Defoliation - removing fan leaves for higher yield

[Uncle Ben]

I have an outdoor plant in which about 16" of one of the two colas was stripped of all leaves, by what I don't know (mostly likely grasshoppers). It's like I have nice foxtail production from the top down for about 8" and then a bare, brown main cola trunk almost all the way to the soil. This butchering by mama natur is reducing production.

Again, if you think removing leaves will somehow increase production, you need to go back to school, stop smoking dope, try growing some or all of the above.

UB

 

[Uncle Ben]

I have an outdoor plant in which about 16" of one of the two colas was stripped of all leaves, by what I don't know (mostly likely grasshoppers). It's like I have nice foxtail production from the top down for about 8" and then a bare, brown main cola trunk almost all the way to the soil. This butchering by mama natur is reducing production.

Again, if you think removing leaves will somehow increase production, you need to go back to school, stop smoking dope, try growing, quit hanging out at pot forums...... or all of the above.

UB

 

[twistedwords]

I am sorry, but this is incorrect that you will increase your yield. You are supposed to remove the bottom leaves as they will serve no purpose in indoor lighting. Although, cutting the important top fan leaves will hurt your plant. The plant uses the fan leaves to create energy, other fan leaves and buds, etc. This is how all plants work.

 

[potpimp]

LMAO!!!! I sure hope I am reading the above post right. Uncle Ben, ...it's futile my friend. I am absolutely done with trying to help people on this forum who want to cut off healthy leaves. Screw it; if they want to do it then fine. If they want to find the truth, it's out there.

 

[greeni]

I gotta admit she does look nice,big n healthy. I also thought and have read that if u remove fan leaves that r healthy,4 light 2 get deeper into the plant and penetrate the buds , That the plant would not react 2 good, i also read that u should only remove leaves if there 50% bad, but now i'm in 2 minds,. I suppose experimentation iz the key.

 

[potpimp]

The truth is that the buds do not react to, or collect light; only the leaves do that. The highly perpetuated myth that the buds somehow need light is just pure bullpucky. Buds don't make bud; leaves make bud. I wait until a leaf is either brown or falls off at the slightest touch before removing it. I think that is natures way.

 

[sguardians2]

Thanks for the quote - removing "suckers" is actually pretty common when growing tomatos and does not hurt the plant. Lollipopping is a similar technique we use in SoG to promote the development of a single cola with no popcorn buds.




What were the consequences when you removed leaves? what stage was the plant in? what strain(s)? I'm not doubting you—just curious because my plants are doing fine plucked.

I think I recall that the guy who was putting out this method, in icmag, stated that he was a grape farmer and that they use this method to increase the grape harvest. If you've ever been to Europe, you can see that a lot of grape producing farms defoliate as a matter of course. Don't know if it works with cannabis, but the theory seems to have horticultural merit, and has been practiced for centuries.

 

[sguardians2]

I am sorry, but this is incorrect that you will increase your yield. You are supposed to remove the bottom leaves as they will serve no purpose in indoor lighting. Although, cutting the important top fan leaves will hurt your plant. The plant uses the fan leaves to create energy, other fan leaves and buds, etc. This is how all plants work.

Oh, there you are, get back to the irradiation thread and let me know your secret, I need to know!

 

[sguardians2]

Not as bad as some who start plucking when the plant is in vegetaion, but if one understood horticulture they'd realize what a mistake they're making. I know folks are more comfortable to go along with The Herd (same with buying crap products sold by cannabis specific vendors) than learning what makes a plant tick. With experience and research comes understanding.

Contrary to "popular belief" in cannabis forums (which I've found to be wrong 99% of the time) you should strive to keep your fan leaves in a green and healthy condition RIGHT UP TO HARVEST with your primary interest being the mass production of foliage going into the flowering response. Forget about the buds people, concentrate on the root system and foliage. If you can't or won't retain healthy foliage, you've either failed as a grower or have embraced stupid, ill founded forum advice, or, a little of both.

Now, which is it guys?

UB

I get your point, don't know why grape farmers defoliate, but we are not talking grapes, are we?

The largest colas I've ever seen came on plants that were never defoliated, and were full of leaves as dark green as if they were in veg.
If you took a photo of them without showing the colas, you would think they were still in veg, no yellow at all.

This grower obviously had cannabis growing dialed in and used N at the same rate during the whole grow, never slacking off a bit.

 

[fdd2blk]

"sun ripened"


i think they defoliate in mid veg, similar to lollipopping. they trim all the lower growth leaving room for the berries to be exposed once they are grown. they leave the canopy as big as possible. i'm headed that way in a few, i'll take some pics.

 

[sguardians2]

Good, looking forward to the pics.

 

[fdd2blk]

a lot of the vines are trimmed and controlled because of the picking methods they use. vines that are trimmed and pruned narrow are often harvested with a shaker machine. it straddles the vines and shakes the grapes off of them. it is a huge tractor like machine. the vines are trimmed tall and narrow.



the branches are woven thru wires above the main stalks. the canopy is left full to collect sunlight. the fruit hangs below.



then there are vines that are hand-picked. these are often not trimmed as much.

 

[bajafox]

Im thinking about cutting off my cola's to promote bigger popcorn

 

[mae]

LOL, good one fox.

 

[sguardians2]

Im thinking about cutting off my cola's to promote bigger popcorn

good point bajafox!

 

[sguardians2]

the branches are woven thru wires above the main stalks. the canopy is left full to collect sunlight. the fruit hangs below.

Thanks for the quick pics, there goes the grape defoliation argument, right out the window.

Thanks for the education, too.

 

[Howard Stern]

Im thinking about cutting off my cola's to promote bigger popcorn

I spit coffee on my keyboard when I read that! LOL

 

[jimmy130380]

Well I'm in a scrog
bit of a fuck up but it ended up being a 6 ft high triple screen disaster
but I did have taken off all the big fan leaves that block the bud sites
what I have found is that my buds have put on a lot of bud down the stalks
it really does look like allowing more light to hit more of the colas has made longer buds
and I would rather long buds to big fist buds because of mold

 

[avier101]

Originally Posted by bajafox
Im thinking about cutting off my cola's to promote bigger popcorn


HA HA HA LMAO !!! Thats some Funny SH*+ !!!! Brings me back. When I did my first grow ever there was no internet or forums, only the public libray. Needless to say: I cut off the main cola because I read something about Topping a plant.(Go ahead and laugh I was only 15) The problem was, I did it durring flowering. I also thought it would make the smaller buds bigger. Man have I learned alot since then. These forums are great guys. I guess some people only learn by trial and error !!!!!

 

[shizz]

fdd thank you for your post i was about to do the same thing im a farmer. i make my living farming. went to college for agriculture. pulling suckers off tomatoes has nothing to do with bud sites. pulling suckers off slows growth of new tomatoes so the ones all ready forming can grow larger and tastier. and yes in scrog if you pull fan leaves off they will grow longer. cause there trying to grow fan leaves to get energy to grow bud. only way to grow is up. so if you want stem go for it. also they do not trim apple trees to grow more apples. and they don't trim them during flowering. and they don't trim grapes in flowering. i do have a friend that. grows 3 foot plants in five gallon buckets with lids on them. after the first week of flowering. he lays them on there side. he has holes in the sides of the buckets also to water. it lets the light get to all of the plant. and it works pretty well.