Forgot to mention there autos
I don't think it makes much difference but removing lots of leaves does retard growth for a while and autos are on the clock. I've only grown autos for breeding but am putting some outside again this year hoping for better results. 3 of 4 auto fems turned out male last year and teh one CBD female grew as a photoperiod plant. Got about a pound of bud off her tho she could have used a couple more weeks. Wife blew the breaker for the heater and it near froze to death so had to be cropped.
I remove lower leaves that are shaded but any that get at least half light exposure are making food for the whole plant so they stay. Lower bud sites don't need direct light to grow properly. Food made at the top of the plant goes all the way down to the roots and back like blood does in our bodies.
Later at harvest taking the tops off then leaving the lower buds in full light will fatten and ripen them so I harvest in stages to do that.
