Should you cut fan leaves

11Ron11 · Jan 31, 2022

From what I have researched most People say:

1 Don't cut at all it harms the plant.
2 Cut some for air flow and light
3 Only cut bottom leaves as they are useless.
4 Cut all fan leaves to provide all energy to new growth.

From my understanding the only reason for fan leaves is that they act as a reservoir for the plant on dry days but if you grow indoors and there will never be dry days why give the extra energy to useless leaves.

Cutting a plant will obviously damage it my concern would be stress will it stunt the growth if slowly but continually cut all fan leaves.

Is pruning really worth it mother nature seems to do a good job..

Observationist · Jan 31, 2022

11Ron11 said:
2 Cut some for air flow and light

11Ron11 said:
3 Only cut bottom leaves as they are useless.

context, EX

humidity/PM issues/Airflow.

so you would do this.

3- are you referring to "lollipopping" or are talking strictly fan leafs.

otherwise, some one with more experience can come along.

Dirtbag · Jan 31, 2022

Loaded question but the answer is, it depends.

A plant should always be pruned properly, but in terms of defolitaion you need to weigh certain factors like how much room is available to the plant? Are you just growing a couple in a decent space or packing it wall to wall? Are you using a soil based media or soiless like coco or rockwool or dwc hydroponics?

Generally speaking plants in a soil media with lots of room to breathe, I'd leave as many leaves on as possible but still remove a couple.

If you're in a fast growing media and the room is packed and the plants are healthy, a few days before flower I'd strip every damn leaf off as well as every node to the tip of each branch, just leaving a single node and leaf at the tip. Better to do it all at once, like ripping off a bandaid.
In a slower growing system, you need to watch how much you stress them because you can really stall them.

11Ron11 · Jan 31, 2022

Observationist said:
context, EX

humidity/PM issues/Airflow.

so you would do this.

3- are you referring to "lollipopping" or are talking strictly fan leafs.

otherwise, some one with more experience can come along.

I'm talking about cutting leaves good or bad.
If leaves only provide water to plants on dry days then they are useless because I grow inside and monitor water.
But is the stress on the plant worth the benefits of extra new growth.

Observationist · Jan 31, 2022

Dirtbag said:
Loaded question but the answer is, it depends.

A plant should always be pruned properly, but in terms of defolitaion you need to weigh certain factors like how much room is available to the plant? Are you just growing a couple in a decent space or packing it wall to wall? Are you using a soil based media or soiless like coco or rockwool or dwc hydroponics?

Generally speaking plants in a soil media with lots of room to breathe, I'd leave as many leaves on as possible but still remove a couple.

If you're in a fast growing media and the room is packed and the plants are healthy, a few days before flower I'd strip every damn leaf off as well as every node to the tip of each branch, just leaving a single node and leaf at the tip. Better to do it all at once, like ripping off a bandaid.
In a slower growing system, you need to watch how much you stress them because you can really stall them.

This is where my lack of experience came in on my first soil grow, I stripped in soil, did it wrong, maybe too much at once as well.

thanks dirtbag

Observationist · Jan 31, 2022

11Ron11 said:
I'm talking about cutting leaves good or bad.
If leaves only provide water to plants on dry days then they are useless because I grow inside and monitor water.
But is the stress on the plant worth the benefits of extra new growth.

I’d say yes, after looking at dirtbags strip before/after flip. That shit is crazy, defoliation done properly and his plants blew up, but I don’t mean to talk for someone.

the theory there I think is, from what I’ve read before, the plant basically thinks it’s under attack, and hormones are going crazy so it scrambles to newgrowth (?)

so yes, that stress leads to a lot new rapid growth. (?)

11Ron11 · Jan 31, 2022

Dirtbag said:
Loaded question but the answer is, it depends.

A plant should always be pruned properly, but in terms of defolitaion you need to weigh certain factors like how much room is available to the plant? Are you just growing a couple in a decent space or packing it wall to wall? Are you using a soil based media or soiless like coco or rockwool or dwc hydroponics?

Generally speaking plants in a soil media with lots of room to breathe, I'd leave as many leaves on as possible but still remove a couple.

If you're in a fast growing media and the room is packed and the plants are healthy, a few days before flower I'd strip every damn leaf off as well as every node to the tip of each branch, just leaving a single node and leaf at the tip. Better to do it all at once, like ripping off a bandaid.
In a slower growing system, you need to watch how much you stress them because you can really stall them.

I got the room I'm only growing 5 autoflowering in a 4x4x6 tent using organic soil.
Because they are small plants I'm thinking if I get rid of leaves the energy will go to the branches and multiply basically same method as topping 1 cola turns into 2.
What I'm wondering is do the leaves serve any other purpose then storing water because I can provide the water..
Not there yet but trying to get my technique dialed in before they grow..lol

Dirtbag · Jan 31, 2022

11Ron11 said:
I got the room I'm only growing 5 autoflowering in a 4x4x6 tent using organic soil.
Because they are small plants I'm thinking if I get rid of leaves the energy will go to the branches and multiply basically same method as topping 1 cola turns into 2.
What I'm wondering is do the leaves serve any other purpose then storing water because I can provide the water..
Not there yet but trying to get my technique dialed in before they grow..lol

No, that's going about it all wrong. To make more tops you need to prune it, nip the top when it's a foot tall and let the side branches grow up, then nip the tops off those and let the two top branches grow off each branch.
Only remove lower leaves and any massive leaf that's really blocking light penetration and airflow a few days before you flip.
In veg, just let it grow, let it have its leaves, and train the plant by pruning it properly. I'd suggest a topping when they're 8-12" tall, or about 8-10 nodes on the plant.

