Autos: Defoliate, or not?

CptTripps

CptTripps

Well-Known Member
Tried this thread in the Newbie section, and didn't get a response....so I think it may be better served here...

I've read a few times in other threads that I shouldn't be defoliating autos, but I can't find a definitive thread on the subject.

I THOUGHT I had pretty good success defoliating the autos I've grown so far, but am I stunting growth? Whenever I've done it, the plant seems to rebound in a few days and it looks like I did nothing...only the plant is bigger. I thought this was a success. Was I wrong?

What's the general consensus?
 
As long as they're healthy, autos can be defoliated any time after week 3. Just don't take so much that you stress the plant. A good practice is focusing more on removing inner-facing secondary fan leaves that are covering bud sites. Also, it's a good idea to make sure that your plants have recently been fed. This video has some good info.
 
One big thing to consider when defoliating;

All mobile nutrients NPK etc show up in older leaves. If you remove them and miss time your feeds/wrong pH etc Then you’ll lose leaves which are doing the most photosynthesis - the ones you want to keep green!

So you’re kind of shooting yourself in the foot unless you’ve dialled in the strain and setup.
 
Nutty sKunK said:
So you’re kind of shooting yourself in the foot unless you’ve dialled in the strain and setup.
Click to expand...
Solid advise. I'm finding that it's a balance. Knowing what to cut away, and what to keep. The kind of thing that I learn from experience. I am only on my 10th plant at this point, so I'm still pretty much a newbie. Appreciate the reply.
 
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