How late can you lollipop?

[Dr. Monty]

I’m currently half way through week 4 and it’s very noticeable that some lower growth isn’t getting light or has tiny bud sites. I definitely think they should go but this is my first time in flower lol
I was wondering if it’s more harm than good to remove some stuff that is gonna be useless in the end? I’m using LEDs too

 

[treefarmercharlie]

The consensus is usually that you shouldn’t remove anything after the 3rd week of flower. If you do then you should do it in small steps. If I don’t take as much off as I should, and notice later, then I usually just leave them be. They will usually still mature and harder up but they will just be small. They are a time suck to trim but they will still be fine. I used to just toss them into the trim but I keep them now as long as they have the same density as the larger buds.

 

[Dr. Monty]

Oh wow I was thinking it’s better to do a lot at once. I guess it makes sense not to put the plant into total shock lol

 

[DET—PDX]

Oh wow I was thinking it’s better to do a lot at once. I guess it makes sense not to put the plant into total shock lol

Week 2-3, strip the bottom 25% of all plants little by little including buds, & Remove inner fan leaves as needed. I remove inners that I know have no future all grow; open the middle of the plants by treating each top, light collecting budsite individually and remove that individual branch bottom 25% depending on location. This also reduces places for pests and diseases to hide. Leave ALL tallest LIGHT COLLECTING fan leaves on top. These babies give you the yield and density, they are the leaves you want, its big ones that make energy for large buds, not tiny sugar leaves. I sometimes leave lower fans if they clearly collect light. Never strip a plant all at once Final and total fan leaf removal last few days of flush. Everyone has their style I think it works well.
Mimosa Week 4 v

 

[H.A.F.]

Week 2-3, strip the bottom 25% of all plants little by little including buds, & Remove inner fan leaves as needed. I remove inners that I know have no future all grow; open the middle of the plants by treating each top, light collecting budsite individually and remove that individual branch bottom 25% depending on location. This also reduces places for pests and diseases to hide. Leave ALL tallest LIGHT COLLECTING fan leaves on top. These babies give you the yield and density, they are the leaves you want, its big ones that make energy for large buds, not tiny sugar leaves. I sometimes leave lower fans if they clearly collect light. Never strip a plant all at once Final and total fan leaf removal last few days of flush. Everyone has their style I think it works well.

Pretty spot on with how I do mine except that 2-3 week range I trim larf. If you get out secondary and tertiary sprouts that won't make big buds (along with all the leaves they have) that is sometimes enough for the airflow part. I'll have the fan leaves on until the end unless they get leathery or the plant is really tall. This Mimms Kush is just two tops, and almost 4' tall. Just took 6 fan leaves off the bottom last night.

 

[DET—PDX]

'll have the fan leaves on until the end unless they get leathery or the plant is really tall. This Mimms Kush is just two tops, and almost 4' tall. Just took 6 fan leaves off the bottom last night.

Beauty! All those light collectors doing their job. What is your thinking behind removing leather ones? I think leather is due to excess nitrogen. I might leave them in case they need to drop / store more N. N is super mobile. (I briefly flush coco weekly) and allow plant to eat it’s extra N in Flower, which it will most definitely do. I think of leaves like nutrient bank batteries. Also, if you ever exceeded N again, the plant has more places to store it. I have plants dropping fan leaves like flies toward the end, always glad to have leaves. BUT like you said, if it’s unhealthy it’s gotta go, and more leaves = more pests. Definitely trade offs, sometimes defoliating a plant using its stored nutrients will worsen a deficiency, sometimes it will fix excess right away. Gotta know your strain and your nutrient delivery speed

 

[H.A.F.]

Beauty! All those light collectors doing their job. What is your thinking behind removing leather ones? I think leather is due to excess nitrogen. I might leave them in case they need to drop / store more N. N is super mobile. You could Reduce N in feed or 0.05-0.1 water (I briefly flush coco weekly) and allow plant to eat it’s extra N in Flower, which it will most definitely do. Think of them like nutrient banks. Also, if you ever exceeded N again, the plant has more places to store them. I have plants dropping fan leaves like flies toward the end, I’m always glad to have left the leaves I did. BUT like you said, if it’s unhealthy it’s gotta go, and more leaves = more pests. Definitely trade offs.

I think it's mainly lack of sufficient light. the bottom of the tent under a tall-plant light gets less than 1k lumens. I see those as more of a user than a producer. They aren't getting enough light to generate more goodies than they use to stay healthy. Leeches.

The leathery part is just from being 3 months old in intense light.

