Need advice on defoliation

rydertr

rydertr

Well-Known Member
This is my 80x80x180 tent. I have three plants flowering, in their third week. They are stretching and I am running out of space quickly. They have reached the light as close as 10cm (4inches) close.

1. As they have massively gained mass, the lower branches are not getting much light. Should I defoliate?

2. They are sturdier than before, should I LST again with the risk of breaking??

My light is Lumatek Attis 300w LED.

If I were to defoliate, please give me some pointers of best practice, as I don’t want to shock the plants. Should I just rim of the lower branches or fan leaves from the upper branches?
 

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Wake_n_bake73

Wake_n_bake73

Member
Lots of different opinions on defoliation I personally only take anything that is covering other bud sites so I took the big fan leaves and I did that just before flipping to flower I didn't take to many tho and you are a bit further along so definitely don't want to stress your plants out.
I have added a pic of mine after I removed some leaves
Good luck with the rest of your grow
 

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J

Joeykamma

Well-Known Member
I had to throw mine out cus of smell. But the lesson is atleast for me 1 less plant this time and c99 which is a sativa dom growing like an indica pretty much which is almost odorless(i only bother with a hps light 250W and a 5W rechargeable usb fan 1-2 a day in my closet and soil tabs. i have to with limited economy atm) . Anyway I could have chosen 4 but 3 gives me some wiggle room.
So i guess your mistake happened a few weeks ago, make the best of it
Dont know if its relevant but there i go

Before and after pics would be great
 
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StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Joeykamma said:
... Who doesn't like a jungle ...
Click to expand...
Me. My preference is frosty green bud - not dreaded grey mold.
rydertr said:
... If I were to defoliate, please give me some pointers of best practice, as I don’t want to shock the plants. Should I just rim of the lower branches or fan leaves from the upper branches? ...
Click to expand...
Remove selective upper fan leaves if you have no alternative. First try to tuck them out of the way if they are blocking a bud site below. If that's not possible, trim a finger to expose the site below. She will make use of those leaves so don't remove too many. An upper fan leaf here and there will be OK. But don't leaf strip 'em.

If you are three weeks in, I reckon your stretch is done. This lady is 23 days from flip. She hasn't grown up in the past three days and her crowns are starting to get hairier and fatter.

Whatever leaves or small branches below have been completely removed:

1619027334406.png

She will get another smaller clean-up in about 12 days. Lollipopping provides for much better air flow throughout the plant. Chances of mildew or mold is greatly reduced.
 
rydertr

rydertr

Well-Known Member
Thanks all for the feedback. I will be doing a flush and ripening nute feed for two weeks before the harvest. How will I know if it is time? I do not want to be late an lose the thc turning into cbd. What is a good pointer of the plants that they are ready for ripening feed?
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
rydertr said:
Thanks all for the feedback. I will be doing a flush and ripening nute feed for two weeks before the harvest. How will I know if it is time? I do not want to be late an lose the thc turning into cbd. What is a good pointer of the plants that they are ready for ripening feed?
Click to expand...
Ripening feed is piss take buddy ignore it, there no such thing as a sign of ripening feed required, the plant doesn't want it or need it.
Also If your flush anything wait until it's ready to chop as in mature/amber.
The aim is to get the plant to maturity in good health, burnt/dried/faded leafs are inefficient and detrimental to the end product.

Best of luck with your grow!
 
Monster_of_Au

Monster_of_Au

Active Member
When I defoliate I do what the others have said week 3 is when I lollipop and I'm kinda agressive about lollipoping. ANYthing that won't be a nug I'll pinch off to direct growth upwards. also as I get later into flower any leaf that looks dead I'll pull the leaf straight downing and it will Snap off, you should have to struggle with it.
 
rydertr

rydertr

Well-Known Member
So, here is my Gorilla Glue #4. The top bud at week 4 of flowering. The pistils are still there, not all are amber but the trichomes are also starting to haze. The rest of the buds are behind, especially lower ones which I will not take in regard when harvesting. How long do you think I need to continue before harvest. I appreciate your patience with these recurring questions all ever the other posts but everyones grow are their babies :)
 

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Puff_Dragon

Puff_Dragon

Well-Known Member
When I need to defoliate, which I do very little of, I follow these simple guide lines:

Don't remove all leaves in one go, no more than 4 or 5 larger leaves in one pruning.

When pruning a branch; look at it as levels (each node set). Then, prune first set of nodes. Leave the next. Prune the next one along/down (etc, etc)

When looking down on the plant from above; aim to remove leaves growing towards the centre/stem (more for branches). Leave the leaves growing away from the plant/stem (they cause no issue with light blockage on the plant). Doing this opens the centre of the plant for more light penetration.

If you are dealing with larger leaves from the buds themselves (where the leaf segments either touch other buds or block light). Cut a section off the leaf finger (that is causing the issue). This allows you to keep most of the leaf and get the best of both worlds (causes less stress too).
 
rydertr

rydertr

Well-Known Member
Puff_Dragon said:
When I need to defoliate, which I do very little of, I follow these simple guide lines:

Don't remove all leaves in one go, no more than 4 or 5 larger leaves in one pruning.

When pruning a branch; look at it as levels (each node set). Then, prune first set of nodes. Leave the next. Prune the next one along/down (etc, etc)

When looking down on the plant from above; aim to remove leaves growing towards the centre/stem (more for branches). Leave the leaves growing away from the plant/stem (they cause no issue with light blockage on the plant). Doing this opens the centre of the plant for more light penetration.

If you are dealing with larger leaves from the buds themselves (where the leaf segments either touch other buds or block light). Cut a section off the leaf finger (that is causing the issue). This allows you to keep most of the leaf and get the best of both worlds (causes less stress too).
Click to expand...
Good pointers, thanks. I will keep this inmi d for my next grow as these plants are like jigsaw puzzles due to LST. They are all over each other and hard to see where a branch starts. All new experience...
 
rydertr

rydertr

Well-Known Member
Here is another question. :)
Terra Aquatica (former GHE) recommends an EC level between 1.4 and 2.2 during flowering. I try to keep it in the middle as 1.8. What is your experience for EC levels during flowering? @Puff_Dragon @StareCase
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Sorry Ryder ... ( did anyone else immediately think of Paw Patrol? ) I don't use a TDS/EC meter or the Terra Aquatica line. Have not needed one to this point - but that might change. I'll use 75% of the recommended dosage on the Remo line and so far, it's worked well.
 
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