So it’s the end of Week 5, Day 35 for the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL auto flowering grow. I have come to the conclusion that these four plants are not going to be XL after their pre-flower stretch. Overall the plants are healthy but the prolonged low humidity and temperatures have robbed them of the vigorous growth documented in my previous Sweet Seeds diary (Cream Mandarine XL Autos). I am disappointed that this will most likely be an XS harvest but a tiny quantity of quality bud is better than nothing. I gave them their first feeding of GHE FloraNova Grow fertilizer at a rate of 1.25 ml/gallon and this is 1/4 of a full dose that would be given to a photosensitive strain. I am still watering every fourth day at a rate of 2.8 litres per plant or 0.7 of a litre per plant per day. I will only be using the fertilizer every other watering or every eight days. That’s about it for this update and on to… Mom’s Tip for Week #5- To Tuck or Take? The when, where, why and how to defoliate Autoflowers successfully…. Lets start with some basic Biology- Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants take in sunlight, water and Carbon Dioxide and transform it into energy in the form of sugars that feed the plant and make it grow. So essentially, every fan leaf on your plant is a solar panel collecting light and therefore valuable in it’s own right. I always try to tuck my leaves if possible before considering removal as my plants need all the energy they can get to power through until harvest. But sometimes tucking isn’t enough or just isn’t an option anymore so here are my suggestions for taking the fan leaves from your Cannabis plants if needed. When- defoliating Autos can be done anytime throughout the grow although it’s generally not done within the first 3-4 weeks. The plants are usually quite small and those early weeks are valuable growing time that these plants simply can’t afford to miss. This is when I find leaf tucking to be most valuable, allowing the plants to keep what few solar panels they have while also allowing the grower to position the leaves so that they are out of the way. I personally find that I defoliate my plants the most over the final 3-4 weeks of the grow as foliage is dying off on it’s own by that point and a few less leaves at harvest time is always a good thing! Of course anytime you see dead/dying or diseased foliage, it should be removed as needed throughout the grow. Where- defoliating Autos is a delicate balance due to their small size and short lifespan. If my plants are healthy, thriving and tucking is no longer an option, I will only remove fan leaves if they are covering/blocking new growth or potential bud sites. As the plants age and the foliage begins to die off naturally, I tend to remove the oldest, lowest growth first working my way up the plant as needed until harvest. Why- defoliating Autos is done for a few basic reasons but only as an extreme in my garden when all else fails. Removing certain large leaves will allow more light into the lower portion of the plant’s canopy reaching young branches or potential bud sites. As the plants age, it also helps with increasing airflow around your swelling buds thus reducing your risks for mold and fungi in humid grow environments. Removing any and all dead/dying or diseased foliage is absolutely necessary in keeping your plants healthy and the grow room clean and pest free. How- defoliating Autos is simple if you keep it simple. Only remove what you absolutely have to and use a sterilized set of sharp pruners for a clean, controlled cut. As the plants age and the foliage begins to die off naturally, just wait. What doesn’t fall off on it’s own will snap off with a simple twist of the leaf’s stem. If the leaves don’t come off with ease, they’re just not quite ready yet so be patient. Be mindful that removing the solar panels from your Cannabis plants is always risky business but Autoflowers are even more challenging in their own way. Smaller plants with a lower leaf to bud ratio and a short lifespan means less room for error so paying close attention to the when, where, why and how is crucial for successfully defoliating Autoflowers. Tuck if you can, only take what you absolutely have to and of course- never take more than 25% of your plant’s overall foliage at one time as this can be devastating or deadly to even the healthiest of plants. Allow your plants to take the lead and they will show you which leaves are ready to go- at what time, all on their own just as nature intended.