Fan leaves with thricomes - Should I cut’em off?

[TheZenArcher]

Hey folks. Hope you’re well.

So, these top fan leaves grow fast and I’ve been removing them (weekly I’d say) since they’re great shadow makers.



But now they‘re bringing some beautiful thricomes together.



What do you think? Should I cut’em off? Or keep? 🧐🤔

Cheers,

ZenArcher

[Cheeba]

Grower’s choice but I would leave them on. Even if they are blocking light, it’s not that big of a deal. Nice to have that sparkle, good luck!

[TheZenArcher]

Hmmm nice. Thanks Cheeba!

[golfnrl]

To snip or not to snip that is the question. Cheeba said it best, growers choice. Taking those leaves or leaving them on is part of one of the great debates I've seen since I've been on this sight. There are strong proponents on each side.

[TheZenArcher]

Yep Cheeba, since there is use for the leaves also there's no right or wrong. I think it depends of one's goals in the end. Thx!

[SoOrbudgal]

I would leave them on they don't seem to block out much being long skinny sativa looks like. I love the sugar on the leaf i just trim them but leave alot left when they are so frosty. It's a choice but i love and use the whole plant from baking to composting. Personnel choice

[TheZenArcher]

Yep SoOrbudgal, I'll keep trimming freestyle. Testing and learning. Thx!

[RetiredGuy]

As a new grower, defoliation has been the toughest part to understand what should be done. Many websites warn newbies to proceed cautiously. I am in week 7 of flower and only removed several fan leaves which were blocking bud sites on the top of my SCROG. I have about 60 bud sites at the top of my 2 x 4 canopy. However, I see a lot of buds 4 to 8 inches below the canopy that could benefit from more light. I’m thinking I should have defoliated more, but all the advice about proceeding carefully convinced me not to. I would love to get a better understanding of this topic before my next grow.

[TheZenArcher]

Totally agree that it's a critical learning, RetiredGuy. It can fuck up a plant, or give it a boost, while is a delicate thing to do. 1st time I did it, I thought I had killed the plant. But she responded very well. I want to know more about this during the veg phase. Thx!

[Poppa]

I find that when the fan leafs have trichomes they tend to cover the leaf close to the stem. I often clip the tip or a little more to allow light to get to the lower parts of the cola while retaining the trichome covered part of leaf for making hash. This also stops the leaf from growing so they don't get longer or wider. I also trim them if they are getting to close to another cola since I seen on my first grow that a leaf brushing the pistils of a bud fucks them up affecting it's growth. What a Beautiful grow.

[TheZenArcher]

Poppa, nice advice. Nice. I'll try this. Thx!

[Woodsman67]

if your curious as to how it effects growth in your setup, or bud quality, pick a cola and cut some off, pick one and cut most off. See how the different manicures or lack of effect similar colas in your grow. Definitely growers choice. If you make oil or hash, save the leaves and add to trim bag if you decide to take them out. Nice flowers 🙂

[TheZenArcher]

Woodsman67, thx mate. It's a possibility. Can I just keep / store the leaves? For how long?

[Woodsman67]

Drying then storing inside a freezer bag until the harvest trim is dried would be no big deal. Personally, any leaf I can clearly see a stem on the flower, I cut. Leaves that are buried into the flowers, i leave until harvest. In my young and impatient days I smoked those leaves while waiting for flowers lol. Cheers!

[TheZenArcher]

hehe yes, it's a temptation for those days of no patience. hehe