Leaf Stripping Method

What are growers thoughts on this guys method, leaf stripping ?

Your comments and opinions please ?

Can you share more details on what is referred to as leaf stripping? At which time in the video? (it has whopping 4 hours :slight_smile: )…

1 Like

This guy has 2 channels on you tube, the video shows his room and there is a discussion going on regarding many growing methods etc.

To summarise, he strips all his leaves at day 15 of flower 12/12 leaving only the budding sites, not stripping the lower leaves or shaving the legs, but all fan leaves are removed fromthe plant.

The discussion is talking about breaking rules in books as most books teach you not to do this.

Myself I strip back the lower portions fan leaves and shoots or budding sites that will not receive quality light as too low on the plant.

I was wondering what others opinions are on this topic of stripping leaves when growing indoors under lights and when they perform this?

Here is a video from earlier season specific to the leaf strip 27 mins long @LemonadeJoe

2 Likes

OK, I would say removing healthy leaves this way is wrong and bad for the plant. The fan leaves are the solar panels that drive the growth of the flowers. Even shaded fan leaves down low are storehouses for sugars & nutes the plant will extract later in flowering and then allow the leaf to yellow and fall off.

Yield will go down because you’ve killed off half the plant’s living tissues.

7 Likes

That used to be my rule of thought until run tests side by side @Muleskinner, admitedly I dont go as drastic as the guy in the video but as far as the plant storing, I dont want it storing I will provide for it and remove for it nutrients and salts. I am sarting to believe that its the flowr that needs the light not its individual fan leaf.

Correct timing has a lot to do with this been succesfull, and each strain will react differently.

I think a lot of old books are written with the outdoor growing methods and rules, times have changes so have strains and how indoor grow rooms perform, and the equipment available to the grower now as opposed to books written in the last century.

Thoughts please, based on facts or tested proof preferably.

Opinions also welcome but with out fact or tests to back it up its just an opinion or conjecture :wink:

1 Like

Thanks for the explanation. I’ve tried to search follow up videos to see the results but haven’t found it.

This guy seems to know what he’s doing and looking at the scale I can believe there can be something working in this method. So he’s basically claiming to get higher yield?

I personally don’t know anyone who is doing leaf stripping in this extreme fashion as the custom here is to strip only lower levels to allow air movement and substrate drying.

In my tests (never so drastic) I’ve always ended up with leafier buds. Without any measurable gain in yield.

I’d say that there are cons and pros… And it is hard to assess this because there is not any follow-up video so we don’t know exact context (e.g. if the stress slows down the plant for example).

5 Likes

Its hard work but there are follw ups in his vdeos, just no real order to his library.

I do the same strip the lower stuff, infact just spent 2 shifts doing just that at day 10 of 12/12 that was the second strip 1st I did the clones and lower stuff, then again at day 10 and may be 1 more delicate removal of some fan leaves if obstructing a nice flower beneath.

Hey joe like your room in your thread, could almost be comskis if you had another identical room adjoining it :wink: I have a few of those nft decks :wink: :+1:

2 Likes

Btw there is good old faq article about leaf trimming.

Also the grow style that this guy is using, well I’ve got few objections. But again it is not correct to criticize it from seeing single 17 minutes video :slight_smile: so take this just as a rant. If he want light to go to lower buds, why is he vegetating plants so long. With plants so big I can’t be surprised that they bend over and need to be leaf stripped and supported by screen… But maybe it’s the strain. But I’d say that lower buds still won’t get proper light levels (due to limited light penetration).

In my eyes yield limits lie more in strain (and adjusting grow style to it) and filling the canopy (making 100% use of the light). And in this video there are clearly some empty spaces.

It would be interesting of course to see test side-by-side. Very interesting topic, thanks for pointing to this!

Actually he said that the video is repost of something 1 year old that people requested.

4 Likes

Theres arguments for both sides really to do or not to do?

Im playin with similar methods with white widows, seeingthe difference from sog to scrog, 3-14 days little veg upto 4 weeks veg.

