Should I trim fan leaves?

itsmehigh

itsmehigh

Well-Known Member
I can agree to disagree, it all comes down to what works for the individual grower. For me removing large fans has worked very very well. To become a successful grower you need to take in all information, apply it to your situation and pick and choose the methods/disciplines that work for you. Trial and error is the only way to learn for your self, not by listening to random strangers on a forum. There will always be another plant to grow, why not try different things. Live and learn.

cheers Itsme.
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
so you folks who lobby for fan leaf removal think these plants evolved with fan leaves because they DON'T need em or benefit from them?

Plants are extremely efficient in their life cycle. If they wouldn't benefit from them they wouldn't have them in the first place.
 
juliecasea

juliecasea

Member
Kanaplya said:
Everyone always says 'DO NOT TOUCH THE FAN LEAVES!!', 'SOLAR PANELS!!' and all that shit but you know what - from what I've seen experimenting with this, that's a bunch of bullshit. You ever notice how towards the end of flower all the big fan leaves are either yellow or dead? Following that logic, the growth should stop right there and then. But in reality - that is when you get the most increase in size an potency. Buds have clusters of smaller leaves that do most of the work for those specific buds. But fuck the speculation, you know how I know this to be true by myself and not giving a damn about what anyone else says about this? When I had the same question and couldn't find anything conclusive here, I took two identical plants a few weeks into flower and trimmed the big fan leaves off one and left the other alone. The one I trimmed grew better and frostier than the one left alone. I am not saying trim them naked in the middle of flower, but if your leaves are blocking the light and reduce air flow (especially SOG when you're risking mold hiding in the jungle) cut those fuckers off! By then you should know how your plants respond to stress and how not to overdo it.
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You rock that opinion.....I totally agree 100% hands down. I even get someone here constantly argue don't touch the leave's..you prob get less potent than you should , cause you cut the leaves..actually (pinch) the fan leaves. I always and especially four weeks into flower there are hardly any fan leaves at all. high times does have numerous articles that has the debate to cut or not to_One large article stated that a medicinal clinic they interviewed removed all the fan leaves,especially in flower. That it puts all it's energy into the actuall bud..That in flower..as you stated, the fanning leaves are yellowing and dying off anyways. And that the plants spend energy in trying to help the dying fan leaves...hence taking energy away from bud growth.I didn't do it on a few plants and did to a few plants.the ones that were pinched had more yield, danker bud, and more resinous..than the other's were.the plants with no leaf also had less smaller bud on the bottom as the others. soooo i will always take the leaves always.good advice kanaplya!!!!!
 
skunkd0c

skunkd0c

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
there are a few really nice ones in there. But more mediocre sized buds.

If you really believe trimming all the fans off is the right way to go.

try running sog. @ 4 plants/sq. ft. even at this tight I assure you the fan leaves are beneficial.

there are nothing BUT colas and fans in sog. Without the fans....you get no colas.
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You make many assumptions which are incorrect.
The plants i posted have no fans, i see plenty of colas , i am happy with my results but thanks for your opinions anyway lol

peace
 
itsmehigh

itsmehigh

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
so you folks who lobby for fan leaf removal think these plants evolved with fan leaves because they DON'T need em or benefit from them?

Plants are extremely efficient in their life cycle. If they wouldn't benefit from them they wouldn't have them in the first place.
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don't forget Mother Nature probably never intended for plants to be grown indoor under less than perfect lighting.

Also the only intention of Mother Nature is reproduction(seeds), we are manipulating the plant to avoid this. So not all there stored up reserves are needed to produce flowers alone.

cheers Itsme.
 
Kanaplya

Kanaplya

Member
joe macclennan said:
so you folks who lobby for fan leaf removal think these plants evolved with fan leaves because they DON'T need em or benefit from them?

Plants are extremely efficient in their life cycle. If they wouldn't benefit from them they wouldn't have them in the first place.
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I understand what you mean but you have to consider the variables - depending on your grow environment you may need to groom your plants to optimize light penetration, ventilation, crowing, etc.. If plants were at their absolute best on there own, the best way to grow would be to toss some seeds on the ground and wait 5-6 months. But if you do that (especially indoors) you end up with a bunch of weeds, few at the top flourishing while others are rotting and being consumed by pests and fungus.

Growing indoors is about environment control. If that means chopping down some leaves - so be it. But to each his own. Personally I could give a shit about how other people grow. :lol:
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
lol

if your fans are yellowing @ 4 weeks into flower you don't have enough N in your nutes.......period

not because they don't need them, because the plant is putting what little nitrogen it has into the parts that are receiving more light...that is all.

and just because the lower fans are receiving less light doesn't mean it is receiving NO light.

there is a difference between shaded and dark. Even a shaded solar panel produces power.

instead of plucking all the fans, try adding a little more N and watch how your fans stay green and your colas increase in size.
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
itsmehigh said:
don't forget Mother Nature probably never intended for plants to be grown indoor under less than perfect lighting.
.
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so you think rain forest or dense jungle receives "perfect" light to the forest floor?

yes, even in mother nature "less than perfect lighting" occurs

and I would bet dollars to donuts that if you removed all the foliage from a plant grown on the jungle floor it would NOT prosper.
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
skunkd0c said:
You make many assumptions which are incorrect.
The plants i posted have no fans, i see plenty of colas , i am happy with my results but thanks for your opinions anyway lol

peace
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hey man, it's a nice plant. Not saying it isn't.

