Again, there are a lot of factors that go into things. I defol because of the cob lights I use. They are excellent lights, and very efficient, but penetration is not their strong suit. Get those leaves at the top out of the way so light can get into the canopy and encourage more tops…..really cuts down on the level of inferior buds that way. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve gotten better than good results this way…..and believe Mo can too since we are using the same (or similar) setup…..not to mention that the plant in question could clearly benefit from some defoliation.