Fan Leaf Cutting Question

[Tommy217xxx]

OK, so im just going into week 5 of flower. It seams to me that I should cut all of the big fan leaves off to let some of the lower buds get some light. Most of the older leaves are starting to die and fall off any ways. Do the large fan leaves actually serve a purpose? Aren't they just a place for the plant to store energy?

[herbnurse]

I believe they store sugars and also convert light to energy (Leave absorbes the light). I usually wait till the leaf is fifty percent yellow before i pull it. I have heard of people taking off fan leaves that were still green and they say it works for them. Most people will tell you to leave it till it starts to yellow at least.

[thanks2]

Read page 61 of Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

By Jorge Cervantes

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=fERzFsZhdxYC&dq=marijuana+horticulture+the+indoor+outdoor+medical+grower%27s+bible+preview&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=UyV9TIKxHc2GnQepvIX4AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

They say removing fan leaves hurts yields. Of course they give more information.

[The Digital Nomad]

acually your idea is backwards. Leave the important fan leaves (they store mobile nutrients, sugars and produce energy via photosynth, you cut off the small budding sites.

 

This is called lollipopping - you remove the inner nodes and the lower branches. The lower branches should have been removed prior to flowering - those are your clones! On each branch, you remove the budding sites of the first two nodes on each branch, from inside the plant - this opens up the inside of the plant for air and light to the remaining plant. After you harvest a few times you'll figure out a trimming pattern so you don't have lots of pop-corn sized buds that is a pain to harvest.

 

Leave the sun leaves on, unless they are more than 50% damaged. They really only come off when you brush your hand through the plant, they should fall off on their own. You can gently pull the leave downward - the petiole might separate from the stem.

 

examples of my grow are on www.thc4u.com - I did FIM (cropping) and lollipopping.

 

BTW - the ONLY time I trimmed off the sun leaves was at the end of flowering, I would trim off the big leaves before sticking the plant (still in pot) into a dark room for 36 hours - this speeds up the harvest process. And since the plants are in complete darkness, there is little leaf activity anyways.

 

-DN

[bobandtorey]

i have heard of this dark room befor and hope to try it soon would the lights go off after your last flush

[The Digital Nomad]

i have heard of this dark room befor and hope to try it soon would the lights go off after your last flush

 

I am still trying to see if there is a difference, some growers swear the 36 hours of darkness helps the plant produce more resin and since the leaves are not pulling nutes from the soil, the plant is 'flushing'.

 

I trimmed off the big fan leaves prior to putting them in the dark room because they are not needed anymore, and it makes trimming a little faster when the plant is still potted.

 

I have not heard of any bad results from the 36 hour dark room process but I have heard that more than 36 hours is of no extra benefit.

 

-DN

[bobandtorey]

I am still trying to see if there is a difference, some growers swear the 36 hours of darkness helps the plant produce more resin and since the leaves are not pulling nutes from the soil, the plant is 'flushing'.

 

I trimmed off the big fan leaves prior to putting them in the dark room because they are not needed anymore, and it makes trimming a little faster when the plant is still potted.

 

I have not heard of any bad results from the 36 hour dark room process but I have heard that more than 36 hours is of no extra benefit.

 

-DN

 

Thanks i hope it works for you