Defoliate Autoflower Last Few Weeks Flower??

[breedwheel]

Hey everyone. I have a couple grows under my belt with photo's and one auto and was hoping to get peoples two cents on something. I have a gorilla glue ending her third week of flower. Beautiful plants with lots of bud sites but it also has major foliage covering up and comers buds. I want to strip this thing down so bad it hurts.

I have studied a lot and read a lot of autos and there is a lot of confusion about messing with them. I grew a big devil #2 autoflower first go around and just let it do its thing. I did the tucking routine and it yielded 2oz at end---I pitched a lot of larfy buds at the bottom of the canopy. Don't have a press and don't want to mess with bubble bags and stuff. I am looking for the hard buds. I was still really happy with the outcome and can see why people like autos. It grew a good bit of bud with very little effort.

I have seen people mainline autos and I have heard people say if to cut a leaf off it will go into shock and die. Anyone have experience with defoliating autos in the last few weeks of flower?

The gorilla glue is from fastbuds seeds and the info they give is it takes 8 weeks to complete it flower cycle--she is the one up front. Lots and lots of little buds under that canopy need light.

 

[chemistry]

I would leave it, as hairy as and unkempt as it looks, I think it has good structure.

 

[Jimster]

I don't have much experience with autos, but I had the same problem with black Diesel last grow with a nice canopy but not much underneath. The best time to trim excess leaves, in my opinion, is during the last week of vegging and daily or every few days during flowering. I leave as much leaves on it to allow it to make hard buds without stunting it, but carefully take off the larger leaves on the canopy, to allow light into the interior during vegging, to encourage as many bud sites as possible. Taking them off during flowering I do the same thing, concentrating on getting as much direct light inside, since the bud's growth is directly proportional to the amount of direct light it gets.
Depending on your definition of defoliating, however, can make a big difference. I prefer to take the strategic leaf, allowing as much leaf area to continue making energy for the plant. Some growers strip the plant bare except for just the growing shoots, so there is a lot of latitude when it comes to defoliating.

 

[Erick31876]

I don't have much experience with autos, but I had the same problem with black Diesel last grow with a nice canopy but not much underneath. The best time to trim excess leaves, in my opinion, is during the last week of vegging and daily or every few days during flowering. I leave as much leaves on it to allow it to make hard buds without stunting it, but carefully take off the larger leaves on the canopy, to allow light into the interior during vegging, to encourage as many bud sites as possible. Taking them off during flowering I do the same thing, concentrating on getting as much direct light inside, since the bud's growth is directly proportional to the amount of direct light it gets.
Depending on your definition of defoliating, however, can make a big difference. I prefer to take the strategic leaf, allowing as much leaf area to continue making energy for the plant. Some growers strip the plant bare except for just the growing shoots, so there is a lot of latitude when it comes to defoliating.

I agree with you and exfoliate the same way. I'm not sure about autoflowers though. I'm sure someone with experience with them will chime in.

 

[quirk]

View attachment 863424 View attachment 863424 Hey everyone. I have a couple grows under my belt with photo's and one auto and was hoping to get peoples two cents on something. I have a gorilla glue ending her third week of flower. Beautiful plants with lots of bud sites but it also has major foliage covering up and comers buds. I want to strip this thing down so bad it hurts.

I have studied a lot and read a lot of autos and there is a lot of confusion about messing with them. I grew a big devil #2 autoflower first go around and just let it do its thing. I did the tucking routine and it yielded 2oz at end---I pitched a lot of larfy buds at the bottom of the canopy. Don't have a press and don't want to mess with bubble bags and stuff. I am looking for the hard buds. I was still really happy with the outcome and can see why people like autos. It grew a good bit of bud with very little effort.

I have seen people mainline autos and I have heard people say if to cut a leaf off it will go into shock and die. Anyone have experience with defoliating autos in the last few weeks of flower?

The gorilla glue is from fastbuds seeds and the info they give is it takes 8 weeks to complete it flower cycle--she is the one up front. Lots and lots of little buds under that canopy need light.

I buzzcut my auto's two weeks out from harvest.

 

[TheKoreanKid]

I buzzcut my auto's two weeks out from harvest.

cool pic on wall, super pitts?

 

[Jack og]

I’d say last week or so defoliate would be ok as they stop feeding from fans by then anyway, but never early in life. It has a short lifespan and needs every bit of leaf surface to achieve greatness!!

 

[quirk]

cool pic on wall, super pitts?

Christen Eagle. Kit plane designed by Frank Christensen, based on the Pitts Special. That pic is from 1986 EAA Oshkosh of the Eagle Aerobatic Team who formerly flew the Pitts Special as the Red Devils. Kits still sold by Aviat I believe.

 

[TONNAGE]

How did it end up working out for you?

I picked up something like this on amazon in case I needed more light under my canopy on my auto flowers. I’m just about to enter week 4 from seed and think these will help down the road, they are flexible and the light output is adjustable. Know I understand this particular brand/style might not be enough, but there are options to increase light under canopy without burn. A little of this light would be more beneficial than no light because of canopy.

LED Grow Light, Haofy 30W 3 Head Grow Lights for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum, 57 LEDs Sunlike Plant Lights Bulb White with Adjustable 360 Degree Flexible Gooseneck, Auto ON & Off Cycle Timer & Reservation Startup Function, Professional Sunlight Grow Lamp for Seedling Growing Blooming Fruiting Greenhouse Hydroponic Plants