pruning before flowering

Hello Ya'll

I am about to send my Baby to Bloom and I am not sure if I should Prune some of the leaves or leave them alone.

the reason I ask is because in a book I read by Ed Rosenthal it says that a plant should be pruned before flowering but when I bought the plant (Clone) the bank gave me a catalog that said my specific strain (Purple Kush) is "SUPOSED to have Big Fan leaves" so I am not sure, furthermore I am unsure what parts to cut.

I took a picture with my guesses let me know if I am right please?




thanks for all your help,
__________________
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, When a large FAN leaf starts yellowing, say it is half yellow, that means in the photosynthesis process, that leaf has ate nutes, sucked in some LIGHT and made food for the plant and buds and NOW, half of that is gone, or used or consumed. Well, what about the other half? Can it not it's energy still be used or consumed?
AND when it is ALL consumed or used, that leaf will naturally just fall off.

Years ago I tried removing lower fan leaves to allow more Light to penetrate in. When i did, the plant went into shock for a day or two, and quit eating or only ate half as much, and just went on "stand by" mode. Then, after a day or two, suddenly, I saw that big fan leaf replaced by a new leaf, and I saw my plant use the energy to replace that leaf, more than it used it to grow bigger and make more buds or bigger buds.

I now believe that removing fan leaves is pointless, and that a leaf has a purpose and will serve that purpose until it is dead. Then it will fall off.


Don't ever remove fan leaves before harvest for several reasons.

1. The fan leaves MAKE AND STORE energy for the plant. The fan leaves are doing a process called photosynthsis, and it is the most important part or task or job the plant does, to make it grow. They make the FOOD, the sugars and carbs needed to grow.

If you remove a FAN leaf, the plant will stop growing taller until it can replace that removed fan leaf.

Removing a healthy fan leaf is a big waste of time..they are rapided replaced,, unless you are in the last few weeks of flowering.


2. Even if the fan leaves are yellowing in late bloom I do not remove them until they are almost ready to fall off. The yellowing in the fan leaves at late harvest is the plants metabolism at work. She is transferring all stored energy in the fan leaf to bud production. It is the easiest source of energy she has late in life.



From the Growers Bible by Jorge Cervantes:
Leave leaves alone! Removal of healthy leave hacks up a healthy plant. Removing large or shade leaves DOES NOT make plants more productive. This practice DOES NOT supply more light to smaller leaves and growing tips. Plants need all their leaves to produce the maximum amount of chlorophyll and food. Removing leaves slows chlorophyll production, stresses the plant, and stunts its growth. Stress is a growth inhibitor. Remove only dead leaves or leaves that are more than 50 percent damaged.

Yes, leave Fan Leaves - pruning involves removing node growth (from your pic it's what you think you should keep). The buds that develop from the lower branches tend to be smaller and less developed... some people cut it out and others leave it...

but remember that pruning doesn't involve removing Fan Leaves...

dont cut anything the plant will take energy from the leaves during flowering best to leave them on

Roseman said:

I now believe that removing fan leaves is pointless,

Don't ever remove fan leaves.

From the Growers Bible by Jorge Cervantes:
Leave leaves alone!

Click to expand...

• Jorge Cervantes -> "Leave Leaves Alone"
• Ed Rosenthal -> "Plants need to be pruned twice before and during Bloom"

I would love to smoke a blunt with the great ones and have them duke it out!!!

highsoulutions said:

dont cut anything... best to leave them on

Click to expand...

Thanks for all the advice, I think I will leave them.

mismos00 said:

Yes, leave Fan Leaves -
but remember that pruning doesn't involve removing Fan Leaves...

Click to expand...

Can anyone please elaborate??

This is info on pruning, a lot different than removing lower fan leaves. Pruning is removing the tips or ends of branches, to create more tips.

Essentially they are the same, "Pruning" and "Topping", just two different commonly words used. Fimming means a lot of indesriminate Topping. It is also known to some as "Pinching" as well. In this page it will be refered to it as "Topping"

Topping and Pruning is done to increase yield and make them bushy, bushy, bushy, make more buds, promote "branching", and increase the overall yeilds of the plants. With higher overall yeilds, a grower will successfully harvest many more budds, or floral clusters, and from smaller, bushier and more compact plants.

To the indoor grower that does not use this technique, but allows their plants to grow tall, it can be a waste of their artificial lighting, and growing spaces potential. With its own natural growth pattern, and without the benifit of topping, your lady will have one main central "khola" budd, at peak flowering. Several other small branches will grow outwards, down its main stalk, with much smaller budd topps.

The natural growth pattern is to grow upwards at its main stalk. From this main central stalk will begin to grow side branches. The side branches come out as tiny shoots with leaves, and usually there are a pair of them on opposite sides of the main central stalk.

When the seed leaves have long dyed off on the main stalk. The first true seed leaves commonly can or will, wilt, dry up, or dye off of the plant as well. (the little round ones) Once healthy new vegative growth begins the rate of growth can be very fast, with excellent lighting supplied.

