# Newbie needs help w/defoliation **URL:** \ **Category:** Autoflowers\ **Created:** [April 14, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725 "2022-04-14T23:53:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KennyD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/kennyd/32/693399_2.png) [@KennyD](https://ilgmforum.com/u/KennyD)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/1 "2022-04-14T23:53:02Z")
This is my first grow, and I think I’m hooked on it. I’m having a blast. 😃 But I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing. My plants are 4 weeks from seed. I cut some of the fan leaves that were bigger than my hand. There was a lot of growth underneath that wasn’t getting any light. Did you think I may have stunted their growth by cutting the fan leaves off to soon or should I have waited to cut them? Is it ok to defoliate in the veg state and or the flower state? 4x4 grow tent Vivson vs2000 6” inline fan 2 small fans FFHF in 5-gallon fab pots Nature’s Living soil autoflower Water – R.O. Temp/RH 76-78/55-65 4 Zkittlez Autos from ILGM ![20220413_102105](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/4X/b/4/1/b41d12d9fe6d43894d3d94d5be54a843c88f134d.jpeg) ![20220413_102122](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/4X/1/f/8/1f81b676ac1562c88e5b9524ef07a852229c3dc1.jpeg) ![20220413_102059](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/4X/9/d/4/9d434b826a158f58222a3066e3b5382a84a3f5d1.jpeg) ![20220413_102110](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/4X/f/e/7/fe7d243312979fa83b3e727e86cd10bcb657b71c.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![GrassMan420](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/grassman420/32/705309_2.png) [@GrassMan420](https://ilgmforum.com/u/GrassMan420)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 11:59pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/2 "2022-04-14T23:59:59Z")
Welcome to the community. You can tuck those bigger leaves down to expose the new growth or chop off a couple that are blocking the light. Good looking plants. Keep the training going. ---
**Author:** ![Spiney\_norman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/spiney_norman/32/240878_2.png) [@Spiney\_norman](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Spiney_norman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/3 "2022-04-15T00:01:06Z")
Fan leaves are like solar panels providing the necessary food for the plant. Once they are grown they keep working until the plant naturally disposes of them. They will eventually yellow and die. Some will say they are taking energy from other parts of the plant, but energy comes from the light, not the roots. With autos its best to leave as many leaves as possible. If they are touching the dirt I remove them as there is a risk of mold. Lower branches will recieve benefits from fan leaves. The light does not actually have to hit the branch for it to grow. Nutrients will travel from fan leaves to other areas. So in the dirt…Remove it. Later when you have buds if the air movement is blocked by a large leaf remove it. You want good airflow. ---
**Author:** ![Myfriendis410](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/myfriendis410/32/556067_2.png) [@Myfriendis410](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Myfriendis410)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/4 "2022-04-15T00:29:40Z")
What he said lol: 👆 ---
**Author:** ![MrPeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@MrPeat](https://ilgmforum.com/u/MrPeat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/5 "2022-04-15T00:30:27Z")
Welcome to the community. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![Fieldofdreams](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/fieldofdreams/32/688813_2.png) [@Fieldofdreams](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Fieldofdreams)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/6 "2022-04-15T00:38:15Z")
@KennyD Welcome, your off to a great start. They look very healthy!! ---
**Author:** ![VirginiaGrowBoy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/virginiagrowboy/32/642689_2.png) [@VirginiaGrowBoy](https://ilgmforum.com/u/VirginiaGrowBoy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/7 "2022-04-15T01:34:58Z")
Looking good. ---
**Author:** ![webbex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/webbex/32/682457_2.png) [@webbex](https://ilgmforum.com/u/webbex)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/8 "2022-04-15T01:42:37Z")
Looking good, I’m on nearly same time line however my early beginnings were a steep learning curve. Had a few stumbles but making progress again. > [@A Journey to Grow](https://ilgmforum.com/t/a-journey-to-grow/84627): > > Hi all, first proper grow here. I’ve been getting some help over at Emily kyle forums so I thought I’d plot some progress over here with the grow family. This set up is implemented with a tight budget and a must for total discretion. This is just the beginning but I’m continuously germinating to add or replace them as needed. ---
