Hi folks. I'm at day 45 of flower, and have hit that "two more weeks" point. Ok to start taking out fan leaves to allow more light through?
Thanks kindly!
Thanks kindly!
Day 45 Fan Leaves
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Most definitely
Thanks!
Is it accurate to say that fan leaf removal could be completed at the end of the stretch? Your knowledge is most appreciated.
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I try to leave as many fan leaves on as possible. They do help with photosynthesis and photosynthesis contributes to all those terpenes and cannabinoids we are looking for. After day 30 or so I remove them throughout the grow just to increase light penetration and air flow. Any big fans blocking light or a bunch of leaves growing into each other always get plucked. There are also people on here that schwazz their autos. I know very little about it but it’s heavy defoliation. Lots of ways to skin a cat.
Here’s the guide to Schwazzing if your interested.
S CHWAZZING AUTOFLOWER
That's the info I'm looking for. Thanks!
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I usually remove all larger fans on a photoperiod after stretch, for autos I leave some... Not a lot, but remove roughly 2/3 of large fans. I usually leave the smaller fans close to bud sites.
That's added to my next grow procedures. Thanks, Jpkind.
But a good case can also be made to leave all but the most offending (blocking bud site) and any sickly looking fan leaves. Can you even think of any plant that sheds its larger most productive leaves at their peak on its own during growth periods, any plants that schwaz themselves? If there were an advantage for cannabis or other plants to lose their larger leaves (other than when death/harvest is approaching) wouldn't the plants have evolved to do that?
I suggest do some leaf tucking, and only pluck a few actual problem leaves. Even if covered by other leaves, with modern high penetrating lighting If a leaf is nice and green and well-formed, in my view it's functioning and adding or at least storing energy/sugars to the plant.
I suggest do some leaf tucking, and only pluck a few actual problem leaves. Even if covered by other leaves, with modern high penetrating lighting If a leaf is nice and green and well-formed, in my view it's functioning and adding or at least storing energy/sugars to the plant.
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I tend to grow dense canopies and have no choice but to schwazz (leaf strip) everything I grow 3-4 times during flowering or I would end up with half of it turning into a bunch of unwanted larf if I didn’t. The process is not for every grow situation but it definitely works for me and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without all the excessive pruning.
There is some truth to the leaves being solar panels providing photosynthesis to the plants but the question is how many leaves do healthy cannabis plants actually need to grow into full maturity with large dense colas. IMHO, the answer is none… and I have hundreds of pics of large beautiful autos grown without one single fan leaf on them as proof.
After I schwazz and remove all the fan leaves from a plant the entire plant is still covered with green plant matter which I would think acts as solar panels as well and I think there comes a time in a cannabis plants growth cycle where precious light and air flow is more important than using energy to keep large fan leaves alive. We also prune a lot of what we grow from flowers to trees to improve healthy growth and to increase yield so why wouldn’t the same principles apply to growing weed?
Like most of you here, I’m interested in growing phat dense colas and not a bunch of foliage. Lol!
Can you post a pic or two of the plant or plants you are considering to defoliate? Hard to say yes or no without seeing what you’re dealing with.
There is some truth to the leaves being solar panels providing photosynthesis to the plants but the question is how many leaves do healthy cannabis plants actually need to grow into full maturity with large dense colas. IMHO, the answer is none… and I have hundreds of pics of large beautiful autos grown without one single fan leaf on them as proof.
After I schwazz and remove all the fan leaves from a plant the entire plant is still covered with green plant matter which I would think acts as solar panels as well and I think there comes a time in a cannabis plants growth cycle where precious light and air flow is more important than using energy to keep large fan leaves alive. We also prune a lot of what we grow from flowers to trees to improve healthy growth and to increase yield so why wouldn’t the same principles apply to growing weed?
Like most of you here, I’m interested in growing phat dense colas and not a bunch of foliage. Lol!
Can you post a pic or two of the plant or plants you are considering to defoliate? Hard to say yes or no without seeing what you’re dealing with.
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