Should I Remove Big Leaves To Maximize Light

i'd trim more secondary leaves than anything. a couple fan leaves won't hurt though.

 

I wouldn't, to achieve more light penetration the better method would be LST training. Although you can use judgement to assume that the leaves are doing more harm then good if they are more then 60% discolored/dead.

 

i would suggest tucking them out of the way, you could use a twist tie to secure it to the stem or a side branch.

 

So im in my 3rd week of veg and some of my girls have some big fan leaves that block some light to new growths, should or shouldn't I remove the ones that block the light?

 

I restate to trim excessive secondary growth and maybe a couple fan leaves. check my sig thread. I did it right before flip and then a few weeks into flower. I wouldn't have the bud production I do if I hadn't.
 
it can be useful to tuck leaves away, but removing them completely allows for more focus on bud production.
 
edit: it's all a matter of personal preference. it's one of those many topics where you're gonna get answers from both sides. try it out. don't overdue it. experimentation is half the fun. smoking fat buds is the other half

 

I go with what I learned in Biology 101! Those fan leaves are the food factories of your plant. Removing them lessens the amount of food your plant can produce for itself. Look at how the plant is made- each branch and twig has a leaf feeding it! If you remove the fan leaves, the buds may be greener, but they are not getting as much food!
 
I LST my plants, but I never remove any leaves until a few days before harvest- just to color up those once shaded buds. Also, you might consider doing a 2 part harvest. Just take the big buds and leave the "popcorn buds" to fatten up another week or two. When you remove what amounts to the top half of your plant, those little buds are suddenly exposed to light, and the big buds are no longer hogging the nutrients from the roots, so they bulk up!

 

Not a big fan of selective trimming. The only time I do it is if the leaf got damaged from like bugs chewing on it outdoors other then that I agree that it takes away stored food for the plant, LST or tuck them out of the way.

 

THX fellow grower! Ya so after faIlIng tryIng to fold/tuck the fan leaves under, cut/trim them to allow light to the new growth but don't over do the cut/trim?? Cause I got these big ass leaves that are as big as my hand n she's only 14-16" tall.. idk..

 

I personally would suggest some LST, you dont have much branching yet to be able to tuck away fan leaves.

If you LST you would allow the plant to grow some more colas, and once you branch it out a bit youll have no problem tucking things away.

I have only pulled off selectively dead leaves down low not receiving light and dying off, and now recently lollipopping a bit before flowering.

I also use LEDs so my light penetration is poor compared to some, hence my judgment.


As some have said, experimentation is the best way to find what YOU prefer

 

That's a great looking lady. Don't worry about those fan leaves. Think of them as solar panels, and by the looks of your
plants, they're working. Keep up the good work

 

Kewl.. thanks fellow growers for all the tIps and compliments!! Ya I would like to learn how to FIM/Topping. Cause some more side growth on 2 out of 3 girls would be awesome!

 

Its not hard to fim or top. I prefer to top then clone the top and grow it into another plant then after that cloned top gets well established I top that one. Youtube has lots of videos on topping and fimming.

 

Its not hard to fim or top. I prefer to top then clone the top and grow it into another plant then after that cloned top gets well established I top that one. Youtube has lots of videos on topping and fimming.

</blockquote>Thanks man!! Ya I watched one before I tried it on one girl ... not to good of a job!!

 

You learn as you go and get better. The thicker the stem on the clone cutting the longer it takes to root. I`ve had tops that had pretty thick stems that to about 2 weeks to root when a normal clone cutting takes about 7-10 days on average.

 

Fan leaves act as solar panels for the bud. Fan leaves promote bud growth. Sometimes, I will trim a few fan leaves from the popcorn buds at the bottom of the plant, but never from the top cola. Good luck!

 

Nothing wrong with it. I highly doubt other growers are spreading false techniques. Leaves do serve a purpose but does that mean there is no added benifit removing some? Read this, im almost sure it wil change your mind. It made my choice of defoliation easy. - http://www.420magazine.com/forums/hydroponic-gardening/176415-increasing-yield-defoliation-indoors-whats-mean-how-do.html

 

Shouldn't mess anything up at most you gave them a boost on the P&K nutrients along with some magnesium. Just don't do it to often.