This thread is full of negative energy so I've been avoiding it but I wanted to share my results of some defoliating.
First Item in Question: Defoliating to expose light to lower bud sites. Before this experiment I would have disagreed with the "old timers" in here. Here is proof that bud sites do not need direct light. This plant was among many others in very close proximity to one another...close enough that the large upper fan leaves blocked all light from getting down below. The lowest bud sites on this plant are nearly perfectly developed. So I think this shows that bud sites do not require *direct* light
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