I’m reinvestigation this topic – defoliation/pruning and how it effects the end result.
In reading, I came across this study that I found pretty interesting. It appears the authors are basically saying, yes, it many cases, defloliation/pruning leads to reallocation of resources in the plant and generally improves health and yield. (This is my very simplified paraphrasing.)
I’m pretty sure this must only apply to SOME types of plants?
I have to investigate cannabis specifically, so will do more digging around here, too.
I did see a less-than-scientific study by Grow Weed Easy that seemed to indicate about a 9 percent increase in yield, primarily. However, my statistics memory is fuzzy – I don’t know that I’d consider their number statistically significant enough to draw conclusions.
I could see myself doing my own studies someday. Interesting stuff.
Experience has shown me that, yeah about 30% yield gain possible relative to an unmolestedlady
But it’s mostly a factor of plant/stem/root mass— bigger pipes for bigger buds — but the time delay in plant training is to be considered— would that same plant catch up while we’re f€#?!¥cking with the other?
For me it’s mostly rootball size & time + sunlight that boosts yields.
Let’s start the discussion by what we call here “californian’s baobab” for one time. That don’t look like naked sugar canes at all. And i guess that the yield is important for this kind of farm ^^ (yeah yeah limitations, still).
Why obsessional defoliators think this photo is totally wrong.
Warning: I honestly don’t have a dog in this hunt. I just want the right answer. But if I start asking questions here, it’ll just be a devil’s advocate thing. (I’ve been accused of “never accepting anyone’s facts” but a) that’s not true and b) so what? healthy skepticism is good. But. . .yes, if I know what I want to ask, I’ll ask. lol
I’m not the brightest science mind in the world, so I have to go slow and often, my questions won’t figure themselves out till later.
I don’t have an opinion of whether or not this increases yield, potency or anything else. If it does, by enough, great – I may do it. Or I may not. WTF knows?
Without falling in weird phytos theories, i swear that today this enigma can be solved very fast just in watching the growlogs of the two extremes ^^
Skepticism, i’m all for it. It’s a necessary antibody in this dark ages. Ignoring the big momentum, no.
It’s burning me to throw right here some photos of both extreme from OGers growlogs + the @ to call them. But it’s not OGv1, people will take it very badly.
I also got about a 30% jump in yields doing it. I was testing in 500 plant batches of the same cut in the same greenies. Its one of those hilarious things that 95% of the commerical growers I knew did it, but somehow its a big “debate” online. Only ones that didnt were full term growers with 99 monster plants and couldnt physically keep up. But Ive also known more than a few that still did.
Not at all. Im talking about # of final bagged up lbs of buds. All my buds got a proper club cut. Cuz they were going to clubs. It basically eliminated smalls though. Went from a lb of smalls every 5-7 lbs or so, to a lb of smalls every 15-20 lbs. When youre dealing with big numbers, that makes a massive difference.
The cannabinoid tests never changed for me. Only thing Ive seen jump cannabinoid tests was smaller plants vs several pounders. Flowering out old moms vs SOG single cola plants would usually be a little lower. But usually 1-3%, nothing crazy.
A good read from the defoliation thread already started. Goodluck finding all your answers. Also be aware that study seems to be 33 years old and should be viewed as such.
One of the concepts that was discussed in that study was that of “overcompensation.”
I THINK what the authors are getting at, in my mind, makes the argument even more interesting.
Because it makes defoliation/pruning very much related to the topic of “stressing plants deliberately,” doesn’t it?
I don’t defoliate/prune in order to stress, just to be clear.
And we can have (and have) a whole other convo just on THAT topic, I am sure.
I’m still trying to sort through defoliating/pruning and how it directly effects the cannabis plant. This will also be a good opportunity for me to improve my knowledge. It’s not that I want to complicate my life to eek out a small gain – but 30 percent ain’t small.
What are you trying to say? Comparing a fun run in a tent stress testing chems in heat and a greenhouse cropping is literally apples and oranges homie.
i dont have that mindset. for me its redirecting plant energy from vegging/making fan leaves, to focusing on bud production instead. but i do like to stress em at the end sometimes. back in my greenie days our stress of choice was stopp pulling the blackouts the last week or 2. The mixup in light cycle and added DLI sure seemed to make em happy at least lol
luckily its easy. around day 21 and 42 just get out there and pull all the fans off it. basically 1/3 and 2/3rd thru the flower cycle. i also will gut em to 1 node per branch day 1 if its an old bushy mom. but ive found the 1 node and flip doesnt benefit in most situations.
I took the best photo i found of results that you tracked. Just this, and to expose my doubts about your results concerning defoliation.
Now we are quite close both of one year of continuous repros, i know how it feel to can’t unleash the hell. Tag me when you will have the time to grow full throttle.
35 day veg from seed. 95 total. 3 and a quarter lbs from a 5x5. Defol at day 21 and 42 of flower. Taking 1 pic of a stressed out run as “evidence” is pretty laughable broham. Sounds like straw-manning if I’ve ever heard it.
lady 
