Flowering and Defoliation: Should material be removed to allow light penetration to "interior" bud formations?

Hey, BigDaddy

YES! This sounds like the information I was seeking to obtain.
My question is if I am doing the correct thing. The 1st paragraph of my initial post tells my current approach. The rest of the post is giving further details, and my thoughts and observations that led to my implementation the described defoliation regimen.
Being as I am still several weeks from finishing, (assuming they don’t revert to veg stage! fingers crossed here), I decided to put it to all of you here at ILGM forum, where the seed stock was obtained.
This being my first grow after 35 years of inactivity, everything has changed! I educated myself as to current tech. and methodology, and decided on making my “live soil mix” myself, and it came out beautifully, draining very well yet remaining moist, light and airy. Mix contains 15% worn castings and 8 to 10% compost, and 5 to 8% trace elements. Weekly water using organic teas and additional nutrients to feed the ladies, adding bat shit and reducing nitrogen content since flowering began. Seedlings indoors under LED, transplanted to 16 gallon cloth bags (14 - 15 gallons of soil each), and moved into a 10’ x 20’ x 7’ high greenhouse w/plastic sheet floor fastened to the greenhouse walls. All vent have fine screen. Oscillating fans keep air moving, adding air conditioning tomorrow, as temps hit 120 inside. My decision to use a sealed greenhouse was made with lessening pest problems a primary consideration, while retaining the natural lighting, humidity, and temperature fluctuations of a “natural” outdoor grow environment of equal importance.
It is my view that the very best flavors and highs are produced by plants grown in soil, and with the natural variations in lighting and climate build a “character and complexity” in the final product. I do not believe these qualities can be obtained growing under strictly controlled indoor artificially produced climate and light cycles.
Topped plants while in veg., and started defoliation of larger leaves when flowering at inner branch nodes began.
As buds begin to “stack” I remove all the larger leaves that are light blocking to the secondary flowering areas. (As opposed to main growing tips) As the budding "spreads and plumps), I have removed all leaves larger than the palm of my hand.
Well into flowering, say 1/2 to 2/3 of total flowering time (estimated), I will have almost all leaves removed, except for those growing in the buds, (1 to 3 leaf segments), at the growing tips, and leaving less than palm sized leaves growing adjacent to buds that are smaller.
This seems to be working well, this far, and the flowering appears to have out paced that of the plants that received less aggressive defoliation, both in # of bud sites, and in size of the buds. Side by side comparisons of same strains, on all three strains I am working with. GDP, Skywalker and Gold Leaf.
So, I guess my question to you, BDC, is this: Am I totally blowing it, or heading in the right direction? You, being a veteran grower who defoliates, are precisely the type person I hoped to contact. Can you give me any advice to improve my approach? Have I already done too much? Are my methods entirely wrong? Is my thinking on the subject based on inaccurate ideas?
BDC, any advice, insights, or comments, positive or critical will be received with an open mind, due consideration, and, knowing me, more questions and discussion. If you are open to an ongoing dialog, of course. Regardless, any feedback will be very much appreciated. Future plans include “skrogging”.
My goal is high yield soil grown hybreds, smooth smoking and pure tasting, perfectly cured, “Private Reserve” quality cannabis flowers. Premo Bud, is what I hope to achieve. Collective knowledge is what I hope to participate in. ILGM seems a good place to do this.

Thank you for your interest and response.
Hey, we all need a goal, right?

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Grandaddy013, it sure does. Your methodology and explanation mimic my ideas and logic exactly, and has gone far in bolstering my self confidence. You have my gratitude for freely sharing your comments.

Thank you for responding. I hope this thread gets some attention from others wondering about this subject. A lot of information is accumulating from you all. This is f*%king GREAT!

I hope the thread helps others making decisions on approach in their grow efforts.

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I am running a bit ahead of leaf yellowing, looking for maximum illumination of the plants interior. I am following your Nitrogen reduction and Phosphorous increase for flowering via weekly nutrient feedings.
I also keep the buds sugar leaves intact. It is all growing like hell, and looks vibrant and healthy.

These ladies are, to me, absolutely sublime. Will try and post some pics before harvest, and show my beauties off!

Thanks for the interest and response. Keep on keeping on!

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Defoliation is definitely an option, though certain strains will benefit more than others. I, personally, have never heard someone say to never prune. Cutting off those huge leaves and/or cutting/tucking leaves blocking bud sites is a great idea, especially during late veg/early bloom.

