# Cutting Lower Branches 3 Weeks Into Flowering??



## noobiewithadoobie (Oct 31, 2009)

I am currently 3 1/2 weeks into flowering and have some lower branches that are not receiving much light. I want to know if I cut these branches off, will i shock the plants or will i be ok? I lollipopped them before flipping them to 12/12 but left some lower branches i probably should have cut off. They have rebounded from the "lollipopping" very well and are actually becoming a little crowded in my 4x4 cabinet. fyi  - i am growing white russian on hydro tables, top feed rockwool slabs with floranova series nutes, floralicious plus, floranectar fruit-n-fusion, and aquashield in my res. Any info would be great!!


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## BBFan (Oct 31, 2009)

Hey there _noobiewithadoobie_-

Sounds like a terrible problem you have- your plants are growing well and getting crowded!  Too bad for you! 

Congratulations.

Trimming smaller bud shoots can actually be beneficial to your plants by rediverting the energy that would have gone to them to the other larger bud sites.

I usually wait until there is some trich development on them (which at 3 1/2 weeks you should be starting to see about now) so I can save them for bubble, but if there's a lot of them you may want to start sooner to get that energy to the main colas.  If there are no trichs and you chop them- you may as well throw them away- smoking them will probably only give you a headache.

Just cut off the entire shoot.  Leave the larger fan leaves as they will die off on their own as the plants absorbs the nutrients from them.

Good luck with your upcoming harvest!


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## smokingjoe (Oct 31, 2009)

I would cut them back and add something like steri-prune or similar to protect against and potential rot or fungus attack; but otherwise chop away.


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## 4u2sm0ke (Oct 31, 2009)

No  more  then  1/3  of  plant:aok:


take  care and be safe


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## ozzydiodude (Oct 31, 2009)

Use the trimmings(lower branches) to practice cloning. It will also give you the experence of revegging a plant.


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## fleshstain (Oct 31, 2009)

4u2sm0ke said:
			
		

> No  more  then  1/3  of  plant:aok:
> 
> 
> take  care and be safe



:yeahthat:


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 1, 2009)

Thanks all. I was just concerned with cutting them off because we are not talking the little shoots but an aqctual branch that comes off of the main stalk. Will this change anything? I will be posting some pics soon.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 1, 2009)

noobiewithadoobie said:
			
		

> Thanks all. I was just concerned with cutting them off because we are not talking the little shoots but an aqctual branch that comes off of the main stalk. Will this change anything? I will be posting some pics soon.



I believe what is being said here is NOT to take the entire branch, but just cut the bud sites off and leave the large fan leaves.  Why do you want to take the entire branch off?


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 2, 2009)

I was going to take the entire branch off because there is only one site on the end and it is getting hardly any light and in my mind is sucking up valuable nutes the upper colas could be using. just my thinking, which could be waaaay wrong. this is the reason i am asking. pics are coming behhind this thread.


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 2, 2009)

ok so here are a set of photos from late veg up until today. I know what most will think when they see the amount I trimmed off before flipping but i can assure you I have seen this first hand produce some really nice buds. Having said that, I also failed to mention before that I have not ever ph'd my water (no meter) and I use tap water for my res. 

So my question remains, should I be trimming back any of the fan leaves which are blocking light to lower leaves? I know buds do not need the light but the lower leaves are not getting a whole lot either. I am exactly 4 weeks into flower. The plants in the rear are White Russian and the smaller ones up front are supposedly Lemon G. Not really not sure on that one but hey, who cares what the names are right?????  Any helpful tips for me would be great!! this is my third grow. First one was doomed by me loving them too much. 2nd grow was 2 weeks away from harvest and blew a circuit breaker in the middle of the night in Feburary (Around 15 degrees in my shed) and my heater stopped  This is the quintessential "3rd time is the charm!!! Thanks all for your input.


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## 2Dog (Nov 2, 2009)

put the clippers down dude and step away from the plant...the plants needs the leaves & you are robbing it. You may get good buds this way but imagine if the plant had all its leaves and was in full force?? I never take leaves unless they are more than 50% dead and never very many at once.


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 2, 2009)

2Dog said:
			
		

> put the clippers down dude and step away from the plant...the plants needs the leaves & you are robbing it. You may get good buds this way but imagine if the plant had all its leaves and was in full force?? I never take leaves unless they are more than 50% dead and never very many at once.



