Wow! That is an impressive plant you have there! You can certainly defoliate an Auto, but just not as vigorously as a photoperiod plant! 😀 It is just because Auto plants have a finite lifespan, and too heavy of a defoliation in flowering could cause issues i.e stunting, mutated buds, herms or even a re-veg like behavior. All of my DWC diaries I very lightly defoliate throughout the entire grow, every single week to prevent wet spots. Looking at your plants I would be casually defoliating through the thick vegetation every few days, only removing a handful of leaves (8-10) at a time only in the really thick places. Your lollipopping skills look to be perfect, great job there, nothing worse than runt limbs sucking out energy from big colas. I am going to follow this grow, as the end result looks like it will be absolutely breathtaking! 😀 💪