giving defoliation during flower a try

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
But that's the thing, there isn't a disconnect between indoor growing and botany/horticulture. The same plant processes take place which is why the vast majority of your leaves should be left alone, especially if you're trying to get 'THE MOST you can for every watt you're using'. Truth be told, I'll yank a few down low as part of my integrated pest management routine but that is a practice that is specific to my watering technique.
You're totally right, and that's why I explained the science of the only reason to take the lower leaves in a certain style grow. If they are left on, the plant will kill them off fast and there will be a mess of dead leaves in the plant canopy and all over the floor. Which is really bad.
 

Labs Dexter

Well-Known Member
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real skill at defoliation, topping and lst
That's my point right there
Have you seen the pic of the woman who was in all Paris attacks as a victim try Google her or I'll try and post a pic..
My mother is (Muslim black Ruwandan, dad is white English christian) and I believe in neither because it's all full of SHIT .

No one should hate no one if you knew why there is a isis you would understand and be mature enuff to learn not preach hate.

Peace to all you guys and hopefully god will forgive you one day. There is a god but who knows wich one religion is correct because they all preach wrong. People should grow up, cheer up and respect one another for what ever man / woman or in betweeners is still a human.:joint::eyesmoke:
 

homebrewer

Well-Known Member
You're totally right, and that's why I explained the science of the only reason to take the lower leaves in a certain style grow. If they are left on, the plant will kill them off fast and there will be a mess of dead leaves in the plant canopy and all over the floor. Which is really bad.
If one's lower leaves (or any leaves for that matter) are dying, that's operator error. It's either a result of moisture stress or improper plant nutrition.
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
If one's lower leaves (or any leaves for that matter) are dying, that's operator error. It's either a result of moisture stress or improper plant nutrition.
That's can be true, but the real cause, in a thick canopy, is lack of light. Lack of light causes moisture (much cooler below a thick canopy). Raises rh. Leaves getting little to no light that are blocked either by its own leaves, or its neighbors, become non working leaves, but feeding leaves, not contributing to carb production, but using carbs. The plant then says it does not need those leaves, the slowly fade in color and drop. You can tell this is happening because the lower leaves that are not in the middle of the canopy, but are on the outer perimeter getting some light (but still not enough light) do not do this as fast.

This is what really is happening, with Shaded leaves and a plant that is 100% healthy otherwise. There is a difference when there is not a canopy, or lack thereof, that is when the grower should look at plant nutrition.

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AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
When I say thick canopies, I mean THICK canopies. There's a difference of a few plants and a bunch of plants, 2+ tops every 5sq" I consider a full canopy.
 

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
You have it backwards buddy, as I said before I rarely post outside of the grow journal thread. You on the other hand have that issue. And that's OK, (insert meme), it's easy to see who's nuts you hang on, me on the other hand, I'm a free thinker. It's funny to me that everything I've said about you is true and the only thing you say about me (that's just dumb) is I need to be needed on here.. By posting in the journal section.. To keep logs of my gear.. So I have a time line of what's going on with the garden. Yup. Definitely looking for approval :) I know some of the people in real life I talk to on here by the way. So I'll ask them next time if I have an ego problem.
what have you said about me that's true? this ought to be good.
 

homebrewer

Well-Known Member
There is a difference between a 'shaded' leaf and a true shade leaf. We're cultivating 3 - 5 foot fast growing annuals, not 40' trees that drop and regrow leaves every year.
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
There is a difference between a 'shaded' leaf and a true shade leaf. We're cultivating 3 - 5 foot fast growing annuals, not 40' trees that drop and regrow leaves every year.
None of it pertains to "shade leaves", it pertains to a plants own leaves shading itself or its neighbors leaves shading other plants leaves, causing low light conditions, in thick canopies. When this happens, it also effects N, MG and P uptake. The lower leaves on your plant should have been taken off (even said by Ed Rosenthal fwiw, but I prefer Harvard studies) because they are sinks and using energy rather than making it.


Here's some more info, plants to tomatoes, that you can browse through. I have much more info if needed. It's biological responses in the plant (high light plants, such as mj) why this occurs.

