Defoliation!

Trying my hardest to keep tucking them leaves & not to remove any leaves, but I’m so desperate to defoliate because so many bud sites being blocked should i just keep tucking or a little defoliation ok? Day 6 into flower trying to hold off plucking any till about 2/3 weeks into flower am I on the right path?

You are on the right path. They are going to stretch heavy the next 2 weeks and will fill your canopy, and the ONLY trimming/defoliation you need to do is lolipopping lower branches and leaves that don't get light, so all the plants energy goes into the tops and they get better air flow.

You can start trimming some of the lowest branches now. Nice to have this all done around week 2 of flower. I personally don't defoliate ANYTHING from the tops.

They look good!!

manfredo said:

You are on the right path. They are going to stretch heavy the next 2 weeks and will fill your canopy, and the ONLY trimming/defoliation you need to do is lolipopping lower branches and leaves that don't get light, so all the plants energy goes into the tops and they get better air flow.

You can start trimming some of the lowest branches now. Nice to have this all done around week 2 of flower. I personally don't defoliate ANYTHING from the tops.

They look good!!

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So any bud sites under that first net take away

Jahfarmer95 said:

So any bud sites under that first net take away

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Yes, exactly

Buds that get no light still grow
It is leaves everywhere, absorbing light that builds your buds. Focus on leaves!

Not as much as buds that get light. Not to mention airflow. I'm not sure why all the debate and people claiming the above is biology or science. There is much research saying otherwise and you will notice buds provide the leaf they need in these circumstances, dialling in your nute's is part the key. To my mind and experience jury is in and exfoliation just at start of flower and on day 21, schwazzing, is the way to go. Just adjust your nutrients. Youll struggle to reach potential in a confined space otherwise. There are other crop plants that also benefit hugely from defol. cotton being one you've all heard of. Tobacco on the other hand is the opposite, for obvious reasons, it's topped and all flowers and suckers are whipped off quick for the opposite effect; ie making for twating great leaves! I know. I grow it. Here's a link to the article I think gives best advice although for some reason it doesn't mention nutrients. This is basically what I do. You ain't getting no pics, you'll just have to have faith in the real science. and my 25 years + of growing lol lol.

https://www.growweedeasy.com/nebulas-flowering-stage-defoliation-tutorial

Just to be clear, balance is everything. Don't take too much. There is another thread on here where a user has put a nice little bit of research. I can't find it just now but will try again when I've got time. It's worth reading for those wanting a nice simple overview of the science. I'm sure the thread would be found searching exfoliation on the forum.

Auto correct! That is search defoliation. Not exfoliation. Skin care for cannabis? Interesting! Ha ha Ha!

Buds that get light definitely grow better. I leave as many fan leaves as possible, but I also gladly take off ones that are directly covering an otherwise well positioned bud site. Taking out a lot of the undergrowth that gets no light is one of the best ways to prevent powdery mildew and other fungal issues-I'm all about air circulation under the canopy. Minimal defoliation above canopy, maximal defoliation below canopy works pretty well for me, though I'm purposefully leaving a few buds growing below the canopy, in my current grow, just to check if I'm right about direct light, because you hear people repeat that chestnut all the time. I'm also still trying to figure out how many colas to aim for in a typical 4x4 ft, 4 plant type grow. I've got one with 8 colas, mainlined, one with 12, one with 16 and one with 20+, just to compare things like yield, diameter, quality, etc.

Yes I leave leaf at tops and 'bud' leaves. But I take most the large shades around day 21 and shades that have grown off the secondary sticks. I do leave them on during stretch, contrary to the guide I linked too, I found I get better removing the originals at 21 days. I'm not sure how many colas or tops I have, started with 16 each at beginning and a big ass mainline with 8 I gave away. She is doing well. It's an excellent method and it employs some similar science. bubble gum, sour grape and my own cross.

Lol, I'm at 21 days more or less and in my garden. It brought this to mind. I have a question @ComfortCreator; when focussing on leaves what do you do when these leaves block the light and air from other leaves, which are already blocking light and air from more of the leaves we've been growing?

Oh and 9 plants total @Rurumo. I too am 4×4 inside at mo but I've never had less than 8 in there. Come out with 20-25 zip most times, bit less occasionally when I'm testing new genes or technique. Or run out of time like my last which had to be ripped and gone quick due to trouble. Unfortunately we missed going legal by just a couple % in our referendum here. Cops have made a show of it in some areas since. Head down!

Saying defoliation should always or never be used imo skips the fact that each situation is different.

Pot size, strain, training, light intensity, SOG, SCROG etc, all factor into how leafy a plant is and what to do about it.

There is obv too leafy and sparse and everything in between.

Yes that's very true. Just the sort of answer I was trying to provoke by being a smart arse!!

Sativas, for e.g., need very little indeed. Also I like to fill my space and almost all hybrids or indicas, in my experience of course, benefit from defol to some extent. However. If you had a spacious grow it may be different. When I go outside each summer I grow in a very different way to indoors in the winter. Out there I have heaps a space so the girls are exposed all over, its bastard windy here, and penetration from the sun is of course better.

But I would maintain that under almost every circumstance where one wishes to make the very most out of a set amount of space and light a good amount of defoliation, done properly, is virtually essential.

trichoneum said:

Oh and 9 plants total @Rurumo. I too am 4×4 inside at mo but I've never had less than 8 in there. Come out with 20-25 zip most times, bit less occasionally when I'm testing new genes or technique. Or run out of time like my last which had to be ripped and gone quick due to trouble. Unfortunately we missed going legal by just a couple % in our referendum here. Cops have made a show of it in some areas since. Head down!

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With 8 in a 4x4 how long do you veg for?

Jmcparty said:

With 8 in a 4x4 how long do you veg for?

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Usually around 6 weeks, from when they start putting out proper leaves, or so give or take if it's seeds. But it's strain dependent, I let em go until just about touching rather than a set time. By the time I defol at day 21 it looks way too much for the space but when the leaves come off and with a bit of tying it's spot on.

trichoneum said:

Usually around 6 weeks, from when they start putting out proper leaves, or so give or take if it's seeds. But it's strain dependent, I let em go until just about touching rather than a set time. By the time I defol at day 21 it looks way too much for the space but when the leaves come off and with a bit of tying it's spot on.

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Thankyou for the help

trichoneum said:

Usually around 6 weeks, from when they start putting out proper leaves, or so give or take if it's seeds. But it's strain dependent, I let em go until just about touching rather than a set time. By the time I defol at day 21 it looks way too much for the space but when the leaves come off and with a bit of tying it's spot on.

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That's a perfect description of stretch anxiety as you hope they get big but wonder if this time you fked it up making them too big lol...

ComfortCreator said:

That's a perfect description of stretch anxiety as you hope they get big but wonder if this time you fked it up making them too big lol...

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Lol lol! Exactly that! My first grow a few years back now was a disaster due to exactly that. Let em go way to long before flip and ended up with masses of vegetation and just a few zip. Had to chuck a good few girls and wire my light to one of the roof bars directly haha!

Jmcparty said:

Thankyou for the help

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All good bro.