Defoliation before flower?

Hi guys! I’m new to the forum but am a grower. I would like to know everyone’s opinion on removing fan leaves during veg and flower. I have heard several stories on it but have never tried it myself. I mean I lollipop in flower but I have heard of others who take just about all the fan leaves off at the begining of flower and say that it increases yield. I feel that removing fan leaves that block canopy penetration could be beneficial but it’s also said that the more leaves a plant has the faster it grows. What are you guys thoughts on the subject? I’m going to search related forums on this site just to keep reading until I start getting replies. Thanks in advance!

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Tuck leaves that shade flowers. Trim leaves you cant tuck. That my thoughts. Hagd and happy growing

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For me it is, anything that’s going to be a popcorn bud it’s gone by the time its done stretching. Over time I keep defoliating all through flower until last couple weeks. I will not have much to trim at all. For me it is about all the energy going to the buds. My partner stays on me about it. “Leaves are solar panels”

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I typically remove lower growth about a week before flipping to flower and will take a few fan leaves here and there that are blocking or are used up and then at the 3 week from flip mark, I remove a good amount of fan leaves but leave any that aren’t blocking bud sites. I’ve seen people do great grows without removing leaves too, but I prefer to do some pruning myself :wink::v::bear:

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Nice looking ladies! I agree with you I trim as you do during flower but I was at an expo a month or so ago and saw some pics from a Black Dog LED rep where they stripped the plant of nearly all of its fan leaves before flower. They grew 8 plants in a 4x8 tent and yielded 8.8 lbs of useable bud. (So they said anyway) I haven’t tried it yet but getting over a pound per plant in an indoor grow is good. I would take those results every time lol. I just wanted to see if any other veteran growers have tried this.

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fan leaves r ‘solar panels’ and ‘storage units’, they buffer against nutrient fluctuation,
if u can provide perfect nutrients the fan leaves r not needed as much and can be removed,

my plants r not treated perfectly so i keep all fan leaves.!
i snip the lower bud-lets, anything 18" below the tops, but keep the fans.!!

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Thanks, Possibly a week to go I have no fan leaves. Took a bud this morning to check density of the buds and they are very tight. With this one plant I should be pushing a pound.

I’m just now starting the flower stage. Should start to stretch this week.

I love watching these girls develop!

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beginning of week 3 of flower.

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