You DO need the leaves to stay on. They should not yellow and drop until 2 weeks or less before harvest. Never remove leaves.

Harvest window begins in most cases at all cloudy at least, with 10% amber. 80% amber is much too late and means that you are going to end up with an exhausting and couch-locked stone.

A 2.5 foot plant with over a dozen tops should be in a 5 gallon pail. If it is not, you are losing yield from insufficient root space.

If you see any discoloration on the leaves, and have more than 2 weeks to harvest, fill out the troubleshooting form and post pics.