NO defoliation appreciation thread.

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

Four definitions of defoliation

to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves.

to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest, etc.), as by using chemical sprays or incendiary bombs, in order to deprive enemy troops or guerrilla forces of concealment.

to lose leaves

(of a tree) having lost its leaves, especially by a natural process.

By definition 3 and 4 the plant defoliate itself by nature. So there’s my answer.

Do you see the word "some" in definition 3 or 4? The first definition points out it means to strip and the following definitions just clarify that it can happen in nature and not just by man.

 

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

I feel like I've done my job. If you want to continue misusing the term than go for it. You're refusal to accept facts hurts your success with your plants more than anyone else.

 

[Wattzzup]

Do you see the word "some" in definition 3 or 4? The first definition points out it means to strip and the following definitions just clarify that it can happen in nature and not just by man.

Thanks bud appreciate your help

 

[spek9]

Bottom branches that dont get hardly any light dont produce shit for bud.

Again, it is not because of a lack of light. It is called apical dominance. Plants put more energy into growing upward than anything else. When you prune some of the bottom branches (often done for airflow), you allow the plant to put more energy into the upper branches, since there's nothing down lower anymore.

 

[Wattzzup]

I feel like I've done my job. If you want to continue misusing the term than go for it. You're refusal to accept facts hurts your success with your plants more than anyone else.

Job well done bud. I now know that most on here cut their plant up for one reason or another. I thought everyone was either all the way for it or against. I can see that majority trim their plants up. That’s all I’ve been asking.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

I agree but if you remove them you’re defoliating IMO.

listen as a new member there is a lot of bs on here. Over the past two weeks I’m trying to decide if I should defoliate my auto or not. I tried it, posted I took 1 large fan from my auto and now 10 new spots are getting light. I was ripped for it. I’m trying to get a count of who does what and why.

when I see people post - don’t cut your plant it hurts your growth and stunts it, etc then see they cut branches and leaves that they think are problems I disregard their advice. Sorry.

I respect the don’t touch your plant peoples opinion because they are making an argument and sticking to it like they believe it. Defols seem to do the same. the people in the middle you have to count as defols by definition IMO no matter what they call themselves.

I pruned my autos and LST this year. I pulled a 4 oz average off each plant this year. Last year my untrained unpruned plants averaged under 3oz and had less and smaller tops. But I also went from single ended hps to double ended and 3 gallon to 5 gallon pots.

 

[Wattzzup]

I pruned my autos and LST this year. I pulled a 4 oz average off each plant this year. Last year my untrained unpruned plants averaged under 3oz and had less and smaller tops. But I also went from single ended hps to double ended and 3 gallon to 5 gallon pots.
View attachment 4517531

Those look good and trimming makes sense IMO. Seems to be the majority

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Again, it is not because of a lack of light. It is called apical dominance. Plants put more energy into growing upward than anything else. When you prune some of the bottom branches (often done for airflow), you allow the plant to put more energy into the upper branches, since there's nothing down lower anymore.

Point being that those bottom branches are trash whether you call it apical dominance, sucker branches, improved airflow, ease of watering, etc so you might as well cut them off when they are young.

 

[xtsho]

I trim nothing and I'll put my harvest weight of decent bud up there with anyone defoliating in the same space using the same light. I end up with big fat dense cola's because I have all the photosynthesis occurring in the big fan leaves providing the plant with the energy it needs to produce big flowers. Even buds out of the light get dense. The stragglers on the bottom I just strip off and use for dry ice hash. I've got better things to do than play with my plants. I defoliate one time at harvest. I've been growing for decades. My goal these days is to reduce as much time as possible dealing with my plants. Especially now with the summer garden season coming up. I have trays of plant starts that need transplanting and other things I need to get started. I have my light on a timer, my plants being fed and watered automatically with blumats. Sometimes I go days without even looking at my plants. And that's the way I like it. They're healthy and that's all that matters.

Cut your leaves off. Don't cut them off. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I can pull more than a pound of dank out of a 4 x 4 with a 600 watt HPS without any effort at all. If I really tried I could get much more. When I say really tried I mean doing some additional training and letting the plants get bigger, and growing a high yielding strain. But I have been flowering smaller plants of different varieties because I've been focusing on making crosses and more seeds of strains I want to have for the future.

 

[spek9]

Point being that those bottom branches are trash whether you call it apical dominance, sucker branches, improved airflow, ease of watering, etc so you might as well cut them off when they are young.

