Hello folks... I am in the process of my first grow. I have three very bushy plants that I am getting ready to start flowering. Based on what I have read here and other places I think I should prune some of the fan leaves. Can one of you pros give me some basic instructions on which leaves I should target and how close to the main stem should I cut them. Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks!
I should have added to my previous post that my plants are not growing tall and spindly (if that's a word). They have very thick stems and are about 18" tall. I don't think I need to prune to stunt the upward growth because the thick (thumb size) stem seems to be more than adequate to support whatever decides to grow. I just figured getting rid of some of the leaves/stems would divert more energy to the flowering/budding process. I am using a 400W HPS and a 400W MH light mounted in a reflective hood so getting light to the plant does not seem to be a problem. Anway, I hope this gives enough background so any of you who would like to give me some advice can make an educated decision on what I should do. Again, thanks in advance.
im not sure if we are suposed to post links to other grow sites, but if you read this http://growfaq.marijuana.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=8&id=501&artlang=en youll know all you need to know
Thanks man... Very informative reading. I think I will give my plants a little haircut and get rid of any sickly looking leaves and some of the older larger ones that seem to be blocking the most light to the rest of the plant. I am growing what I believe is an indica strain that is really quite bushy so I think if I sparingly remove some of the older or sickly looking fan leaves it will be the right thing to do. Only time will tell. Part of the problem is that they are so bushy I am unable to water them with my fert solution without watering over top of the whole plant. I understand that a lot of "pros" don't recommend pouring fertilizer water over the entire plant from top to bottom and as it stands now, I have no choice because you cannot even see the top of the soil or attempt to get at it with my watering jug. Anyway, I appreciate the link and if anyone else has any comments about what I have asked or said, I would enjoy hearing from you. I take criticism well so don't be afraid to tell me what you think. Thanks again!
i had really bushy plants and made the same choice you did... took off most of the dying fan leaves... if anything it helped.. defintely didnt harm.