Autoflowering Defoliation: Positive or Negative

[G.Leave]

My opinion (which doesn't matter much even to me)

I've played with this a bit over the years and have never really seen a gain in end size or weight.

Now just an FYI: I am lazy and I have more room than I will mention here where I grow, so I always do side and fill lights on larger crops anyway which may squew the whole thing.

So... I don't need to train anything and I've always figured if 1000 watts was good, then 5000 is better.

All I do now is start trimming them out more and more as I near harvest to save on trim time as I like to hang whole plants.

Something else I learned long ago and have always done that has no basis in fact: I always cut every plant off where it comes out of the medium and hang the whole thing.

And as always.... YMMV

Interesting! I saw results pretty much immediately on a single branch of a Frisian dew I did last season. Love this comment "
So... I don't need to train anything and I've always figured if 1000 watts was good, then 5000 is better." Haha nice. Yeah with space and power like that, training is irrelevant. I also find a great advantage to clean off a bunch of leaf before harvest just to help on the workload. Hanging indoor plant whole is how I like to dry as well, but the outdoor ladies no way, they are broken down into many branches. Though it would be funny as hell to see a plant with a stalk like this hanging as a single plant "Hunny....grab the chainsaw, enough of this shit!"

 

[MoonDude]

This is my first real grow so all I can do is let you know what I did and why. I can not advise anybody to do this.

I defoliated my 45 day old plants last night. Benefits I look at may be specific to indoor/tent.

• I did not remove most of the fan leaves at the very top of the canopy.
• I do not need there stored nutrients and will have to flush them in the end. Could early defoliation lead to decreased flushing? I would love to know if someone has some input.
• I have a LUX meter and the 2nd tier flowers have doubled in LUX.
• The defoliation created extra space in my tent.
• RH is much easier to control already without fan leaves releasing humidity.

 

[G.Leave]

This is my first real grow so all I can do is let you know what I did and why. I can not advise anybody to do this.

I defoliated my 45 day old plants last night. Benefits I look at may be specific to indoor/tent.

• I did not remove most of the fan leaves at the very top of the canopy.
• I do not need there stored nutrients and will have to flush them in the end. Could early defoliation lead to decreased flushing? I would love to know if someone has some input.
• I have a LUX meter and the 2nd tier flowers have doubled in LUX.
• The defoliation created extra space in my tent.
• RH is much easier to control already without fan leaves releasing humidity.

All extremely valid points bud! Hard to say about the flushing reduced time. I mean you still have to leech your medium of salts/ferts, but would eliminating stored ferts in leaves make it flush easier? Good question man.
I'd love to hear @HubbaBubba and @HolyTHC

 

[HashMaster]

Interesting! I saw results pretty much immediately on a single branch of a Frisian dew I did last season. Love this comment "
So... I don't need to train anything and I've always figured if 1000 watts was good, then 5000 is better." Haha nice. Yeah with space and power like that, training is irrelevant. I also find a great advantage to clean off a bunch of leaf before harvest just to help on the workload. Hanging indoor plant whole is how I like to dry as well, but the outdoor ladies no way, they are broken down into many branches. Though it would be funny as hell to see a plant with a stalk like this hanging as a single plant "Hunny....grab the chainsaw, enough of this shit!"
View attachment 557180

If only you were closer.... you know the height of my flower area, triple that and add 3 feet and you then have the height of my drying area.

We could hang yours whole no problem !

And man would I love seeing those beautiful monsters upside-down whole.....

 

[HashMaster]

This is my first real grow so all I can do is let you know what I did and why. I can not advise anybody to do this.

I defoliated my 45 day old plants last night. Benefits I look at may be specific to indoor/tent.

• I did not remove most of the fan leaves at the very top of the canopy.
• I do not need there stored nutrients and will have to flush them in the end. Could early defoliation lead to decreased flushing? I would love to know if someone has some input.
• I have a LUX meter and the 2nd tier flowers have doubled in LUX.
• The defoliation created extra space in my tent.
• RH is much easier to control already without fan leaves releasing humidity.

Don't you just love LUX meters !

Before them I always packed side and filler lights, still do anyway... but they are SO much fun to play with.....

 

[G.Leave]

I have read some guys theories on micro/macro nutrients having a large impact in defoliation due to the stored nutrients in the leaves that are basically stolen from the plant. In my outdoor setup I have an absolutely insane amount of micro and macro nutrients available. Perhaps that is partially responsible for the instant positive results I witnessed? Its all just a grand experiment to me!

 

[HashMaster]

I have read some guys theories on micro/macro nutrients having a large impact in defoliation due to the stored nutrients in the leaves that are basically stolen from the plant. In my outdoor setup I have an absolutely insane amount of micro and macro nutrients available. Perhaps that is partially responsible for the instant positive results I witnessed? Its all just a grand experiment to me!

Maybe so... that's why I said there are many different ways to achieve the same thing, and nobody's methods are necessarily the "best" for everyone.

Besides, part of the fun is experimenting after all, is it not ? :smoking:

Oh, and on the light thing, I am so stuck on the more is better that when super lumens knobs came out I started buying up those ballasts !

(And yes, my audio amp does go to 11)

 

[G.Leave]

Maybe so... that's why I said there are many different ways to achieve the same thing, and nobody's methods are necessarily the "best" for everyone.

Besides, part of the fun is experimenting after all, is it not ? :smoking:

Oh, and on the light thing, I am so stuck on the more is better that when super lumens knobs came out I started buying up those ballasts !

(And yes, my audio amp does go to 11)

Friggin' right man...I am a huge advocate of trying a bunch of different methods techniques, to see what works for you and the strains you chose.

 

[MoonDude]

Don't you just love LUX meters !

Before them I always packed side and filler lights, still do anyway... but they are SO much fun to play with.....

I am obsessed with my LUX meter. I LOVE IT!!!

 

[MoonDude]

If only you were closer.... you know the height of my flower area, triple that and add 3 feet and you then have the height of my drying area.

We could hang yours whole no problem !

And man would I love seeing those beautiful monsters upside-down whole.....

Hey Buddy,

Have you grown or checked out Flash Auto Seeds. These dudes have some MASSIVE AutoFlower plants. They truly redefine "SuperAuto."

I just purchased Kush Van Stich and am sender her to germ tomorrow. She is a regular AutoFlower in their books, SuperAuto in mine. There is no way I could grow any of there SuperAutos, no room.

http://flashseeds.com/super-auto/?p=1