Phat Jays 2nd Grow (CFL/Coco) w/pics

[bigsby]

Like I said, I'm no expert...

A little further reading determines that opinions vary widely. Some advocate removing *some* fan leaves so that light reaches further down the plant, some advocate training them down, some advocate cutting them in half (i.e. cutting off the tips), and some advocate leaving them alone.

I can see the merits of getting them out of the way so that the light better reaches the the lower parts of the plant. That way the lower leaves can do the work needed to feed bud sites further down the plant thereby increasing yield. That said, I can definitely see the argument for not removing them. Of course, scrog deals with this issue quite nicely.

I'm learning all the time.

[PhatJay]

I agree this is a debated subject and there are differences of opinion. I do believe that there are some situations in which trimming fan leaves is advantageous.

THEORIES WHY TO TRIM FAN LEAVES Increase Lower Bud Development The fan leaves shade lower buds and that these buds do not develop to there full potential because of a reduction in lighting intensity due to shading from upper fan leaves. To conserve energy for upper bud development Trimming fan leaves and lower, shaded branches focuses the plantâ??s development on main top buds (Che Bleu, 03. 13.2002). A plant wastes precious energy several ways. A tall plant needs to use energy to build extra stem, and then use extra energy to move water up higher, this is why I believe "scrog" methods are productive. An untrimmed bushy plant causes the plant to expend energy to build elaborate branches and leaves, and then has to use excess energy to supply all these structures. Careful trimming to remove unnecessary branches (which wont produce nice buds) and unproductive suckers will leave more energy for a larger yield. Suckers do exactly as their name suggests, they suck needless energy from the plant which can be put to better use, towards yield (Leaf, 03.13.2002). Reduce the Stretch If fan leaves are trimmed during the early flowering stage, the stretch is reduced (Che Bleu, 03.13.2002). Reducing the stretch might be advantageous in certain cultivation conditions. Speeding Up The Flushing Process Remove some of the fan leaves 14 days before harvest. It helps speed up the flushing process and or makes flushing unnecessary (Homemadepot, 03.13.2002). Reduce The Chance of Mould Removal of dead fan leaves is necessary to reduce the risk of mould. Failing to "clear the airway" can lead to development of mould in the "crowded" areas of the plant (Jeast, 03.13.2002). Scrog growers may also reduce the chance of mould by removing fan leaves due to reduce the level of transpiration. This is because many scrog grows are in a confined space where humidity is a serious problem (DoctorDangerous, 09.04.2002). However with better ventilation it may be necessary to avoid the mould problem (Nietzsche, 09.04.2002). Increase root development on Clones Fan leaves on clones should have their blades cut in half, to make the clone grow slowly while a root system develops (Weezil, 03.12.2002).

[bigsby]

I was applying my comments to your situation where training, trimming or removing some of those fans would let light further down the plant, especially given that this is a CFL grow. That said, that read was a good refresher - thanks!

My only further comments would be that dead leaves on a flowering plant should be removed as soon as they are clearly on their way out, unless you suspect issues with nutes, PH, or potting. Dying leaves are obvious vectors for diseases and pests. So removing dying leaves on a mature plant is beneficial. Also, larger, older leaves produce significantly less chlorophyll than newer, younger leaves and can be safely trimmed if needed.

[PhatJay]

I was applying my comments to your situation where training, trimming or removing some of those fans would let light further down the plant, especially given that this is a CFL grow.

Yeah.. I have taken the cautious approach on my grows, so I could watch and learn, then see how the various techniques affect my harvest. The 1st I did absolutely no trimming at all. On this second grow I took out some of the lower leaves and tried fimming as I was considering a scrog next time round. I am not prepared to take out these large upper fan leaves at this stage of flowering, as I plan to flower for 10 or 11 weeks this time. That said, once the top buds have completely filled out, I might follow your suggestion and remove/train the large fans.

I do appreciate your input, anything that makes me question or examine what I am doing is a good thing in my opinion. :thumbsup:

[bigsby]

Hey - those plants are looking great. Nothing wrong with leaving well enough alone. How did the fim cut go?

[PhatJay]

How did the fim cut go?

It worked beautifully on one plant (four tops) but I got it wrong on the second and it grew as normal. The pics are on page 1.

[bigsby]

Yeah that plant E is a beauty. She did really well with the fim cut. How many nodes were there when you did the cut?

[bigsby]

Hey Phat,

You prompted a bit more research. I knew some of the pruning stuff but clearly there was more to learn - more detail on the when, why, how stuff. Also, like you, I'm reading up on scrog techniques. I came across this outstading tutorial that goes into crazy detail on pruning, fimming, scrog and much more. It is a ton of reading so use your search function! Hope it is as useful to you as it is to me.

[PhatJay]

Yeah that plant E is a beauty. She did really well with the fim cut. How many nodes were there when you did the cut?

Well... I reckon it was the 3rd node, this pic was taken 5 minutes before I Fimmed them (Day 15 Veg).

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...ml#post2078886

[CovertCarpenter]

but then, I had a coupla' flower tops forming that were just a wee bit ahead of everyone else, and so I thot: "Hmm.. it can't hurt too much, why not try FIMming 'em instead..."

Even if you don't get the magical '4' or '6' flower tops you're 'supposed' to, if you do it anywhere near right, you wind up with a much bushier flowertop, or two, and this is Not a Bad Thing. You can also help keep a plant more level with judicious use of the the technique.

Had a bad bit recently where some exhaust fans weren't running for like two hours of full light, and so some wilting occurred. BIGtime. After emergency measures were taken, and some mega-fan-leaf-chopping done, I FIMmed a few tops (that were burn't) for good measure, and the results are, well, kinda spectacular...