Leaves power bud formation....this is a fact. I have made the mistake of stripping fan leaves with that same mentality and it is not beneficial at all. Expect slowed growth, reduced yeild,and dissapointment. The way to get penetration and productive plants is to open them up with stakes or netting, the leaves stay and the bud grows.The tendency is to think that deficiency, as it is called, is simply a lack of something and adding more will fix it. The reality is that overdoses lock out other elements and require a different approach than what is intuitive. PH is a large cause of deficiencies not because there isnt enough but the plant cannot utilize it.