Gramps, u are initially suppost to trim the bottom third of the plant, to direct all growth to the cola. the leaves will naturally die towards the bottom to keep itself alive and keep it groin. u should get a high powered fan and put that near your plants, to keep the main stem nice and strong for when you get buds. if you are worried about root rot, flush your plant some with PH'd pure water, that should do the trick! i dont think ur pop stick could have caused any damage, unless there was mold groin on it! sounds to me like you have an insufficient light source, prolly some weak floros, am i right? look into a HID man, much bigger buds, with a much better high!