Hi, if you understand your strain and what it can be pushed to do then you will be surprised how hard you can defoliate..in some cases. However golden rule is dont defoliate after 6wks into flowering. Also that link GrowingGrannie put below is solid. It gives you the fundamentals..although not at all brave which is good for beginners it spells things out real easy and from there you can experiment within those safety perimeters. I wish you very sticky buds!