Effects of defoliation during flowering

Harvest76

Harvest76

Well-Known Member
Couldn't find this answer anywhere, so pardon if I am rehashing a topic, but I'm curious what effect, if any, defoliation during flowering has on the time for ripening. I have a couple strains that arent ready but should be, and I wonder if my 2 defoliations at 1 week and 4 weeks pushed back their harvest timeframes. No other issues to speak of. Plants are happy and healthy and have been since birth. See pic from week 6.
 

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Harvest76

Harvest76

Well-Known Member
Hobbes said:
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I defoliate at days 1 and 21 of flower, I haven't noticed any delay in harvest.

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Thanks. Mind if I ask why 1 and 21 vs some other schedule? Not questioning it, just curious why others do it differently. I do 21 and 42.
 
Hobbes

Hobbes

Well-Known Member
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The start of flower (day 1) to open up all the bud sites and for air flow, then again at day 21 as stretch is done.

At day 21 I also lower a scrog screen over the garden and fit the colas up through the netting, it would be impossible without defoliating.

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Harvest76

Harvest76

Well-Known Member
Hobbes said:
.

The start of flower (day 1) to open up all the bud sites and for air flow, then again at day 21 as stretch is done.

At day 21 I also lower a scrog screen over the garden and fit the colas up through the netting, it would be impossible without defoliating.

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Click to expand...
Ah, that makes sense. I do a heavy defoliation mid/late veg, so I like to give them some time in flower to adjust to the new light cycle before doing it again. On really long flowering strains, I will wait until week 3 and 6. This one is supposed to be a 7-8 week flower, and 7 weeks is monday. They are definitely maturing, but I was expecting a bit more signaling by this point. What's left of the leaves are still healthy and green, and trichs are just barely starting to cloud. Maybe in another week they will be more pronounced.
 
TevinJonson

TevinJonson

Well-Known Member
Harvest76 said:
Couldn't find this answer anywhere, so pardon if I am rehashing a topic, but I'm curious what effect, if any, defoliation during flowering has on the time for ripening. I have a couple strains that arent ready but should be, and I wonder if my 2 defoliations at 1 week and 4 weeks pushed back their harvest timeframes. No other issues to speak of. Plants are happy and healthy and have been since birth. See pic from week 6.
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Yeah I kinda defoliat as I go and as needed I've noticed that it makes the lower shaded bud sights harder and larger since your exposing them to more light
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
Its not exposing them to more light per say, but exposing lower cannopy to light, thus increasing its share of growth hormones. Just like your skin inturn makes vitimin D when in light, plants growth hormones and amino acids spot react to light points


This is also why more points of light i.e. more fixtures or diodes increases yield. Think 2 600W DE HPE vs s single 1k, the two 600 per watt should create more buds.
 
A

Apalchen

Well-Known Member
I defoliate somewhere between day 14-21. If I'm trying to control stretch or the canopy is just too full I like to go around day 14. But if I'm not too crowded I wait til day 21 because it seems like they don't grow back in as quick and leaves those bud sites exposed longer.

I've never had plants finish slower from it and it def helps with lower bud production and in turn overall yield.
 
Dabbie McDoob

Dabbie McDoob

Well-Known Member
I suggest Week 1 Day 1 flower and when the plants visibly are finished elongation at Week 3-4.
Then don't touch.

I further suggest using bamboo to manipulate your canopy. Sometimes a little TLC and some plant ties can really open it up to allow the lower buds to ripen.
 
Harvest76

Harvest76

Well-Known Member
Dabbie McDoob said:
I suggest Week 1 Day 1 flower and when the plants visibly are finished elongation at Week 3-4.
Then don't touch.

I further suggest using bamboo to manipulate your canopy. Sometimes a little TLC and some plant ties can really open it up to allow the lower buds to ripen.
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Oh believe me, these girls are well trained. LST and HST in veg, and netted for flowering. I'm really interested in trying mainlining on a future run. Maybe just experiment with one tree and see how I do.
 
Harvest76

Harvest76

Well-Known Member
BigDaddyStrain said:
ive defoliated weekly without counting times and near the suggest harvest week i was like theres no way it will be ready and it was true it took 1-2 week more to get ready so i will never do this again throughout the whole flowering stage , only in the first week and in the middle
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I think it's also strain dependent in part. Some love it, some hate it.
 
Dabbie McDoob

Dabbie McDoob

Well-Known Member
Harvest76 said:
Oh believe me, these girls are well trained. LST and HST in veg, and netted for flowering. I'm really interested in trying mainlining on a future run. Maybe just experiment with one tree and see how I do.
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Harvest76,

I have mainlined for a few years, and have since switched back to LST.
It's faster and doesn't require constant plant recovery.
The canopy uniformity and yield I suppose made it say 15% more advantageous in the flower phase once harvested.
However, given the extra work, electricity etc, I can save 3 weeks easy just by manipulating via LST.

I suggest trying it though, because it really does improve your understanding of the plants development.

Happy Growing!
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