Should I perform a 3rd Defoliation During 4th Week of Bloom?

[growdc]

Hey all, hope you guys can help me out there. Been following the advice and tutorials both on the main page of GWE & the Forums......

I have to say my last defoliation was ABSOLUTELY necessary. I defoliated one time right before 12/12 switch and then again mid-2 weeks into flower on 06/19/2017. Like defoliated ALOT.

Pretty much took everything I think is a fan leaf..... like a leaf with a stem (hope that's the right word).

Here are today's pictures. She's full again!!! But these seem like different type of leaves..... they are all very skinny, hardly any stem..... like it seems to come straight out of the bud site. Plus they are SUPER FROSTY and sticky. I tried to take some pictures of the whole plant, close ups and the extent where I would think it's being too shady for the lower buds.



Oh, before I forget, grow details:
1. 3 gallon fabric pot
2. 4th week into flower
3. Coco Coir + a bit of Perlite
4. Strain = C99

Question is, do I need to defoliate again to let some light through the whole plant?

I tried to see if I could snip one of these leaves off but it's kinda difficult as there isn't any or much stem to cut and accidentally cut off a bud or 2. Are these what they call sugar leaves? They are mighty long and skinny for sugar leaves right?

I mean, I guess it's now a waiting game, but hey, if I can make my buds swell even more by letting more light and air circulation throughout the plant, I would do it.

What do you all think? Just let it finish and harvest, or do another defoliation? I even thought of maybe selectively cutting off only like half of the leaf, like any part that would cast a shadow over a bud below.

NebulaHaze, I just followed your defoliation timeline, that is once right before switching 12/12, and one more time during week 3. However, I defoliated mid week 2 of flower (slightly earlier), just because it was getting so bushy and was worried why my buds were so small. They seem to be swelling up now, but wondered if they would swell more if I had more light coming through instead.

Thanks again guys!!

[Minoo96]

I'm a big noob, i'll just say what I did on mine because I felt it needed, a bit like yours. I just took my scissors, and cut whatever was too long. She'll make some more, she's got enough to capt light, then fine. Stressed her a bit, like an animal came and ate some of her leafs though. Felt like good stress. That too, the buds must have felt better with more airflow, more space. It felt like each bud can feel how big they should get, how much space they have. So doing that would help them get bigger. So far not much of a difference. But then again first grow, maybe they would have reacted more badly if I had let them be.

[Minoo96]

Since it was the first "pre-harvest", had nothing to smoke, i dried it and smoked it. Still somewhat smoking those haha. Waiting for the buds to dry. It made like an improved cigarettes, depending on which leaf I used. The less frosty was improved cigarette, and the more frosty made my eyes itchy (indica dom) so i'd say it worked kinda. Helping me to gauge also how the harvest time affect the high.

[Beach_Town_Brit]

Hi DC
Great looking plant, you did a great job on your last defoliation

I haven't grown C99 myself so I can't give you any strain specific advice I'm afraid. 4 weeks into flower you could do another defol but I'd be cautious if it were me.
You can certainly clip off a few fan leaves that are shading lower bud sites but maybe avoid another major defoliation. You kinda need to baby these plants through the last half of flowering.

You should avoid cutting any sugar leaves, leaves coming directly out of the buds. If you do chop, only chop leaves with stems.
Gonna be a great harvest I think, good luck.

[Minoo96]

"You should avoid cutting any sugar leaves, leaves coming directly out of the buds. If you do chop, only chop leaves with stems."
Damn! I did that :/. What's going to happen? What's wrong with that?

[Beach_Town_Brit]

HI Minoo
To be honest, I don't know what will happen, I've never tried it myself.
I don't think it's catastrophic, these plants are tough

In late flower you're trying to just keep everything rolling along. Shocking the plant at this point can stop the buds from thickening up fully or halt the stretch before it's fully done if you're still in stretch.
Additionally sugar leaves are part of your crop, they will frost up with trichomes and the sugar trim is always best for making keif. Personally I throw away any remaining fan leaves at harvest but keep all sugar leaf trim for kief.

[Minoo96]

I smoked those sugar leaf trims lol.
I think i shocked it and bud fattening is not what it's supposed to be. probably it's not getting enough sun, being shadowed by other plants much taller. Thanks for the answer, I'll avoid doing this

[growdc]

Beach_Town_Brit thank you sir for confirming. I just looked over the plant thoroughly again, and I don't think I could find a single "fan leaf". When I defoliated her, I did a pretty damn good job of taking off every leaf that had a stem.

I just hope that whatever that I'm doing is correct because I do not want her producing just sugar leaves!!! I would like her too fatten up her buds instead.

Being that this is my only my 2nd grow but 1st sativa strain (1st grow was indica and DWC plus I had no idea what the hell I was doing.) I am just hoping that all my 'worries' are just unfounded and that I just do not know the strain. I did start a thread about a week ago being concerned about her small bud size, but again, let's just hope it's strain specific.

Anyway, I just put one of those small circulating desk fans underneath but pointed up, hoping that she will get the air circulation she needs.

I don't think I can do much about lighting, because she is under some pretty strong LED's already. I cannot introduce any more lighting as I am already having problems controlling the heat in the small space I have.

But at least looking on the bright side, every single leaf is laden with white, frosty, sticky stuff. So she is producing resin.

Minoo96 if this girl just ends up being a sugar leaf tree (lol), at least I can made edibles for years!!!!

Note to self: Stop stressing the f**k out!!!!

[Minoo96]

Relax man, I'm pretty sure she'll fatten up soon enough. And when you'll trim, you'll see the real size I was amazed at my shittiest plant (first to harvest, today one more khali added to the dry room haha), it's still big nug in the end. Drying makes it shrink a lot though.

[Beach_Town_Brit]

The best thing you can do now is sit back, watch, and enjoy
She'll tell you if she needs anything. Sativa's often have longer but less thick colas than indicas, and they typically have longer flowering periods.
If you can watch the trichomes develop over the coming weeks it will really help you get a feel for when she's ready. I find it much easier to compare this week's trich pics of a specific plant to last week's, rather than to random trichome pics on the web.
You're in coco and so you only need a week of flush. I'd encourage you to watch for when you want to harvest then on that day (the day you plan to harvest) start your week of flush (i.e. harvest a week later than you think). This little trick of patience has saved many of us from too early a harvest