**Author:** ![6stringT](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/6stringt/32/697242_2.png) [@6stringT](https://ilgmforum.com/u/6stringT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/9 "2022-04-15T01:49:23Z")
@KennyD I love your outlook! Your plants look very healthy. Yea with autos I like to be conservative with pruning. Just prune to provide air flow and tuck fans that block buds. Toward the end she will start to suck the nutrients from the lower fans. That’s when I get rid of them. But I’m a recovering prunaholic! ---
**Author:** ![Sizzzl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/sizzzl/32/713910_2.png) [@Sizzzl](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Sizzzl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 2:58am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/10 "2022-04-15T02:58:10Z")
Good Job Kenny !! Welcome ---
**Author:** ![Buddalicious](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/buddalicious/32/675613_2.png) [@Buddalicious](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Buddalicious)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 3:53am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/11 "2022-04-15T03:53:19Z")
plants look fantastic to me. ---
**Author:** ![Aussie\_autos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/aussie_autos/32/612108_2.png) [@Aussie\_autos](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Aussie_autos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 8:03am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/12 "2022-04-15T08:03:44Z")
Plants look great keep up the good work and ur lst is good like other members have said u can do leaf tucking inside of cutting them off ---
**Author:** ![OGIncognito](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/ogincognito/32/475294_2.png) [@OGIncognito](https://ilgmforum.com/u/OGIncognito)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 10:06am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/13 "2022-04-15T10:06:51Z")
Same as @Spiney_norman 🤟 ---
**Author:** ![KennyD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/kennyd/32/693399_2.png) [@KennyD](https://ilgmforum.com/u/KennyD)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/14 "2022-04-15T11:37:33Z")
@Spiney_norman I’ve read and watched videos about it, but nobody has explained it as well as you. It makes perfect sense. Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![dirtydave](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/dirtydave/32/626820_2.png) [@dirtydave](https://ilgmforum.com/u/dirtydave)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 11:38am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/15 "2022-04-15T11:38:05Z")
Others have given great advice so I’ll just say welcome to the community ---
**Author:** ![KennyD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/kennyd/32/693399_2.png) [@KennyD](https://ilgmforum.com/u/KennyD)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 11:42am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/16 "2022-04-15T11:42:58Z")
@6stringT I think I was well on my way to becoming a pruneaholic. That’s why needed this intervention.😂😂 ---
**Author:** ![6stringT](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/6stringt/32/697242_2.png) [@6stringT](https://ilgmforum.com/u/6stringT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/17 "2022-04-15T13:20:24Z")
That’s funny right there! But I grow wonderful tomatoes, we prune them and train the plants to grow on fences etc… The big difference is auto flower weed. They start flowering when the DNA says go (3-4 weeks). As opposed to photo periods which you can let veg as long as it takes to get them looking robust. If you F-up on autos in those first few weeks, they have no time to come back. That said, I’ve topped, trained, pruned and super cropped autos with success. But they need to have that real good start. The “Solar Panel” idea is valid but the solar panels in the basement produce far less energy than they require! ---
**Author:** ![BudzMS](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/budzms/32/747857_2.png) [@BudzMS](https://ilgmforum.com/u/BudzMS)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/18 "2022-04-15T17:42:45Z")
welcome to the community ---
**Author:** ![BuddyHolly1212](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BuddyHolly1212](https://ilgmforum.com/u/BuddyHolly1212)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/19 "2022-04-16T03:37:30Z")
Leaves touching the soil also provides a convenient bridge for insects, mites etc. for access to the plant. ---
**Author:** ![Fieldofdreams](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/fieldofdreams/32/688813_2.png) [@Fieldofdreams](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Fieldofdreams)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725/20 "2022-04-16T15:58:42Z")
@BuddyHolly1212 as does your stalk lol. If you got bugs in your pot or tent you got bugs period. Keeping your undercarriage cleaned out keeps good quality airflow down there to help reduce any potential mold issues imo. [Next page](https://ilgmforum.com/t/newbie-needs-help-w-defoliation/85725.md?page=2)