Rookie4201979
Member
So I just have a quick question should I be trimming off the fan leaves. Or just let it do it's thing. Its starting to flower.
Trimming
- Thread starter Rookie4201979
- Start date
Fender Guitar
Well-Known Member
Leave leaves alone. The plant need them for photosynthesis. Only remove dead or yellow ones.
hotshotisdashit
Well-Known Member
Definitely leave your fan leaves on. They're there to soak up light and distribute it to the plant.
davethepothead
Well-Known Member
Leave them! Those things are your photosynthesis powerhouses! Your plant will let you know when it's time to get rid of them and that usually isn't until later into flowering. In the flowering stage you can defoliate your plant. But whether you should or shouldn't is debatable.
ANC
Well-Known Member
If you have many plants you can test the response of your strain on a one or two. Certain strains perform better for it.
Trick is the timing. Do it at about day 12 of flower. Take everything off except the leaves at the tips of branches.
This allows good airflow and branches to stand up strong. Most of the leaves will be growing back by day 3 and after a week or so you can't see that it has been stripped.
The plant thinks it is under attack or stress and puts all its energy in reproduction.
Trick is the timing. Do it at about day 12 of flower. Take everything off except the leaves at the tips of branches.
This allows good airflow and branches to stand up strong. Most of the leaves will be growing back by day 3 and after a week or so you can't see that it has been stripped.
The plant thinks it is under attack or stress and puts all its energy in reproduction.
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
I agree but, I don't..... "canopy management" for anything other then a few Indica strains. Even then, I'm liking harvesting in "layers". Harvest what ripe. Allow the lower section to ripen (bout 2 weeks +/-) and harvest that...
vostok
Well-Known Member
I have been told I read too many books
and follow the advice of Clarke
to my blog: https://www.rollitup.org/Journal/Entry/de-leaf-or-not.30156/
good luck
xtsho
Well-Known Member
Those fan leaves are the engines of the plant.
photosynthesis:
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.
photosynthesis:
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.
Flowki
Well-Known Member
My take on it is that it depends entirely on humidity. All of the below is my formulated opinion so may not be correct.
What you should never ever do is remove any upper leaves even if deficient, nute or light burned. This imo runs the risk of inducing bud rot in that area and other issues, better to leave them be and get it right the next run. Mid level fan leaves should also be left alone aside from one situation I'll get to. Low level fan leaves can mostly be left alone too, in the right circumstance. Once the stretch is finished those low level leaves will drop by themselves if they are not getting enough light, but giving back some nutes in the process. Similar applies to mid level leaves but is subjective to how tall your plants are and how strong the light is. A 600W, I would not touch anything from the top tip of the canopy to 12" down. If below that point is very dense foliage you may thin it out a little bit if you think humidity is going to be a problem (even with a dehumidifier). With good plant spacing and V shape training you may not have too.. but in the center lower core of the plant it may be required or a safe measure, but very lightly. Use a humidity meter to check the low canopy levels, most digital thermometers have that function. If it's not high, leave the canopy alone if you want. If you get popcorn shit down there nobody says you have to trim it.. just bin it if you like. Pluss side is that all those associated lower/mid leaves that die and drop over the cycle give back to the plant. I also specutale that having more leaves may help with heat stress during any heat waves. More surface area should by logic = more space ''sweat''. But that could be a downside if you can't maintain humidity with a de-hue. I also want to speculate that if the plant gets thirsty it can also suck more moisture out of the air since having more leaves. This would be avoided if we are watering on time but we all know what life can do.
Many say that removing lower bud sites that are not in light will increase yield by increasing density of the top buds. I've seen some respected people here say otherwise and I am also inclined to believe it for my own reasons. Not all lower or mid buds are airy. You will find many sexy little keepers when you start getting feeding and enviroment in line. You'll soon learn whats a keeper and whats a <insert rhyming word for not a keeper>
If you don't have a de-hue and also have over grown (to much veg) plants or too close together you may well want to loli pop everything that is not within light range before buds fatten up so that rot does not set in. Most of this is avoidable by setting off cuttings later (perpetual) or by running less plants and avoiding cramped conditions, assuming good air flow already exists + de-hue. Oscillating fan/s pointing up toward lights give great air flow. They drag out humid air from the lower levels and push it up into the lights/extractor.
IMO with the right spacing and V shape from topping,scrog/training on top of using a de-hue, defoliation can be to an absolute minimum if at all. Even if I was to scrog I'd still try to keep as much lower leaf as I could for the pro's of my opinions above.
On the less than educational front. Those lower and mid leaves that are in obscure locations you'll never reach even with a machete?, yeah those.. they all die and drop off over the cycle. Those big ass fan leaves in the feeding lane that smack you in the face every time?, yeah those.. they stay green til the end.
What you should never ever do is remove any upper leaves even if deficient, nute or light burned. This imo runs the risk of inducing bud rot in that area and other issues, better to leave them be and get it right the next run. Mid level fan leaves should also be left alone aside from one situation I'll get to. Low level fan leaves can mostly be left alone too, in the right circumstance. Once the stretch is finished those low level leaves will drop by themselves if they are not getting enough light, but giving back some nutes in the process. Similar applies to mid level leaves but is subjective to how tall your plants are and how strong the light is. A 600W, I would not touch anything from the top tip of the canopy to 12" down. If below that point is very dense foliage you may thin it out a little bit if you think humidity is going to be a problem (even with a dehumidifier). With good plant spacing and V shape training you may not have too.. but in the center lower core of the plant it may be required or a safe measure, but very lightly. Use a humidity meter to check the low canopy levels, most digital thermometers have that function. If it's not high, leave the canopy alone if you want. If you get popcorn shit down there nobody says you have to trim it.. just bin it if you like. Pluss side is that all those associated lower/mid leaves that die and drop over the cycle give back to the plant. I also specutale that having more leaves may help with heat stress during any heat waves. More surface area should by logic = more space ''sweat''. But that could be a downside if you can't maintain humidity with a de-hue. I also want to speculate that if the plant gets thirsty it can also suck more moisture out of the air since having more leaves. This would be avoided if we are watering on time but we all know what life can do.
Many say that removing lower bud sites that are not in light will increase yield by increasing density of the top buds. I've seen some respected people here say otherwise and I am also inclined to believe it for my own reasons. Not all lower or mid buds are airy. You will find many sexy little keepers when you start getting feeding and enviroment in line. You'll soon learn whats a keeper and whats a <insert rhyming word for not a keeper>
If you don't have a de-hue and also have over grown (to much veg) plants or too close together you may well want to loli pop everything that is not within light range before buds fatten up so that rot does not set in. Most of this is avoidable by setting off cuttings later (perpetual) or by running less plants and avoiding cramped conditions, assuming good air flow already exists + de-hue. Oscillating fan/s pointing up toward lights give great air flow. They drag out humid air from the lower levels and push it up into the lights/extractor.
IMO with the right spacing and V shape from topping,scrog/training on top of using a de-hue, defoliation can be to an absolute minimum if at all. Even if I was to scrog I'd still try to keep as much lower leaf as I could for the pro's of my opinions above.
On the less than educational front. Those lower and mid leaves that are in obscure locations you'll never reach even with a machete?, yeah those.. they all die and drop off over the cycle. Those big ass fan leaves in the feeding lane that smack you in the face every time?, yeah those.. they stay green til the end.
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