Lollipopping & Defoliation

Sorry if i am posting in wrong place but i have a question regarding lollipopping and when i should start, aswell as when the best time to defoliate? i am currently on week 6 of veg in a coco medium grow ,hoping to flip at the end of the week. Do i LP and defoli before or after flip?

I normally do a good cleaning of the bottom I guess you could call it lollipoping. I leave about 6-10 inches of the top as even and flat as possible only taking off enough of the top to be able to see through it from the top. I like to be able to see the top of the soil looking down from the top. I then wait 2 or 3 days to flip the lights to 12s… 2 weeks later cleaning a little again and about 5 weeks after switching I’ll do a final strip. You have to leave enough to get the plant to harvest though because at that point it won’t add leaves. You can always take a few more later but you can never put em back on, buds won’t grow without some leaves to eat from…
This is my best description hope it helps you out, good luck

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Very good info thank you !
Another quick question ,would this be the ideal time to take cuttings aswell?

Appreciate any and all feedback.
Always love to learn new .

I don’t clone so my answer is pretty much a guess. I would think that anytime you cut off a small branch with a top on it would be good enough to clone. Again I don’t clone so I’m guessing

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I start a heavy defol of larger leaves well into flower keeping a light defol prior enough for air flow and light up to that point. Then strip all lil stuff up to a couple nodes after about 2 or 3 weeks into visible flowering. So about 4 weeks after flip. It really is a preference. It’s hard the first couple grows to really go crazy w your girls ya know but the science behind it adds up. You’ll see a lot of guys with cola trees and that’s why.

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Cola tree and not from removing any leaves. :hugs::hugs::hugs:

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I keep mine clean but try to leave enough for them to continue growing. I only have $500 in lights true 431w so I cut off anything the light doesn’t get to

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You are really just removing that which the light cant hit. The goal is to improve air movement and reduce material that the plant would need to keep alive. At some point removing too many will reduce the transpiration rate enough that nutrients cant be transported effectively enough to feed your plant. So to answer in a more sensible way, it very much depends on how much light you have and what kinda penetration are you getting.

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All great info thanks so much !

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Here’s my lollipop and defoliated plants a little before harvest. This grow went thru heavy defoliation the first 4 weeks of flowering (removing every large fan leaf) and was lollipoped before flowering, I hate trimming small lower buds so I just eliminate them entirely so those resources can be used on the upper big buds.

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is that an LED light on the floor in the middle pointed up?

Great pics ,nice buds!

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Yes it is, sometimes I use under-lighting to help bulk up the lower buds.

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is it cost effective?

I’ve done many clone runs going with and without under-lighting. I get 10-15% more yield using 25% more electricity (150 watts of under-lighting), bigger lower buds and a couple more oz per harvest, worth it to me.

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I’m sure it is @Hellraiser especially with the price of weed now a days, I don’t know how much it is wherever you are but in NM USA it’s going for between 2 and 3 hundred dollars per ounce unless you want that Mexico brick weed last time I saw it you could get a pound for $350 it’s been a few years though

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Blech who wants brick weed though unless your making extracts but even then :confounded: Michigan prices are around 300 per ounce too

Exactly why I haven’t seen it in a few years and I literally live within 50 miles of Mexico

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How many times you woke up across the border? Wtf…LoL

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I’ll just say sir that yes the donkey show is real it’s not a myth and like 30 years ago you could get 4 shots of tequila, a line of c, and a gorgeous 18 year old (at least I was told she was) for $50. I also know that the deal is still available but I can’t tell you the price.

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Your gonna do just fine in here! If I haven’t said it already nice chatting with you welcome to the site and all…:rofl: