problem

So I've just started using nutrients, and my plants are blowing up, my oldest plant was planted march 1st, youngest april 1st. i've come into a problem where my bigger fan leaves are blocking the node/smaller leaves on stem from getting light to them. how do i know if it's safe to defoliate or not?

You're the second guy today with the same concern and you needn't worry. Just leave them alone to do the job of making food to feed those nodes. They don't need direct light and will make tiny amounts of food for the plants compared to what the the fan leaves can make.

If for some reason your plants run into problems like getting too dry they will sacrifice leaves to keep the buds alive so by defoliating you are cancelling their insurance policy.

What is it you think fan leaves do?