If you are happy that's all that matters.


don't get your panties in a bunch
 
Kanaplya

Kanaplya

Member
joe macclennan said:
so you think rain forest or dense jungle receives "perfect" light to the forest floor?

yes, even in mother nature "less than perfect lighting" occurs

and I would bet dollars to donuts that if you removed all the foliage from a plant grown on the jungle floor it would NOT prosper.
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Did you just compare the light from the sun around the tropic belt to indoor grow light? Lol,
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Kanaplya said:
I understand what you mean but you have to consider the variables - depending on your grow environment you may need to groom your plants to optimize light penetration, ventilation, crowing, etc.. If plants were at their absolute best on there own, the best way to grow would be to toss some seeds on the ground and wait 5-6 months. But if you do that (especially indoors) you end up with a bunch of weeds, few at the top flourishing while others are rotting and being consumed by pests and fungus.

Growing indoors is about environment control. If that means chopping down some leaves - so be it. But to each his own. Personally I could give a shit about how other people grow. :lol:
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there is very little light penetration @ 4/sq.ft. yet they still benefit from lower fans if you can keep them green.

I will pull them when they turn yellow/brown or in the odd occaision when I cannot bend it down to keep it from shading the plant next to it.

as far as ventilation...add more circulation fans.
 
itsmehigh

itsmehigh

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
so you think rain forest or dense jungle receives "perfect" light to the forest floor?

yes, even in mother nature "less than perfect lighting" occurs

and I would bet dollars to donuts that if you removed all the foliage from a plant grown on the jungle floor it would NOT prosper.
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Correct
but just imagine how those plants on the jungle floor would benefit by removing some of the foliage above them.

cheers Itsme.
 
AimAim

AimAim

Well-Known Member
Wow, yet another "pluck my leaves" post.

I'll be honest I did not read every comment in the thread, but thought I'd toss out my thoughts here.

If a leaf is green, it is photosynthesizing. Capturing light and making "photosynthates". For all practical purposes sugars that fuel the plant. A leaf is designed to maintain and support it's own existing tissue, and provide photosynthates to the rest of the plant to be used as growth elsewhere in the plant. Roots, stems, flowers and fruits.

So the good work a green leaf does, all that good stuff it made during it's efforts at photosynthesis, is moved all around the plant as the plant as needed. Translocation.

When a leaf is not receiving enough light, or becomes damaged, (rendered photosynthetically ineffective), by any one of dozens of reasons, and can't effectively photosynthesize, the plant will discard it. The plant is saying, "OK, once you were a good productive leaf and added to our efforts, then you got a little shaded and weak and you just took care of yourself, now you are adding nothing to this plant and have been voted out, as we are not a social welfare system type of plant. Here's your walking papers. We are going to suck out what nutrients you have left in you, you are going turn yellow and fall off".

Anyway if a leaf is contributing, the plant knows to keep it on. A big fan leaf up top is not "blocking" anything, it's your best photosynthesizer on the block and working it's ass off. All it's work is getting translocated to other parts of the plant that need it these photosynthates. If a leaf is not contributing, the plant will know when to discard it.

The cool thing is that these are your plants, and you are free to strip off all the big 'ol nasty green leaves you want to.
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
AimAim said:
Wow, yet another "pluck my leaves" post.

I'll be honest I did not read every comment in the thread, but thought I'd toss out my thoughts here.

If a leaf is green, it is photosynthesizing. Capturing light and making "photosynthates". For all practical purposes sugars that fuel the plant. A leaf is designed to maintain and support it's own existing tissue, and provide photosynthates to the rest of the plant to be used as growth elsewhere in the plant. Roots, stems, flowers and fruits.

So the good work a green leaf does, all that good stuff it made during it's efforts at photosynthesis, is moved all around the plant as the plant as needed. Translocation.

When a leaf is not receiving enough light, or becomes damaged, (rendered photosynthetically ineffective), by any one of dozens of reasons, and can't effectively photosynthesize, the plant will discard it. The plant is saying, "OK, once you were a good productive leaf and added to our efforts, then you got a little shaded and weak and you just took care of yourself, now you are adding nothing to this plant and have been voted out, as we are not a social welfare system type of plant. Here's your walking papers. We are going to suck out what nutrients you have left in you, you are going turn yellow and fall off".

Anyway if a leaf is contributing, the plant knows to keep it on. A big fan leaf up top is not "blocking" anything, it's your best photosynthesizer on the block and working it's ass off. All it's work is getting translocated to other parts of the plant that need it these photosynthates. If a leaf is not contributing, the plant will know when to discard it.

The cool thing is that these are your plants, and you are free to strip off all the big 'ol nasty green leaves you want to.
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a thorough explanation of the importance of fans. and how a plant utilizes them.

++++ to you sir
 
junker1

junker1

Well-Known Member
How large do fan leaves get on a mainlined plant? from what i have seen it looks like they do not get that big. Just wondering if that would have any way of figuring anything out.
 
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