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I usually strip the bottom third and take some choice ones from inside the canopy for airflow.
Some defoliate way more heavily than me.
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Am I to long into flower to do that, again I am a newbie to indoor and thanx for info
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Nah rip ‘em off. No big deal just don’t go crazy with it.
Remember, the goal for me is airflow and preventing stagnant air from hanging out in tor canopy.
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This will likely draw a long range of answers.
When I started growing a few years ago, a friend of mine showed me his plants. Indoor grow at that time. They were easily 6ft tall, and the first leave was at 5ft. He claimed it produced the highest yield possible.
On the other end of the spectrum, I read a response, might have been on OG, where the use said that everything the plant did was for a reason. Leaves are produced for a reason, and trimming them really accomplished nothing. He also challenged folks to take two outdoor plants, trim one, leave the other alone, and compare the harvests at the end of they season.
I lean a bit in that direction. Most indoor grows are using a fan(s) in a tent/room. That air is going to move throughout the plants, regardless of fan leaves. It just has to, in that type of confined space. Outdoors is different, but for ME…I’m on a hill overlooking a field and a river. There is almost ALWAYS wind coming off the river, so my outdoor plants get plenty of ventilation.
Probably biggest thing I did was a bit of LowStressTraining using romex house wiring, stripped. Much easier than strings/tying/etc. And very easy to adjust as the plant grows. That opens the plant up a bit, and allows sunshine/light onto more branches, so produces nicer buds…at least I think so. 
YMMV…and let’s see what the pros have to say…
Lob
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True but some concessions must be considered for an indoor environment where light doesn’t penetrate as far as the sun and fresh air is at a premium.
But as you said, many ways to do it. Some defoliate light, medium, heavy, or not at all 
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Pulling up a chair as this is one topic I am still unsure of.
I have seen some who say every leaf is a photosynthesis engine, dont prune more than you absolutely have to.
Then I see tons of pictures here of monster buds on plants that have been predominantly defoliated of fan leaves. This camp regularly plucks leaves that shade the lower branches, and clears\ the bottom of the plant completely.
I have NOT seen any science based studies or definitive answer to defoliation. What I do see is people doing both heavy and no defoliation, and both camps seems to produce good results.
I have a tendency to clear leaves, but only for a reason, I dont prune just to prune. I do remove leaves that are restricting airflow, especially at the base of the plant, I also remove leaves that I can see are clearly shading active bud sites.
The question is so strong in my mind that I plan to look for two plants of the same pheno and intentionally heavily prune one, and dont prune the other, then see what happens to yield etc…
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I imagine my self to be a small forest animal, and went to town eating all the lower leaves.
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In the pic the one on left I trimmed one on right I didn’t and there is a difference. Will have to see if it effects the yield I was throwing this out there to see what everybody else does I got other stuff running in this tent
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I’ve tested this on 2 clones. The defoilated plant made more.
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Over the years, I went from never removing (healthy) leaf, to removing some during their short lives.
In veg, once I get to the height I want, I’ll start from the base, and remove all the stalk leaf, the fans, the starch storage system.
As they go into transition, I start to remove leaf from branch stalks, stopping about half way up the branch.
Somewhere in the 6-7 week time frame, I’ll start to remove anything not green, up to the buds.
I’m not sure anyone’s way is more correct, than another’s way, but follow what works for you, in your set up.
Getting better air flow is a worthy endeavor, growing your buds how you want it, is the gold.
I know this is a bit off topic, I did read a study from Israel that states, a topped plant, produces more, terpenes and oils, that the same plant type grown with out topping it. I found that kind of fascinating myself.
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That is interesting. Brings to mind something I’ve told friends and relatives that want weed. I used to give them plants. No more. None of them have any idea wtf they’re doing, and they end up with sickly plants, at best, or just plain dead ones. Then their buds get rot, etc etc.
Much easier for me to just grow the plants and give them weed.
So on to the point…I agreed to grow some seedlings for a buddy who has grown for years. I gave him the plants, they were about 2ft tall. Went back over a week later, and he had cut the top off every plant. Not pinching strategically like some do to produce more colas, he had literally snapped/chopped the top of each plant, about 2-3" down the stalk. Said it makes them bushier.
Ok…note to self, you can NOT be attached to your babies 
, like WTF did you DO???
I guess the bottom line is that I lean towards the LITFA approach.
Lob
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Yeah. Give them away and wash your hands of them.
When I give plants away I’m happy to offer advice but I never touch them again.
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I gave two nice plants to our son/DIL 2yrs ago, plants were about 3’ tall in July. Went back in the fall… they have a garage built on a hill, so underneath the garage is just posts. Asked how the plants were doing…they’d chopped them, hung them upstairs for 1 day, decided they had way too much odor, so hung them outdoors UNDER THE GARAGE, with zero airflow, dank, moldy…smh
Gave them a ziplock with 3-4oz and told them to throw the stuff under the garage away.
Lob
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Best successful gift was to a farmer who turned it into a 7’ monster.
I didn’t have to do anything except sample when it was done.
Another time I’ve had them dried in a damp garage in the high humidity of the fall. I was worried about it for awhile but it was fine.
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I only (grudgingly) remove the least amount of leaves I can in order to enhance airflow
(usually indoor only). My subjective preference is to keep as many leaves on, green and productive, right up to harvest. I think the leaves contribute greatly to the quality of the flowers.
And of course, this has been my experience and interpretation only.
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I am of the defoliation works side. Took me almost 8 years but I’ve finally got my mentor doing it as well and I was amazed to see the improvement it made on his final product which I thought was truly stellar to begin with. He is now a believer as well. Just before flip, then just after flip. Then strategically after that and I remove HUGE fans if they aren’t going to get light anyway or will block multiple bud sites
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How old are these currently and they are very healthy
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In that pic they are 50 days from seed. It’s about 5-6 days before flip, they are currently at day 11 of flower.
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