scrapion said:
Apparently you didnt read your own reference!
Ha.
Didn't read my own reference eh?
Did ya'll read through the link looking for the out-of-context sentence that might make you look 'right'?
Let me clear on a few things, which is certainly supported by the content of my posts, and of THC Farmer's synopsis paper, thus far:
I'm not advocating shaving a plant of leaves down to the budding sites - I've seen this done and it certainly doesn't work well for final yield - I'm advocating selective removal of the top few layers large-post-veg fan leaves to allow the majority of the plant to breath and recieve more light that it otherwise would.
Now - let's take a look at MountainDank's own out-of-context quotes:
sedate said:
if you think a fan leaf blocking a budding site 12 inches lower on the plant will turn the light it recieves into energy for that budding site, then you have a seriously flawed understanding of plant function.
The large fan leaves left over from the end of the veg stage are doing nothing for the size of the flowers - they are keeping themselves alive and absorbing light that could be better spent producing actual smoke.
Which is a correct statement, but apparently requires more critical reading than MountainDank and scrapion put forth:
THCFarmer's Leaf Paper said:
Phloem moves from sources (areas of supply) to sinks (areas of metabolism or storage). Granted that the flowers can produce some photosynthate, but they are no where near as effective as fan leaves (resin glands significantly reduce light to the tissue they are found on). Flowers are sink tissues, leaves are source tissues. Sinks do not produce enough photosynthate, and are importers. Sources give photosynthate to sinks in closest proximity.
Which is kinda of like saying "if you think a fan leaf blocking a budding site 12 inches lower on the plant will turn the light it recieves into energy for that budding site, then you have a seriously flawed understanding of plant function"
THCFarmer's Leaf Paper said:
During flowering and fruiting, only the very bottom leaves supply the roots and the rest of the leaves try to get as much energy as possible to the flowers of fruits. For this reason, the more leaves are unshaded and in good light, the more chance the plant has of creating extra storage of energy that will ultimately go into yield (Leaf, 03.13.2002).
Which is exactly my point - the
surface area of leaves that are actually recieving light is what is important here - and that the surface area is greatly increased by removal of overgrown fan leaves at the top and mid-section of the plant.
Get that scrapion and MountainDank? It isn't just leaf surface area - it is
leaf surface area actually receiving light.
THCFarmer's Leaf Paper said:
Removal of fan leaves will not only slow growth, but it will also hinder the plants ability to rid itself of toxic gases, and also hinder the regulation of the plants temperature via stomata. Changes in the plants chemical metabolism caused by fan leave removal causes the plant to work overtime to rid ‘toxins’ with less leaves, as a result the pant may allocate more growth hormones into growing more leaves to make up for what has been lost(Equator, 03.15.2002). Removing large amounts of fan leaves may also interfere with the metabolic balance of the plant. Leaf removal may also cause sex reversal resulting from a metabolic imbalance.
This quote refers to the generalized function of fan leaves. And I certainly never indicated that they do not serve a function - during flowering or otherwise - I'm arguing you do not need all the leaves the plant produces during the final week or weeks of the veg stage and indeed final yield will be increased.
Besides - the 'growth' part of the plant's hormonal response will be well behind it at the OP's stage of flowering, and depending on whether the plant was taken from a clone or not, will be *well* established a week or so into flowering, so the above warnings of hermaphrodism or plant-retardation aren't really applicable here.
But eitherway, like I keep indicating, I'm advocating selective removal - not clear-cutting the thing - when one enters the flower stage:
THCFarmer's Leaf Paper said:
For this reason, the more leaves are unshaded and in good light, the more chance the plant has of creating extra storage of energy that will ultimately go into yield (Leaf, 03.13.2002). However Jeast (03.13.02) believes that the rich green leaves emerging from the bud are a sufficient energy source of solar energy for the plant's floral development. Therefore the old fan leaves are once again rendered useless and only drain energy from the developing part of the plant (Jeast, 03.13.02).
See scrapion? Not only did I read my 'own' reference, I read
carefully and critically.
!