Trimming While In Flower (yes Or No)

[LoudpackzUk]

Hi im a first time grower.

Ive seen mixed feelings about trimming while in flower.

Some say its a good stress, will increase yield, expose more buds, better airflow etc and other say its bad

I am more inclined to try it as im a risk taker haha...

...Or maybe just try with one of the plants.

Currently 5x Cali Cookies in early flower

What do you guys think?

 

[MW7945]

A lot of people are anti but especially if mine looked like that, I'd do it.

I learned the hard way you gotta keep your canopy at bay or end up with a lot of airy shit bud. My last grow I did multiple defoliations and avoided that happening again. Still got just shy of 1g/w

 

[GT21]

Dont do a lot at once... Do like a couple branches at a time. End pruning bout 3 weeks. But next time try to do all that in veg

 

[1diesel1]

Just pluck the large fan leaves, sparingly. Don’t get carried away. At week 7 completely strip all large fan leaves.

 

[Shawnery]

That thing needs some space to breath. Make sure you don't remove to many incase of health issues later. Imagine if you remove a bunch and then a week later she becomes I'll and losses a bunch more. Almost happened to me but I was lucky and caught it in time.

 

[Homesteader]

The fan leaves are your sinks or reserves for nutrients and they are also the canaries in the coal mine for many deficiencies. A plant will naturally begin senescence towards the end of flower and as it does it will take those nutrients to build larger healthy buds. Once their yellow, their tapped.
Some strains are just hairy as hell and need a shave just to manage it though. I personally avoid those strains because of it.

 

[JWM2]

The fan leaves are your sinks or reserves for nutrients and they are also the canaries in the coal mine for many deficiencies. A plant will naturally begin senescence towards the end of flower and as it does it will take those nutrients to build larger healthy buds. Once their yellow, their tapped.
Some strains are just hairy as hell and need a shave just to manage it though. I personally avoid those strains because of it.

My thoughts exactly. You shouldn’t have to do any pruning in the flowering stage. Let them use the energy they’d need to recover into producing flowers. But it’s your grow so you do what you need to. You’re the one who has to live with the results. Good luck either way. But I’d vote to leave them alone :-)

 

[The OD710]

I do extreme defoliation at right before the flip and at week three. Like so extreme it would make most people flip. I get fantastic results and I am definitely a pro pruning in flower, but only if your plants are healthy. Never prune a plant that is not in tip top health. Yours look great. If I were you I would start removing some leaves to expose some more bud sites.

 

[Shawnery]

I've been doing some reading about tomato plants, not that they're identical, because they seem to react similar to things. I found some research that stated the belief that tomatoes needed direct sunlight was a misnomer. The truth was that that the tomatoes needed warmth to ripen and not direct light at all.

I was thinking if the same could apply to cannabis ripening during the flowering phase. People will be quick to point out that lower and shaded buds grow much smaller and this is true. The problem lies in figuring out where this difference comes from and not assuming it's from loss of light.

Perhaps it's not the loss of light that causes the buds down low to ripen less but the fact that these buds receive much lower surface temps do to this shading. After all the leaves feed the plant through photosynthesis and my question would be if calyx's have the ability to photosynthesize by themselves and if not the belief that they need direct light would seem questionable.

?

 

[cemchris]

The difference from me defoling and not defoling in flower is pounds.

 

[Shawnery]

The difference from me defoling and not defoling in flower is pounds.

Which way?

 

[The OD710]

The difference from me defoling and not defoling in flower is pounds.

Definitely pounds more for me when I defoliate. Once I saw the results from the first time there is no way I'm going back.

 

[Shawnery]

I've been wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to trim more leaf fingers in half instead of removing fewer completely? I'm thinking in particular about the way clones leaves are trimmed down in half to increase rooting.

Maybe by doing it this way you can get the same defoliation results but with better photosynthesis for the plant but still get the direct calyx light your looking for.

I have no clue if it makes any sense but my head just went there.

 

[NGA]

If you want bud on your plants clean up the bottom before week three ,and you best be picking a few leafs here and there so the light can get through your plant ,plain and simple not rocket sience ,

 

[KlipschGuy]

I've done pretty much everything at one time or another. Defoliation, multiple topping, sog, scrog and landed on super cropping! I will not grow in a different method anymore. Super cropping gives you a much more even canopy and a lot more colas per plant without topping branches and splitting branches into two causing weaker branches and smaller buds. Once you get you're super cropping techniques down you'll never go back. It's more time consuming but the yields make up for it! I top my plants 1 time at about 8" leaving about 6 alternating side branch and start bending and tieing down. As you bend and tie the lower growth becomes dominant and you just keep on bending the leaders! These are still early bloom but you'll get the idea, short and very wide, like 30" tall by 65" plus wide.

 

[cemchris]

Which way?

Depends on your style of growing but in the space of screening about 12-18 plants with short veg times on 4 x 8's defol multi times or go home. Spec if running gas. This is very strain specific. Why I love stuff like the coffin cut. Defol at week 3 and dont have to touch them again. On the other hand Larry. Week 5 and I'm on my 2nd defol and prob have to do 1 or 2 more.