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Defoliation at beginning of flower?

Lowbuds
Lowbudsstarted grow question 2d ago
At which point should I do a defoliation and clean the bottom third of the plant?
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Week 14
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Ultraviolet
Ultravioletanswered grow question 2d ago
Different wavelengths of light have different penetration depths. The first 2 to 3 layers of leaf will recieve ample blue and red and green for robust bud growth. Only even begin to think about defoliation once your canopy has a a excess of 2-3 layers deep other wise you are reducing plants ability to perform gas exchange which is a precursor for photosynthesis. The cannabis plant is hardwired as such. Anytime a leaf consumes more energy than it produces the plant will initiate pcd programmed cell death, it will strip all the mobile nutrients from said lead which will turn yellow, this yellow is carotenoid and still capable of photosynthesis. Eventually the plant will detach once it has remobilized everything it can. The only time you want to defoliate is to expedite what you already know plant won't "utilize" later in flower. How do you know? Well thats where experience comes in, you won't know until you watch a plant defoliate itself, then all you do is "defoliate" that which you know won't be used. (wasted energy) There are mechanisms within the plant thay are made to protect from herbivory, pinching leaves as if it was being eaten can trick the plant and trigger responses but this is more during terpene production and the benefits will be a % or two at most. Large Buds don't develop because a lack of energy they lack the ratio of colors to produce proper buds, Green light will penetrate 6, 7 layers, if you supplement side red and blue, you can give th lower parts the 1:2;1 they crave almost removing entirely the need for any defoliation at all. Pruning is another thing.
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HandsomeTerpz
HandsomeTerpzanswered grow question 2d ago
Hey, and thank you your plants look great too! From my perspective, the goal of LST (Low Stress Training) is to direct the branches in a way that ensures even light exposure and structured growth in the right direction. Defoliation serves two main purposes: 1. It improves light penetration to the center and bottom of the plant. 2. It helps buds grow evenly, both in height and density. I personally recommend finishing LST before the flowering stage. That way, you can decide how many main buds you want to focus on and guide their growth accordingly. So in my opinion, the definition of the plant belongs in the vegetative stage. That said, it’s also important to keep watching as the plant develops. If you notice that it’s getting too dense or starting to “sweat” (humidity issues), you should carefully remove some leaves even during flowering but with caution! 🌿✂️ Light and airflow are key for healthy, beautiful buds!
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MistaOC
MistaOCanswered grow question 2d ago
First of all, your plants are looking great – there doesn’t seem to be any need for heavy defoliation. Personally, I defoliate from time to time without following a strict schedule. Whenever a leaf gets in the way for one reason or another, I simply remove it. In my opinion, it’s far less stressful for the plant if you remove, say, one or two leaves a day rather than taking off 50 all at once. So my advice would be: defoliate gradually and regularly, but avoid doing too much at once. Happy growing!
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AestheticGenetics
AestheticGeneticsanswered grow question 2d ago
people normally do around day 20 of flower at the latest. some people do it before 12/1
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The710Garden
The710Gardenanswered grow question 2d ago
Looks Like you did alteady a Heavy defo and 🍭 poppin 😄
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pHilosophy420
pHilosophy420answered grow question 2d ago
Yeah bro, now’s the time to defoliate , right at the start of flower or within the first 1-3 weeks (stretch phase). Clean up the bottom third of the plants, strip all the larfy growth and fan leaves that won’t see light. Up top, pull any big fan leaves that block light to bud sites and open up the canopy for better airflow. Keep weaving your branches under the SCROG to even out the canopy. You can do a second light defol around week 3, then let them bulk up. Your plants are lookin’ good just a bit leafy, time to let those buds breathe and shine.
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Organoman
Organomananswered grow question 2d ago
There is nothing to defoliate or clean from these plants...........leave them be!
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RuiNas
RuiNasanswered grow question 2d ago
hello. From what I can see, she's on the right track. Try not to do major defoliation after the 4th week of flowering.
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RasendeRollo92
RasendeRollo92answered grow question 2d ago
Hey 👋 Yes Heavy defoliation should be done in early flowering stage. Of course you can remove several leaves afterwards, but in early flowering she’s able to recover more easy than later on. Just cut all leaves below the scrog net. Anyway, it looks good 👍 Have fun growing 👊🍀
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GodZilla_Owner
GodZilla_Owneranswered grow question 2d ago
Bei dir vermutlich in 1-2Wochen je nachdem wie sie aussehen. Normalerweise macht man das in der 2. - 3. Blütewoche.
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