As the new growth increases the light reaching the lower portions of the plants becomes less. Thus it is common to see first leafs wilting and dying ect. Growers that see leaves wilting or dying, ect, will opt to pulling them off of the plants. It is cool to remvoe dying, yellowing unhealthy leaves. BUT I NEVER remove a healthy leaf.

The main central stalk is topped of just above the branches that are coming out below it. A pair of scissors is best be used.
There are no rules to where you top your plant or how old it needs to be. As long as your plant has shoots protruding further down the main stalk it is able to be topped. When topped the growth of the plant will be concentrated towards the new, younger vegative shoots.

Once you have topped your plant(s) the younger shoots will rapidly begin growing. With the removal of the main central stalk the lower braches grow more. With topping completed we keep the plants on their regular lighting and feeding schedules.

Now each new shoot tip will essentially grow as the main stalk did, however the growth is not concentrated to only one central stalk. So as each new shoot grows outward new shoots will grow from each one of them stalks as well.

Therefore topping can be done again, and again, and as each shoot becomes a growing tip with other shoots forming down its stalk, it is removed. By completing these topping or pruning tactics, a grower can acheive any desired height, or desired bushiness, they desire in their plants.

I TOP and FIM, at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th week, (I do a rapid Hydro grow) . Look at the results in the pic of my dozen stalks.

With pre-planned Topping and Prunnimg, I was able to persuade a plant to make 12 or 13, (depending on how you count them) to produce 12 or 13 stalks. got about 46 inches tall, and produced 7 ounces of dried manicured buds.

Roseman said:

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, When a large FAN leaf starts yellowing, say it is half yellow, that means in the photosynthesis process, that leaf has ate nutes, sucked in some LIGHT and made food for the plant and buds and NOW, half of that is gone, or used or consumed. Well, what about the other half? Can it not it's energy still be used or consumed?
AND when it is ALL consumed or used, that leaf will naturally just fall off.

Years ago I tried removing lower fan leaves to allow more Light to penetrate in. When i did, the plant went into shock for a day or two, and quit eating or only ate half as much, and just went on "stand by" mode. Then, after a day or two, suddenly, I saw that big fan leaf replaced by a new leaf, and I saw my plant use the energy to replace that leaf, more than it used it to grow bigger and make more buds or bigger buds.

I now believe that removing fan leaves is pointless, and that a leaf has a purpose and will serve that purpose until it is dead. Then it will fall off.


Don't ever remove fan leaves before harvest for several reasons.

1. The fan leaves MAKE AND STORE energy for the plant. The fan leaves are doing a process called photosynthsis, and it is the most important part or task or job the plant does, to make it grow. They make the FOOD, the sugars and carbs needed to grow.

If you remove a FAN leaf, the plant will stop growing taller until it can replace that removed fan leaf.

Removing a healthy fan leaf is a big waste of time..they are rapided replaced,, unless you are in the last few weeks of flowering.


2. Even if the fan leaves are yellowing in late bloom I do not remove them until they are almost ready to fall off. The yellowing in the fan leaves at late harvest is the plants metabolism at work. She is transferring all stored energy in the fan leaf to bud production. It is the easiest source of energy she has late in life.



From the Growers Bible by Jorge Cervantes:
Leave leaves alone! Removal of healthy leave hacks up a healthy plant. Removing large or shade leaves DOES NOT make plants more productive. This practice DOES NOT supply more light to smaller leaves and growing tips. Plants need all their leaves to produce the maximum amount of chlorophyll and food. Removing leaves slows chlorophyll production, stresses the plant, and stunts its growth. Stress is a growth inhibitor. Remove only dead leaves or leaves that are more than 50 percent damaged.

Click to expand...

i have to disagree i always cut the bigger leaves off so light can shine thru better especially during flowering i remove any leaves blocking lightt from my buds just don't go crazy. Ithink people have there own way growing you have to find out what works for you.

at what state of the plants life should "topping" be done when working with clones i flower my clones when roots have shown

Fan leaves shouldnt be cut at all. Think of them as the plants little solar panels.
IF you want to cur, cut off the inner branches and or the lower ones, which usually only produce popcorn buds, anyway. If a big ole fan lead is blocking the light, gently MOVE it up down or sideways, whichever is called for.
People have all kinds of differing opinions. I like a Single Cola, or a double. Others like to pinch, top and FIM to get as many colas as possible. The main consideration, I believe, is how deeply does your light penetrate? A 400 w HPS isnt gonna reach to those bottom third branches, anyway...so why not trim to "Lolypop"? A 1000w HPS penetrates a lot deeper...maybe leave branches on. It's really up to you, but I urge you to NOT cut off fan leaves.
Me, I like to remove those little side branches for clones.
OFH

I rape my outdoor girls about 1.5 feet up above the soil. My situation is kinda rare. I grow in a large Cyclone Dog Kennel with screen on top. I hardly have room to walk so it works for me. No clones just remove lower banching a couple days before flowering.