statticattic
Active Member
when can i slowly start choppin the fan leaves off, im limited on space so not all bud sites are getting enough light im using a 400 w hps 2 weeks into flower organic grow big blue strain
can i chop fan leaves for more light exposure
- Thread starter statticattic
- Start date
Honestly it depends. The time it takes a plant to recover from having fan leaves chopped off, in addition to the amount of energy conversion you will lose without the leaves may hurt your harvest. On the other hand, if you are not in a rush to flower, this will allow more light to the buds, which is better in the longer run.
I'd read up on a few other techniques, such as tying the fan leaves down or something, and assess when exactly you want to harvest. Personally I have pruned and gotten great results (once the plant recovers). It probably depends on the strain as well.
I'd read up on a few other techniques, such as tying the fan leaves down or something, and assess when exactly you want to harvest. Personally I have pruned and gotten great results (once the plant recovers). It probably depends on the strain as well.
Golden Ray
Well-Known Member
If you take off one leaf it will take 2 weeks to recover. Please leave them on the plant works with photo synthesis it needs those big fans. Pull the plant with some lst. Use grocery ties and some dental floss- put tie around said branch/branches not tight- use dental floss to pull stem out and tie other end to pot. So plant is opened up to light- much better for plant. But jawnslice is right you can take down leaves, with a price to pay.
If leaves get 50% dead then take them off.
Your Plant is Beautiful Leave her alone, she is perfect those fans are fine.
If leaves get 50% dead then take them off.
Your Plant is Beautiful Leave her alone, she is perfect those fans are fine.
Twistyman
Well-Known Member
There was some good reading in FAQ about how the guy prunes in a spiral starting at the bottom..It's good to get light to those hidden nug's near the stem..You can really increase your take, plus the new leaf growth is good for the plant, as some older leaves loose some of their value...just don't give it a Marine haircut...try to pick the ones that are blocking light from the stem (buds) & new leaves. Too much may shock your plant so do a bit...wait a few days andwhen can i slowly start choppin the fan leaves off, im limited on space so not all bud sites are getting enough light im using a 400 w hps 2 weeks into flower organic grow big blue strain
trim some more...you can also tuck or tie some back..Some even use side cfl light for that little extra.... I topped a plant that got shocked with some root tear, and the center stem just stopped growing...so I topped it, and now it's just going crazy...If your worried, try it on 1 or 2 plants...eggs in 1 basket thing is not good if you make a boo boo..
bleezyg420
Well-Known Member
the buds dont utilize the light, the leaves do. So therfor DO NOT FUCKING TRIM! Doenst matter how shaded the nugs are, the leaves are the things that utilize the energy. People are retard, DONT TRIM!
bleezyg420
Well-Known Member
you dont realize the plant use's its energy to grow as a hole, not which parts get light... just because lower leafs dont get as much penetration, doent mean they dont grow!?? wtf its not like our body grows on arm and not the other. it does it evenly. Dont cut leaves, unless you want less photosynthesis and stress!
Twistyman
Well-Known Member
Sorry just 1 more thought...you could try LST (see FAQ) seeing as your stems don't seem to be too thick....but slowly train them..slight bend, and a few days...again....I'm not a fan of thread, fish line or twist ties as they can cut the stem in wind, movement, growth...etc..I like thin strips of rags...no chance to restrict(unless you tie it too tight) and minimal friction damage....
bleezyg420
Well-Known Member
i use plain ol white string. supercropping is the way to go. Move all branchs in different directions.
Golden Ray
Well-Known Member
There you have plenty advice to go by.
skunkluvr
Well-Known Member
They're gonna grow a shitload more during flowering, so only do it if space is the main concern. I wanted to trim the big leaves bad when mine started flowering because the big leaves were shading the lower buds, but I was glad I didn't. The lower buds will grow up and poke through the fan leaves, so don't worry about the shade. Your plants will need the big leaves in the last stages of flowering too!! The big leaves turn yellow and die because the plant uses all the stored nitrogen in the last stages of life so leave them if possible!!
statticattic
Active Member
Awsome this is what i was thinking also, im just gonna tie down the trouble some "cabbage leaves" lol thanks guys
PowerTrance
Well-Known Member
Since photosynthesis only inputs about 0.1% real energy, (Photosynthesis is hard pressed to turn 0.1 % of available light into energy, CC: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1984-01-01/Photovoltaic-Root-Stimulation.aspx ) , the best bet is KEEP THE FAN LEAVES INTACT, just bend em using twist ties... even the underside of a leaf will make viable energy... fold em, or bend em, just don't snap em! For that matter, bend the bud sites TOO also get em into the "sunshine" to get them energy to make little THC factories!
statticattic
Active Member
thanks you for that article man im thinking bout getting one of those or a couple for my seeds/ seedlings, seeing how i live in wisconsin. 
kushmonster
Well-Known Member
LST is the shit, I dont believe in topping or cutting anything else for that matter, cutting any part of the plant just stress the plant out, which just leads to problems, let nature take its course, heres a pic of my plants that are LST
bleezyg420
Well-Known Member
heres a topped plant how to..Heres how to go about topping a Plant. Theres a pic so you cant fuck up. This should help you out alot.
