Over-Defoliation Technique

SSHZ

Well-Known Member
The key really is to remove any leaves that are blocking bud sites below. If a leaf is not blocking, leave it. I’m averaging well over 3 lbs an led with this process. Look up Irie Seeds Rasta Jeff’s podcast on the subject, it’s excellent.
 

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
In bonsai, you can prune off all the leaves of a tree, and they will grow back, but smaller. Sometimes the leaves stay small sized. It’s like they are afraid of becoming big again because they might get eaten. It would be nice to keep the leaves small, and the buds big!
 

jcdws602

Well-Known Member
There are a few benefits to defoliating. For one, better air circulation which can help in preventing pm. Another would be better light penetration. Personally I don't know if it increases yields yet as I haven't done a controlled side by side but I certainly haven't seen any negative side effects the amount I have defoliated.
 

DrOgkush

Well-Known Member
From my personal experience. Plants left untouched other than training and topping look more brilliant and happy/comfortable.
I understand people tend to only see one sided and yes. I see the benefits from removing large shading leaves. However. To those who thin out the plant to almost nothing but tops do you know what your removing from the plants life support? And is it more beneficial taking the nutrition supply from the plant in order to achieve a thorough canopy? Meaning less quality smoke (imo). I personally stopped removing leaves and started focusing on better training methods. To achieve all that you want without removing leaves
 

UpstateRecGrower

Well-Known Member
I keep seeing pictures of defoliated plants and then buds that don't look any bigger or better than plants that were not defoliated so I don't see the point in hacking your plants up.
The buds won’t look any bigger, the tops might even looks smaller, but the lower buds are what benefit a lot from the complete defol. Also you can increase the plant count without using smaller plants, if I didn’t do a somewhat extreme defoliation I’d end up with larf below to top most colas. I could avoid that by lowering my plant count which would in turn lower my yield..
 
Last edited:

jochhe1998

Active Member
The key really is to remove any leaves that are blocking bud sites below. If a leaf is not blocking, leave it. I’m averaging well over 3 lbs an led with this process. Look up Irie Seeds Rasta Jeff’s podcast on the subject, it’s excellent.
DEfinitely will, thanks for the contribution!
 

jochhe1998

Active Member
I've come to the conclusion that my strain just isn't that good for this technique or big yields in general. Too much internodal spacing. Makes it incredibly difficult to get those nice continuous colas.

Next year I will undergo a wicked strain hunt :D
 

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
I've come to the conclusion that my strain just isn't that good for this technique or big yields in general. Too much internodal spacing. Makes it incredibly difficult to get those nice continuous colas.

Next year I will undergo a wicked strain hunt :D
What kind of light are you using, it can affect the intermodal spacing. ?
 

jochhe1998

Active Member
The key really is to remove any leaves that are blocking bud sites below. If a leaf is not blocking, leave it. I’m averaging well over 3 lbs an led with this process. Look up Irie Seeds Rasta Jeff’s podcast on the subject, it’s excellent.
Well don't just tempt me, send some pics of the lovely ladies :D.

Also, just listened to Rasta Jeff's podcast - really solid, dudes been growing a LOONNGGGG time.
 

ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
Some of the full defoliators have a specific purpose vs doing it because it might work.

Nugbuckets for example has many examples where he stripped them bare at flip.

And if you followed his mainline concept (or manifold, as I prefer) you know his purpose in his training was to create 8 equal tops that were like a main cola on an untrained plant. (And later 16, 32 tops, etc. in his later posts).

He took off branches, bud sites and then all the leaves. And he did great work doing what he did.

But his goal wasn't max yield. It was 8 equal tops started from an equal position on the plant trunk.

I have defoliated and not...it appears to me in my limited experience that it can be used very judiciously to improve airflow or get some light to certain areas.

The Day 1 and Day 30 defol or Day 30 Day 60 defol concepts seem to work for some and work very well. I would guess this is the art and science of "stimulating and stressing" a plant to respond positively...something a true pro could do.

But how you grow your plants and in what size containers matters too. Big well trained plants that are spread out usually don't need any defoliation. Or if you grew a SOG I could see why you would defol a lot!
 
Last edited:
Top