I clipped the 8 big fan leaves with no buds nearby them to allow more light and the plant seems fine...there are lots of buds growing near the bottom and alot of little leaves, while the top buds are less but bigger. I bought the CO2 boost on Saturday and hooked it up....this is my first grow so I won't be able to compare to growing without but I hope it is worth the $178 I spent. My plant is still female by the way, no hermie.