1. Locate the very top of your plant and cut through the main stem just below the newest growth (red line). This should be done after the 3rd or 4th leaf set but can be done at any time after the 3rd leaf set.
2. Shows Plant Top cut off and where the (3) 2 new Branches that will form a "Y" in the main stem will grow from.
Last pic shows the newly topped plant after 2 days of growth, notice the Y in the Stem Forming. Hope this helps you feel better about chopping your plant, I was skeptical years ago, till I actually did it.
OregonMeds
Well-Known Member
I would do nothing, but technically according to how a thricome creates THC utilizing sunshine itself It might help to tie things up or down to get light to buds. Not necessarily for bud growth but for thc production. I haven't tried that myself yet.
(each thrichome is a magnifying glass that concentrates light onto the bottom of the ball of the trich to make cannabanoids right there in the thrichome itself.) Cannabanoids aren't created by the energy the leaves get, from what research I've done anyway.
But know that each leaf only blocks 15% of the light energy to lower leaves. It blocks most of the green and we mostly see green light so it looks more dim to us in the lower canpy than it often really is. If you move a leaf it's not like it's getting 100% more power is what I'm saying, just a bit more but then the leaf is getting less and that leaf energy is what's used to create the bud and trich's in the first place so the bud might not end up as fat as if you'd left it alone but maybe slightly more stony.
And no plants do not grow evenly, the tops that get light are always heavier and there's always smaller popcorn buds on the bottom. Just like you can bench press 200lbs all day long for years and it's never going to make the muscles in your legs any larger. You'll get a big chest and part of your arms but still have legs just as skinny as before. Hell workouts aside nothing on a human being is equal and symmetrical, not typically anyway. The left side of your face is not a mirror image of the right, a womans breasts are always different, one can be quite visibly larger, your arms and legs and torso and every single thing about us is not symetrical and doesn't grow evenly, that was a bad argument. Dolly Parton or whatever her old ass name is, she is a good example of just how non evenly we grow. I only mention her because she's the only one I can think of that has big hooters that are actually real. The thricomes themselves do block light though, so a frosty nug is not getting all that light to it's tiny green parts, only the leaves in the bud that aren't frosted get light, but that's always going to be less than what the big fan leaves can gather.
(each thrichome is a magnifying glass that concentrates light onto the bottom of the ball of the trich to make cannabanoids right there in the thrichome itself.) Cannabanoids aren't created by the energy the leaves get, from what research I've done anyway.
But know that each leaf only blocks 15% of the light energy to lower leaves. It blocks most of the green and we mostly see green light so it looks more dim to us in the lower canpy than it often really is. If you move a leaf it's not like it's getting 100% more power is what I'm saying, just a bit more but then the leaf is getting less and that leaf energy is what's used to create the bud and trich's in the first place so the bud might not end up as fat as if you'd left it alone but maybe slightly more stony.
And no plants do not grow evenly, the tops that get light are always heavier and there's always smaller popcorn buds on the bottom. Just like you can bench press 200lbs all day long for years and it's never going to make the muscles in your legs any larger. You'll get a big chest and part of your arms but still have legs just as skinny as before. Hell workouts aside nothing on a human being is equal and symmetrical, not typically anyway. The left side of your face is not a mirror image of the right, a womans breasts are always different, one can be quite visibly larger, your arms and legs and torso and every single thing about us is not symetrical and doesn't grow evenly, that was a bad argument. Dolly Parton or whatever her old ass name is, she is a good example of just how non evenly we grow. I only mention her because she's the only one I can think of that has big hooters that are actually real. The thricomes themselves do block light though, so a frosty nug is not getting all that light to it's tiny green parts, only the leaves in the bud that aren't frosted get light, but that's always going to be less than what the big fan leaves can gather.
YoungClover
Active Member
This statement is very wrong. Shaded areas of the plant for a fact do not grow as fast as lighted ones. The more light an area get the bigger it gets. The nug's on top are much bigger, are they not.
Oh and btw, Our bodies do work just like this in the fact that if you exercise one arm more than the other it will not grow evenly. The arm with more does not just simply pass muscle to the other.
Edit: Did not realize this was old, and I missed the post above mine.