Defoliation

I keep reading about it so I thought I'd make a post..

A couple of things I think are worth mentioning when growers bring up “defoliation”. No amount of nutrients will help the plant grow, unless they are first processed through the leaves. Only then, may mobile nutrients, commonly called “plant food” continue to the buds, for growth. The real name for plant food is called “photosynthate”, but for the purpose and ease of this post, let’s use the term “plant food”.

“Leaves” have two main purposes:


Image source: Dictionary.com

1st, You can thank the leaves themselves for 99% of all the uptake of water and nutrients. Plants have a very small chain of water molecules that stretch from root to leaf, within the “xylem” (the woody center part). This ionic chain phenomenon is referred to as cohesion, whereas the entire uptake, from root to leaf, is called “transpiration”. Water is basically the blood of the plant. If you cut any leaves off, you limit the plants resources of water.


2nd, Leaves make all the “plant food” that the plants use to grow, while managing waste (O2),
through the stomata. The stomata are very small pore-like openings in the bottom of the leaf, that
exchanges new CO2 and O2, and water evaporation. “Plant food” is made through a process called photosynthesis, with in the chloroplast. Leaves are like a big food engine, but instead of 2 fuels like a car (gas & O2), leaves have 3 fuels (CO2 & Nutrients & PAR).

So, why remove them?

I’ve never liked the term of “defoliation” as it means “to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves”, implyin all of them. I prefer to use their relative nick-names, “lollipopping”, “schwazzing” or even “pruning”, to limit confusion. These methods are not something I would promote anyone who desires larger yield, especially outside in full sun or if using auto-flowering seeds. Realistically, removing “any” healthy mature leaf will hinder growth & yield. A good rule of thumb would be to let the plant itself decide naturally what she wants to keep.

Distinguishing the different terms of training, or pruning growth is also a factor. Pruning a branch off the main stem, to manipulate growth direction, is not defoliation. Defoliation includes only leaf matter.

Growth “time span”, is also something that plays a roll. Depending on the cannabis grower’s view, any plant manipulation while in vegetation cycle may not be viewed as playing a role in final yield, while referring to defoliation. As an example, a farmer could prune half the vegetation off in veg cycle, but gives enough time for the vegetation to grow back, before entering into flower. If the factor of “time” itself is removed, the outcome of yield could be viewed differently.


Image source: ILGM (Redbudbush)

Buds, do NOT require any light. No amount of light that’s exposed to the bud ‘itself’ will help it grow any measurable amount, or yield more. It the physical features simply aren’t there for any measurable amount of photosynthesis to occur.

Understanding what the flower is, is also important. Cannabis, being an “incomplete flower” only has generally has only male or female parts, where a complete flower has both. Nowhere within the flower itself, is there any leaves. Leave form around each flower.


Image source: Illinois.edu


Where/what is this sink?


Image source: Boundless.com

“Sinks cells” are areas of new growth with low osmotic pressure. Leaves are areas of high pressure, hence why “plant food” or post-photosynthetic nutrients, flow from high pressure leaves, to low pressure sinks; commonly called “osmosis”. Sinks can be in the roots or the shoots of the plant (new growth). After the plant food has been manufactured in the leaves, it enters into the phloem, starting at an area in the leaf called “source cells”. From here, osmosis carries “plant food” to its destination and use.

Younger leaves always use more processed nutrient (plant food) than they can make through their own photosynthetic actions, and must draw from other leaves. If they are removed (in flower) the plant food that would have gone to them for maturing, would be redirected to the remaining areas of “sinks”. This works for buds too. Any buds removed, allows plant food to flow towards remaining sinks.

Finally, there’s one more thing to consider, called “relative osmotic location”. Basically, the closer the mature, healthy leaves are to the sink location, the faster the plant food arrives, and the more efficient the growth process is. Leaf location matters. It’s also worthy to note that all leaves work as a collective, with light PAR. Nothing changes ‘how’ the plant food is manufactured because of location of leaf removed.

There are two main defoliation methods that cannabis growers can choose from.

1) They can focus on upper colas by removing under developed, lower growth (leaves & buds alike). Generally speaking, this is the method that will yield the most, with very large colas on top, but you may be victim of a larf (popcorn) sized buds below. This method is often referred to as “lollipopping”.



2) They can focus on a more consistent size bud throughout the plant, by removing larger leaves above. This method forcing the plant to mature lower leaves evenly, thus causing “relative osmotic location” to enhance lower growth and size of the sinks directly around them. This method generally yield much less because the younger leaves are sinks as well, and compete directly with the bud’s sink strength, on the available plant food. The lower buds will ripen with a larger, consistent size, but the upper colas will suffer and yield less. This method is often referred to as “Schwazzing”.

