So does stress of ANY kind cause a plant to hermie during flower? Is it okay to exfoliate some fan leaves for purpose of light getting to areas that are to flower? We have a complete blackout for the 12 hours of darkness… as I believe some light perhaps caused our plants to hermie before. Also… should you not remove any stems from the trunk once the plant has begun to flower?
I have read that stress of any kind can lead a plant to herm. I think genetic susceptibility plays a big role here though. I have only run feminised seeds from reputable breeders and have not had any Herm issues from stress. I check for light leaks weekly.
My plants have seen plenty of other stress from improper nute administration, 100 degree temps, huge temp and humidity fluctuations, etc. I defoliate heavily after stretch. And again a few weeks later depending how much it fills back in. Never caused me an issue.
That one just got a haircut a couple days ago.
I trim as I want the first couple weeks of flowering and have never had a problem. I’m careful to not overstress them with too much though.