I find light penetration to be key, not direct light. I keep colas down to my light penetration point, about 18-24 inches from the tops.
under that I usually feed to my bunnies. Removing leaves from those top colas to allow more light to reach the bottom larf is ill, like removing roots to make more room for more. those bottom buds will not be any better from light 4 feet away than light four feet away shaded by leaves. but even the shaded ones up and down the colas test like prizes. tucking is better than cutting, but still not necessary.