Did you even read my post? I do not advocate removing any branches or leaves that have plenty of access to light. BUT when you start to move the plants closer together the lower branches begin to intertwine and the result is some branches are in complete darkness. Those branches are not supporting the plant or themselves. Why would you move plants so close together?
Because I have to #1, #2 if you use appropriate side reflecting panels your lower leaves will not be in darkness. There is no such thing as "darkness" in a well designed garden. I want you to see what a cramped garden really looks like. The leafsets on these plants were "intertwined" to use your words, but the results were excellent.
https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/9114-spin-out-chemical-root-pruning.html
Three 4 ft tall plants which have the lower branches removed will yield more than one 4 ft tall plant which is untrimmed and fits in the same amount of space.
Not true. The plant has a CO2 flag residing in the leaf. When CO2 processing levels (a determinant of photosynthesis) falls to a certain point it becomes a flag to the plant that the leafset is no longer productive. The plant will then pull the metabolites out of the leaf, send them to other plant parts and drop that leafset.
Or you could try to fit three untrimmed plants in that space and watch all your lower leaves die from no light and all your lower busites just be a couple pistils at the end of flower.
That has never happened to me. Something else is working against you in your case. See my avatar? That 6" wide rock hard cola was produced in a closet, cramped in with a shoehorn.
I do double harvests. By retaining healthy leafsets until the end, I take out the "huge" colas and put the bottom of the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower buds, which always form late on the plant but can be higher in THC than the buds at the top according to Mississippi university tests studies. It makes a big difference in overall yields and increases efficiency in regards to buying light, time, maintenance, etc. I have posted those results many times over the years using different gardens' photos of such.
How about you share your vast botanical knowledge instead of that bullshit.
How about you checking out all my posts? I have taught for 14 years in cannabis forums and had to put up with know-it-all jerks every step of the way. Here I am teaching the value of leaf retention and you have people who obviously don't have a clue about the function or value of a leaf advocating removal. It's laughable!
I agree that leaves are important and removing them needlessly like I see a lot of people do drives me nuts. But if you remove lower BRANCHES which you know will underperform the top anyway you are decreasing the number of BUDSITES and keeping the same amount of roots.
See the above. True, an abundant root system is important, my plants always finish up potbound, as they should.
Look, I'm gonna start a thread on this issue, hopefully it becomes a sticky. The leaves (and roots) are the most important system for a plant and there needs to be a sticky thread where members can go for info on the function, health, and retention of leaves. It's up to our fine mods though.
Finally, I could grow for 100 years and I would still never call anyone's plants pathetic.
That's because you're a politically correct mofo that hasn't got an ounce of honesty running thru his veins. What do you want me to do, be disengenious, lie, and tell this poor noob that they look terrific? They don't, they look like they've been butchered, which they have, all for the sake of being kewl in a forum and going along with The Herd, which is usually wrong.
It's the blind leading the blind. He said he's doing an experiment which is all well and good, but the results should be evident before even trying. Gotta know what makes a plant tick first.

I have experimented with cannabis for many years, that's how you learn, but I also understand the function of plant parts and know what comes first. I wish him the best and hope that my candid posts will help him more than some dude mainly interested in protecting his ego.
Hey, perhaps they need epsom salts? That's it, he should add 1/2 cup/gallon of epsom salts!!!!
UB