You never want to trim off fan leaves. Even if they are getting insufficient light they are still the plants' solar collectors. I trim a fair amount removing flowering leads but I leave the fan leaves alone. Unless they are laying on your soil.
grey1223 Reviewed by grey1223 on . to trim or not to trim ive got a decent sized plant flowering (24 inches), im using 5 cfl 42 watt lights with 4 above and one under the canopy. my question is should i trim off some or a few of the larger leaves that are drooping because they arent getting the light they want, and is it ever a good idea to trim? or should i try to get a couple more lights to add around the plant to brighten it up a bit? any reply is appreciated and for a log of my grow and some pics i have it on this site DoS|5iM|sdb im 5iM, Rating: 5