What Would You Do: Day 40 Defol, Yes / No?

You don’t need to defo !

You are better off to tuck and bend at this stage. You should have done your last defoliation at the end of week 3 flower. You can remove leaves if you want, but i think the shock to the plant will result in less yield or longer finish time.

Yes: the large leaves are naturally used to store nutrients for cloudy days. In a controlled environment where light and fertiliser are constant, they are useless and can block out light for the lower part of the plant. But at this stage, just remove the large, stinging leaves.

Don't do it, you will only deprive your plants of the necessary energy and nutrients to finish flowering.