Question About Fan Leaves

i dont trim at all.. those big fan leaves are potential sugars/nutrient filled parts of the plant! Not to mention natural solar panels doing photosynthesis... correct me if im wrong but buds do not do photosynthesis.. that is what leaves are for.

 

I trim lots, but ... seeing this is your first or near first grows, I would suggest 'ol natural'...
In the meanwhile, you should look up topics on light stress training (LST), topping, and mainlining.
Many times, the lower bracts and foliage are not needed and are comparable to sucker leaves on tomato plants; they take away from the tops, which is the best quality of the plant. Ultimately, the lower parts produce redundant product known as larf.

 

I agree, want more? grow more plants, but their is a thing called JA (Jasmonic acid)
that like antibodies in humans seals wounds and assits in flower formation that many like to take advantage of

cheers

 

Agreed. For my purposes I try to allow for a small amount of larf to remain on the plant as I use it to make a low dose version of @BrassNwood 's capsules. I also use the trim to make infused coconut oil for topical use. It's a balancing act to get a decent amount of everything. But it's fun so whatever.

 

I read a scholarly study about a year ago where they removed all fan leaves and concluded.....Yes, a flowering plant with no fan leaves will still flower to maturity. Just spent 5mins trying to find it but struck out.

 

Man I sure wish I had taken pictures, but as an experiment, I trimmed my last GSC auto down to just the nugs. I did this at a time when I felt the plant was about 2 weeks from harvest. 4 weeks later and the plant looked exactly the same. No fattening of the buds whatsoever. 2 more weeks pass and same thing, so I said fuck it and harvested it. It's not bad bud, but not near what I expected. So my theory? Leave Mother Nature alone and let her do her thing, especially with an outdoor grow. I will now only trim fan leaves that are dead or awfully close. Peace