Defoliated both plants today for the second time and also cut off some lower branches in preparation for flipping to flower .The Northern lights have responded well to all training methods, topping LST, ScrOG, and defoliation.
@haeknp3nnr, yeah Every time I tried to push more light on them they got cranky. So it was a vicious cycle of adjusting intensity and light height. I didn't want to burn them with light in early flower so I kept the intensity lower and played it safe knowing they would stretch.