I see a lot of mature plants in here that are wholly or partially devoid of fan leaves - mostly just maturing buds, sugar leaves, a few more. Can I get some guidance as to whether there would be a benefit to trim any big fan leaves at this point? I estimate about another two weeks until harvest.
I wouldn’t be concerned with them if you are so close to harvest. Wholly devoid of fan leaves isn’t really a good idea. The plant needs the leaves to manufacture the sugars needed by the plant to be healthy.
I trim quite a bit, but I do limit it to accomplishing greater light penetration and airflow. If it doesn’t help airflow or light penetration, then it stays on.
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thanks! great answer…this plant is all alone, with light and air all around.
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I clean up my plants just before flowering with some defoliation up until mid flower. I remove yellowing fan leaves as they appear.
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thanks! why do you do this? most sources say that the only reason is if they yellow, or block light/air.
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I do similar to @oldmarine. Lush canopy, cleared out underside. This plant is 3 weeks into flowering.
She’s due for a bit of a haircut again to thin the canopy out some.
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I do it to maximize production on the buds I leave behind. By getting rid of all the smaller, lower growth, the plant has more energy for the buds.
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do you suppose it would have a beneficial effect six+ weeks into flowering?
The plant is done adding new foliage by the sixth week of flowering.
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I stop doing anything drastic about 3 weeks into flower. I don’t want to stress my plants after that point.
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I’m wondering if removing lower big leaves would be beneficial for bud production, at this point?
I do plan on splitting the stem about 4-5 days before harvest. ow!
What’s that supposed to do?
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I would be cautious about doing much to a plant that is that far into flowering.
Be careful about getting too “tricky” with your plant. IMHO, cannabis produces the best results when you spend your time focusing on proper lighting, nute levels, watering practices, proper pH, and so on. I’ve never bought into things like stem splitting, dark periods, and all of the other things that people do to try to trick their plants. If you don’t have a good foundation, all of the tricks in the world won’t offer much.
A solid back-to-basics approach will produce dense, potent flower.
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it’s a type of stress done in the last few days to cause the plant to increase cannabinoid production. sources abound.
thanks. I’m in the middle of my first, single-plant, last-minute grow. my future plans include mainlining my two plants, which will be grown in coco with Jack’s 321 nutes. Lighting times will continue to be determined by the rotation of the planet. It seems as though trimming the plants at the right times and places can increase the yield of big, fat buds, which is our goal. Yes?
also…from this site:
“There is one method of increasing the yield of your marijuana plants that not everyone knows about — splitting the stem. This will help your plants’ buds be heavier and denser and will improve THC production as well.”
I use LST, HST, topping and strategic damage early in the plant’s growth to increase yield.
Pretty sure too much stress on the plant can cause it to hermie too.
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