Hey Buddy you’re thinking about the right things, which already tells me you’re reading the plant well.
From what you describe (and what’s visible), that branch:
• Is still in usable light
• Has already broken apical dominance once
• Is thin now, but not shaded or stalled
• Is competing, but not choking the canopy
That puts it in a gray zone, not an automatic lollipop candidate.
How I personally decide in cases like this
I only remove a branch if two or more of these are true:
• It’s clearly shaded and won’t catch up
• It has weak internodes and no space to expand
• It’s below the productive canopy and stealing energy
• It’s producing popcorn-only sites
If it’s still seeing light and has room to breathe, I usually let the plant finish making that decision for me.
Important nuance
Thin ≠ useless.
Some branches that look “behind” early will still:
• Stack later in flower
• Add real weight
• Or at least justify the energy they cost
Especially since it already asserted dominance once, it’s clearly hormonally active.
What I’d do instead of cutting
• Let it ride another week or so
• Watch internode spacing and bud development
• If it clearly stalls later → then I’d clean it up
Once you cut, there’s no undo button — but waiting costs very little here.
Growers Love my friend , keep us posted and remember this is just my humble opinion please to trust his instinct 👊🙌🙏