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It depend on the plant itself. Let say it's a bushy plant in general then defoliation is a must unless you like popcorn buds and higher probability of issues like bud rot etc. more common outdoors but still. You will definitely get better results with a defoliation at week 3 of flower when space is requires and better air circulation is a must.
Any basic Gardner knows that pruning and defoliation is essentialto a plants health and the yield. Yes there are plants that don't like it and plants that absolutely need it. It also depends on the environment too.
But I take leaves off as I see need it and little by little, I also take a few smaller , Lower bud sites off but they are obviously taking energy away from the bigger "fruits "
Hi @BongEd! Some plants won't let you no other choice. Leafy plants with big indica-style shaped leaves will create a lot of shades onto lower bud sites. Defoliation is awesome when done correctly, but it could be a nightmare if done too much or at the wrong time. Before removing a leaf, I always ask myself: is this leaf really blocking the light? For how many nodes / bud sites? How close are the next leaves? How healthy is this leaf? You should make your own experiments and see how it goes. Keep us up-to-date, happy growing! 👊
Hi @BongEd! Some plants won't let you no other choice. Leafy plants with big indica-style shaped leaves will create a lot of shades onto lower bud sites. Defoliation is awesome when done correctly, but it could be a nightmare if done too much or at the wrong time. Before removing a leaf, I always ask myself: is this leaf really blocking the light? For how many nodes / bud sites? How close are the next leaves? How healthy is this leaf? You should make your own experiments and see how it goes. Keep us up-to-date, happy growing! 👊
To answer your question:
This is a very controversial topic. you will get a lot of different answers. The best advice would be to try it yourself and form your own opinion. On my experience, yield wise, defoliating achieved no better results than a non defoliated plant, but it took longer while the plant recovered from the lack of foliage.
BongEd
