defoliate?

I would. I noticed my plants need a little 2-3 weeks into flower. Actually, my plants got so crazy this current run I had to defoliate like 3 weeks in a row in flower. Those ones with the purple stems are the first ones I usually take because they are often the oldest and in the way the most and look like they want to be plucked off anyway. (this is a total anecdote, but it's like the plants saying F these leaves let me highlight it for you so you know which ones to take off easier) Maybe not the ones at the very top, but in the middle of the canopy zone. Younger leaves are more efficient at producing energy for the plant but are smaller. Bigger leaves that are still less efficient aren't exactly useless though. I wish I would have taken more off my Pablo Escobar, and not just leaves but leggy bud sites underneath, and even some at the canopy level. Sometimes its just too crowded.