 

[DET—PDX]

I think it's mainly lack of sufficient light. the bottom of the tent under a tall-plant light gets less than 1k lumens. I see those as more of a user than a producer. They aren't getting enough light to generate more goodies than they use to stay healthy. Leeches.

The leathery part is just from being 3 months old in intense light.

Thank you for sharing, There are so many ways to think about a plant. 100% agree, if there’s no light I’ve been told the leaf is basically a sprinkler; just transpiration. A commercial guy in Detroit changed the way I prune, his yields are very impressive. He leaves a few bottom leaves in flower, strips the entire bottom 1/3 of plants, which in his perfect rooms probably receive more light than our plants. He still defoliates, but you’d be shocked at how many large leaves remain at week 8.

 

[H.A.F.]

Thank you for sharing, There are so many ways to think about a plant. 100% agree, if there’s no light I’ve been told the leaf is basically a sprinkler; just transpiration. A commercial guy in Detroit changed the way I prune, his yields are very impressive. He leaves a few bottom leaves in flower, strips the entire bottom 1/3 of plants, which in his perfect rooms probably receive more light than our plants. He still defoliates, but you’d be shocked at how many large leaves remain at week 8.

Yeah, my theory is basically 'leave the leaves'. I'll prune lower shoots, and the lower stuff off tall shoots, and get really decent size tops if the genetics lean that way. On most of my 4-tops I end up pruning every shoot that was already growing before I flipped. My harvest will be the top'stack' and about 3-5 nugs below that, with none on their own stems. I've been getting lazy lately, but that produces the best finished product. Try it on a pot with several cola, prune up one side of the plant and let the other go.

 

[DET—PDX]

Yeah, my theory is basically 'leave the leaves'. I'll prune lower shoots, and the lower stuff off tall shoots, and get really decent size tops if the genetics lean that way. On most of my 4-tops I end up pruning every shoot that was already growing before I flipped. My harvest will be the top'stack' and about 3-5 nugs below that, with none on their own stems. I've been getting lazy lately, but that produces the best finished product. Try it on a pot with several cola, prune up one side of the plant and let the other go.

For sure, I see the results with mimosa’s structure with 5-6 main tops. I pruned the inner/lower bud-sites on each branch, but it’s so lanky and thick stemmed there are only so many to prune. Some of the chem dogs are so bushy it was necessary to prune them prior to flower. Basically the whole
Top 2/3 of each branch is nothing but bud.]

 

[Promedz]

I’ve done it at week 6 and it still helped me not have to be in trim jail. The tops finished off nice and I didn’t lose much weight if any. But that’s just my lazy ass. I aim for week 3 but tend to slack or miss. The neglect gives me better results lmao. Not sure why!

 

[H.A.F.]

it still helped me not have to be in trim jail.

The defoliation we're talking about should have nothing to do with trim jail. The only fan leaves close to the buds I take are if they seriously shade something, Or I am harvesting the next day and I'm bored LOL

 

[Promedz]

The defoliation we're talking about should have nothing to do with trim jail. The only fan leaves close to the buds I take are if they seriously shade something, Or I am harvesting the next day and I'm bored LOL

I thought he was talking about lolipop not defoliation. And the trim jail
I was referring to is the little buds that get lolipopped.. if I kept them I would of had to trim them. Took them off at week 6 and still
Have a big yield

 

[Promedz]

@H.A.F. Wow so I was right the neglect helps get better product but I feel like it helped with my yields as well.

 

[Promedz]

We should elaborate more between each other then let the others in lolol

 

[H.A.F.]

Lollipopping is removing everything from the lower part of the plant. Usually associated with stuff under a scrog net, but can be used on any limbs.
Taking the lower larfy buds is part of that. I get that.

But I wasn't leaving them on regardless. I was talking about removing all the other stuff, but leaving the fan leaves on the plant even if you took the sprout stem right beside it. They're thinned out for airflow, but still have the lower fans.

 

[DET—PDX]

Lollipopping is removing everything from the lower part of the plant. Usually associated with stuff under a scrog net, but can be used on any limbs.
Taking the lower larfy buds is part of that. I get that.

But I wasn't leaving them on regardless. I was talking about removing all the other stuff, but leaving the fan leaves on the plant even if you took the sprout stem right beside it. They're thinned out for airflow, but still have the lower fans.

I like dispersed lower fans in flower here’s a chemdogxDiesel looks like a 10 week plant with lots of lower leaves, but thinned out lower most (inner most) buds. I probably left too much larf on the bottom 1/3, but I felt some were receiving light.