Defoliation question

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
dude u dont take every leaf, just the ones shading lower buds.....
O..i trim to..we are talking about defoliation...

Defoliate | Define Defoliate at Dictionary.com
www.dictionary.com/browse/defoliate
to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves. 2. to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest, etc.), as by using chemical sprays or incendiary bombs, in order to deprive enemy troops or guerrilla forces of concealment. verb (used without object), defoliated, defoliating. 3.
 

In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
i had hypothesized the transfer of auxins after top leaves where removed, that combined with the plant being stimulated in a new way while being able to rely on sugars produced by the newly exposed growth that is now receiving more auxin displacement could be synergistic. I say could be.

we should think about other factors at play here instead of just light exposure when the plant has had leaves removed.
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
i had hypothesized the transfer of auxins after top leaves where removed, that combined with the plant being stimulated in a new way while being able to rely on sugars produced by the newly exposed growth that is now receiving more auxin displacement could be synergistic. I say could be.

we should think about other factors at play here instead of just light exposure when the plant has had leaves removed.
Auxins are in all new growth tips, including root tips. It's a hormone that controls growth speed.

You can witness auxins at work when a plant reorients itself towards the light.

Auxins start at the tips and work away from the light. Whereever it's shady, more auxins will travel.
2016-08-01 09.43.02.jpg
 
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In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
photo 1 (1).JPG photo 2 (1).JPG im not sure of all the mechanisms of action, but its something iv applied on a regular basis. i break a branch and it gives the lower branches a chance to catch up while the branch i broke recovers. sometimes ill cut out a small v to aid in the bend which heals over to make a nice elbow in the tissue. photo 2 (1).JPG
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member

In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
im guessing for a while, the flow of nutrients is interrupted due to the damaged tissue. during this recovery time, tissue below the damaged area does not have that problem. it may not be accelerated growth, perhaps a better way to put it would be continued growth during the time that the damaged portion is recovering. as far as buds increasing in size, what we might be looking at is an over all time where the buds are simply receiving more nutrients for a period of time during the time that the terminal shoot just isnt getting them. what we are looking at is an evening out if your comparing buds on the same plant.

maybe with this logic we are not looking at increased growth, but instead what we are looking at is the inhibited growth of the areas that have been damaged while the areas below the damage continue to grow which gives the illusion of increased growth.
 

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Dumme

Well-Known Member
Another way to look at growth is "Cell Division". Auxins are just one type of hormone that speeds up cell division that's orients away from light intensity.

The cell division occurs on the top growth, the root growth (under the root caps), and the outer layer of phloem (the xylem is basically dead cells) Carbohydrates start at the leaves, from a compound calley G3P. After the leaf creates carbohydrates, they flow from the "Source Cell", in the leaf, to the "Sink Cells" in the new growth, for storage and later used for cell division. This process is in the form of osmosis (low pressure). Leaves are high pressure, new growth is low pressure.

By removing leaves, your taking away the plants ability to manufacture G3P and carbohydrates. While there is stile some carbohydrates withing the sink cells, those soon will be used up.

The plant will of course try to grow new leaves, but with limited carbohydrates to build from, growth will slow way down.
 
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In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
thats what im saying by interrupted. i mean a change of normal flow rate while lower growth is not experiencing this lower rate.
 

In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
thats also why i said that perhaps what we are seeing is the illusion of accelerated growth if the means of comparison of growth are of the lower buds to the terminal buds that are above the damaged areas.
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
thats also why i said that perhaps what we are seeing is the illusion of accelerated growth if the means of comparison of growth are of the lower buds to the terminal buds that are above the damaged areas.
Any removal of leaves slows the production of G3P.
 

In Shape Vet

Well-Known Member
does it slow the production in the entire plant or just gross production in post removal of the leaf? or does the production remain the same in the leaves that remain but the change in osmotic pressure causes a delay.
 

purplehays1

Well-Known Member
O..i trim to..we are talking about defoliation...

Defoliate | Define Defoliate at Dictionary.com
www.dictionary.com/browse/defoliate
to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves. 2. to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest, etc.), as by using chemical sprays or incendiary bombs, in order to deprive enemy troops or guerrilla forces of concealment. verb (used without object), defoliated, defoliating. 3.
Im pretty sure no one is recommending you go chop every leaf off a plant. I recommend at week 3 of flower just removing any low branches/budsites that will never reach the canopy (lolipopping) and and leaves that can be easily removed that are shading other significant bud sites. My strategy has always been to pack as many tops as i can in an even canopy across the flowering area in a way that if u leave fan leaves they are molesting the buds beside them and shading the buds below them. This leads to a even canopy of colas.

I only grow my own medical cannabis these days in a little 2ft x 2ft x 5 ft tent in my closet but ill show you my canopy when the light comes on, freshly trimmed.
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
does it slow the production in the entire plant or just gross production in post removal of the leaf? or does the production remain the same in the leaves that remain but the change in osmotic pressure causes a delay.
The entire plant. All the cells living are connected by the phloem, and phloem works off low pressure. If the low pressure is towards the roots, the sugas run down. If the low pressure is in the buds, the sugars run up.
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
Im pretty sure no one is recommending you go chop every leaf off a plant. I recommend at week 3 of flower just removing any low branches/budsites that will never reach the canopy (lolipopping) and and leaves that can be easily removed that are shading other significant bud sites. My strategy has always been to pack as many tops as i can in an even canopy across the flowering area in a way that if u leave fan leaves they are molesting the buds beside them and shading the buds below them. This leads to a even canopy of colas.
Someone mentioned threealight.
 
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