Defoliation on Auto's

[Gordon86]

Hi all, just some light advice If possible.
(First Grow)
2x4 tent, 250W HPS
coco & canna coco nute range PH'd 5.7 - 6.0
sour orange auto & OG Kush auto from grizzly seeds.

There is a lot of conflicting information online about messing with autos, some defoliate them and others say you shouldn't etc.

I've given mine two major defoliations so far, one just after it started to flower just over 4 weeks old and then once again a couple of weeks into flower. Whatever I take off, Obviously comes back with avengence but my thinking was If I defoliate early then it will give plenty of airflow and light penetration to the smaller stuff and it will be better towards the end.

now I'm getting a lot it little fan leaves in the canopy and is starting to get really bushy again. I don't to shock it at all as I think I might have done last time. Should I just take 5 or 6 small fan leaves a day? or leave it be and try tuck and just deal with the thick canopy until harvest? I will put some pics below, as noted as above this is my first grow, so not sure If the plants going to need these fan leaves to flush from etc.

[9fingerleafs]

In my opinion you are turning your plant into a leaf making machine. If you defoliate and the plant responds by making more leafs and less buds then you have in your hands a plant that you shouldn’t defoliate. Obviously it’s all theory. Maybe it would have grown like that if you didn’t defoliate. I guess you’ll never know. I don’t grow autos but I know which of my strains respond With bigger buds. Which respond with smaller buds. Which with more leafs, which just slows down. We all talk like its all the same plant but it’s not. And doesn’t behave in just one way. That’s why you’ll find contradictory information about this stuff. Thousands of species being cross bred from all around the world cannot all be the same

[Gordon86]

That's exactly what I feel I've done took off some big fan leaves to get better light and airflow..and now it's a leaf making machine! If the denser canopy wouldn't affect the growth of the buds over the next month or so then I'm happy to "leaf" it alone. Just wasn't sure what way to go with it but like you said all plants respond differently I guess so the end result it listen to your plants.

[RetiredGuy]

Great post, helps to explain all the different recommendations, thanks

[MagicMike66]

I’m not an auto grower but regardless the plant grows using photosynthesis and it can only do this with its leaves. Basically leaves = bigger buds. Cannabis also stops growing new fans after about 3-4 weeks of flower so once you remove after this that’s it. If you’re new to growing leave the plant alone and let it do it’s thing, especially in flower!. It’s a weed at the end of the day.

[Gordon86]

Great answer mate, yes it's my first grow. I'm a become a bit of a weed snob the past 5 years so I'm over obsessed with the grow, my problem is that I've watched so many YouTube videos and read so much information in the past 2 months I've picked up conflicting bits but that's just different grow styles. In my head I was thinking thick canopy = no airflow and light = smaller buds. If the fan leaves catch light for flowers it's never a bad thing though is it. Decision made! I'm taking another leaf off unless its dying or dead. Can only wait and see.

[YYCannabis]

We all talk like its all the same plant but it’s not. And doesn’t behave in just one way. That’s why you’ll find contradictory information about this stuff. Thousands of species being cross bred from all around the world cannot all be the same

This is one of the most insightful comments that many people seem to not understand. There has been so much cross-breeding, nothing is as simple as Sativa vs Indica anymore. Like what 9fingerleafs said, you have to watch how your plant responds, and how much time do you want to put into defoliating the “leaf factory”. There is no steadfast rules when growing cannabis, but rather a range of guidelines. Choose your own adventure and carry your knowledge on to your next grow. 👍

I defol my autos. The reemergence of little fans can be annoying.

[Gordon86]

Completely get that. Ahh yeah the hydro set up. What a ball ache hah. The PH and the PPM I check twice a day after the 2 feeds 12 hours apart. I always get these figures ok before water, however I only roughly gauge what they are drinking. I have given them a couple of nutrient flushes also when the PPM crept up. What I have noticed is that some days the PPM of the run off will rise or be higher than the feed in, this can happen for a few days but the plants seem fine, eventually I give it a flush but can I presume it's just salts building up that causes the rise in PPM?

[YYCannabis]

It could be salt buildup.