Please help settle our argument over defoliating

[cannafarmer420]

oh also, full disclosure,
There are times, very rare and the circumstances are dictated by acts of god here. But take for instance that right now I’m ending day 7 of a blackout bc of a fucking dickhead named beryl. I’ve been on generator power for both veg and flower rooms the whole time, so my lights are allllll the way down to 1%, dropped a lot closer to offset the loss of wattage a bit, but then, the big one. The rh here is through the roof right now.and it’s crazy hot, so I cant run the dehumidifier without stressing things more. so i am actually doing hearty defoliation on the plants to mitigate that higher rh, bc my fans are running low and slow. I have my plants spread out a bunch also, my point there are objective uses for it. It’s just not something that I think should be, or ever be , standard practice.

Wish I could help you cap, I totally agree on your point. I have had varieties that were not leafy and don't branch much. Definitely shouldn't defoliate those, they don't need it nor want it. On the other hand I've had some you could strip and a week later it's thicker than it was before. I just cleaned out all the middle fan leaves for my outdoor for air flow due to several plants with PM in the yard so it's floating around in the breeze. Much love @Captspaulding ,

 

[Newty]

I know it's a huge debate, I'm not here to argue. I'm just sharing my experience because I've personally have tried it.

I remove the lower 3rd a week or 2 before flipping to flower. At week 3 of flower I do another major defoliation to open up air flow and light to lower bud sites. After week 3 I will maybe remove a leaf here and there. My yield has greatly increased since I've started doing this and humidity is easier to control.
First time I tested this was the same strain back to back, first grow of it I did not defoliate and the 2nd grow I did.

Sometimes the leaves grow back thicker then before though, which would be the case for my current small tent grow.

1st pic is week 3 defoliation, pictures after are 10 days after defoliation.
The leaves came back thicker and the buds greatly increased in size.

 

[Metalman1]

Wish I could help you cap, I totally agree on your point. I have had varieties that were not leafy and don't branch much. Definitely shouldn't defoliate those, they don't need it nor want it. On the other hand I've had some you could strip and a week later it's thicker than it was before. I just cleaned out all the middle fan leaves for my outdoor for air flow due to several plants with PM in the yard so it's floating around in the breeze. Much love @Captspaulding ,

That's my plant. A lot of branches, and a lot of foliage. It's been tough trying to keep ahead of it !

 

[Metalman1]

I'll trim it and 3 days later it will look like I never touched it.

 

[Metalman1]

That's my plant. A lot of branches, and a lot of foliage. It's been tough trying to keep ahead of it !

I have a lot of bud sites, About 60. Also I should have about 6 colas, maybe 8. The only thing I do now is make sure I got alittle air, in-between branches. The tops are pretty much all clear.

 

[Captspaulding]

Wish I could help you cap, I totally agree on your point. I have had varieties that were not leafy and don't branch much. Definitely shouldn't defoliate those, they don't need it nor want it. On the other hand I've had some you could strip and a week later it's thicker than it was before. I just cleaned out all the middle fan leaves for my outdoor for air flow due to several plants with PM in the yard so it's floating around in the breeze. Much love @Captspaulding ,

You know I appreciate the hell outta ya bud!