Why is defoliation so controversial?

MICHI-CAN

Well-Known Member
Plain simple answer. Those who can do. Those who can't, or are afraid, don't. Your true health and balance determine your success. Easier to say no than admit short comings.
 

MtRainDog

Well-Known Member
I usually top my plants a couple times and I remove the fans pointed inward toward the middle of all the colas, leaving the ones pointed outward away from the plant. This way each node still retains a fan and minimizes blocking any other bud sites. But as I approach harvest, any blocking fans get removed.
 

MICHI-CAN

Well-Known Member
I usually top my plants a couple times and I remove the fans pointed inward toward the middle of all the colas, leaving the ones pointed outward away from the plant. This way each node still retains a fan and minimizes blocking any other bud sites. But as I approach harvest, any blocking fans get removed.
Just for laughs. I'm a butcher. And no fear or regrets. My foundation is solid. 001.jpg002.jpg004.jpg111.jpg
 

yummy fur

Well-Known Member
"One hundred German physicists claim Einsteins theory of relativity is wrong." Was the title of a paper claiming Einstein was wrong.


Einstein replied, "If I were wrong, it would only take one."

Similarly, ten thousand experts can claim that defoliation is intrinsically bad. However all it takes is viewing one single grow of the many examples you can find, to see that it works. And that all that it takes, so there's no controversy.

Whether it's right regarding the experience of a particular grower or their particular set up or their particular plant, is a separate matter, but it's simply not possible to say, in general 'defoliation is bad.'
 

DoobieDoobs

Well-Known Member
"One hundred German physicists claim Einsteins theory of relativity is wrong." Was the title of a paper claiming Einstein was wrong.


Einstein replied, "If I were wrong, it would only take one."

Similarly, ten thousand experts can claim that defoliation is intrinsically bad. However all it takes is viewing one single grow of the many examples you can find, to see that it works. And that all that it takes, so there's no controversy.

Whether it's right regarding the experience of a particular grower or their particular set up or their particular plant, is a separate matter, but it's simply not possible to say, in general 'defoliation is bad.'
I'm sorry but comparing the theory of relativity to defoliation is bullshit.

Looking at one single exemple and saying it works because of it is as a flawed argument since plants are affected by several factors that you are not taking into account. Especially because you can also find exemples where defoliation didn't produce the maximum yield, just one of our comrades in rollitup did a defoliation vs lollipop vs didn't do shit comparison and the best yielder was the lollipop, I've seen other videos where didn't do shit plant does better that defoliation, so you can't conclude that it works or not based of these type of exemples.

Btw talking about theory of relativity, to this day we are continuously checking if it still holds true, there is no mathematical proof theory of relativity is true, do what we do is we use it in every possible exemple to see if it still holds or if it doesn't, for exemple, a year ago or two years ago when the black hole was visible to our scientist they checked if the light was being affected the same way the theory of relativity said it would. And it did.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
So can you offer proof to what you've just said as you've just put a "broscience" label to someone else when, indeed, you are mixing up terms (defoliation with lollipopping).
Have you ever seen grows from noobs trying to defol from the bottom up? With only fanleaves at the tops. I've seen this and it makes m LOL. So the whole light either gets absorbed by the first order of leaves (overhelming them) or, if passing through, will just heat up the pot or soil....

Let's assume you really have a leafy plant - that has 10 levels of leaves. If I remove the top level of fanleaves - it WILL NOT result in less photosynthesis - as the light is simply absorbed by leaves of a lesser order. So if, at least, there's a closed canopy - all light will be captured by the leaves.

And it seems like a no-brainer if one outlights the whole plant - not just the top 20cm....
Hey Kass.

I disagree with head to toe defoliation. Some minor is not so bad.

BUT, proof?

