Hi everyone! I am a first time grower and am still learning the ropes. I wanted to see what recommendations would be out there for trimming on my next grow as I believe it is too far into flower on this plant to make any major changes. Please feel free to let me know if I am wrong. I do also plan on trying to train on my next grow, so any words of wisdom are appreciated!
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You could still trim up some of the big leaves blocking light to bud sites but she looks good 
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Thank you! I will give that a go tomorrow.
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Also, fwiw, this is ILGM Blue Cheese Auto in Fox Farms Happy Frog soil and an AC Infinity 5 gallon pot.
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Look good to me, you don’t really wanna defoliate autos too much, esp in flower. Maybe trim the bottom leaves but I’d leave the rest alone and watch them fatten up.
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Why not plants love to be defoliated with in reason let the buds have the energy were not growing leaves were growing buds just my opinion 
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Photos yes, but autos I personally don’t defol past week 2 flower and then it’s just some bigger leaves that are blocking literally everything. One thing I love about the cannabis plant, we all can do things differently and they thrive…most of the time lol. Not saying you’re wrong at all.
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I totally agree I just wanted to see what the reasoning was that’s what makes the community great we can all do things differently and come to a similar conclusion in the end and Converse about doing it
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I have to agree with @Highwayman420 for where you are at on this grow. There really will be no benefit to take any more leaves. Your plant looks great. Once that fills in. You are going to have some really nice colas on her 
Just my o2 
If thats an auto leave it alone. If its a photo yes, just as the leaves are turning yellow from the plant transferring the mobile nitrogen from them and into the flowers you can pull them off. They’ll pop right off… looks great otherwise let thos buds fill out…
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Thank you everyone! I really appreciate how helpful you all are to new growers like myself! You all take a lot of stress out of the grow and it is truly appreciated. 
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Absolutely growmie
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The buds don’t need light. The buds need the sugar leaves to grow. Don’t trim it.
@GFDuke 
where did you hear that that is totally incorrect bud density and growth is totally related to light and light intensity that’s why if you have poor lighting do you have fluffy airy buds
Light is absorbed by the leaves, which in turn feed the buds. I have posted about this many, many times and stand by it.
A couple of things I think are worth mentioning when growers bring up “defoliation”. No amount of nutrients will help the plant grow, unless they are first processed through the leaves. Only then, may mobile nutrients, commonly called "plant food” continues to the buds, for growth. The real name for plant food is called “photosynthate”, but for the purpose and ease of this post, let’s use the term “plant food”.
Leaves" have two main purposes:
1st, You can thank the leaves themselves for 99% of all the uptake of water and nutrients. Plants have a very small chain of water molecules that stretch from root to leaf, within the “xylem” (the woody center part). This ionic chain phenomenon is referred to as cohesion, whereas the entire uptake, from root to leaf, is called “transpiration”. Water is basically the blood of the plant. If you cut any leaves off, you limit the plants resources of water.
2nd, Leaves make all the “plant food” that the plants use to grow, while managing waste (O2), through the stomata. The stomata are very small pore-like openings in the bottom of the leaf, which exchanges new CO2 and O2, and water evaporation. “Plant food” is made through a process called photosynthesis, with in the chloroplast. Leaves are like a big food engine, but instead of 2 fuels like a car (gas & O2), leaves have 3 fuels (CO2 & Nutrients & PAR).
So, why remove them?
I’ve never liked the term of “defoliation” as it means “to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves”, implying all of them. I prefer to use their relative nick-names, “lollipopping”, “schwazzing” or even “pruning”, to limit confusion. These methods are not something I would promote anyone who desires larger yield, especially outside in full sun or if using auto-flowering seeds. Realistically, removing “any” healthy mature leaf will hinder growth & yield. A good rule of thumb would be to let the plant itself decide naturally what she wants to keep.
Distinguishing the different terms of training, or pruning growth is also a factor. Pruning a branch off the main stem, to manipulate growth direction, is not defoliation. Defoliation includes only leaf matter.
Growth “time span”, is also something that plays a roll. Depending on the cannabis grower’s view, any plant manipulation while in vegetation cycle may not be viewed as playing a role in final yield, while referring to defoliation. As an example, a farmer could prune half the vegetation off in veg cycle, but gives enough time for the vegetation to grow back, before entering into flower. If the factor of “time” itself is removed, the outcome of yield could be viewed differently. This does not apply to Auto Flower strains, as the cycles are fixed, and not based on light cycles.
Understanding what the flower actually is, is also important. Cannabis, being an “incomplete flower”, and a “raceme” type, generally has only male or female parts, where a complete flower has both. Nowhere within the flower itself, is there any leaves. Leave form around each flower. A “Raceme” is a flower cluster with the separate flowers attached by short equal stalks at equal distances along a central stem.
The “flowers” them self, do NOT require any light. No amount of light that’s exposed to each flower will help it grow any measurable amount, or yield more. It the physical features simply aren’t there for any measurable amount of photosynthesis to occur.
In botany, a “bud” is a knob-like growth on a plant that develops into a leaf, flower, or shoot. Only in the cannabis world does it mean “flower clusters”, in a slang fashion. Realistically, referring to a “bud” would be closer to saying “cola” or “meristem”, as it contains flower and leaf, and usually the primary growth area of the shoot.
Where/what is this sink?
“Sinks cells” are areas of new growth with low osmotic pressure. Leaves are areas of high pressure, hence why “plant food” or “photosynthate”, flow from high pressure leaves, to low pressure sinks; commonly called “osmosis”. Sinks can be in the roots or the shoots of the plant (new growth). After the plant food has been manufactured in the leaves, it enters into the phloem, starting at an area in the leaf called “source cells”. From here, osmosis carries “plant food” to its destination and use.
Now for an overall recap. Nutrients use the water to hitchhike a ride, up the xylem, to the chloroplast in the leaf. The leaf processes the raw nutrient into plant food. Then, plant food, enters into the phloem, and high pressure pushes it throughout the plant to areas of low pressure and use.
I do not recommend the removal of any healthy, mature leaf.
Good luck & happy growing
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I do not recommend the removal of any healthy, mature leaf.
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Well explained, thank you for taking the time out to type all this. Its great information. I always wondered about the internal functions of a plant from a scientific perspective. Leaves are very important for cola production.
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I remove a good shopping bags worth every week out of my tent if not more do you see a problem with this grow and I believe in heavy defoliation these are due they’re looking shaggy I’m not looking to grow leaves I’m looking to grow buds
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There’s a big difference in your grow and his. He has a single plant where as you have a heavy grow. Do you not see the difference? And. You still have alot of leaves there dude. I don’t see any heavy defoliation going on there. Simply put. there’s no comparison.
it says ther shaggy /need a trim my pic with light in it the trims look very similar do you also think light intensity has nothing to do with density that just honestly is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard saying buds don’t need light to grow @GFDuke