Trimming Lower Leaves.

Alright, I've googled with no definitive answer.

My set up is a 250w HPS grow cabinet. I have 2 bushy AK-48 plants that I am growing ScRoG.

My question is this.

Is it beneficial to trim away to mid/lower fan leaves and stems that are either not getting light, or are blocking light from the tips of potential buds?

if once your in flower or "right before flowering" trim that leaf if its in the way of the bud sites... and if you have lower fan leaves not receiving light they will eventually die off on there own

leave as many leafs no trim unless the leaf is dead leafs are what produce the buds leave them or bend them

if you don't see potential in the get rid of them your wasting your food and the plants energy on something that's not going to grow anything smokable so take it off and let something else have the growth that can produce something

id still say no trim

if its stopping your buds from getting light and you cant bend them back then obviously u have to trim them

smallclosetgrowr said:

if its stopping your buds from getting light and you cant bend them back then obviously u have to trim them

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This is the logic that i'm using.

There is still controversy on this issue apparently.

Well I trimmed away about 15 yellowed/damaged leaves near the bottom and 2 sets of larger fan leaves to allow 4 potential bud sites to grow to the canopy and everything seems great.

This question is more grow technique related than anything else.

Most pictures I have seen people trim out 75% of growth beneath the screen once flowering is in full tilt.

I am now less than a week from making the switch.

Any more input as I'm still at a crossroads.

Trimming the lower third of the plant is common practice. And your timing is about right. Then you can do some minor adjustments through the first 2 weeks of flower. After that, let the plant prune naturally. You will be surprised how much of the lower growth will stretch during the first 2 weeks of flower. Also give the pots a 1/4 turn every light cycle so you get good even growth.

I have a question in the same vein. I am 25 days into flowering and am losing some of the fan leaves but I too have alot of healthy leaves (none are yellowing) but many of the smaller buds lower on the plant are growing far more slowly. It sounds like the jury is still out on this based on the responses?

Swisher Sweet said:

I have a question in the same vein. I am 25 days into flowering and am losing some of the fan leaves but I too have alot of healthy leaves (none are yellowing) but many of the smaller buds lower on the plant are growing far more slowly. It sounds like the jury is still out on this based on the responses?

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In your case just allow the plant to prune itself. Allow the upper and main buds to finish. Harvest them and leave the lower buds a bit longer to finish. Trimming them now would most likely set the entire plant back a week or two.

This answered my second question. A couple of my indica plants have one major bud with 5 other buds (branches) that are not as developed I believe because of its proximity to the lights. So it is OK to harvest the more mature buds and wait on the rest? Is there any technique I should know when harvesting the initial buds? My sative/indica strain has alot more foliage and many smaller buds lower on the plant. I assume the same would be true for this strain as well?

Swisher Sweet said:

This answered my second question. A couple of my indica plants have one major bud with 5 other buds (branches) that are not as developed I believe because of its proximity to the lights. So it is OK to harvest the more mature buds and wait on the rest? Is there any technique I should know when harvesting the initial buds? My sative/indica strain has alot more foliage and many smaller buds lower on the plant. I assume the same would be true for this strain as well?

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You can definately harvest the largest buds, and finish flowering the small, lower buds. They are small because of the distance from the light, not from any leaves blocking the light - light (that it doesn't collect) actually passes through the fan leaves. You don't want to remove those, unless they are dead, they are what collect energy, store food, and give it to the rest of the plant (buds included!). If you do remove them, the plant will waste energy trying to replace them. If the buds themselves were able to grow without leaves, then they would always be fatter on the side that faces the light, and they aren't.

A simple test, if you ever care to make it - maybe with a bagseed plant thrown in your grow. Wait until you have buds formed on the plant, don't have to be huge, just say - halfway through flowering or so - then remove all the leaves from the plant. From that point on, the buds will no longer grow bigger. They may mature still, but will not get any more size.

cowboylogic said:

Trimming the lower third of the plant is common practice. And your timing is about right. Then you can do some minor adjustments through the first 2 weeks of flower. After that, let the plant prune naturally. You will be surprised how much of the lower growth will stretch during the first 2 weeks of flower. Also give the pots a 1/4 turn every light cycle so you get good even growth.

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It seems to be that way, I haven't pruned anything for 5 days and I still have a lot of lower growth.

As I am growing ScroG the top canopy is where the magic happens. I have the equivalent of about 20 bud sites that are hidden under the dense canopy of fans leaves. (Isn't there a more scientific terms for the tips of the stems? "Bud Sites" seems so loosely based and unprofessional).

I will probably leave the plants alone for now until I get about 2 weeks into flowering (as you said) then I'll decided what's worth keeping and what's not. I won't cut everything under the screen but I'm thinking along the lines of trimming away half of the under growth.

Also, from what has been said is it plausible to continuing flowering after the been chop to allow the lower buds that were never given adequate light to bloom or will this just result in over matured buds/less potency/bad taste?


The help is greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure about much, but this I know...

DoeEyed: "You don't want to remove those, unless they are dead, they are what collect energy, store food, and give it to the rest of the plant (buds included!). "

The fan leaves are big and green for a reason, because they are the producers! They trap light and transfer its energy into food, which is then shuttled to wherever on the plant it is needed. Trimming below the canopy, where the fan leaves are not getting much light, makes sense. But I would not try to do much at canopy level. Just my two cents, and keep in mind I am a new grower simply reciting what they told me in college botany.