Should I remove the bottom branches to promote new growth?

[thunderfucked]

The pictures are of a clone I recently transferred into my bubbleponic system. The plant is rooted and there is new growth. Just wondering if it would be beneficial to cut the bottom two branches. They are not completely dead yet but seem useless.

 

[greenlikemoney]

As with all types of plants, it will yellow and shed its leaves when it has no more use for them. At this time your plant is using those leaves for energy. Leave them alone.

 

[JohnnySocko]

...slight rant while we are at it; but I've tried over and over to wrap my head around how removing perfectly good leaf increases growth... but in your case (as far as dying/yellowing leaves goes) anymore I'm of the opinion the plant uses the leaves "back" up until they go totally yellow.... ...to be honest this is speculation of course

 

[Myles117]

definitely leave em alone.

plants can indeed use nutrients in the older leaves to build new growth but only the mobile nutrients can be retrieved.

only time i remove healthy leaves is when the plant is so thick and bushy that airflow through the center of the canopy is pretty much impossible. this promotes mold and once the mold takes hold, it can spread very fast before you realize.

 

[JohnnySocko]

definitely leave em alone.

plants can indeed use nutrients in the older leaves to build new growth but only the mobile nutrients can be retrieved.

only time i remove healthy leaves is when the plant is so thick and bushy that airflow through the center of the canopy is pretty much impossible. this promotes mold and once the mold takes hold, it can spread very fast before you realize.

Good point, actually I did/do remove some of those original/older huge inner fan leaves that block up the middle (and are shaded or shading stuff anyway) ..... my thing was directed towards the theory that all that excessive leaf removal somehow increases yield...to be honest I'm skeptical

 

[Myles117]

removing leaves directly lowers the plant's capacity to photosynthesize sugars and in doing so gives the plant a lower amount of usable energy to build branches or buds. anyone saying that it leads to higher yield is not coming from a very knowledge based direction lol

only positive it can have is when large leaves up top shading growthpoints below are tucked out of the way or removed allowing light to hit the shorter shaded branch. i remove most of these lower branches rather than removing the large leaves. id rather have the bud concentrated on the larger upper branches than spread between more branches. less trimming=happy me

 

[waterdawg]

I think it depends on strain as well. My critical kush's lower branches r actually the same height as the main bud with rather large buds forming. My White Russian has whispy lower branching with small buds. I would feel ok removing the wr lower growth but not sure about the harm or good it would do. I just leave them alone.

 

[Myles117]

do you bother trimming and smoking the whispy popcorn or do you throw it in the pile for hash and/or oil?

 

[yktind]

Let her grow healthy and strong before removing stuff.