Now for an overall recap. Nutrients use the water to hitchhike a ride, up the xylem, to the chloroplast in the leaf. The leaf processes the raw nutrient into plant food. Then, plant food, enters into the phloem, and high pressure pushes it throughout the plant to areas of low pressure and use.

As standard rules while in veg cycle go:

Any healthy, mature leaf removed “will not” effect over all yield size.

Any healthy, mature leaf removed “will” hinder overall growth speed.

As standard rules while in flower cycle go:

Any healthy, mature leaf removed “will” effect over all yield size.

Any healthy, mature leaf removed “will” hinder overall growth speed.

https://www.ilovegrowingsupplies.com/livesupport/cannabis-consult/defoliation/

***Don't pay for a picture book!***
and for those whom choose to continue to schwazz:

 

I've seen many grows that would contradict this article. The boss here does defoliation and he's the reason I started removing leaves.

 

All this information posted is from real science sources, not just empirical observation.

I'm not understanding what exactly you're saying is contradictable. Where did I go wrong?

 

It's the fact that I have seen MANY grows where yield and potency are improved indoors by defoliation. A lot of these books are outdated, and Jorge and Ed are not the ones at the forefront of the industry anymore.

Ed and Jorge both sold out a long time ago!

 

I didn't get any of my information from cannabis specific sources, rather edu's.

...and I didn't say defoliation wouldn't increase yield. Defoliation is such a generic term and used differently depending on the farmer, so it hard for me to understand exactly to what to refer.

Potency generally is genetic. Did you mean terpenoid development?

 

Potency is genetic to a degree. The growers can run the same exact cut, and the better growers will have better numbers (or they may have paid for the results).

The studies are still outdated, if they are saying the leaves are the only place where nutrients are broken down and made usable. The Fungus and Beneficial Bacterium in the soil, are what helps this process along.

 

Nothing I've posted is outdated. It's realtime science used in all plants, not just cannabis.

No, I'm saying the leaf is where the raw, dissolved nutrients end up, and the leaf makes the substance that allows cell devision to occur. Plants make their own food, so your not feeding the plant nutrients. You feed the soil nutrients, and the plant uptakes what it wants to make food from it. "Plant food" is made by the leaf, and called "photosynthate". It's the "sap" of all plants.

 

I don't believe it's real time if they are still using the same information that they have for decades. There are plants that do not fit into their molds, and Cannabis has shown this fact many times over! It's why there are people with Ag/Sci or Hort degrees that can't grow Cannabis to save their own lives.

I believe there is much more to it, than what basic plant science has given us to work with.

 

I wanted to point this one out, but I didn't want to steer anyone in the wrong direction! I believe growing top-notch herb is a balance of stress and love (plus a good grow environment).

 

I'll still say it to this day that the dankest weed I've ever grown was after experiencing a power outage for 6.5 days. I did what I could to simulate light and such, but those plants were convinced they were going to die... and put off massive amounts of resin because of it.

 

If you're suggesting the world academia on botany and plant science is dwarfed in light of hippie science, we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I personally fare fine in the category of yield and potency, and I'm also on my way to for my bachelors in botany.

If you'll take a moment and re-read what I wrote, I mentioned cannabis is also a "incomplete" or "imperfect flower", meaning it doesn't contain what a full flower does. Leaves are mixed in with many flowers, but again, leaves and flowers are not the same.
Pedals, Pistils, Stamens, Sepals, and receptacles, all parts of a flower, can not process light the same way as a leaf can.

http://www.docksidecannabis.com/basic-cannabis-anatomy-101/

 

I understand this concepts may sound unusual or wrong to many people without a formal education, but I assure you my intentions are not to unease. I did state, larger yield through "sink" manipulation is possible; this includes defoliation per se, and probably what you've been seeing in the forums logs.

 

Working on it now..

 

You can have whatever degree you want, but people aren't going to hire you at a Cannabis garden for the degree alone. There are a lot of know-it-alls from college who pretend to know the sciences and completely fuck up whatever garden they are hired at. I would take a hippy who had the experience of growing, over some college kid with "book smarts" any day! If that Hippy happened to go to college for botany, and also know their shit about Cannabis, then they would make a lot more money!

Those hippies are probably getting photos of their work posted all over the web, and these plants are pristine!