SCHWAZZING AUTOFLOWER

DISCLAIMER
I'm just getting a topic going and If you decide to try it and don't like the results then don't be blaming me lol

But ive done it & others have too and have liked the results
I see that a lot off people is interested in learning about the method of heavy Defoliation at certain points of a grow. (SCHWAZZING)
So I would like to get a thread going regarding this so people can see the benefits off it and how this method is used to increase yeild and to also help out in other factors too.

I copied and pasted the info below from the THREE A lIGHT Google post
to help people out​

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SCHWAZZING
WHAT IS SCHWAZZING?
A Schwazze is essentially an extreme defoliation. Where 100% of the fan leaves are removed from the plant during specific times of the flowering cycle.

How can trimming and pruning a cannabis plant possibly increase its yield? It’s kind of Yin and Yang if you think about it. On one hand we take away, and on the other, we receive!

Our favorite comparison is working out at the gym. When you break down your muscles through constant repetition and heavier weight, your muscles grow stronger and larger. By removing fan leaves from the plant, we are creating more space for airflow, light penetration, and most importantly, we are refocusing the plant’s energy where it matters most: flower development.

WHY USE THE SCHWAZZING METHOD?
One word: Yield. We’ve found that we can dramatically increase our total yield with just 2 Schwazzes at key points in the flowering cycle. The industry standard yield without Schwazzing is around 1.5 to 2lbs per 1000 watt bulb. With Schwazzing, we’ve been able to consistently produce 3 pounds per light and are seeing results north of 4 pounds per light as we continue to optimize the process.

This leads to savings on all fronts, you can generate the same amount of cannabis from a smaller area, meaning you need less space to grow. Energy is saved as you’ll produce so much more per square foot.

If you’re looking for a corporate board room description: Schwazzing allows the plants’ resources to be more effectively allocated. Think of it this way, every single leaf and bud on the plant is pulling nutrients from the soil, using more water, and requiring more light. With a good Schwazze, you reallocate these resources to provide them where we want them most, in the buds.

WHY DOES SCHWAZZING WORK?
Schwazzing works for multiple reasons. The more you think about why this is helping, the more it makes sense. It seems counter-intuitive and destructive at first, but it’s a process that naturally trains the plant to produce more.

A Schwazze will provide the optimum light penetration through the canopy. This increases airflow and light to the lower nodes on the plant. You are essentially eliminating all shade spots. Allowing the energy to focus on the tips instead, where it needs to be focused for more flowering.

The increased airflow provides the plant with a much stronger O2 and CO2 exchange. Basically, it lets it breathe!

In addition, Schwazzing eliminates homes for pests and mildew that can ruin your plants.
IS SCHWAZZING THE SAME AS DEFOLIATION?
Although the idea is similar, defoliation is almost never taken to this extreme of a level. Defoliation is a process that has been used for centuries for many different plants and helps to achieve higher crop yields, it’s even used to produce cotton.
SCHWAZZING IN A HOME GROW SETUP
Schwazzing began in a home grow setup and can be used very effectively on a small scale. Schwazzing has also been scaled up to accommodate larger commercial grows as well.

The only tools you will need are a sharp pair of scissors and patience.
HOW DO YOU SCHWAZZE?
Before we go too deep here, let’s get a little disclaimer in. Schwazzing is a method that can either help you deliver your highest yield ever, or cause plant lock and hermaphroditic plants. Please proceed with caution!

You probably have the basic idea now, trim away the fan leaves. Be advised timing, approach, quantity, and nutrients all play a huge part in this equation. If these exercises aren’t executed properly you can ruin your crop.

You can use this method if you have a hydroponic setup.

If any one would like to add any pics or info to get this thread going then your more than welcome to.
 
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Thanks buddy! Always need help trimming. Lol
Going to need more help smoking it all… hope you don’t mind helping me out with that. :biggrin:
As a matter of fact I don’t! Lol. I’m still trying to talk the wife into helping me trim but no dice. Maybe one of these days.
 
I really appreciate the before and after pictures, and that you include information all the way to final weights.

It looks like some of your rockwool cubes you grow in flood and drain, and others you drop into/onto soil? If I'm seeing that correctly, what I'm wondering is if you find that you have to treat plants grown in the two methods any differently in terms of how you go about schwazzing?

And are you topping or training these? Curious what your preference is, and why?
 
I really appreciate the before and after pictures, and that you include information all the way to final weights.

It looks like some of your rockwool cubes you grow in flood and drain, and others you drop into/onto soil? If I'm seeing that correctly, what I'm wondering is if you find that you have to treat plants grown in the two methods any differently in terms of how you go about schwazzing?

And are you topping or training these? Curious what your preference is, and why?
No problem brother! I’ll continue to post different grows on this thread to show the benefits of schwazzing.
I use the Grodan 4x4” cubes as a starter medium for all my grows. It enables me to feed them exactly what they need while they’re young and I’m also able to grow many seedlings in a small area. I always like to start germinating a few weeks ahead of time and can veg young seedlings in the cubes for about 8-10 days before I need to do anything with them. Buys me a little time and gives me a good head start on my next grows. This last crop was a comparison I was doing with different substrates, I had 5 growing in coco/perlite, 5 in Grodan Grow chunks, 2 growing on different sized rock wool slabs, 2 in 6x6” Hugo blocks and 2 with the 4x4” cube stacked on top of the 6x6” Hugo. I fed all of them the same amount of nutrients but tweaked the amounts when I noticed a few of them starting to show minor deficiencies. Doesn’t take much to correct deficiencies in rock wool or coco and they respond very quickly. Had to do all the leaf stripping at different times as there were a few late flowering plants that grew more leaves after I gave all of them their last schwazz. Very rare that I have all flower at the same time. :nono:
I never top my plants except for the accidental topping when I snap them while training. Lol! All I do is pull the main top over with a bent coat hanger stake and keep it horizontal for about 8 days by constantly adjusting the stake. This helps all the bottom nodes catch up to the main top and develop more cola sites. I know many people have success with topping their plants but I’m a creature of habit and have always bent the main top over to create a flatter canopy.

