1st defoliation at 8 weeks veg? Yes or no? PLEASE HELP

This Is my first time indoors and have been away for two weeks and this has happened after topping at 2nd node 3 weeks ago after another 2 week stint of absence, this is roughly 8 weeks from seed.

Should I be removing all the fan leaves from the whole plant? Or just let it do its thing? Will switch to 12/12 in a week.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Also how much will it grow taller in flower, I have 12 inches left till im right on 18 inches from my light.
Will the defoliation stop the plant from wanting to grow much taller?

Thanks heaps for any help.

You would get more replies if you provide photo's in normal light
I like most never look at blurple pics

If you do pluck fan leaves do it gradually so that the plant doesn't get to stressed out. I'm guessing its photo and not auto for auto I would advise not to since there growth cycle isn't that long and it wouldn't handle stress well.

You will get different answers. I defoliate, but do it slowly throughout the grow. If those were mine I would start to defoliate them, but others will disagree.

What Padawan says. It's your growing style and the plant that dictates the answer. I prefer to tuck and only defoliate above bud sites a bit.

I have little height left to grow in as well. As it is still in vegetative stage will topping again fuck things right up? I'm in no rush and last time I topped she didn't even blink.

I'm probably going to get abused for asking tis question but has to be asked.

I will be able to see her in a few more days to judge correctly.

One way to handle height indoors.


Still stretched like a mofo

If you strip, do a good job of it, half arseing it is of little help... At least that has been my experience.
These days I do a bit of a compromise as I like having lots of leaves to process with good sugar on.

TintEastwood said:

One way to handle height indoors.
View attachment 4349193

Still stretched like a mofo
View attachment 4349194

Click to expand...

That doesnt look like its helped height at all! Its grown 20 inches past ya net!

I go home tomorrow and decide wether nor not the remaining height left will be enough for flowering. Will need 60cm as a minimum I'm thinking.

Once buds are established, I strip all fans if any light can reach bottoms, I leave a set or 2 under buds

I'm from the never defoliate crowd. I get huge solid buds. Anything larfy gets stripped off and saved for making dry ice hash.

Vadgedamager said:

That doesnt look like its helped height at all! Its grown 20 inches past ya net!

I go home tomorrow and decide wether nor not the remaining height left will be enough for flowering. Will need 60cm as a minimum I'm thinking.

Click to expand...

Without the scrog they would have been 40inches above that net level.

Plus the extra canopy from scrog.

I was taught...
The green leaves were the "engines" that the plant uses for life.
If the leaf is not green, it is not serving the plant, but if the leaf is green, it is involved with the process. The more leaves, the more the process.

I don't defoliate. At least not until the end of the process, when they are no longer needed.
A couple weeks before the harvest, I will remove the leaves covering buds, this seems to help the buds finish.

Definitely do a quick trim. ÷