H.A.F.
a.k.a. Rusty Nails
Thanks for stopping by! Those little ones on the left are 2 weeks younger, and just got flipped a few days ago. The shoots are just now getting leaves big enough to support themselves (IMO) so that will be the next move. I don't like pulling the big solar panels until I start seeing pistils. Just personal preference. Since I have been running regs I think it was just not to waste too much effort on a future cull.Them little ones on left, I'll normally clip one of the upper fans off to let more photons in to secondary branches to help speed up nutrient consumption leading to new, "healthier" growth early on. I'll even "stagger clip" the tops on the secondary branches and leave the leaf while they are small. As long as it is getting enough light to be an asset.
I'll pull my 2nd set of decent leaves on the bigger ones to allow light to your "mini canopy" hiding under those top leaves. I bend the big ones out of the way if there is enough room to spread more light around. I'll eventually take them off. Plant can feed off those nutes from the fans if the plant gets in trouble.
I's been a while since I grew trees instead of topping and LST-ing. I am thinking that I usually ended up taking 8 leaves total. The first 2 pair that shade the shoots and can't be tucked, and the next 2 or 4 if needed.
I am also growing these mainly to try each strain. I'll be smoking the tops and decent nugs, and hashing the rest so larf isn't even really a problem. I was debating on cleaning up some of the lower flower sites on the shoots to beef up the upper ones, but with the variety of plants I have in there I just want to see how each grows unmolested. I removed the 3-toed-node shoots from a few of the plants, but not all. Except for the odd fan leaf I'm letting them go au natural.