Aggressive "Defoliation" Pruning Technique Test

And I shared this exact same sentiment 2 posts ago.... your point?

Wolverine97 said:

Clearly. I'd still like to see the experiment furthered. Who cares if it doesn't work.

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Serapis said:

And I shared this exact same sentiment 2 posts ago.... your point?

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Apparently I have none.

Nothing were not expecting this time except the Tatanka Clone is starting to stretch. Pretty sure this variety will have to move to flower before May 1st. But, we'll see. Now the stats.

TATANKA
15 Leaves removed
3 Tips trimmed
Test - 14 1/2" Tall
Control - 22" Tall

BEFORE DEFOLIATION


AFTER DEFOLIATION


PURPLE ERKLE
10 Leaves removed
7 Tips trimmed
Test - 6 1/2" Tall
Control - 16 1/2" Tall
BEFORE DEFOLIATION AFTER DEFOLIATION



The following day I topped 4 tips from each of the Erkle plants, and 5 on each of the Tatanka. I then repotted the control Tatanka to the 10 gallon. Couldn't see wasting a post for that tid bit

Look at all those bud sites....delicious.

YungMoolaBaby said:

Look at all those bud sites....delicious.

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Gotta agree w/ that .., now if they prduce... lol

I prune the HELL out of my plants. I feel like I have to, my nodes are so tight there is next to no airflow to the interior of the plants. The harder you train them and top/fim them the more you will probably have to prune. I take EVERYTHING but the tops though, I hate popcorn buds.

Interesting coco. sounds like a great thread to start discussion on. You should post pics and explain yor technique.

Well got another done and reporting. Went ahead and transplanted the 2 Control plants to the 10 gallon tubs cause nothin seems to be slowin them down. Of course I guess this is to be expected since they pretty much don't see the scissors. Along this line I will say also that on March 24th I topped 4 tips on each of the tatanka to finish with some additional branching. The Erkle however I looked at and "dam" nothing but growth tips so no topping necessary on the Test plant and the Control plant has several good solid branches there as well. If I had a complaint on that one it would have to be I want so bad to cut off those dam "dino" leaves. Theyre Huge!

The Tanka will have an estimated week and a half to two weeks and I'll be forced to put it into flower as the ceiling is only 7' tall and the girl I put into flower last week at about 31" is starting to shoot pretty rapidly. The Erkle will probably last another 3 or 4 weeks before I have to look seriously at gettin em in to keep my flower room flowing full. Wel that will be then..., heres a look at now...

TATANKA
11 Leaves removed
1 Tips trimmed
Test - 15" Tall
Control - 24" Tall

BOTH BEFORE BOTH AFTER TEST AFTER


PURPLE ERKLE
37 Leaves removed
1 Tips trimmed
Test - 7" Tall
Control - 19" Tall
What amazed me was the sheer number of leaves I had to remove. I mean this little sucker has been cut more times than a 80's slasher film star and theyre back in force in like 2 to 3 days. Amazing. I'll grant you them lil suckers are pretty much all under 1 1/2" BUT 37 of em..., Dammmm. And look at the test... even after the cut theres a good number of them lil mother bears there. Well it amazes me anyways.

BOTH BEFORE TEST BEFORE



BOTH AFTER TEST AFTER


Well, That be where it be at today.. Gotta say my gutt tells me that lil Erkle is gonna come way closer to keeping up with the yield than the Tatanka. I wouldve bet the exact opposite was gonna happen.

I am a fan of defoliation and wish you luck with your experiment. Just a heads up though, the link in OPs post was done in a DWC setup. I think that the expansive growth from dwc makes up for the stunting you cause by the defoliation. Flower and veg times will be longer than normal, but the extra time can easily pay off if you have the experience.

TheGreenThumber said:

I am a fan of defoliation and wish you luck with your experiment. Just a heads up though, the link in OPs post was done in a DWC setup. I think that the expansive growth from dwc makes up for the stunting you cause by the defoliation. Flower and veg times will be longer than normal, but the extra time can easily pay off if you have the experience.

