I need to do this as well...So you can cut the entire top half off??? Wouldnt that put great GREAT amounts of stress on the plant and effect SOMETHING??
I am sure it does hurt it a little. Big deal ya got the prime nugs off the plant. The others will be ripe in a week or so. If ya wait and harvest the top when the bottom is ripe ya could end up with over ripe top nugs.
u will stunt growth if u do that. what i mean is, if the bottom part was only gonna take a week to finish up it will slow that down and the plant will put its energy into repairing the bit u have cut.
Yes yes leave them and watch whats left of the plant put everything into thickening up the buds that are left. Watch for bad things near the cuts. if you see anything you dont like.....mould.....pull the rest. you cant fight mould in a cut plant.