1665603113800.jpeg
1665600386022.jpeg


Here are a couple picks to show the different substrates I used with this last grow
1665600897864.jpeg


1665600700660.jpeg
 
No problem brother! I’ll continue to post different grows on this thread to show the benefits of schwazzing.
I use the Grodan 4x4” cubes as a starter medium for all my grows. It enables me to feed them exactly what they need while they’re young and I’m also able to grow many seedlings in a small area. I always like to start germinating a few weeks ahead of time and can veg young seedlings in the cubes for about 8-10 days before I need to do anything with them. Buys me a little time and gives me a good head start on my next grows. This last crop was a comparison I was doing with different substrates, I had 5 growing in coco/perlite, 5 in Grodan Grow chunks, 2 growing on different sized rock wool slabs, 2 in 6x6” Hugo blocks and 2 with the 4x4” cube stacked on top of the 6x6” Hugo. I fed all of them the same amount of nutrients but tweaked the amounts when I noticed a few of them starting to show minor deficiencies. Doesn’t take much to correct deficiencies in rock wool or coco and they respond very quickly. Had to do all the leaf stripping at different times as there were a few late flowering plants that grew more leaves after I gave all of them their last schwazz. Very rare that I have all flower at the same time. :nono:
I never top my plants except for the accidental topping when I snap them while training. Lol! All I do is pull the main top over with a bent coat hanger stake and keep it horizontal for about 8 days by constantly adjusting the stake. This helps all the bottom nodes catch up to the main top and develop more cola sites. I know many people have success with topping their plants but I’m a creature of habit and have always bent the main top over to create a flatter canopy.

View attachment 1526235View attachment 1526215

Here are a couple picks to show the different substrates I used with this last grow
View attachment 1526221

View attachment 1526219

Thanks for that great reply. I look forward to hearing about what you learn from your current medium experiment/comparison.

I've read a few comparisons of training vs. topping, and most seem to end with similar results. Like you, I'm a creature of habit, and I've been topping mine for years. I might try doing my own comparison this time, and train half and top half and see how that works with my setup.

My other habit is growing in bag soil, and I have to remind myself when I see amazing results in other people's grows that my choices come with impacts, and from what I've seen, that choice alone sets a limit on my results. I'm OK with that, it is what it is. Within those limitations, I can still expand my personal envelope, and I think schwazzing is going to push that out a bit for me this time around.
 
Thanks for that great reply. I look forward to hearing about what you learn from your current medium experiment/comparison.

I've read a few comparisons of training vs. topping, and most seem to end with similar results. Like you, I'm a creature of habit, and I've been topping mine for years. I might try doing my own comparison this time, and train half and top half and see how that works with my setup.

My other habit is growing in bag soil, and I have to remind myself when I see amazing results in other people's grows that my choices come with impacts, and from what I've seen, that choice alone sets a limit on my results. I'm OK with that, it is what it is. Within those limitations, I can still expand my personal envelope, and I think schwazzing is going to push that out a bit for me this time around.
Nothing wrong with growing in soil… there are many people on this forum that do very well with soil, some even have similar results to hydro. When I get bored with growing in rock wool I grow in Fox Farms Happy Frog and dry amendments, which seems to work well for me. Really enjoy growing plants in coco too, I think close to half of my plants are in coco now. I usually run Down to Earth organic dry amendments with my soil and coco grows but decided to feed the coco plants synthetic nutes all the way to the end with this last run. It’s nice to be a diversified grower and changing things up once in awhile keeps things interesting.
 
Great thread and explanation @Born slippy

:slap:

:thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

Thanks for putting this together, and all contributors to this thread (growtogrow, 420autoflower, mattymatt, and all others who uploaded photos and explanations)

I've put some thread marks in so people can find the Schwazz they're looking for. (for me it was soil - thinking this may be a hydro only training method)

@Eggboy - let me know how you get on! - you've got the most similar setup to me

:woohoo:
:vibe::vibe::vibe:
 
Great thread and explanation @Born slippy

:slap:

:thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

Thanks for putting this together, and all contributors to this thread (growtogrow, 420autoflower, mattymatt, and all others who uploaded photos and explanations)

I've put some thread marks in so people can find the Schwazz they're looking for. (for me it was soil - thinking this may be a hydro only training method)

@Eggboy - let me know how you get on! - you've got the most similar setup to me

:woohoo:
:vibe::vibe::vibe:
Just thought I'd let you know, i saw the mark on my pic and it's labeles Soil. I actually usually grow in Royal Gold Tupar, but this was 4:1 perlite and vercumulite for this grow in the 5 gal. I usually prefer my 2.2 gal autopots, but feel like i was going to like the Mango Isle, so took a chance on letting her go big.
 
Great thread and explanation @Born slippy

:slap:

:thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

Thanks for putting this together, and all contributors to this thread (growtogrow, 420autoflower, mattymatt, and all others who uploaded photos and explanations)

I've put some thread marks in so people can find the Schwazz they're looking for. (for me it was soil - thinking this may be a hydro only training method)

@Eggboy - let me know how you get on! - you've got the most similar setup to me

:woohoo:
:vibe::vibe::vibe:
Thanks for the reps @blue
 

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