cut fan leaves?
- Thread starter doingfine
- Start date
leave the top ones
just remember that the fan leaves are what the plant uses to catch the light and make energy thru photosynthesis, i knew the equation in high school, c6h12o6+6co2+6hno+o6h12..i am probably waaayy off.
HeavilyMedicated
Active Member
you should test that theory out....... block all your buds with fan leaves and see the difference.
purpz
Well-Known Member
i agree with mcpurple, i don't mess w/ any fan leaves unless they are touching the soil or if there 50% or more damaged.
I agree and do the same thing.I only remove leaves blocking buds. I sometimes just trim leaf tips if that will do it. I only pluck the leaf when I have to, and on Indicas, that is alot.
Serapis
Well-Known Member
When God designed the Indica with all of it's leaves, he was designing it to grow outdoors. Most of us are growing indoors and have made adaptations to increase our inside yields. So yes, while outdoors, the leaves are indeed there for a reason. But since I don't have the sun inside my house, I remove leaves to get light to my lower branches, the strongest ones.... I also LST them, though nature didn't intend on that either.
Nature also never intended us to cross genetics for stronger and better plants, but we have. It's time to think outside the "it's there for a reason" box, because we aren't growing outside under the sun.
Nature also never intended us to cross genetics for stronger and better plants, but we have. It's time to think outside the "it's there for a reason" box, because we aren't growing outside under the sun.
mcpurple
Well-Known Member
even if a leaf is at the bottom of a plant it should still be left it will die off by itself if it is not needed, leafs store food and energy to make the buds less leaf less bud in most cases. LST is a much better way to open the plant up for more light to the lower branches not bud sites
RIXUK
Active Member
Each to there own.I remove light ones from bottom/any covering buds and I often cut big healthy ones in half,last week in flower I shorten them a bit more (I dont cut every leaf in half but I would say may be 1/3 of them).
Always received big yields and good grow rate but Im guessing different straines differ.only grown cheese and it works well with it.
Oh twiggy branches from the bottom get cut too.
Always received big yields and good grow rate but Im guessing different straines differ.only grown cheese and it works well with it.
Oh twiggy branches from the bottom get cut too.
RIXUK
Active Member
Not disputing what you say but I think its feeding some thing thats going to be nothing any way and when they drop dead bits go moldy.
Serapis
Well-Known Member
Just an FYI.... I grow mostly Indica plants indoors in a tent with 600 watts of light. I have removed hundreds of leaves from one plant and still had it produce over 7 ounces by itself. It did that because removal of leaves opened up the plant to light, and then the plant was ScrOGed. The entire lower portion of the plant was stripped of leaves and twigs...
Serapis
Well-Known Member
Do you even bother to read or look into opiniions that differ from yours? I make it a habit to. Your argument is weak. Your making claims that the plant needs every leaf doesn't make any sense. We aren't growing under the sun. We are not growing in the plants natural environment. try running a SCROG and not taking off any leaves.... lol
The plant is plenty capable of producing energy. Did you know that the plant has t use energy to keep those huge fan leaves alive? They also mean higher humidity, and less water for the top of the plant. Rather than repeating that same ol mantra in every fan leaf thread, try to actually do it yourself. I've left my plants alone before, they not only looked like shit, they got powdery mildew and a shit load of popcorn buds. I'm not in this hobby to raise leaves, are you?
The plant is plenty capable of producing energy. Did you know that the plant has t use energy to keep those huge fan leaves alive? They also mean higher humidity, and less water for the top of the plant. Rather than repeating that same ol mantra in every fan leaf thread, try to actually do it yourself. I've left my plants alone before, they not only looked like shit, they got powdery mildew and a shit load of popcorn buds. I'm not in this hobby to raise leaves, are you?
Serapis
Well-Known Member
I try to do that too, but most of the time, you have to keep tucking them over and over because they do pop back out. Every time I remove a fan leaf, I ask myself to defend the action. Every leaf. I don't simply pluck leaves thinking my yield will increase. You have to be smart about it and only remove what is needed. Sometimes tucking a leaf is all it takes to let a bud get light. Good point Scarhole.
beginnerbloomer
Well-Known Member
I leave my fan leaves alone and only remove yellowing leaves that come away with a gentle pull,just because a little bit more light reaches ur buds doesn't mean the buds will explode in size.They will develop regardless.
Direct light is not the 1 deciding factor in bud development,i would aim for overall plant health.
Direct light is not the 1 deciding factor in bud development,i would aim for overall plant health.
Serapis
Well-Known Member
Then in that spirit, let's reduce a place for insects to get established, and improve the airflow in and around our plants? You have an outdoor grow. Yes, your buds will develop... those of us growing indoors are ALL TOO familiar with pop corn buds... They sure didn't develop....
beginnerbloomer
Well-Known Member
Say u have an indoor grow with strictly side lighting only,are u saying u wouldn't have the classic shaped plants with a couple prominent main colas?
I have grown indoors BTW,im not talkin about SCROGing either coz thats a whole different kettle of fish.
RIXUK
Active Member
Very similar to what I do.I will be giving the SCROG a go as I had to tie the buds to strings,10-13 oz cheese clone in hydro 90l.
I guess its experience with your straine/pheno more you get to know it the more you know how to grow it the way you want,experiment,have 2,dont cut 1 and cut the other.Leaves are obviously there for a reason but ones that dont get light and covering buds are ruining bigger yieds.The bottom tend to take food they dont need and the buds down there never seem worth keeping so any signs of crisping/yellow or going really twiggy I tend to chop.
The ones I dont chop end up in the scrap bucket for smoke asap.
Un noticed dead leaves will go moldy to and risk spreading.Just my experience,im no expert and every one has there own method.Again ive only grown cheese from clone so other straines may not like it,a little shouldnt hurt though 1/4?if your worried but deffo remove ones covering buds.
The post under the quote is a good post too