SHOULD I CHOP THEM?????..........Or Not?

Any knowledgeable answers welcome! I am currently flowering one of my plants. This is not my first grow but i am relatively new to this site. I see in some pictures that people trim off all of the fan leaves on their plants before budding. I know that these leaves are essential for photosynthesis, so doesnt that cripple the bud production? or is it the opposite and does more light get to the buds and bud leaves resulting in higher yield and bigger buds? Im interested in anybodies advice who is either an advanced grower or has tried both ways and knows from experience. Please no guesses, and all positive responses get +REP

There is no reason to reason to loose any leaves. The plant will loose them itself if they are not needed.

the only thing you need to chop are the lower branches which will not receive enough light to flower properly... This allows the plant to focus on the colas you are interested in.

However if you have the space, You can let those lower branches catch up with the rest of the canopy by employing Low Stress Training, LST.

Peace

thanks man i think ill try weighin her down a little bit before i chop. +REP

anybody else have any other suggetions or do you all agree?

common.... nobody else.....nothing..? Like i said i see a lot of pictures with trimmed fan leaves so someone has to know something. At this point i take back what i said in my first statement of this thread, and will take all guesses also! common guys and gals, shoot me some answers.

Removing fan leaves to allow light to penetrate to lower budsites on the plant is a process called devegging. I have employed it on my current grow with great results.

I learned of the tactic from DaGambler, who runs 5k watts and just pulled 4.5lbs in one rotation.

I wait 20 days into flower and trim off any fan leaf that covers or shades a budsite.

Today is day 65 of flower and I have clipped off ALL fan leaves at this point. Check out my journal and judge for yourself.

Note: I only cut off leaves early in flower that really create shade for lower parts of the plant. I also employ the lollipopping technique. Ask if ya want to know!

dont trim them all off if you trim any do it towards the middle of the plant like 2or 3 but no more really. dont ever trim the lower fan leaves let the plant use up the nutrients out of those leaves.

i trimmed the fan leaves off my last plant and i didnt on the current plant im smoking on. Trimming the fan leaves did not seem to affect it much at all. They almost grew exactly the same. but i would keep those leaves on. they are like the solar panels of your plants

i agree.. do not cut anything fan leaves off the plant.. if the plant wants them off they will fall off... you can gentley pull on them.. the ones that are ready to come off will come off VERY easily.. but you want to leave everything on the plant until harvest.. thats when you want to trim the fan leaves and bud leaves...

if you do want to trim anything the lower branches can go.. they will just waste energy and produce little to no bud.. that energy can be put into growing bigger buds up at the top of the canopy...you can very cautiously spread and tie branches apart if you want to allow more light to penetrate the plant and canopy... be careful when/if you tie them to not cut into the plant...

then the obvious of keep the light as close as possible.. feed her unsulfered molasses with every watering throughout the entire flowering period to increase resin and fragrance and taste.... 1 tsp molasses per gallon of water... if you have the money to get some blossom booster type nutes i would suggest that... just depends on your budget.. just make sure you are feeding flowering nutes.. sorry im sure you know this.. just force of habit in answering threads now...

the only other flowering thing i recommend also is giving your girls 24-36 hours of straight dark before switching to 12/12... this will help trigger the onset of flowering quicker, will help you sex your plants if you dont know what they are earlier, and shorten your flowering time by up to a week... in my experience this does not cause more males or hermies to grow... some say that it does... again my experience says it doesnt.. thats just my experience tho... use it if you want...

so thats my 2 cents worth... hope it helps... check my grow journal in my signature if you are interested...

good luck
sampson

I suggest you all take a look at DaGambler's thread and read about devegging.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/158397-dagamblers-4k-hps-99-plant-post2437132.html#post2437132

Removing fan leaves, properly and within certain guidelines, WILL increase yield!

man i really appreciate it much guys........ +rep to all u!!! treeth, bigjes, swampgrowr, arizona, and simpson, you were all a great help. ill try to keep you all updated!!

i devegged a little on the top id say about 25%.. should i do a little more? wait a little bit then do more?

Let's see some pics, then I will tell you what I think

no way to post the pics man sorry... shes about 3 feet tall 30days flowering and prob 30-40 wet grams of bud rite now

Well the theory is to remove leaves that shade budsites. Did you accomplish that?

Did you lollipop or prune your plants in anyway?

pruned just the ones on the top quarter that covered budsites

You don't have to harvest it all at once either. You can selectively harvest the upper buds and allow the lower to continue but you know that.

Try looking up at the leaves of your plant from underneath while it is sitting under the lights.

See if you are getting light down to a depth that looks good to you. Observing from below by squating or lying down can be very helpful in judging how well the light is penetrating the canopy.

thanks for the help guys.. It does look as if enough lights are on it now so ill wait and see what happens. Like JTHC said i can always selectively harvest if things dont work out perfect. Thanks guys!