Do buds need direct light for max growth?

As the titles asks, do the individual buds need to be in the direct light in order to grow or even reach maximum size and potency? The reason I ask is that my plant(feminized white widow) out grew her cabinet and has 8 colas that I ended up having to cross over each other to tie down and keep below the light. This as you can imagine has created a very dense center with folage and budage. Ive noticed that some colas have ran off and left others in development and interestingly enough, the one directly under the light (no heat stress visible) is one of the lesser ones. I want to think that the regular fan leaves are the ones that do all the processing to feed the buds, but then again, the leaves in the colas must have purpose as well. Does anyone know the answer to this? The way that my girl is tied down now (rawr) is convenient and the most obvious way, but she still has a solid 4 weeks to go and if its going to be a problem I had better figure something out now.

The dense center is also cutting light from getting as far into the canopy as would be normal. I do have 2 crappy 70 watt hps lamps that I could mount underneath facing up. Would this be a good idea or would it confuse the girl because the light would be hitting the bottom of the leaves instead of the tops as per natures design.

No

most of the photosynthesis is done in the leaves

the buds are sex organs

So that would mean I could actually let them grow around the light, no?

Um, I have heard different things but in my last copy of weed world there was a topic about it that said that you should cut the large fan leaves out and let the buds do all the absorbing. And personally I have been doing that and the only buds that seem to be getting fatter and denser are the ones under my hps lamp. So I'm going with keeping the buds under the light as it seems to hold true for my situation.

yep. That is why it is critical to point vertical as possible so that all sides of the cola get even light for development. Lay one cola on it's side so that one half is in the shade and see what the difference is at harvest.

damn, a couple are kinda flat against the wall, so that cant be good. what about the duel 70 w's shining up? Is gonna take some thinking to get all of these getting light all around them.:stoned:

I hope you see this.

Think of your main water leaves as solar panels cause that exactly what they are. If you power your house with solar panels, now start stripping them off. How well is your house going to run ? Not to good. I have been trying to get my bro to understand this for over a year. Just because some weed head that said he grows hydro but in all the time you know him you ain''t seen shit for chonic from him says " It's a weed " and strip them leaves off says so.

He has doubled his yield by leaving the solar panels there.

Things grow better in the light. Yes. But when large plants grow canopies that shade the solar panels are there to help with energy. I found little difference between shaded buds and cola buds on the same plant. Other wise you might as well cut off everything in the shade.

Welcome to one of the joys of growing inside.

Your light needs to be pretty damn near and direct unless you use mylar or even flat white paint. I personally consider lighting and nutes are the only two real things (besides genetics) that grow good plants continously.

And Loc Nar is right....don't be grabbing off leaves because you think the plant doesn't need them. I'm 100% positive your plant will beg to differ.