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Google schwazzing. I swear by it

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Ok the proper way to defoliate is about 1.5 weeks before you are rdy to flip to 12/12 you will take any and all leafs that have a steam on it to cut if you have to dig for the stem then that leaf isn’t rdy to be clipped then after that you flip to 12/12 keep them clean of fan leafs with stems for the first week of stretching then let them be for a week then in the 3rd week of flower you do your final leaf removal and that’s it from that point on you will only take leafs that are dmg or blocking light :bulb: from bud sights the years of no light hitting the floor are gone you want light to go threw canopy so all bud sights are getting light. Also you still clean the bottom 8 inches like normal to the stalk even with defoliation you still don’t want the suckers on the bottom that will not turn to anything

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@SwtBdMn if you are new to sight to tag some one in to your thread and so we know you have a question put @ first then the name and it will tag people in to answer so if you have a question for my put @BigDaddyCain and I’ll get an email saying u have a question

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Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

@BigDaddyCain Yes, new to the sight. Thanks for the response and the heads up with the @ symbol. Thank you!

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@Grandaddy013, it sure does. Your methodology and explanation mimic my ideas and logic exactly, and has gone far in bolstering my self confidence. You have my gratitude for freely sharing your comments.

Thank you for responding. I hope this thread gets some attention from others wondering about this subject. A lot of information is accumulating from you all. This is f*%king GREAT!

I hope the thread helps others making decisions on approach in their grow efforts.

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Does that mean my way is improper? I’m learning something new every day. That’s what I love about this place.

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@BigDaddyCain thank you for sharing your expertise on defoliation. It is inspiring to have someone who is practicing the method to increase yield that I have reasoned to be increased with selective, intelligent defoliation. I am sure to learn much here, and do pay heed to various forms presented by other growers, many of who have multiple grows experience.
I grew Sensi 35 years ago, with no femmed seeds or autoflowers existed. The result was great, but man, what a pain weeding out males and “he-she” plants, which would appear frequently with all males removed.
It is most certainly a better world today, as far as cannabis cultivation goes. Loads of information available, pics of growers goods, all the nutrient products and literature, femmed seeds, etc. In my idle years of not growing, for lack of time and grow space, the progress was revolutionary. These days, legalization and resources readily available has created an absolute growers paradise, in my view.
I don’t know how it was so many years before I found out about all this advancement that has taken place. (Well, I sort of do know … I was married 4 times over the years … worked hard… rode Harleys for 42 years … so growing my stash was not a priority. My life was pretty full, not much time left for pursuing such time consuming endevors. Now, 65 and retired from everyday working, I have the time, and on social security, I have the incentive to grow my own for personal stash, and to spread amongst those friends I have that use.)
Anyway, it’s all good, I am enjoying the reads available here on the site. I hope to be a contributor in the forums, as I gain more knowledge and feel I can offer informed information to others, as others are doing for me now.
Thanks to you, and everyone else participating in these forums.

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@BigDaddyCain, I don’t flip to 12/12. My grow is outdoors in a green house. I am relying on the natural lengths of daylight for this grow. Planning autoflowers for next grow, to check them out.
I expect I will stay with daylight triggered strains, for the longer veg time, larger plants, still outdoors in a greenhouse, but I do plan to add a motorized dark cover so that I can control day length on future grows. Next spring, I hope to have a firm grow plan in mind to follow, eliminating my mistakes with this first grow, and see how it goes then. I expect the experience I am getting now will greatly improve my plants over current results, although I expect several will hit 7’ tall before flowering has completed its cycle.
Anyway, currently I have no way to control length of daylight, so am relying on Mom nature, in all her complexity, to govern plant growth for this grow, which I screwed up with light durations from seedlings to outdoor vegging triggering premature flowering.
We’ll see how it goes with these. If they return to veg state, or will continue flowering as they appear to be doing thus far.
Wish me some of that beginers luck, I think my plants and I need a bit to finish well.
Thanks all

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@PharmerBob, I did in fact start a half dozen clones from lower plant defoliation of weak growth, and damned if all of them didn’t take root and revert to vegging!
I had never cloned before, and it was super simple and effective. I plan to try and clone cutting from my very best producing plants, before removing them for drying trimming and curing, and seeing what kind of results I can achieve that way.
Do clones grow as large as the donor plants from seed grew? Or are they usually smaller?

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With same care and love they most certainly will. Think of it as that plant never dying your just extending its life

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@SwtBdMn ya I don’t grow autos so one of the experts I know on that front are @Missiles and @blackthumbbetty they know way more then me on autos

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@Grandaddy013 lol no you do it perfect lol

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I was just messin with you, buddy

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I know but had to answer

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Here are some pics of my grow. 1st time in 35+ years. These were last week. I will add to these in a week or so, if there is any interest. This is an outside grow, in a plastic greenhouse. 10’ x 20’ x 7’ at peek. Bags are 16 gallon. Mixed up my own organic soil, seems to be working very well.
Plants are now at shoulder height, top of bags is below the knee. I am 6’1" tall for ref… Grew 4 to 6 inches since these pics last week. Gold Leaf, Skywalker, and GDP are the strains.

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