Any detriment to massively pruning a plant that is too large to control size?

TL;DR - Is there any downside to taking a plant that has grown very large in veg, and then massively pruning it so that it flowers out as a much smaller plant?

Details have changed for me such that now:

• I have 8 plants in 5 gallon pots ; 5x5 area with HLG 550. Plants were in veg for some time, and are likely already going to wind up filling the space as is. They are close to week 2 of 12/12
• I have 6 other plants in 5 gallon pots that are in veg. Unexpectedly, I need to add them to the existing 5x5 flower space.
• I dont want to kill any one individual plant, as I am pheno hunting
• I accept that I am losing out on total yield potential (as really I could easily use another 5x5 for the 6 plants currently in veg

What is the best strategy for me? The obvious would seem to be to just massively prune all 14 plants such that there are essentially the same number of tops/canopy coverage that I need. Is there anything bad about this? For example the plants have developed a huge root mass to support a bug plant, but then I will be leaving them with relatively fewer stems/tops to grow out. Seems like this could be a good thing but maybe it fucks them up?

I know if you do this to a plant, the woody stems you cut off will ooze sap for days and end up with mold growing into the wood even if you have UV
lights running.
So maybe don't cut them this far...


The soft green stems seem to do better after getting cut. They kinda shrink and self seal.