After Topping

Removing the big fan leaves will only reduce your plants capacity to make energy, thereby slowing growth. Your plants need every single healthy green leaf it has to make the energy she needs to grow her biggest and best flowers. Removing leaves to "boost node growth" is misguided, the nodes/branches are relying on the big fan leaves to make the energy to grow. There is no way the small leaves on the newly growing branches can make as much energy as just one perfectly healthy fan leaf. Cannabis has evolved to grow her biggest and best flowers. Getting rid of perfectly healthy and energy producing leaves for no reason or benefit is not part of that process. You can safely tie the main colas completely horizontal if you are concerned over their height. Nice to see plants growing how they are supposed to, outdoors and in the sun! Hope this helps,.......... Organoman. (and vehement anti defoliation advocate!)

Let your girls come back from the stress of topping them, and then yes remove big fan leaves, that will boost the growth on the branches on those nodes. They look healthy and nice keep up the good work :)