# what is the truth



## blondlebanese (Jul 9, 2015)

im still on the fence about plants producing better buds if the small stuff gets whacked.  do you really get better buds or just loose the small stuff.


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## yooper420 (Jul 9, 2015)

Only one way to answer that question. Grow 2 plants of the same strain, side by side, and trim one up and let the other grow. This will be proof positive, one way or the other. Get growin` and green mojo to ya.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 9, 2015)

I don't think that you get better bud, but of course that depends on how you are defining "better".  You do lose the small stuff, but you don't "lose" it in the traditional sense--the growth just goes more to the colas.


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## umbra (Jul 9, 2015)

yes when you trim all the small stuff off, all the energy in the plant goes to the other buds. they are not better ( more THC) but they are bigger.


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## Bongofury (Jul 9, 2015)

So would the extra bulkiness from trimming be better or stronger smoke than the popcorn buds from below? I'm assuming yes.


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## Bongofury (Jul 9, 2015)

I am seeing from my 1st grow here that when I lolly popped, I left the little buds grow and took only shade leaves. My top buds are nice but most are a little too small. I am disapointed. I thinks there would have been bigger top buds if I would have fully lolly popped. I'll let you know for sure in another 6 months after my 2nd grow. lol It won't happen this grow.


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jul 9, 2015)

umbra said:


> yes when you trim all the small stuff off, all the energy in the plant goes to the other buds. they are not better ( more THC) but they are bigger.




^^ This :aok:

Anything left to not attain peak canopy position, will be "popcorn" bud, and basically only good enough to go in your trim pile.


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## Locked (Jul 9, 2015)

I try to always take off the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the plant.  Nothing worse than crappy popcorn bud.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 9, 2015)

Bongofury said:


> So would the extra bulkiness from trimming be better or stronger smoke than the popcorn buds from below? I'm assuming yes.


 
No, I don't think that it is stronger (see Umbra's post).  You just don't have to deal with those little tiny PITA to trim buds that you get if you do not trim.


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## Rosebud (Jul 9, 2015)

Here is another thought. It depends how you use it. My daughter will trim tiny buds, it drives me nuts, but she uses a small vap or a glass piece and she likes those little buds for that. No grinding.  

I am like the others and take off the bottoms maybe 1/4.  I like it for air flow both indoor and out. The tops do get bigger... that is the truth.  All my small bud goes to make medicine, as i always have some of those.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 9, 2015)

Bongofury said:


> I am seeing from my 1st grow here that when I lolly popped, I left the little buds grow and took only shade leaves. My top buds are nice but most are a little too small. I am disapointed. I thinks there would have been bigger top buds if I would have fully lolly popped. I'll let you know for sure in another 6 months after my 2nd grow. lol It won't happen this grow.


 
Oh, you did it backwards.  You should have taken the small buds off and left the fan leaves.  The fan leaves are where the vast percentage of photosynthesis takes place.  Taking the fan leaves off and leaving the small buds _would be_ detrimental to the plant and I am not surprised that the buds are smaller.


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## giggy (Jul 9, 2015)

i leave everything, after all you got to have something to make hash out of. peace


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## Bongofury (Jul 9, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Oh, you did it backwards.  You should have taken the small buds off and left the fan leaves.  The fan leaves are where the vast percentage of photosynthesis takes place.  Taking the fan leaves off and leaving the small buds _would be_ detrimental to the plant and I am not surprised that the buds are smaller.



I only took the fan leaves off the bottom 1/4. I just couldn't bring myself to picking the popcorn buds too.


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jul 10, 2015)

> The fan leaves are where the vast percentage of photosynthesis takes place. Taking the fan leaves off and leaving the small buds would be detrimental to the plant and I am not surprised that the buds are smaller.



Not with LED's miss. There's a certain amount of "defoliating" that should be done, for proper penetration. Again, something I learned the hard way when I switched HPS. I was warned and showed the way, but  choose  to try what I knew first in lieu of what was being presented to me. 

I've never treated my plants more like bonsai's than I currently do. They get lots of tender loving care ... by the hand of my FISKERS lol


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 10, 2015)

But you don't leave the bottom buds on and take the fan leaves off do you DGF?  If you are removing the fan leaves, don't you remove the small buds, too?  

I do realize that you do need to trim differently with LEDs, but we are not speaking of that here.


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jul 10, 2015)

I remove the lower 1/3 - 1/4 of growth.. nodes and fans.. then I remove selective fan leaves all the rest of veg, and the first week and a half of flowering. If you don't, you won't get the penetration. At least with Mars LED's this is something that I need to be doing 



But, even if I were still HPS, I would super train and tend like I do now. I feel as though it leads to larger buds, and better production overall.


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## gottaloveplasma (Jul 13, 2015)

What about outdoor?


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## blondlebanese (Jul 15, 2015)

is there a cut off point for trimming?  I have read that trimming should be stopped during flowering.  and that trimming to much at one time is not good.  true.  false.  matters not?


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jul 15, 2015)

No more than 2 weeks after flowering starts. First 2 weeks only is when I trim up to. And in Veg, you can take a weed whacker to em and it doesn't matter.


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## Rosebud (Jul 15, 2015)

I just cut all my girls up from the bottom last week or so. I am just hardly seeing any preflowers so i would do it now. Would you like to see a pic?


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## Bongofury (Jul 15, 2015)

Rosebud said:


> I just cut all my girls up from the bottom last week or so. I am just hardly seeing any preflowers so i would do it now. Would you like to see a pic?



I know I would.


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## umbra (Jul 15, 2015)

gottaloveplasma said:


> What about outdoor?


 Light follows the inverse square law, as you double the distance, the power is reduced by the distance squared. This makes a big difference inside with the plant getting more than 4 ft tall. Outside however, it is a little different. While light still follows the inverse square law outdoors, the light is traveling from the sun 1,000,000's of miles and the difference between the light at the top of the plant and the bottom of the plant is minor compared to the distance from the sun. So you don't see any decrease in the amount of light from the top to the bottom of the plant.


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## Rosebud (Jul 16, 2015)

Umbra, just a bit a shading from the tops?

I will get you a pic bongo.


View attachment 001.jpg


View attachment 002.jpg


View attachment 003.jpg


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## Bongofury (Jul 16, 2015)

Awesome plants Rosebud.


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## Rosebud (Jul 16, 2015)

Thanks Bongo, i mostly trim up for better air circulation and the bugs have to jump higher to get on them.  IF you see commercial grows they take like half the plant off.

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69377&page=21
 post 441


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## umbra (Jul 16, 2015)

outdoors imo trimming is for more air circulation


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## Kraven (Jul 17, 2015)

This becomes this, not better bud just bigger and easier to trim. I will have no popcorn or any buds smaller than a quarter.


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## Bongofury (Jul 17, 2015)

Nice Kraven.


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