Should I trim poorly performing lower growth? Day 20 Flower.. Pics

Hey All,

I had to give up my last grow and get rid of everything but I am now moved, and able to get going again. I started in a 2x4x5t tent with 5 plants. 2 G13 Gigabud, 1 BF Pineapple Chunk, 1 Dinafem Blue Kush, 1 Fifth Element. All plants were vegged under t8 then my homebuilt COB light (2CXB3070-Z2@4000K+2CXB3070-AB@3000K @ 1400ma). I then split the gigabuds into a 2x2 under 210 watts of mixed manufacturer LED (my original startup equipment) as everyting was getting big, then flowered. All plants exploded and all the ones under homebuilt COB stretched more than anticipated. I quickly got a 4x8x6.5 to have enough room for everything and rushed the two new homebuilds I had just bought parts for. The plants stopped stretching so much as I added 2 more fixtures (5xCXB3070BB@1050ma per fixture), but they got so tall that the bottom of the plants are slowly dying. I can spread them apart a bit more but the tent is getting tight since I can only use 1 door. Should I be just trimming off the lower growth that is never going to amount to anything or just let it die? Seems like lots of wasted energy to me, yellowing lower branches are thin and weak. Thoughts? Pineapple Chunk in the corner on the right, Blue Kush in the back corner,2 gigabuds next to them and the fifth element taking up the middle on the end.

You arent going to get a definitive answer on this,some people will tell you to add side lighting,some will tell you to trim.In the end its going to be up to you.For what its worth,id leave the nutrient storehouses intact.The plant will eventually suck them dry and use the fuel for later bulking.I would pull those branches down and open the plants up some though.If you have room.

I like to leave lower growth alone for hash making after harvest. Those lower popcorn nugs give some of the best hashish ime

You could add side lighting to fatten the lower buds up some, but that would add extra heat you'd have to deal w. If you don't have room to lst the plant...

Do you have pictures of the dying growth? Is it just the little fan leaves? I've had lower buds getting dim light from big plant coverage and the lower growth (buds and branches) never died, it would just be really whispy but great for hash. Leaves would crumble up in late flower tho...

Day 14 flowering

Haven't even attempted to trim yet

As mentioned that's one of those sticky questions that just comes down to personal preference and personal experiences. The only information I've ever read that wasn't just opinions based off weed growers personal experience is articles on tomato plants where it is always recommended to remove "suckers", the tiny shoots that will amount to nothing and removing them will provide greater energy to the tomatoes at the top in turn creating juicier plumper tomatoes. Everyone likes a good BLT right?

I prefer too clear the bottom out because i hate trimming and it saves ya a lot of time trimming popcorn that amounts to little of weight for my time spent trimming it. I've never run a side by side experience with identical genetics in an identical environment though so i have no clue what's best.

Trim off the bottom buds, as well as in the middle of the canopy. Just be sure to focus on the branches that are thin, perhaps the bottom 8-10" or so. Especially if you're using low intensity lighting such as LEDs.
These will only steal energy and increase the chances of powdery mildew.
If you keep them sure you'll have more hash material, but popcorn is considered a by-product and its best to keep by-products to a minimum in any area of production.

ResinHound - def opening them more just trying not to outgrow my space by doing so
MrGoodTimes - fan leaves end up dying, drying, and falling to the soil and everything in between. The shoots that will but just get weak to the point the cant hold themselves up, ones that are a foot long and less on the bottom of the plants

Thanks all for your response.... I would hear thoughts on another also.... I am going to harvest these then use clones to try and fill the 4x6 with more plants so I dont have to veg so long. Any recommendations? I want keep time requirement low while having regular, high yeilding harvests. I have cloning down with a bubble cloner. I am I best of going with like 6-8 and vegging a month or more plants and even less veg time? I have my old 2x4 for veg/clone in addition to the big tent.