I've watched a long time grower and friend fall for this "defoliation" thing as it first appeared online from Michigan (sad it's from here).
This guy spend so much time training his plants into a big square trellis rig and the whole time he's defoliating for yield increase - his words.
Now
I watch this guys runs and his bud size has shrunk to small super dense buds with a fair yield increase from the density.
But his bag appeal is, well, lacking buy the small size buds (no real change in quality though).
I can run the same strain (BTW he is one of the guys with my Bruce's Monkey strain). And I get big beautiful mains and nice middler's.
Now ok, he still gets about a 3/4 or so zip advantage in yield.
BUT
Mine is sold out faster then the wife can spend the money - Trust me bro, That's FAST!
I also get more per zip then he does.....

The other thing is it takes him weeks longer to run his runs!

It works but, is the result actually worth it?

Not to my production vs cost ratio mind!

PS - I've watched him do this for several years at least....
He still asks how I make more at what I do vs. what he does.
 

Jimbo the Gael

Well-Known Member
When several very experienced growers try it and say it works, and several other very experienced growers try it and say it doesn't, that's a recipe for controversy.
You'll get growers putting up pics of plants and growers from the other camp will respond "You would've done better if..." which is pure speculation.

Bottom line it works for some, and doesn't work for others. Choose which you want to do and stop arguing about it. At some point you have to ask, who are you trying to convince? Them, or yourself?
 

Jimbo the Gael

Well-Known Member
Any experienced growers Ive met got corrected on the subject, couldn't argue against logic, genetics and couldn't produce an example.

Everyone agrees a sat is harder to grow than an indica and the whole part about stress making more Herms though. When we looked at a lot of the strains they complained about they had much harder strains in their breeding.

Your personal opinion is great, here is public, my opinion counts and it's called you out for proof. That's not a bad thing, how long do I wait?
This thread is about defoliation, not hermaphrodite plants.
Proof of what?
You'll probably be waiting forever, I have nothing to prove to anyone.
 

BBQtoast

Well-Known Member
This thread is about defoliation, not hermaphrodite plants.
Proof of what?
You'll probably be waiting forever, I have nothing to prove to anyone.
Hey wrong thread must be my crimbo reception but it will do as a general answer to your questions in you breeding Herm stable strains on the other thread.
 

GrOwThMoNgeR

Well-Known Member
Hey Kass.

I disagree with head to toe defoliation. Some minor is not so bad.

BUT, proof?

I've watched a long time grower and friend fall for this "defoliation" thing as it first appeared online from Michigan (sad it's from here).
This guy spend so much time training his plants into a big square trellis rig and the whole time he's defoliating for yield increase - his words.
Now
I watch this guys runs and his bud size has shrunk to small super dense buds with a fair yield increase from the density.
But his bag appeal is, well, lacking buy the small size buds (no real change in quality though).
I can run the same strain (BTW he is one of the guys with my Bruce's Monkey strain). And I get big beautiful mains and nice middler's.
Now ok, he still gets about a 3/4 or so zip advantage in yield.
BUT
Mine is sold out faster then the wife can spend the money - Trust me bro, That's FAST!
I also get more per zip then he does.....

The other thing is it takes him weeks longer to run his runs!

It works but, is the result actually worth it?

Not to my production vs cost ratio mind!

PS - I've watched him do this for several years at least....
He still asks how I make more at what I do vs. what he does.
I started a schwazz vs non-schwazz lollipop in the grow room design page about switching from HPS to LED. I have never schwazzed per-se and do more selective leaf removal and lollipops normally. I am putting it to the test. Main thing that worries me/sucks is that I think I could have gone a little easier and gotten larger buds. We will literally soon see the results. :) I really hope I didn't screw up after all this time I've cared for them. I wanted to avoid larf as I hate trimming. I also hope they finish on time.
 

Buddernugs

Well-Known Member
I started a schwazz vs non-schwazz lollipop in the grow room design page about switching from HPS to LED. I have never schwazzed per-se and do more selective leaf removal and lollipops normally. I am putting it to the test. Main thing that worries me/sucks is that I think I could have gone a little easier and gotten larger buds. We will literally soon see the results. :) I really hope I didn't screw up after all this time I've cared for them.
Keep us updated
 
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