Hello this is the first time growing. I have 2 plants outdoor and been watching videos on how to grow. I have lollipoped them during vegetation stage and now they are probably week 6 flowering.
My question is is it ok to take off leaves/ cut branches off to get bigger buds??
So; Let me get this straight; You already lollipopped the plant and you want to know if it is OK?
Personally; I would not do this. However; I have friends that do.
Outdoor plants tend to grow very large. Because of their size, their is often an enormous amount of undergrowth that will never produce substantial buds. Some of this undergrowth is little branches coming off main branches, or just tiny bud sites at the bottom of the main branches that will only produce popcorn buds. If its not getting any sunlight, then its not worth keeping. That being said, I wouldn’t go and chop every little small bud sight off that you can see, plenty of small bud sites produce good thick buds, as long they are getting atleast some direct sun.
I’m with @BondPacker here. I defoliate the hell out of my girls both during the final stages of veg as well as toward the end of ripening. This does expose the skimpier undergrowth to more sunlight hence improving quantity and quality at those bud sites.
I will admit, however, to stripping the more scraggly flowers and branches but another thing I noticed in doing that is that the scrappy stuff tends to ripen later than the bigger one.
So after I’ve harvested the bulk of mature flowers, I leave the scraggly stuff on to allow it to keep ripening and do a couple of “sweeps” to harvest as much as possible for hash making before calling it a season.
TIP: *You do need to leave some foliage to keep photosynthesis occurring
I would not say you’ll increase yield with removing health, adult leaves, in fact, Robert teaches to not remove any leaf. Instead, let the plant discard any leaves on it’s own. Leaves make plant food. Removing any adult, health leaf will hinder growth.
On outside grows, I would recommend pruning “some” lower growth, as moisture and bugs are always a concern.
Robert also mentions a redistribution of sugars by sink strength manipulation, and by doing so, you could possibly increase the density of specific buds. This does not mean over all yield will increase, rather move the bulk to a different part of the plant.
Lollipopping plays two roles in my garden. First, and most important, it makes it very easy to work on with my back issues. The other reason would be my manipulation of the sinks.
hope this helps
Good helpful info. Love learning.
I will keep this in mind come fall.