My wife has said that a few time jokingly if she was really joking lol
That's exactly what you want to do. I was paranoid to do that with my last one they had issues so unlike yours it was not worth the torture to the plant and take the chance. If you want to check out some defoliation techniques,although they are photo's it shows the proof of what it can do and you will be surprised.It is also a technique that is not a beginner thing to do it right and it is scary. I had 4 photos and they were doing good and then they went hermie so I could have stressed them out to that point and only one has survived(the smallest runt) there were no light leaks and the environment was perfect (temps 75-80 and humidity was 50-60). So I believe that from not knowing how the plants were going to react I did too much. I wanted to take a chance and paid for it,so no more photos at all unless they are outdoors. My point after this long rambling is that taking fan leaves off that cover enough bud sites that taking a few is better than losing three or four potential colas and you have the right approach. For fun just check out defoliation at
www.growweedeasy.com it is something that will always be debated for the fact it does present high risks if not done properly and the grower has little idea of how a marijuana grows and survives. I am really looking forward to what you actually get,I really like the structure and the fact that it is healthy as it is just adds to the potential to really come out with a good harvest I know you will be more than happy just keep up the good work.