whats up sw??about the nute situation....i always start out a 1/4 strength...and rarely ever use my nutrients at full strength...just keep and eye on the tips of ur fan leaves...if they start to get brown, and crispy, then u know ur burning them, so back off....and if there is not any burn, u can gradually continue to raise ur strength....just be careful and dont make huge leaps....and with nutes...9 times outta 10, less is better...
and about cutting the leaves...if they are that burnt, theres no saving them anyway, so i personally would take em off...if there still green leave them...crispy and brown...take em off.....ganja