Who Is Plucking Fan Leaves That Block Bud Sites

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Homesteader

Homesteader

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Leaves+in+the+canopy+absorb+red+light.jpg
 
UncleRomulus

UncleRomulus

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It’s all about the ying and yang or whatever. For every leaf I take I spare one. I have seen guys that take too many (especially early on) and it just slows down the plant. I think anyone who takes lots off has small harvests, but I take plenty off to put energy elsewhere. By harvest I only have a handful of big original fan leaves but all the “small” leaves end up pretty good size cause they weren’t hidden under the big bastards
 
chillywilly

chillywilly

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True @UncleRomulus , my set up uses as I've spoken of the 4200K spectrum...I got Federation Seeds Mikado going right now, some phenos are very leafy if too much N...these are very small(1') plants at best like my Hawaiian indica but very leafy under led lights as bulbs but needs defoliated 2-3 times with a 45-50 day flower, others I do 3 wks into flower...
cw
 
P

PharmHand

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I hope this reasoning will be enough to convince you otherwise..

"photosynthesis, to create energy from carbon dioxide and sunlight. This energy, in the form of glucose, is used by the plant to grow and fuel the necessary reproductive activities of the plant".

If a leaf does not get sufficient amount of PAR light and/or CO2, it will not be able to photosynthesize. Meaning that it can't produce enough energy on its own to sustain itself. However glucose is a mobile energy source, and other plant leaves can transport glucose to those leaves that are unable to create it by themselves. By doing so, this energy is not used on developing roots or bud growth.

Leaves can take away energy (glucose) from other parts of the plant if they are not able to create their own energy (glucose).
You’re absolutely correct. A source in the shade, even “of its own leaves” , is a sink. Pruning theory 101. And leaves are most definitely not transparent to most light, the green light wavelength is really the only color making it thru which is partly where HPS gets its “penetration” from. One look a dark floor in even the most perfectly designed grow room will tell you otherwise.... And buds can still get big in the shade feasting off of light gathered by the not so shaded leaves but the quality of a shaded nug is far lower. Imo not pruning and thinning is just being kinda lazy and asking for trouble; pm, rot , etc
 
chillywilly

chillywilly

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Like grapes...prune, prune, prune...fruit, fruit, fruit...
cw
 
UncleRomulus

UncleRomulus

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You’re absolutely correct. A source in the shade, even “of its own leaves” , is a sink. Pruning theory 101. And leaves are most definitely not transparent to most light, the green light wavelength is really the only color making it thru which is partly where HPS gets its “penetration” from. One look a dark floor in even the most perfectly designed grow room will tell you otherwise.... And buds can still get big in the shade feasting off of light gathered by the not so shaded leaves but the quality of a shaded nug is far lower. Imo not pruning and thinning is just being kinda lazy and asking for trouble; pm, rot , etc
I’ve seen many grows on forums and YouTube that leave me scratching my dusty ol head. “How they keep all them leaves on there and not get mold on it!?” After all we aren’t in the buisness of growing leaves. You aren’t weighing up yer gol dang leaves all excited like at harvest. “Mang im trying to hit 2 pounds o fan leaves this round mang”
 
Mr Bee

Mr Bee

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Aye me!I do it and I'm no ashamed to admit it .to many times iv listened to the "don't remove your fan leaves" and watched shaded tops or what i know would have been good secondary bud sites turn out wispy as shit while I know if I had moved the leave it would have been far bigger and denser.so If I can tuck I tuck but if it keeps popping up and shading a good bud site I just remove it.i don't care if Jorge Cervantes or whoever says don't remove leaves,I know it works for me .
Merry Xmas folks
 
W

Wrathoftejus

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Indoor with enough light and healthy plants i prune a few times to get light to bud sites. Worth it for me, i also agree the added airflow is a safe bet.
 
chillywilly

chillywilly

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I don't have supplies or time...may as hobbie like back in the days I had those Revell model kits...he he ,but aye no time fe it... 100-200w 100-170 bills for one...imagine back in the day buying bulbs, lol...now one these... worth a check
cw
 
Wee Zard

Wee Zard

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I tried one. Was sent to me as a gift.

Looked at it. Hmmm, would do well for a "stadium grow" with this light hanging in the middle.

For top-down lighting? Not so much.
Half of the light is leaving in the wrong direction.
My flat plane arrays are lensed to a 90 degree cone of light allowing excellent growth under 56 Watts. of blurple.

So, I made a reflector for corny out of a turkey pan.
Whipped out my light meter.
Hmmm, thanks to the inverse square law, the output was disappointing.
For top-down lighting, the corn cob is inefficient.
My home made flat plane put it to shame on a side by side test grow.

Gave it to a friend who does stadium grows.
Just checked with him, he's happy.

2 cents,
Weeze
 
Butts4Supper

Butts4Supper

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I have always been baffled why in knowing this, that we would want to strip the plants main source of energy away from the plant. Leaves drive photosynthesis, so in theory when we defoliate aren't we taking away from the predetermined amount of solar panels the plant needs to get to it's final place.
Also the more leaves at the end of the flower cycle that can catch the 10k finishing bulb's light the better.
The main reason I take leaves off is if there is an insect problem and by the grace of god I was able to just catch it in time for that, and a P-fog/blue dawn/long chain fatty acid cycle to fix. Aside of an outbreak I leave the factories on them.
 
Havocsm1

Havocsm1

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I've been defoliating since I topped. People who mainline defoliate all the time.
 
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PipeCarver

PipeCarver

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I just let em grow, she always takes care of her self if I’m doing my job rite!View attachment 847818
I want one of those, just like that, anymore and I wouldn't be able to smoke it all before the next harvest.
I prune and shape because it makes the plant prettier and I need something to do with my free time. What are we supposed to do? just sit and look at them? fk no I gotta play with them during their lights on period. I don't like the look of ugly looking leaves, if they're healthy they stay until I don't like them anymore if they start to go on me they get chopped. I will take some of the big fan leaves off the big Indica plants because the covered buds don't seem to mature like the exposed buds do, they go from a pale green to a more vibrant darker green after being directly exposed to the light.
 
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BCBuddy

BCBuddy

13
13
I think it would be hard to find a fan leaf on my current grow.

It's only my second grow but I'm a retired biologist (not a botanist) who ran labs and did R&D in the food industry. I wish I still had access to all of that expensive lab equipment! Also I've been an avid outdoor gardener for years (but I haven't tried smoking roses).

So I like to experiment but really don't have the equipment or space to do it properly. If only I still had access to HPLC and/or GC I could measure my end results. Wa, wa wa. Legalization has opened a world of opportunity, for a new hobby, to keep my wallet and myself busy. I don't use a lot of my product but have some medical marijuana aquaintances who are enthusiastic about my endeavours.

After extensive pregrowing research I decided to go Ebb and Flow with hydroton, LED, and ScrOG. I think microbes in the water has great potential but for now I am using H2O2 to keep that variable out of the equation.

Two parameters led me to investigate defoliation:

The strain I am growing, Granddaddy Purple (GDP), is very bushy.
Because I am scrogging the canopy is very dense and there were a lot of overhanging leaves.

One negative I hear about defoliating is that it isn't natural. Well if the way I, and many of us, are growing pot was natural I would maybe consider the point valid.

So I have defoliated heavily throughout the grow. I wish I had another grow room so I could do a controlled study.

So, if I haven't lost everyone, here are a couple of pics.

Defoliation1




I will be chopping soon and can give weight numbers after I dry and cure.

Then I can look for some threads on quantity vs quality.

It's great to have a hobby where you'll never know it all.
 
Defoliation2
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