Hello there, I hope I can help with this one and I do have a link for you that I'll post below, along with a member that defo's on this site.
Firstly if you're to defo, the majority of it should be taken before entering flower. Not 100% necessary, but defo in Veg allows the plant to recover much faster then when she's in bloom. I would do the majority of any defo you need to do a week before flower. When in flower, you can take fan leaves as you please but I would limit how much you take at a time, taking only 2 or 3 at a time, per day until you have what you want. This is all to reduce stress and encourage fast recovery. In veg, take what you want but ensure it's either directly before or after a feeding. The nutrients added will help her rebound much quicker.
Why defo? Mostly to open up the canopy to light and air. Shoots and flowers below a bushy canopy will be under-developed and will probably become LARF (shake). By strategically defo'ing leaves that are blocking potential colas/shoots, we expose to air and light. These shoots will then grow like crazy and roughly match canopy and the size of your other tops.
On to your plants. You trained them very well and there does not seem to be any light/air being blocked out. Your tops are all nice and far from each other, even height and their fans should not interfere with their individual growth. If a fan leaf does get in the way, you can take it, but I suggest massaging the fan stem out of the way first. A trick "naturalist's" use. Massaging the fan leaf stem between your forefinger and thumb, gently, will allow you to soften it up and direct it into the position you please. This isn't permanent and the fan will probably migrate back to its original position within 24-48 hours. BUT, this method allows us to keep out sugar maker, cause zero stress and still get the results we're looking for (light/air canopy penetration). Just takes a little more of your time to maintain the process. SO! at this time, I don't feel there's any 'necessary' defo to do on your girls. As they grow and get bushier you may like to take some fans at that time. For now, I'd suggest keeping all your sugar makers until or unless they actually become a problem and get in the way.
Here is a link to growweedeasy pertaining to defo, why we do it, when we do it and the benefits of doing it with overly bushy girls. https://www.growweedeasy.com/defoliation. I'm looking for a contact I know who does defo and I will send you their diary link and/or name in PM, I just need time to source it. I hope this helped you in some way and if you need anything else, drop me a PM and I shall see if I know anything about it. Cheers, looking great and definitely on your way👍😉
+1 strain
