Fan leaves

I'm 32 days into flowering and was thinking of removing most/all the fan leaves. I know the importance/function of the leaves but thought, "1/2 way through budding and she's not getting any taller. Got plenty of light (25x 23W CFL's in a 4'x2' room) and want to make sure my buds get the most of the light. Anyone else do this? I did with my last grow and didn't "see" any benefits nor detriments. Anyone else have advice? They've already been lollipoped some time ago. Sorry, no pics. (camera busted).

Yea, should be fine
Leave a couple leaves tho dont take them all off

Keep some leaves,they will help spot deficiency's if your feeding is off.

I took off most of mine recently, and the plants are thriving.

Leave the top 1/5th and they will help more than if you took all off.

I take off a good amount the last 1-2 weeks when I grow Indicas. Definetly helps finish up the inner buds.

Your fan leafs will turn yellow, and fall off all on there own.
the secondary leafs that surround your buds There the only part of the bud that's photosynthesizing light.
The fan leafs are the work horse of the plant. Its why there so huge. Your buds don't need the light. In flower the plants putting all its energy into bud production to begin with.
Cut a energy producing leaf off, and you take away from that.
It all comes down to pruning in veg. getting rid of lower sucker branches, cutting leafs that are in the shadow of the outer leaf sets that are sucking resources away from the plant.
The plant puts its energy starting at the top working down. After the cola the end of the branches will have vigerous bud growth. starting at the top of the plant again, smaller, and smaller buds as you work down the branches of the plant. The same is true of the branch. Big bud at the end of the branch with smaller buds as you get closer to the stalk.

You need to prune in veg. If your pruning in flower your pruning to late.

Yeah, just think of fan leaves as the solar panels. If you want your plant to use the light better, will taking the solar panels off help that?

But, it can still sometimes help. I had a buddy with a 20 plant grow (island sweet skunk and purple hash plant). He has loooots of expensive equipment ≈ about 9 grand worth for 20 plants.

All of his plants have like 8 massive 13 inch colas (that look beautiful), but looking at the bottom branches that get less light, you can just tell that they didn't get as much light/nutrients, and their quality (compared to the nug up top) were just on a totally different level.

My point is, he probably could've gotten even Danker colas with a few less of those bottom branches.

But topuel has some great info, I think pruning now might be a little too late.

Keep your leaves on ! They are there for a reason. The leaves are what produces the bud. Why strip them off for no reason? Keep them on and green till harvest. Do some research on this and you will see for yourself. Hope this helps. Good luck

What is a plant?

plant

[plant, plahnt] Show IPA
noun 1. any member of the kingdom Plantae, comprising multicellular organisms that typically produce their own food from inorganic matter by the process of photosynthesis and that have more or less rigid cell walls containing cellulose, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts: some classification schemes may include fungi, algae, bacteria, blue-green algae, and certain single-celled eukaryotes that have plantlike qualities, as rigid cell walls or photosynthesis.

2. an herb or other small vegetable growth, in contrast with a tree or a shrub.

3. a seedling or a growing slip, especially one ready for transplanting.

So, it's a lifeform that uses photosynthesis for producing energy to sustain its life at a minimum, and to produce lush thick grownt and fruit for it's reproduction.

Ok, photosynthesis, how does that work.
pho·to·syn·the·sis

[foh-tuh-sin-thuh-sis] Show IPA
noun Biology, Biochemistry . the complex process by which carbon dioxide, water, and certain inorganic salts are converted into carbohydrates by green plants, algae, and certain bacteria, using energy from the sun and chlorophyll. This process is completed within the leaves of a plant.

leaf

[leef] Show IPA noun, plural leaves [leevz] Show IPA , verb
noun 1. one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.

2. any similar or corresponding lateral outgrowth of a stem.




So in conclusion...







We have an lifeform that uses this organ known as a leaf to conduct what we know as photosynthesis, the process of using solar energy to convert different nutrients within the plant to energy used to support the life of the plant.

And you want to improve the plant by cutting off its leaves....


mmmmkay.

There's allot of misguided idiots advocating the practice of raping their plants of leaves, this is not a good practise for many of the reasons already stated. If plants didn't need leaves they wouldn't grow em, simple.
Does an apple, a marigold flower, a raspberry, any flower, blossom, or fruit not do so because its in the shade?
My friend Frank starts growing his own and I help him where I can with advice, but he also listens to his friend Dave for advice.
On Franks first run Dave unfortunately got there before me and a load of the fan leaves came off. My warnings were brushed aside, some good bud was produced though not as much as expected and all was forgotten.
Next time more leaves went and earlier on. Six weeks into flower the plants just stopped everything, they went into limbo,
Two weeks later he chopped them completely immature and pretty much dead.
He's finally started listening to me and now leaves the leaves bloody well alone!

^ Yup keep em green

I know that pruning SOME leaves off helps.

^ can you please back that up with some evidence on how it helps rather than just throwing that out there? Scientific evidence maybe? I want to believe you but just need some more info. That was pretty brief. By the way, leave them on.

I use to prune off the majority of my leaves when I was just a beginner at growing, but after a little experimentation, I discovered that it was cutting my yield by an average of 30%... Keep your leaves... They store the nutrients that help your buds reach their full potential, and they provide your plants with vital energy. What use is removing the leaves anyways? The only thing giving buds more light will do is degrade the THC.

Well I'll put it this way in my experience when I prune a little it has always help me. I'm not saying pick it dry but a light pruning has and will continue to help me.

All right i see what your saying, im just saying that your leaves are the very unit that produces the bud that your craving for. So my thoughts are why take them off? Especially those big ol fan leaves that "block lower bud sites". I guess it goes like this : that your bud sites are not getting enough light so rip off those fan leaves so the light can reach? I dont get it since light does not produce bud. LEAVES DO. You want those fan leaves The more leaves that you have the more "energy" your plant has to produce those big tasty buds. But you need leaves for that. Only take them off if there dead and necrotic. Keep em green till harvest. or do what makes you happy its all good either way

Hey I my self have never pruned leaves during flowering just veg, and as far as light not producing bud that's bullshit. A plant with all it's leaves can't grow without light. Right?

Ill say it again Leaves produce bud. Leaves need the light Not your bud sites. Bullshit? Do some research.

I don't claim to be an expert. I'm just telling you what works for me, and that's exactly what you are doing.