Conflicting advice about pruning! Clarify please...

Okay, pertinent info is that I'm in zone 5, typically harvesting late September. Outdoor grow.

I understand about not cutting fan leaves. But what if I'm clipping off sucker branches? Or tiny buds that won't be producing...what about their fan leaves?

What if I'm pruning to open up the middle to allow air & light, clipping out the teenie buds, what about those fan leaves? Clip the teenies but leave the fans??

I've been doing pinch & bend on my apical buds, also staking down the low branches so sun can get in. So the girls are very shrubby and would be dense with wispy growth if I didn't strip each branch of any shoots about halfway down. I try to take off anything that won't have a chance to mature, figuring that will send all the plant mojo to the buds that are left. Result: fewer tiny buds, better quality buds overall.

I should probably just take a picture for an example.

Does it sound like I'm on track?
 

mwooten102

Well-Known Member
That's how I do it. Lollipop all the way. I mean why cultivate something internal that's just gonna leech nutes, provide habitat for pests and mold ? I only keep canopy and when I prune I prune everything that's not the top 12-18" or recieving direct sunlight. That being said everyone does their own thing..
 

imchucky666

Well-Known Member
Okay, pertinent info is that I'm in zone 5, typically harvesting late September. Outdoor grow.

I understand about not cutting fan leaves. But what if I'm clipping off sucker branches? Or tiny buds that won't be producing...what about their fan leaves?

What if I'm pruning to open up the middle to allow air & light, clipping out the teenie buds, what about those fan leaves? Clip the teenies but leave the fans??

I've been doing pinch & bend on my apical buds, also staking down the low branches so sun can get in. So the girls are very shrubby and would be dense with wispy growth if I didn't strip each branch of any shoots about halfway down. I try to take off anything that won't have a chance to mature, figuring that will send all the plant mojo to the buds that are left. Result: fewer tiny buds, better quality buds overall.

I should probably just take a picture for an example.

Does it sound like I'm on track?
I think about the only things that EVERYBODY will agree on, is that plants require light, nutes and water in some form or other. That being said, I don't think there is a "right" or "wrong", the best thing to do is take everybody's advice, opinions and experience, use it to make an educated call and try it. If it works, then cool, and if not, maybe you didn't do everything quite the same, or there were different circumstances. At that point, you need to decide to try again and give it another chance, or go the other way next time.
 

gioua

Well-Known Member
what I will do with my grow is lollipop them within the 1st 2 mo's then remove sucker stems as needed... it's never harmed them to have crap taking off them in small amounts over time.
This is how the bubba looks now.. as time goes by and she is about 1-2 weeks from harvest I will start removing some of the fan leaves (this saves me time in trimming)



here is what I do about 3-5 days before harvest and some folks like to keep them on and dry with them on..

these plants are pretty resilient and can take some abuse (have a headband right now that 2 large branches broke off and are hanging on but they are still alive.. more so just because I was afraid of doing any more damage)
GARDEN.jpg

 

scroglodyte

Well-Known Member
taking the lower 1/3 is great for air circulation. they do it with hops, weed's cousin. prune nothing above this, imo.
 
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