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AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
Here's ed Rosenthal saying to take off any yellow leaves. I think that's the guy everyone talks about here, so maybe that makes it "better"

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AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
In a couple weeks (this is day 3 of flower) these plants will be 2 feet taller and everything below the net will be 90% Shaded, near dark. The light meter will read 0 lux as there is no usable light. That's the shading I'm talking about, neighbor shading and self shading.

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Labs Dexter

Well-Known Member
In a couple weeks (this is day 3 of flower) these plants will be 2 feet taller and everything below the net will be 90% Shaded, near dark. The light meter will read 0 lux as there is no usable light. That's the shading I'm talking about, neighbor shading and self shading.

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Hey alpha can you start a conversation with me please I have a question or two if you don't mind. I can't start one with you
 

homebrewer

Well-Known Member
In a couple weeks (this is day 3 of flower) these plants will be 2 feet taller and everything below the net will be 90% Shaded, near dark. The light meter will read 0 lux as there is no usable light. That's the shading I'm talking about, neighbor shading and self shading.
I think I see why the lower parts of your plants are '90% shaded'. I just peeked at your journal and don't see any reflective surfaces around your growing area. Where is the mylar, white paint, or panda film?

The pic below is from a while back so I don't know how far they were into flower, but right around that time I'll pull a few lower leaves to increase airflow and guard against pests. But even if I don't yank them, I've hung a reflective surface and use reflectors with a lot of penetrating power so those leaves do get a measurable amount of light and stay healthy until the end. My area there at the canopy is about a meter wide and 2 feet deep and I can grow golf balls down low if I chose to keep those bud sites intact. I don't like to do that though for reasons previously mentioned.

Point is, I think you could make improvements to your growing areas which may make you rethink your shade/shaded leaves information.

 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
Hey alpha can you start a conversation with me please I have a question or two if you don't mind. I can't start one with you
Sorry man, my messaging has been disabled but you can ask you're question in my journal if you'd like

I think I see why the lower parts of your plants are '90% shaded'. I just peeked at your journal and don't see any reflective surfaces around your growing area. Where is the mylar, white paint, or panda film?

The pic below is from a while back so I don't know how far they were into flower, but right around that time I'll pull a few lower leaves to increase airflow and guard against pests. But even if I don't yank them, I've hung a reflective surface and use reflectors with a lot of penetrating power so those leaves do get a measurable amount of light and stay healthy until the end. My area there at the canopy is about a meter wide and 2 feet deep and I can grow golf balls down low if I chose to keep those bud sites intact. I don't like to do that though for reasons previously mentioned.

Point is, I think you could make improvements to your growing areas which may make you rethink your shade/shaded leaves information.

That's true, I don't have any reflective surfaces except for my flood tray, the flood tray plants are about 28" tall or so, but my other plants will be about 5' from the floor as I flower them at about 20" tall. There's just absolutely no way to get light down through the canopy, I've tried everything, even in grow tents when I'd grow bigger plants, it just gets so thick (depending how I train the plants) that light will not penetrate. I've shined a flood light down through to see what concentrated light would do, but it's just so diffused. Since the plants are 4' (not including the buckets) and the lights are 20-24" above the canopy, that's 6' light has to travel. I've been wanting to try DE bulbs as I mentioned, and I know that would help a bit, but it definitely won't fix the problem in that style grow.

Here's my smaller tray, I don't lollipop these since I flower them much shorter. But I use reflective board on the tray because it helps in this case and the lowers plump up much more since light can actually reach it, I was going to use panda film for the walls, but I'm not sure that matters for the flood trays since I have a 2nd light to the left giving light off as well and the canopy is perfect size

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AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
That's cool our flood tray set up is pretty close to the same! Love flood trays, wish I had Iuck using rw cubes, I always have problems for some reason so I just use hydroton with smart pots or the 1 gallon mesh pots. If you cover your tray like I do with the reflective insulation board, your roots will grow HUGE and yield goes up quite a bit. Give a a try :)
 
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