Should I defoliate or wait

There is no NEED to defoliate at any time, in my opinion. The only time to ever remove leaves is when they have turned yellow. Removing healthy green leaves will just reduce your plants capacity to produce energy, thereby slowing growth. At the size your plants are now, removing any healthy green leaves would represent a large percentage of your plants energy making potential, severely limiting growth at this crucial stage of development. Each leaf is like a "solar panel", - fewer solar panels = less energy = less growth. I never remove any leaves, unless they are yellow. Your plant has evolved to be able to grow her biggest and best flowers. Getting rid of perfectly healthy green leaves is not part of that process. Besides, those big fan leaves will be a source of vital "pre-made" elements (carbs, sugars, amino acids etc) that your plant will draw upon during flowering. So, not only does defoliation reduce your plants energy making potential, it also robs her of a vital resource of pre-made elements she has cleverly stored in her older leaves for use once flowering gets underway. I have been growing for 35+ years and have never seen a plant that gets rid of healthy green leaves, ever! Your plants will grow their fastest and biggest with every healthy green leaf left in place to do its job of producing energy. Those supposedly "shaded potential bud sites" (branches really) will in 4-5 days grow out from under the fan leaves anyhow, making leaf removal pointless, plus those very branches are relying on the big fan leaves to make the energy the branches need for optimum health and growth. There is no way the small leaves associated with new growth can make as much energy as even just one healthy and green fan leaf. Therefore, I suggest never defoliate, it harms your plant more than helps it, and what a dreadful waste for your plant. Besides, leaf removal will result in your plant wanting to grow new leaves anyhow. So, to remove leaves to encourage new leaves to grow, is absolutely counter productive and absolutely pointless. Hope this helps,......... Organoman. (and vehement anti defoliation advocate!)

I’m not a pro but I would wait. Just looked at them they are looking healthy. For me I don’t defoliate till I have to. And that’s not until a couple weeks before bloom. There are exceptions to that tho I will take a fan leaf here and there if it’s shading others growth.My understanding is the leaves are like solar panels. They covert your light to energy for the plant. Maybe do a tie down to get light to the shaded areas. I’m growing a Critical Kush right now. It’s the first time I’ve topped and tied down early in veg it’s working very well. Check out my Critical Kush diary.

Wait longer. Do defoliate only if you can reveal new budsites to light by removing leaves or if plant is way too bushy and leaves are touching each other.

I never defoliate, i bend and tuck leaves that block light where i need it as the leaves are the power houses of the plant, they are what converts light into energy, no leaves no photosynthesis. Also they store nutes for future growth