My interest in this is acheiveing the highest yeilds with the least veg time in final pots. I have found that different phenos react to it differently. You also need to remeber that when removing a lot of leaf to reduce the food levels as the leaf is not there to use it and can easily over feed burn or over water if you trea tthe plant the same as before you strip back esp in hydro they food level is important soil seems more forgiving.

The style of grow matters too, some grow methods it will increase yield others it will reduce it.

Im currently trialing slightly diff methods with a few varieties and phenos n a 4m2 area approx before unleashing it into a full commercial set up room wide.

It also goes with the thread what are your growing costs, as one of the bigger chunks of my bills are the 18/6 veg section of the electric bill.

I did have it down to a fine art with my old widow strain that someone cough cough allowed to wilt and die (probably stole it), now im back to fine tuning the ones im going to keep and continue to work with.

True dat, but to get the proof you have to cut the leaves off! Someone else will have to provide it. :smile:

I’m skeptical on a lot of stuff I see posted that seems silly - a first-time grower friend was like, yeah, I’m going to give the plants 48 hours of complete darkness before harvesting. how is massively shocking the plant for two days going to help? There is no shortage of stupidity out there. I was gardening for 20 years before starting with cannabis, you develop common sense. My European grandparents and relatives schooled me on gardening in childhood.

5 Likes

Sway does the same thing. From what they explained, some strains don’t like a full strip so the leave a bit up top. (three or four nodes down) Some strains they go to the top node. If you are supplying everything the plant needs in a dialed in room i can see advantages, but one mistake and you have no reserves. One infestation and it is in your buds no warning signs on fan leaves. I like having my leaves as backup and first alert system. I don’t let leaves smother other leaves though. I also worry about low brix with no leaves.

8 Likes

I know what your saying @ryasco, Some hate it some thrive on it. The Durban we had from positronics 1980s stash, if you didnt strip every other leaf as it stretched you lost out big time. If you didnt strip it wouldnt produce any yeild at all like it did if stripped.

There are videos of those plants a few days later and weeks on they do appear to thrive but they ar in a sealed room with CO2 enrichment.

I Think its just learning the strain you have and how to dial it into a particualr room.

3 Likes

I have done this method for my past 2 grows and I can say it has worked extremely well with the strains I was running. One was Island Sweet Skunk and the other is posted here TGA Tester “The Secret”.

It has always been common knowledge that a bit of stripping was beneficial but everyone always told me if you take too many leaves the plant will stress and stunt the growth. I am now of the opinion that if your plant is having any issues, the strip could stunt it as the combined stress would have poor effects. If your plant is 100% healthy and stripped, it doesn’t seem to do anything but help imo.

I will run a side by side soon with 2 clones of the same strain, stripping one aggressively and the other just removing the major light blockers. This may be different with other strains, but at least its going to be verifiable data.

4 Likes

Im a long time old school grower. I say leave the plant alone.

If people want to manicure the plant on the vine I don’t care. Everyone has their own way of growing and if it works for them it is not wrong.Growing is easy unless you like to make more work for yourself.

I used to have this dipshit partner who would always be fucking with the plants and spreading bugs and whatnot. The plants do way better without some jackass fucking with them.
Had to ride his ass to pick up every leaf so its not a home for bugs and mold.

My indoor Id take some bullshit off the bottom off that does nothing away but most of the time id be lazy.:slight_smile:

4 Likes

This video shows the 7 days after completely stripping leaves. after a week almost all leaves have returned. i think the benefit is to allow full light penetration and focus all energies on bud production.

1 Like

LOL I dont recommend people go strip some sorry looking plants in hope they bust out with kick ass flowers.

People come up with some oddball ideas when they are stoned. It does not mean its a good idea.

3 Likes

I really look forward to the results of your experiment :+1:

2 Likes

I think i have heard this debate for at least 20 years. Anybody got me beat?

2 Likes

Funny topic, it goes against most peoples grain to hear, if you want big buds pull all your leaves off.

Its like anything it works well in some places and not others. I find sog with multiple branches its a winner with bigger plants.

I hear in the states it can have quite dramatic consequences stripping in the wrong state, as they dont all accept nudity and you could be arrested.:laughing:

4 Likes

Defoliated a little today

6 Likes