Should I have to defoliate below the net?

After looking at your diary, there is very little plant above the net, in fact the plants are quite small in general. I would not be defoliating, this just reduces the amount of energy the plant can make, which limits growth. If I were you, I would just slightly lollipop the areas close to the main stem to make access for irrigating easier and then leave the plants alone to finish naturally. Defoliation is not an essential "technique" for growing cannabis and should only really be done if there are incredible issues with controlling excessive humidity. Buds do not need direct exposure to light for growth to occur, just like how fruit does not only grow on the sunny side of trees. Just remember.......... Less leaves = less energy being made = less potential growth.............it is that simple. ALL of the plants energy to grow and thrive comes from the leaves, it does not come from anywhere else. Removing leaves so the plant can "redirect energy into bud growth" is scientifically and biologically impossible. Without the leaves, there can be no energy!

Depends - can't see th rest of the plant. If it's a shorty, then you may want that growth Depends on how much vege growth likely remains, too. If it's going to grow another foot or more, that lower stuff will be larfy for sure. This requires some imagination but i lollipop 20-24" below my expected canopy height. I get decent buds up to 2 feet deep, so i want the growth to be there up to 2 feet deep. I'd rather have a small percentage of larf than cut off potentially good buds. It's definitely better to do this before flowers a easily visible - tufts of stigmas starting all over the growth nodes/terminal buds. these sorts of things don't likely increase yield but do reduce the amount of larf you have. Don't tell yourself it improves overall yield because it probably doesn't. Any growth that is going to overlap and get congested is a good candidate for selective pruning. Again, needs a bit of imagination and familiarity with how much vege growth remaining to expect.

If your buds and leaves are going to receive no light under your main canopy then you can remove them. Check out my French Macaroon Diary and see my single plant that a SCRoG an entire 4’x4’ tent with the one plant. I cleared out everything under the main canopy but I was VERY DENSE. By the looks of your situation, it might not be needed as much since you are still getting plenty of light penetration. Hope this helps.