Defoliation Trial - 4 Clones

Hobbes

Hobbes

Well-Known Member
.

I'm going to run 4 plants:

plant 1: as the control with no defoliation
plant 2: lollipoped only
plant 3: lollipoped and a defoliation on day 1 of flower
plant 4: lollipoped and 2 defoliations - day 1 of flower and day 21of flower

I defoliate twice and my sugar leaves take a beating through flower, I'm really interested in the results. I'll weigh the larf on the first plant up to the lollipop level on the other plants, see if the lollipop is worthwhile.

I'm going to be using 4 Serious Happiness clones from Serious Seeds - Serious Seeds will be offering a discount to readers of the thread, stay tuned.

DSC02571.JPG

.

I cloned in a bubbler:

DSC02555.JPG

.

Off of this mother plant:

DSC02563.JPG

.

I grew for 20 years without ever even pruning a leaf, the great solar panels, leaf pumps, the more the better.

DSC02550.JPG

.

Then I watched a series of videos by Black Dog LED where they stripped every fan leaf from the plant twice, and they got great results.

DSC02553.JPG

.

So I gave it a try and got good results, maybe better than before.

DSC02559.JPG

.

I've been curious which style grows more bud, if defoliation is just busy work, if there's something to getting more light to the lower bud sites or if there's some type of hormone released when the foliage is attacked heavily.

DSC02561.JPG

.

This is an open thread: opinions, insight, constructive criticism are welcome.

.
 
Last edited:
NanoGadget

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
Hobbes said:
.

I'm going to run 4 plants:

plant 1: as the control with no defoliation
plant 2: lollipoped only
plant 3: lollipoped and a defoliation on day 1 of flower
plant 4: lollipoped and 2 defoliations - day 1 of flower and day 21of flower

I defoliate twice and my sugar leaves take a beating through flower, I'm really interested in the results. I'll weigh the larf on the first plant up to the lollipop level on the other plants, see if the lollipop is worthwhile.

I'm going to be using 4 Serious Happiness clones from Serious Seeds - Serious Seeds will be offering a discount to readers of the thread, stay tuned.

View attachment 5060379

.

I cloned in a bubbler:

View attachment 5060380

.

Off of this mother plant:

View attachment 5060381

.

I grew for 20 years without ever even pruning a leaf, the great solar panels, leaf pumps, the more the better.

View attachment 5060382

.

Then I watched a series of videos by Black Dog LED where they stripped every fan leaf from the plant twice, and they got great results.

View attachment 5060383

.

So I gave it a try and got good results, maybe better than before.

View attachment 5060384

.

I've been curious which style grows more bud, if defoliation is just busy work, if there's something to getting more light to the lower bud sites or if there's some type of hormone released when the foliage is attacked heavily.

View attachment 5060386

.

This is an open thread: opinions, insight, constructive criticism are welcome.

.
Click to expand...
I did something very similar several years ago. 3 clones, each in their own 2x2 with the same light. one was no trimming, one lollipopped with a conservative defol right before flip, another followed the day 1 and day 21 heavy defol model. the results were interesting, but I didn't take pics or document the results other than jotting down final dry weights so I am super curious to follow along and see how it goes for you. subbed.
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
NanoGadget said:
I did something very similar several years ago. 3 clones, each in their own 2x2 with the same light. one was no trimming, one lollipopped with a conservative defol right before flip, another followed the day 1 and day 21 heavy defol model. the results were interesting, but I didn't take pics or document the results other than jotting down final dry weights so I am super curious to follow along and see how it goes for you. subbed.
Click to expand...
how interesting were they?
 
NanoGadget

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
crimsonecho said:
damn my search for the ultimate excitement continues
Click to expand...
I mean I am a total nerd, so my notion of what is interesting may not be helpful to others. :)

in all seriousness, what surprised me was that the difference in dry weight between the 3 plants was not that significant. At least not as significant as all the arguments about defoliation on the interwebz would have lead me to believe.
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
NanoGadget said:
I mean I am a total nerd, so my notion of what is interesting may not be helpful to others. :)

in all seriousness, what surprised me was that the difference in dry weight between the 3 plants was not that significant. At least not as significant as all the arguments about defoliation on the interwebz would have lead me to believe.
Click to expand...
i’m there with you had a similar experience and there were no magical kilos of nugs popping everywhere i haven’t experienced significant (if any) yield increase so i’m not bothering with it anymore just a light defol for better airflow
 
kingzt

kingzt

Well-Known Member
Can’t wait to see final results. I think lollipopping helps a lot. I never defoliated crazy like the 3lb a light people but always wondered if I should be doning that
 
PopAndSonGrows

PopAndSonGrows

Well-Known Member
KILLER post. Someone willing to get down to the meat of this issue. Very nice.

Here's my take: plants grow more leaves than they'll ever fully need, to the point that leaves could get in the way of flower production, either by blocking light or by "bunching up" and just physically being in the way. I also theorize that the really huge fan leaves use more energy to stay alive than they actually provide toward plant or flower growth. "Solar panels", they say; yeah well, you don't need to cover the ENTIRE ROOF of your house with giant solar panels, lol.
 
JustBlazin

JustBlazin

Well-Known Member
I'm definitely subbed to this thread, thanks for making it Hobbes
I have a feeling lots of members will be interested in your findings.
I started to experiment with heavy defoliation after seeing your grow journal a year or two ago.
Didn't notice any significant changes in yield but I'd say less larf and more dense buds lower on the plant. Plus made it a bit easier on trim day.

Thanks again Hobbes can't wait to see the outcome
 
Samwell Seed Well

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
Observe & Report said:
Your experiment is too under powered to draw any meaningful conclusions from it.
Click to expand...
Hobbes said:
.

I should be running 10+ clones per defoliation type, but I still should get enough difference to make the trial worthwhile.

.
Click to expand...
any difference in a single plant is big. Don't let the bean coutners tell you a percentage increase isnt a huge deal. if it trends with the extra labor.

just people are invested in hating things they choose to not understand so much they will literally throw money away to feel correct.
 
PopAndSonGrows

PopAndSonGrows

Well-Known Member
Observe & Report said:
You're only running one each, you can't have any fewer. You wont know if any differences are the effect you're studying, random chance, or from some uncontrolled variable, like normal variation in plant size.
Click to expand...
If they're all the same clones, the results should still be noteworthy. Your points are valid for any multi-plant run, really, but it doesn't mean his results will be inconclusive simply because he's not running 100 plants.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top