Clipping Off the Water leaves (Sucker leaves)

[ThorGanjason]

I think it all depends on if light is hitting the leaf.

Bottom line, the parts of the plant that aren't being directly hit with light will be drawing sugars and starches from other parts of the plant that are producing them. Lower leaves that NEVER see light can be removed BC they are just drawing from the rest of the plant.

Whether its a bud or a leaf, if it isn't getting light then its taking sugars and starches that are being produced elsewhere. Your best option is to try and move stuff/spread it out/ whatever you can do to get it into the light. If you can't get light onto it at all then I saw chop it, even if it is a bud. Unless you want to keep your lower grade popcorn buds from the bottom..

 

[Mad Hamish]

I really think guys miss the actual overall point that surfaces in these threads: We all agree that just cutting leaves all willy-nilly is stupid. Nobody just goes and DOES something, think about why you are doing it first.

Many people grow in a way that negates the need for any kind of defoliation. Plants are widely spaced and get the best circulation and light etc etc. Now what I feel these guys fail to see is that, yes, you get a better plant that might yield more overall, PER PLANT. But commercial growers could give less than two shits about that. Every inch of space needs to have whatever it can squeezed on, and in those cases you're not going to get away with leaving everything on. And sorry to say but bud quality matters to these guys, you can't flog popcorn.

So you do a densely spaced commercial grow and leave everything and get bunches of popcorn but a tad more yield, you're actually losing out on a shitload in a- actual commercial value and b- time spent trimming. So to guys like this, the choice between a slightly higher yield and less money plus more time spent making that money, or cutting a few bloody leaves, is a no-brainer, really.

Not everybody wants to MAXIMIZE is the other thing. I want my rig to run AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE and I measure that by year, not single plant production. I'm not a commercial grower but I smoke like a madman and my wife too, so I need to THINK like a commercial grower.

I mean, on a different defoliation thread I posed the question of right, what about SOG? So it was actually suggested I space my plants almost double, meaning double lighting double floor space for the same amount of clones, and it was admitted that all I would get was a slightly higher yield per plant, yet a sacrifice in bud quality. Now that just won't fly for me.

To each his own, whatever you do just think about it first, if you're really curious experiment with stuff keeping 'control' plants. I mean seriously, the plant you growing now isn't the last one you plan on growing, is it?...

 

[hellraizer30]

Another thing i think that is mis understood is just how much to remove..
i in no way am a commercial grower but i think on that level to! Got to
always have smoke with this in mind i target the junk that makes trimming
a horable experience....... So the lower portion gets removed leaf/smack bud.
better air flow = a healthy plant, and during flowering stage a selectivly remove
larger older shade leaves ( this does not mean remove all the leaf!) just a few.
i have done side by sides with trimmed and not trimmed and there is
(no increase in yield) just bag apeal!

like mad said above just try new stuff, there no right way to grow just what works
best for you!

i also would like to mention that the leaf thats removed isnt wasted, i use it in green
leaf juicing! If your not sure of it i will give a short bit of info.

veg to the 3rd week of flower is usable to juice, juicing green leaf yields a exstract
of cbc/cbd and very little to no thc, also contains high levels of antioxidants all natural
and can be used in the morning without getting blasted! Shit is super healthy
and has tons of anti cancer propertys.
(Do not juice sugar leaf!)

So you can see theres two sides to just growing weed!

 

[benzlorenz]

i just trimmed fan leaves off my big girl 2 days ago to let light to the lower buds and guess what my buds actually put on size no stunting i have honestly done 1 with and 1 without trimming and the 1 i trimmed to allow light produced more yield by over an ounce. but on the other side of that coin different strains mean different things, not all strains will act the same way i trimmed a different 1 than the other 2 and you where right it did stunt growth for a few days, it comes down to trial and error. some plants dont mind trimming while other do, know your strain is the best advice, and i dont cut fan leaves completely off, just trim an inch or so off to allow light to an undergrowth. i do not cut fan leaves off the stem just trim the fans themselves. there honestly is no right or wrong answer to the fan leave thing because all strains are different, and some guys go nuts with cutting which is not good either. gentle manicures, trimming 1 fan leaf to allow light to a few buds underneath for me has always worked really nice and i have gotten more yield, but i dont cut it completely off at the stem just an inch or 2 of the leaf itself.

isnt that called FIM

 

[Happygirl]

New grower here good advice I am all for letting my plants do their thing.

 

[AlphaPhase]

Tuck the leaves if you can, only cut them if you have to. Would you want someone to cut off a arm? Leaves are solar panels. All the leaves you cut off, think of it producing less electricity. IMO. The smoke from the sour d bong hit just told me so

 

[farminFun]

woooow, guys! Sooo much info here!
I found my answer: Trim only as needed by situation/space and grow purpose: yield or appeal while also understanding the specifics of ur plant: brittle, aggressive, sticky-stinky, etc.
I made an acct i was so apprec of the free flow of info here. Like being dropped into a hippie hug den!.lol! As a 1st time outdoor grower and a (much too) long time buyer iam excited to go from to with the help of you fine folks. And to all future troglos seeking trollstice here: all info is inherently that, info. Good v Bad not right jargon. Clearer jargon: efficiency to purpose/goal met or unmet? ie: i wanna grow 3#/plant and i only got 2#. 'Htf do i fix it? What am i looking to improve upon and how?'
jus my 2¢

 

[BobBitchen]

woooow, guys! Sooo much info here!
I found my answer: Trim only as needed by situation/space and grow purpose: yield or appeal while also understanding the specifics of ur plant: brittle, aggressive, sticky-stinky, etc.
I made an acct i was so apprec of the free flow of info here. Like being dropped into a hippie hug den!.lol! As a 1st time outdoor grower and a (much too) long time buyer iam excited to go from to with the help of you fine folks. And to all future troglos seeking trollstice here: all info is inherently that, info. Good v Bad not right jargon. Clearer jargon: efficiency to purpose/goal met or unmet? ie: i wanna grow 3#/plant and i only got 2#. 'Htf do i fix it? What am i looking to improve upon and how?'
jus my 2¢

13yr old thread

 

[bk78]

woooow, guys! Sooo much info here!
I found my answer: Trim only as needed by situation/space and grow purpose: yield or appeal while also understanding the specifics of ur plant: brittle, aggressive, sticky-stinky, etc.
I made an acct i was so apprec of the free flow of info here. Like being dropped into a hippie hug den!.lol! As a 1st time outdoor grower and a (much too) long time buyer iam excited to go from to with the help of you fine folks. And to all future troglos seeking trollstice here: all info is inherently that, info. Good v Bad not right jargon. Clearer jargon: efficiency to purpose/goal met or unmet? ie: i wanna grow 3#/plant and i only got 2#. 'Htf do i fix it? What am i looking to improve upon and how?'
jus my 2¢

Pics of your 2# plant?

 

[farminFun]

Pics of your 2# plant?

lol, yup, noticed that too AFTER the fact lol (imma noob).
2# plant was an example only.