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Grow QuestionsShould I defoliate? Why and when? Please, give a r...

Should I defoliate? Why and when? Please, give a r...

amazongrowstarted grow question 4 years ago

Should I defoliate? Why and when? Please, give a reference from a respected grower or paper/article. Thank you!

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Week 7

Techniques. Defoliation

JinksyGrowsanswered grow question 4 years ago

Hello there, I hope I can help with this one and I do have a link for you that I'll post below, along with a member that defo's on this site. Firstly if you're to defo, the majority of it should be taken before entering flower. Not 100% necessary, but defo in Veg allows the plant to recover much faster then when she's in bloom. I would do the majority of any defo you need to do a week before flower. When in flower, you can take fan leaves as you please but I would limit how much you take at a time, taking only 2 or 3 at a time, per day until you have what you want. This is all to reduce stress and encourage fast recovery. In veg, take what you want but ensure it's either directly before or after a feeding. The nutrients added will help her rebound much quicker. Why defo? Mostly to open up the canopy to light and air. Shoots and flowers below a bushy canopy will be under-developed and will probably become LARF (shake). By strategically defo'ing leaves that are blocking potential colas/shoots, we expose to air and light. These shoots will then grow like crazy and roughly match canopy and the size of your other tops. On to your plants. You trained them very well and there does not seem to be any light/air being blocked out. Your tops are all nice and far from each other, even height and their fans should not interfere with their individual growth. If a fan leaf does get in the way, you can take it, but I suggest massaging the fan stem out of the way first. A trick "naturalist's" use. Massaging the fan leaf stem between your forefinger and thumb, gently, will allow you to soften it up and direct it into the position you please. This isn't permanent and the fan will probably migrate back to its original position within 24-48 hours. BUT, this method allows us to keep out sugar maker, cause zero stress and still get the results we're looking for (light/air canopy penetration). Just takes a little more of your time to maintain the process. SO! at this time, I don't feel there's any 'necessary' defo to do on your girls. As they grow and get bushier you may like to take some fans at that time. For now, I'd suggest keeping all your sugar makers until or unless they actually become a problem and get in the way. Here is a link to growweedeasy pertaining to defo, why we do it, when we do it and the benefits of doing it with overly bushy girls. https://www.growweedeasy.com/defoliation. I'm looking for a contact I know who does defo and I will send you their diary link and/or name in PM, I just need time to source it. I hope this helped you in some way and if you need anything else, drop me a PM and I shall see if I know anything about it. Cheers, looking great and definitely on your way👍😉

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Selected By The Grower

Vincent11answered grow question 4 years ago

Hi Amazongrow This the way for Successfully Defoliation. Just before switch to 12/12 – First Defoliation You start by removing the biggest fan leaves, especially any that were hand-sized and bigger. Some growers like to defoliate the bottom 20% of the plant at this stage. Make sure not to disturb bud sites, and always leave enough leaf cover that you still can’t really see through the plant very well. The plant needs a table of leaves to power the growth and stretch the way we want in the next few weeks! I think it’s common to go overboard at this stage, so I recommend taking a few less leaves than you think. It’s easy to get lost in the zone and realize you’ve completely plucked your plant bald! Just remember, you can’t put leaves back but you can always take more later 🙂 3 weeks after switch to 12/12 – Before Second Defoliation It has started growing buds, and completely re-leafed itself in that time! At this point You only taking the biggest fan leaves, making sure not to disturb the growing buds. Again, you still shouldn’t be able to see through the plant very well after you’re done, your plants need leaves to fatten those buds! Nothing else has to be done after this point, and buds were allowed to fatten unhindered. You just give them nutrients and water from here until harvest! Hope this helps and good luck with your grow.

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HighRoller909answered grow question 4 years ago

I suppose you'll keep if in veg for 1 more week and then bloom.nice shape,doesn't need any more defoliation for a week.I would see the end of the week 8.there will surely be some leaf mess.One good defoliation at the end of week 8, slightly more defoliation in first 2 weeks of flowering and then a few leaves every other day.my two cents.I'm removing a few leaves each time,every other day,during whole flowering and my plants seem to be loving it.always check for more space and light penetration.I'm removing leaves anytime I see buds in the shade.yours has a canopy,it will get advantage of defoliating surely.

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Fruitgroweranswered grow question 4 years ago

That's entirely up to you but seeing as it's not your first rodeo have a look at this. Use Schwazzing To Expose Your Cannabis Buds To More Light - RQS Blog

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