Effect of Defoliation on Yield - Skywalker OG indoor scrog

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InvaderMark

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Chiming in to say I'm on board. Love science. Love experiments. And that Bill Nye guy. Lets see how this goes.

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OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
So have you used this technique on Skywalker OG before? Are they 100% Sativa?

Can I ask what stage of the experiment you are at now, as you speak in past tense about some things? Do you have any pics?

As for the actual defoliation itself, am I right in thinking that you only defoliate from week 3 of flower? You didn't defoliate during veg? What percentage of leaves would you say you are taking in that first defoliation from the canopy, and then is it just a random removal from then onward?
No i have not done a formal experiment on Skywalker or any other strain. I just like to pull leaves and perform canopy maintenance. I wanted to learn something. sounds Sativa to me. from pogenetics:
Pedigree: OG Kush

Genetics: OG

Feeding Level: Moderate-High Feeder

Flowering Time: 9-10 weeeks

Growth Structure: Lanky; Stretchy; Tall.
Tips: Super-cropping, topping recommended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
the four week veg stage is completed.
Flower Week 2 Day 2.
Of course I defoliate in veg. I prune. I lollipop to the scrog and let only the branches that will make it to the scrog last. I continually evaluate and prune as needed. I am starting defol in week three because 1) i want the plants to stretch 2) there are no budsites being shaded as yet. beginning week 3 to end I will remove fan leaves. I will completely defol in week 9 or ten to make drying and trimming easier. random removal based solely on the discretion of the following criterion: is this large fan leaf shading one or more bud site. yes? prune/clip/defol. no? leave it on. if I see crowding or lack of air and light flow I may remove those leaves as well. I would not call it a percentage because I would have to count all the leaves on the plants to be accurate and.... not doing that! that's part of the reason I am defolating: because I think the plants have too many leaves as it is. my hypothesis is based in the idea that they produce extra leaves due to the intense nute regimen we feed them. they really don't need all of those leaves. I believe that.
i can count the number of leaves I remove every day.

scribing to this, very interested to see what the final outcome is. Do you have a personal opinion as to if you think it helps or not?
,
Personally, my training and intuition tells me it will help yield. The high value target is the bud, not the leaf.



 

OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
Subbed, I love defoliation, previous indoor I defoliated all plants, this indoor just White Russian next grow I will do that to all plants again most likely. I would never do it outdoor since wind and animals and other things do it for me but indoor its awesome.
right! people treat their plants like spoiled babies, I do too. however, nature intended for the plants to shed leaves that aren't carrying their weight, like the ones getting no light. nature intended shedding due to animal contact and wind. the plant has this under control. COMPLETE defoliation that in no way mimics nature is a totally different technique. I apply this during the flush phase week. nothing but sugar leaf when I chop.
 

OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
Subbed up, glad someone else is going to follow through with the experiment. I did a defoliation experiment recently with just one plant (only for my own curiosity). When I was reading up on it there was mention that starting defoliating in veg is a good idea to get the plant used to losing leaves and not stressing as much (reduce hermies). Just thought I would mention it, Thanks for running the experiment.
thanks for mentioning it. well I have created hermies every way imaginable but I am not looking to add to the list with defoliation. one or two leaves per plant aint gonna do nuthin... (hypothetically)

(ok knock on wood and cross fingers)
 

OscarLaGrouch

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wk 2 day 2
gonna spray dutch master reverse. I apply in week one three and five to guard against herms.
in two days I will hit them with eagle 20. should immunize them for the duration. I hope.
plants look very vigorous and dark green. stretching nicely. I will work on getting some pics up. I just want to make sure I'm secure when I do it.
 

sikkinixx

Active Member
I'd be curious about a poll on this one. I know this is a pretty heated issue with two very different camps.

I'm excited to see some definitive results (not that it will ever change anyone's mind ;)
 
Thanks for this. This is my very first medical grow, I just started week 4 of flower and my 4 x 4 tent is so full. I so want to prune leafs off them. Like everybody else I have read and read and I just don't know what to do. I have some nice buds starting and I think I could have more if I pruned some leafs but there are so many that say "No" that I haven't removed any. The tent is so full that when I move them to check levels some fall off and I see so many branch's down low that will never produce anything, but I have left them alone. So I am very interested in this. Thank You
 

OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
I'd be curious about a poll on this one. I know this is a pretty heated issue with two very different camps.

I'm excited to see some definitive results (not that it will ever change anyone's mind ;)
can we do a poll thru RIU with like voting buttons?
ok everyone. vote yes or no. will the defoliated table yield more than the undefoliated table?
I vote YES
 

OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
Thanks for this. This is my very first medical grow, I just started week 4 of flower and my 4 x 4 tent is so full. I so want to prune leafs off them. Like everybody else I have read and read and I just don't know what to do. I have some nice buds starting and I think I could have more if I pruned some leafs but there are so many that say "No" that I haven't removed any. The tent is so full that when I move them to check levels some fall off and I see so many branch's down low that will never produce anything, but I have left them alone. So I am very interested in this. Thank You
part of the reason I am doing this is I believe getting light through the canopy to the lower branches is a necessary. otherwise you might as well cut those off. when you grow au naturel, usually the plants are spaced out a bit and light enters thru the side as the sun passes overhead, hitting the plant at different angles as the day passes. that's why ppl use light movers indoors. because I scrog, which means I use a trellis, the idea is to have all the branches receiving the same amount of light. a grower prunes everything that doesn't make it to the scrog. I was told to give the lower branches until week four. if they haven't made it to the trellis/canopy by then, they get chopped/pruned to allow the plant to send that energy to the growing tips or lateral meristems.

if you have too many plants in too small a space, they crowd each other. this blocks air movement which means humidity builds up within the plants and you run the issue of mildew. in my humble opinion, you starve lower branches and buds of the light energy they need as well.
 

OscarLaGrouch

Well-Known Member
undercanopy pruning pics
before and after,
what was removed was any sucker branch meaning any side branch between the main stem and the halfway point of the branch, any small or weak branch. lower leaves. the final two shots are the cleaned under canopy of A and B to show that pruning is uniform in both trays.
main vertical stem trim all this shit halfway point leave all these tip of branch
 

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redbeard420

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Ive been removing fan leaves here and there for the past week and a half now. But still have a shit ton of leaves. Im worried about removing too many. But also worried about airflow, mold, and light penatration. These pics from tonight after removing a few fan leaves. I may neec to remove more. I could use a lil advise. 20140506_203831.jpg 20140506_193551.jpg 20140506_193311.jpg 20140506_193052.jpg 20140506_192938.jpg
 
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