Defoliation Suggestions

So many people here that make it up as they go on.You don't need all those leaves. Ideally you should of done it last week but claiming it needs all those leaves just isnt true,no matter how long winded and technical they try and sound.You will not cut her her power supply by taking 20 leaves off her,its far from stripping her.The guys that get 50oz off 1 autos seriously strip there leaves,and I mean strip them.They take over 90% off which proves its nonsense.Check YT out and you'll see a couple of guys growing the biggest autos youve ever seen.They do use massive pots with those air domes at the bottom off the pot but it shows you how far you can take them for them to bounce back better and stronger.It seems to prolong the veg period.I think one guy got one and half kilo off one.Some people make it up as they go along.They talk about the scientific approach only to add their own theory that theyve pulled out of thin air..

Salam dt710! 👋 I see you posted this again welcome back, Habibi! 🌿 As you've seen from the growing community responses, this is one of the most debated topics out there. But let's look at this through the lens of Modern Engineering so you can make the best choice for your environment. 🛠️ I agree with both @Grow_for_Happiness and the new points from @00110001001001111O. Here is the breakdown: 1. The "Solar Panel" Rule (Why you shouldn't strip her): 📉 Autoflowers are on a strict genetic timer. Right now (Week 6), she is using all of those large fan leaves as "solar panels" to generate the massive amount of energy required for the flowering stretch. If you strip her naked today, you will cut her power supply and she will stay short. 2. The Airflow Engineering (How to fix the moisture worry): 🌬️ Instead of a massive defoliation, you need to re-engineer the airflow. Targeted Pruning: Do an interior cleanout. Only snip off the large fan leaves that are pointing inward toward the center stem. Leave all the exterior leaves pointing outward alone! This opens up a vertical wind-tunnel right through the center of the plant. LST (Low Stress Training): As @00110001001001111O suggested, use some soft garden wire to gently pull the side branches outward and tie them to the rim of your pot. This literally opens the plant up like a satellite dish, instantly removing the congestion in the middle without taking away any of her solar panels! 📡 3. The Dehumidifier Reality: 💧 If you are still worried about moisture after opening her up, the only true mechanical fix is a dehumidifier in the lung room (the room your tent is inside). Exhaust fans can only pull in the air that surrounds the tent; if that room's air is humid, your tent will be humid. Open up that center with some wire, pluck the inward-facing leaves, and let her stretch! 🚀 Happy Growing! 💚

Don't take leaves off just for the sake of it.Remove the ones that shade the lower branches along with any that overlap each other.Some light will penetrate through a leaf but it wont be anything like direct light.Iv only grown around 100 autos over a few years but found they were better when left to do their thing and if you don't have a lot of experience with training youll certainly get more off them when left.I have some 6wk old auto on my diary that have been left and they 3 times the size of yours.Iv never got anything less than 4oz off one.I keep meaning to make a defoliation tutorial but havent got round to it.I took a whole 1foot of growth off my last one.Theyre very strong plants that can take some serious abuse and bounce straight back.Stress can be a possitive thing if done right.

if you do buy a dehum, buy biigger than you need... the residential dehums that run hard will only last 3-4 years. Similar idea with exhaust duct fans... buy big enough that they run at 50% and realize benefits of less noise, and less wear-n-tear. the noise won't apply to the dehum, unfortunately, but if it clicks on /off less and doesn't have to use it's safety auto-defrost feature constantly, it will last longer.

I'd spread the branches out with wire or a trellis. Then, probably won't need to remove anything middle and up on the plant. If you think it's a bit congested lower on the plant, selectively remove a few leaves... Get a better dehum? Grow during the time of year RH is lower? If exhausting to a different area that the air won't mingle, increasing exhaust will help.. but not if it pumps it back to the room sorrounding the tent. leave the door open to the room containing the tent? Grow downstairs and humidity will rise, which can help vs top floors. But, if RH is a problem, you need a dehumidifier. There's no way around it. None of these other things can make a big dent.. they can help fine-tune things or reduce electricity used by dehum, but still need a dehum. Those leaves grew back in the past, right? the plant wasn't barren? So, you had a full canopy even if later in flower. Should be similar unless the plant didn't have time to grow back all the leaves you used to remove.

I personally try not to defoliate my autos until they've finished stretching. Have defoliated before stretch in the past when absolutely had to and it visibly affected the overall height and yeild of the plants. With autos every day counts, and you don't want them recovering when they should be doing their most growing