Defoliating a vegging plant.

[2-Scoops]

A question for all you defoliating types. So why do people defoliate a weed plant in veg ??

I mean i can see point removing some leafage before flipping to flower from underneath, theirs a good reason for that imo

I can also just about see a reason for removing foliage if training in a style like mainlining, LST or for a SCROG.

I can see quite a few decent reasons for doing it in bloom as well

But why would ya chop leaves of a vegging plant especially small plants when you can quite obviously see light is getting to the whole plant, all i can see that removing leaves does to a vegging plant (especially small plants) is that it`s gonna add time on to your grow (vegging period) cus it can slow plant down quite some and again more so with small plants. I just can`t see any reason to do it. So please enlighten me you defoliating types that do it in veg I'm interested to know your reasons for doing it. Cheers peeps

[Bulls]

My reason is listed in your post. I usually train my plants (LST) and get a nice flat,thick canopy. Removing the lower growth after the stretch is over in bloom. And that's about it.
Apart from that I see no reason to be defoliating. Would be interesting to know why really people do it.

[Marcus]

I'm baffled as to why folks take leaves off plants at any stage unless they want the plant a specific trained shape.

If light isn't getting to the lowers, the plant uses them up and drops them anyway, leaving no open wounds.

But yes, really interested to hear some science behind why folks cut fan leaves off young plants.

[Ghost_In_A_Jar]

I use the hack and slash technique at any stage of a grow I feel needs it.

I think it’s like most things like this….kinda just a personal preference and grow style

I like having less to trim at the end though

[2-Scoops]

My reason is listed in your post. I usually train my plants (LST) and get a nice flat,thick canopy. Removing the lower growth after the stretch is over in bloom. And that's about it.
Apart from that I see no reason to be defoliating. Would be interesting to know why really people do it.

Yes i do a similar thing myself. Cheers.

I'm baffled as to why folks take leaves off plants at any stage unless they want the plant a specific trained shape.

If light isn't getting to the lowers, the plant uses them up and drops them anyway, leaving no open wounds.

But yes, really interested to hear some science behind why folks cut fan leaves off young plants.

Well nowt gets grown down below on my plants so i really can`t see point leaving it their when plants energy can be better re-directed and focused elsewhere. Well in my mind anyhow. But as said i can see reasons for doing it bloom unlike doing it veg to young plants and i seen a few doing it here on forum when all its doing in is probably adding time to your grow. I can even kinda see a point or idea behind lollipopping plant before you flip, although i can`t see point in doing at that time when its just gonna need doing again 2 to 3 weeks into bloom, if your on that route, but why risk possibly slowing plant down when your close to flipping them. I myself remove a quite bit of the crap from down low later in veg to help with ease of watering but nothing more that may cause shock and slow plant, its all done in bloom otherwise to help increase my yields in the space i have. Cheers.

I use the hack and slash technique at any stage of a grow I feel needs it.

I think it’s like most things like this….kinda just a personal preference and grow style

I like having less to trim at the end though

Hack and slash you lost me, but i like name of that one. Cheers.

[Marcus]

Well nowt gets grown down below on my plants so i really can`t see point leaving it their when plants energy can be better re-directed and focused elsewhere.

I may be missing something but a plant's leaves are what it needs to convert energy into sugars through photosynthesis, we just give it basic mineral elements in water that help it do this more efficiently when we feed. So the more leaves on a plant, the more sugars it can produce and the more mass we get at the end of the day???

So stripping leaves off a plant is counterproductive to the plant. They don't feed on what we give them in the jug of water into the soil, they utilise it to make sugars through their leaves and photosynthesising. The more leaves they have, the more they can sustain themselves.

I can see your thinking though with taking buds off the lowers of the plant to direct bud growth up top.

[2-Scoops]

I may be missing something but a plant's leaves are what it needs to convert energy into sugars through photosynthesis, we just give it basic mineral elements in water that help it do this more efficiently when we feed. So the more leaves on a plant, the more sugars it can produce and the more mass we get at the end of the day???

Yes cool but from growing many different ways over years i find and know i get better yields doing what i do training plant, over just leaving plant to do its own thing especially indoors in a tight space like mine, hence why i can see point in a bit of defoliation of plant in bloom being beneficial .

Also if lights not getting those leaves that are down low and they`re really being shaded then the plants not using them to photosynthesize properly to grow nice buds like it does with the leaves higher up in that area which are providing plant with energy up their from all those carbs from leafage which are on full stream ahead photosynthesizing away under light turning it into energy up top making my fat buds from what i see really. So to me down low it just seems or even lets say its wasted energy plant is using trying to find light for those leaves to do its jobby down their to grow buds, when theirs no need for plant to be stressing doing that cus it just grows feck all or lets say it grows just fluffy crap that's not worth shit except for cooking up into some sorta concentrate, myself id rather get me lots of nice buddage up top through training of plant and defoliation.

But yes as said i can see reasons for doing it in bloom but certainly theirs no reason for de-leafing in veg. Cheers m8.

[Bulls]

I'm baffled as to why folks take leaves off plants at any stage unless they want the plant a specific trained shape.

My reason for removing the 1/3 of the plant after stretch is over is that reduces the humidity big time for my growing space. Also at this stage I add support to the plants and usually don't take them out of the tent no more. And if i don't strip the lower growth it starts dying and some areas are hard to reach, which leaves rotting leaves and eventually might lead to bud rot and I don't really want that

[2-Scoops]

I'm baffled as to why folks take leaves off plants at any stage unless they want the plant a specific trained shape.

My reason for removing the 1/3 of the plant after stretch is over is that reduces the humidity big time for my growing space. Also at this stage I add support to the plants and usually don't take them out of the tent no more. And if i don't strip the lower growth it starts dying and some areas are hard to reach, which leaves rotting leaves and eventually might lead to bud rot and I don't really want that

I do summink similar myself yes. You grow in coco well i think you do, but i find if ya leave leaves on lower down not many fall and die and that also applies to any hydro grows I've done unlike i see they do more so in dirt grows, i mean odd leaf does but most usually stay nice n green doing feck all .

So do think you would get same yields if ya didn`t train them Bulls with same amount of plants just letting them go in your space ? I know i cant or don`t when I've grown a similar way letting plant do its thing in years gone by growing in bigger rooms too. I`m a big fan of training and defoliation at certain times done in bloom.

Each to their own like, but i was more interested in why peeps do it in veg cus I've seen one or two do it here at times, i mean even removing odd leaf or two in veg for certain reasons whatever that maybe, yes cool but heavy defoliation like lots of peeps do more so in bloom, nah its a no no to me, i just can`t see a reason for it. Cheers bud.

[Bulls]

You are somehow right @2-Scoops . My last auto grow was the first one I've done for a very long time letting them grow naturally and not stripping lower growth off. I did yield just under 1 gpw. But they were autos.




These are stripped from lower growth, LST and etc. Yielded just over 1 gpw.




As yous said, not a massive difference