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Appreciate the insight Green. And yepper, plenty to learn.., I think I'll be doing more of this in the future, with a much more defined objective and procedure as well as more than 1 test plant in each variety with varying degrees of defoliation. As you state, it's al in the experience.., which in fact I gain a lil more of each day.., lol

Okay, so here we are on the 30th. Actually went and did one of those "job" things this week, actually 12 hour days with 3 hours round trip drive time so I reckon I don't feel bad for the late post but I did manage to make the tim to keep the test rolling. Normally, this defoliation wouldve take place on the 28th, but I felt I should give em an extra day or two to recoup from the topping and transplant.

PURPLE ERKLE
41 Leaves removed
1 Tips trimmed
Test - 7 1/2" Tall (pert near)
Control - 21" Tall

BOTH BEFORE TEST BEFORE TEST AFTER


TATANKA
31 Leaves removed
1 Tips trimmed
Test - 15" Tall
Control - 26" Tall

BOTH BEFORE TEST AFTER


Well, things still progressing in a predictable fashion. Another increase in leafs removed and vertical growth on the test plants slowed to a crawl.

I have finally decided on acourse of action here as well. I am fast outgrowing my veg space and need to be filling the flower room My new 1000 watt showed up today ( a great deal too BTW - $265 bought a 1000 watt switchable magnetic ballast, 6" cool tube hood, and both halide and sodium bulbs ). So, I set that in the flower room to replace a 400 and decided to go ahead and send my erkle collection to flower. I was thinking Tatanka first but then thought about it and came to the conclusion that the erkle is just at that point where any differences in yield will be evident now and a couple more weeks won't help anything. the Tatanka, on the other hand, I look at the test plant and see a small mirror of the Control. since I only topped 4 tips I believe, I figure I'll top the rest of them now, give them a couple weeks, then evaluate a flower date for them. If either of these plants will come close to proving its not the leafs that make he buds, its this one. I actually am thinking there probably wont be the difference one may think there would be. Anyrate, thats my plan. Hope it works for you all. Feel free and fire away any comments and/or discussions as well as if you think the Tatanka will run as well as the control.

THANKS AGAIN ALL.., Really enjoying this one, and gaining some invaluable experience I believe.

Hehe wouldn't it be funny if the little stunted test plants blew the controls by a couple oz lol.

lol I'd be impressed with a few grams

Well we'll see. I have slightly defoliated my 4 foot jack herer in flowering. Got a big cola growin and removed some fan leaves to really get some light in there.

Ya Wood, I still am a believer in defoliation in moderation. But hey, gotta say it's been kinda fun to see the "torture" these lil buggers can endure.

Well, I figured I best let the Erkle develope in the flower room without the torture and really shading is not an issue directly under those 1000 wats of Hps. I did a another defoliation of the Tatanka but thee rate the control is growing I'm gonna have to get em into flower soon so it doesn't outrow my vertical after the bud stretch.

None the less, Heres the Tatanka.

TATANKA

44 Leaves removed
0 Tips trimmed
Test - 15" Tall
Control - 29" Tall


BOTH BEFORE TEST BEFORE TEST AFTER


Well, I guess once it hits flowering the main thing to wait for is to see the dry weights at the end.

well I think I may have a record here for the longest delay for an update on a cannibus crop. I do have to apologize but I fell off the face of the earth due to a case of "Big Brother Flu" after we had legislative restrictions that made it just about impossible to legally grow. But, I realized I didnt finish thread with the results.

So sorry for no pics or even the hard data as there have been a few plants through my little operation, but what I can tell you is that the control far out performed the test "torture" subjects and the greatest margin of difference was definately shown in the Tatanka.

For me, it was enough to tell me stick to moderate defoliation unless you are out for something besides yield.

haha! two years

crazy. In moderation, it's all good.