I'm not sure what you mean by how you would doctor up a clone, but I cut a few of the HUGE fan leaves that develop. I usually only do this when its blocking a good amount of light from fruit shoots. I also have a lack of lighting for the current grow I have, so this is also another reason for that. One other thing is, I never cut the top leaves, I always go down 1 or two sets. But thats just me. I haven't noticed any sense of shock or unhappiness expressed by the plants. Just my 2 cents