I use all of my popcorn bud for edibles, so I wouldn't go as far as to call it trash, but some do.

 

[xtsho]

I pruned my autos and LST this year. I pulled a 4 oz average off each plant this year. Last year my untrained unpruned plants averaged under 3oz and had less and smaller tops. But I also went from single ended hps to double ended and 3 gallon to 5 gallon pots.
View attachment 4517531

Nice looking plants but not a good example of defoliating vs not because as you said you went from a single to a double and larger pots. Had you left one undefoliated then you'd have a sample to judge from.

Those look good and trimming makes sense IMO. Seems to be the majority

Majority or Herd mentality? I'm reminded of that cute little rodent called a Lemming.

 

[Wattzzup]

I trim nothing and I'll put my harvest weight of decent bud up there with anyone defoliating in the same space using the same light. I end up with big fat dense cola's because I have all the photosynthesis occurring in the big fan leaves providing the plant with the energy it needs to produce big flowers. Even buds out of the light get dense. The stragglers on the bottom I just strip off and use for dry ice hash. I've got better things to do than play with my plants. I defoliate one time at harvest. I've been growing for decades. My goal these days is to reduce as much time as possible dealing with my plants. Especially now with the summer garden season coming up. I have trays of plant starts that need transplanting and other things I need to get started. I have my light on a timer, my plants being fed and watered automatically with blumats. Sometimes I go days without even looking at my plants. And that's the way I like it. They're healthy and that's all that matters.

Cut your leaves off. Don't cut them off. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I can pull more than a pound of dank out of a 4 x 4 with a 600 watt HPS without any effort at all. If I really tried I could get much more. When I say really tried I mean doing some additional training and letting the plants get bigger, and growing a high yielding strain. But I have been flowering smaller plants of different varieties because I've been focusing on making crosses and more seeds of strains I want to have for the future.

Ok so do you agree that cutting branches off for any reason is stunting the plant like a full defol?

 

[xtsho]

I use all of my popcorn bud for edibles, so I wouldn't go as far as to call it trash, but some do.

I use those popcorn buds for this:

 

[Wattzzup]

Majority or Herd mentality? I'm reminded of that cute little rodent called a Lemming.

From what I’ve seen 90% of people on here are cutting their plant up. Even the ones that say don’t do it. So I appreciate your stance and your opinion. It’s a legit argument against defol.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

I use all of my popcorn bud for edibles, so I wouldn't go as far as to call it trash, but some do.

Im saying i would rather the plant send its energy to the tops than shit that is really only useful for hash/edibles.

 

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

Ok so do you agree that cutting branches off for any reason is stunting the plant like a full defol?

Any type of stress, including pruning small branches, will cause a plant to set back by at least a tiny bit. Your question doesn't really make sense, though, and I'm not just giving you shit. This is like asking if cutting an arm off of a person would set a humans life back anymore than cutting off all their limbs.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Ok so do you agree that cutting branches off for any reason is stunting the plant like a full defol?

I know your not asking me but my opinion is NO. Cutting a few sucker branches off the bottom of a plant will not stunt its growth anywhere near as much as stripping off all the fan leaves.

 

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

Im saying i would rather the plant send its energy to the tops than shit that is really only useful for hash/edibles.

Larfy bottom buds are just as potent as the top buds. They just don't have any bag appeal. When I hook friends up with my weed I always give them the prettiest buds I have. I dry herb vape the "nice" buds, along with larfy shit from down below, and I honestly notice zero difference in the taste or the high. But the majority of my larf is used for edibles and hash.

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Nice looking plants but not a good example of defoliating vs not because as you said you went from a single to a double and larger pots. Had you left one undefoliated then you'd have a sample to judge from.

I know its not a perfect scientific comparison. Just saying that my quality and quantity both improved. If pruning was that detrimental to the plant, the light upgrade and increased pot size probably wouldnt have been enough to increase my yield by 1/3

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Larfy bottom buds are just as potent as the top buds. They just don't have any bag appeal. When I hook friends up with my weed I always give them the prettiest buds I have. I dry herb vape the "nice" buds, along with larfy shit from down below, and I honestly notice zero difference in the taste or the high. But the majority of my larf is used for edibles and hash.

There is a much higher stem to bud ratio in larfy buds. Stems dont have much thc and they dont taste very good either.