Anything you read in the comments on social media should be considered bro-scienceSomething your 'bro' told you was true. More. Even the advice you see on this site could be considered bro-scienceSomething your 'bro' told you was true. More. It’s always best to do your own research when possible, but I also understand that most folks may not have that kind of time or resources. Do know that the cultivation articles on this site are derived primarily from a collection of books on the topic. In any event, let’s look at an example of bro-scienceSomething your 'bro' told you was true. More and how it is wrong, scientifically.
Conventional bro-scienceSomething your 'bro' told you was true. More suggests that you should defoliate your plants. Some bro’s say this should be done to get light to the bud sites. The implication is that this will make your buds bigger. It has also been said that taking away the big fan leaves will cause the plant to ‘focus its energy’ elsewhere. That’s not how plants work. The fact of the matter is that the big sun-leaves are the power generators for the plant. You can look this up in high school biology books. However, there is usually some level of truth to bro-scienceSomething your 'bro' told you was true. More, or at least it’s based on some truth.
Yes, you should defoliate your plants to a certain extent. Any leaves below 18″ from the top of the plant are candidates for removal. If you are running a HID light then you should consider removing leaves below 24″ from the top. You should not remove upper leaves in any way. Why? Because when light intensity levels drop below 200 PPFD, the leave consumes more energy than it produces. The implication is that somewhere above 200 PPFD the leaf produces excess energy. Where does this excess energy go? You got it, to the rest of the plant – including your buds! With this in mind, why would you defoliate any leaf that gets sufficient light?
Of course, you should verify this information. Listen to this great podcast (00:38:33 through 00:44:05) and hear Dr. Allison Justice talk about the scientific study she did on this topic.
Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —
