 inches from the cocoa and has even more. the third is a close up. those bottom branches are producing solid buds too. i have not had this success with all the strains i have grown though that's why when ever i consider a new strain it goes the testing of its capabilities in a 5x5 tent before producing it on a bigger scale


ben your right on the cid i have tried it plenty of times but its not a frequent thing. in my long winded paragraph i asked why nute companies often tell you to stop using nutes the last week if there motivation is to make you use more of their products? i agree they pull crappy things like trying to sell you molasses and water for 45$ (sugar daddy 1 gal) when you can just go buy it at the store and add water yourself for a fraction of the cost. same with vitamin b1 a gallon is like $10 dollars at department store while the companies want at least $15 for a quart. i don't agree with a massive flush at the end but i can taste the difference between last week of no nutes and nutes up till the end. so im more on the side of 50% of it is bullshit to maximize profits, but in the end why would a company stop telling you to use their product at the end of your cycle for any other reason than it helps?

 

[pandorasboxg]

it got to where i couldnt smoke weed for almost year once the flash backs would come on strong every time i smoked pot this wasnt ...... awe look at the pretty colors , but instead border line paranoid psychosis almost immobilizing ............ good times .... good times

that's called post traumatic stress dude its the scariest thing about psychedelics its rare but i have have met some one who never came back from their trip i knew them before it happened they weren't crazy before it. worst part was dude kept trying to kill himself.

 

[pandorasboxg]

So I'm posting a few pictures. This forum can get heated over the topic of defoliating. In my case, I am doing an experiment and defoliating may become a necessity. I'm using 3" wide pots and 4" wide pots so I have obvious crowding issues.

Knowing that I am trying to achieve a dominant single cola with no side branching I hope you guys and give me your input.
These pictures are in day 5 of flower so they are still stretching.

View attachment 3261364

View attachment 3261365

And then here is an overview of all of the plants as a reference for just how tight the spacing is:
View attachment 3261366

I don't feel like I *need* to defoliate at this point as the crowding is not too bad yet. But, if removing the lower stuff will mean more energy is being directed to the top formation then it's a no-brainer decision to do so.

my input would be less plants..you will get the same yield with less work and less legal liability (most likely) my frist try i tried to grow 9 plants in a 5X5 wasn't worth all the trouble got more out of six plants the next time