Observationist · Jan 31, 2022

11Ron11 said:
I got the room I'm only growing 5 autoflowering in a 4x4x6 tent using organic soil.
Because they are small plants I'm thinking if I get rid of leaves the energy will go to the branches and multiply basically same method as topping 1 cola turns into 2.
What I'm wondering is do the leaves serve any other purpose then storing water because I can provide the water..
Not there yet but trying to get my technique dialed in before they grow..lol

"Don't be fooled into thinking fan leaves are just for show. Their large, multi-fingered shape is an essential tool for collecting as much sunlight as possible. The primary purpose of fan leaves is to support photosynthesis. The leaves themselves are also packed with phytonutrients and, to a much lesser degree than sugar leaves and buds, cannabinoids."

Source - https://www.zambeza.com/blog-what-are-cannabis-fan-leaves-n379

take it with a grain of salt.

11Ron11 · Jan 31, 2022

Observationist said:
"Don't be fooled into thinking fan leaves are just for show. Their large, multi-fingered shape is an essential tool for collecting as much sunlight as possible. The primary purpose of fan leaves is to support photosynthesis. The leaves themselves are also packed with phytonutrients and, to a much lesser degree than sugar leaves and buds, cannabinoids."

So many different methods I look forward to messing a few of them up...lol

Shayne010944 · Jan 31, 2022

Dirtbag said:
No, that's going about it all wrong. To make more tops you need to prune it, nip the top when it's a foot tall and let the side branches grow up, then nip the tops off those and let the two top branches grow off each branch.
Only remove lower leaves and any massive leaf that's really blocking light penetration and airflow a few days before you flip.
In veg, just let it grow, let it have its leaves, and train the plant by pruning it properly. I'd suggest a topping when they're 8-12" tall, or about 8-10 nodes on the plant.

hey dirtbag can you nip the top of the side branches all in 1 go ? or is that too much stress ? or should you do one every couple days ?

Dirtbag · Jan 31, 2022

Shayne010944 said:
hey dirtbag can you nip the top of the side branches all in 1 go ? or is that too much stress ? or should you do one every couple days ?

I prefer to do them all at once.

Mr.GreenthumbOG · Feb 1, 2022

Topping? Auto-flowering plants?

GanjaJack · Feb 1, 2022

Ok, so, leaves take light energy, and use it to convert the nutrients you give them into food. So, think of it like this, the more leaves you take off the plant, the more you are starving them.

So, after you strip all the fan leaves off, you give them the same amount of nutrients, expecting them to be able to convert the nutes into food, but, it can't do that as efficiently, because why?

You just stripped off all the fan leaves.

You can get away with pulling off leaves to open up air and get rid of some of the shading of lower buds, without starving them, but, eventually pulling off to many leaves leads to a point of diminishing returns.

GanjaJack · Feb 1, 2022

11Ron11 said:
I'm talking about cutting leaves good or bad.
If leaves only provide water to plants on dry days then they are useless because I grow inside and monitor water.
But is the stress on the plant worth the benefits of extra new growth.

Let me give this a "twist"......

So, let's say you're growing in hydroponics.... So, you still think that's only water you're giving them?

What I have always been curious about is the amount of recovery time it takes to grow all of it's leaves back.

People also have to realize that bud nodes that are showing on a plant, that's all you're getting, you can not increase bud nodes by clipping leaves, and those leaves directly feed the bud node adjacent to it. (You can only increase the number of bud nodes by topping.)

So, after stripping off all the fan leaves from a plant, how much does that delay flowering time?

Next pair of clones I take I will run a side by side to see what gives as far as recovery time and flowering delay, seeing is believing and I am tired of taking everything on faith.

11Ron11 · Feb 1, 2022

GanjaJack said:
Ok, so, leaves take light energy, and use it to convert the nutrients you give them into food. So, think of it like this, the more leaves you take off the plant, the more you are starving them.

So, after you strip all the fan leaves off, you give them the same amount of nutrients, expecting them to be able to convert the nutes into food, but, it can't do that as efficiently, because why?

You just stripped off all the fan leaves.

You can get away with pulling off leaves to open up air and get rid of some of the shading of lower buds, without starving them, but, eventually pulling off to many leaves leads to a point of diminishing returns.

I like this explanation...
Thanks

brotherfrombelgium · Feb 1, 2022

I have found more rigorous growth when leaving most fan leaves on for my recent grow(ucrdwc), the lower ones i trimmed once and that's it and won't touch them again until the final few days.

They just look happier and healthier than my last grow for I've hardly touched it, less is more sometimes.

Clase · Feb 1, 2022

Yes you cut fan leaves. They cover bud sites from light penetration. If you are unsure go on YouTube and look up Kyle kushman on plant defoliating and chiropractic techniques. You don't want all that larf on the bottom of your plant. It only takes away from the main colas. Just my 02 cents.

GanjaJack · Feb 1, 2022

Clase said:
Yes you cut fan leaves. They cover bud sites from light penetration. If you are unsure go on YouTube and look up Kyle kushman on plant defoliating and chiropractic techniques. You don't want all that larf on the bottom of your plant. It only takes away from the main colas. Just my 02 cents.

heh…. You don’t want all the larf, yet, are removing leaves to stop larf from being light blocked?
And most of the leaves you are removing are leaves from upper tops… It’s self defeating.

GanjaJack · Feb 1, 2022

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Should you cut fan leaves

Should you cut fan leaves

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Dirtbag

11Ron11

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