Keep in mind, I have not really trimmed anything for at least 3 weeks. I have only taken some very, and I mean very large fan leaves off. That is all I am asking is if I should just "leave" things alone. (Sorry...had to be done!) or iI should take some larger leaves to make light for the lower leaves. No more real trimming other than that. The pictures where they look like Ethiopian Indica was the night I flipped them. Just fyi. Thanks for the reply though!! Keep em coming.


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## 2Dog (Nov 2, 2009)

:doh: considering that I reccomend no trimming...especially the biggest leaves lol..the plants like the leaves and have a use for them or trust me they wouldnt grow em...let it be. when light is an issue I bend or get a better light.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 2, 2009)

noobiewithadoobie said:
			
		

> ... or iI should take some larger leaves to make light for the lower leaves.



 NO NO NO NO NO.  Please do not take any more off those poor babies.


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## IRISH (Nov 2, 2009)

hey scooby doobie. ... whats up man?...

hey bro, the scrog is looking sweet. i'd let it roll like it is from here on out. ...

(i think) about the only thing i would have done differently, was to had the screen a little bit lower on the flip. and prolly left a few leaves in the lower for food storage.(not many, but a fews better than none.). so , i say , let her ride amigo. i think shes looking descent from here til harvest, considering no more sessions with the weed whip while stoned. .lol.lol...

it's all good. looking good at 3.5...Irish...


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 3, 2009)

IRISH said:
			
		

> hey scooby doobie. ... whats up man?...
> 
> hey bro, the scrog is looking sweet. i'd let it roll like it is from here on out. ...
> 
> ...



I think you could not have said it better myself.  I just said that. WOW
I can't bring myself to change it either. I appreciate the comments. The whites are really looking strong so i think they will be ok. Just worried I will not get much from anything under the very first leaves because the canopy is so thick.  Let's hope i am wrong


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 3, 2009)

anyone have any thoughts on when to start flushing with this setup? i was thinking of flushing with the GH Floranectar I have been using. Just H20 and that. 1 week, 2 weeks?


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## cmd420 (Nov 3, 2009)

2Dog said:
			
		

> :doh: considering that I reccomend no trimming...especially the biggest leaves lol..the plants like the leaves and have a use for them or trust me they wouldnt grow em...let it be. when light is an issue I bend or get a better light.


 
I learned the hard way to leave the femme fatales alone in 12/12...That's all I have to say about that

Flushing is a real sensitive subject around these parts for some reason, so you might want to do a search and read the threads, but I will tell you that from my own experience, flushing made NO DIFFERENCE...

There are quite a few growers on this site that were growing when I was in diapers ( I was born in the mid 70's thank you) that say that flushing makes no diff..I followed what they said and now I am a believer


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 3, 2009)

I'm curious about the purpose of the screen, since you didn't really scrog these plants, it appears that you just lollipopped them and let them grow.

I do not flush either.


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## smithgrown (Nov 3, 2009)

who knew the hemp goddess was such a hottie!!!! sorry way off topic and no help to the thread but just had to say it!!!


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## OldSkool (Nov 4, 2009)

noobiewithadoobie said:
			
		

> anyone have any thoughts on when to start flushing with this setup? i was thinking of flushing with the GH Floranectar I have been using. Just H20 and that. 1 week, 2 weeks?


 
NWAD. I have been growing weed since Nixon was president and the only times I have ever flushed is when I added too many nutes and the plants started to burn. In my opinion it's kinda like altering the air in your tires to get 2 more miles per gallon. Whoopee.
Nowadays with pH meters, micronutes, HPS lights, guano **** and everything else you can utilize to manage a grow it's a new ballgame. 
You can spend $500 and grow some hellacious weed, or you can spend $50 and grow some hellacious weed. If you know what you are doing...

It's your choice. Try leaching one plant and not the one next to it and decide for yourself. That's always the best way! 

I personally would leave the branches, and the buds, alone.


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 4, 2009)

OldSkool said:
			
		

> NWAD. I have been growing weed since Nixon was president and the only times I have ever flushed is when I added too many nutes and the plants started to burn. In my opinion it's kinda like altering the air in your tires to get 2 more miles per gallon. Whoopee.
> Nowadays with pH meters, micronutes, HPS lights, guano **** and everything else you can utilize to manage a grow it's a new ballgame.
> You can spend $500 and grow some hellacious weed, or you can spend $50 and grow some hellacious weed. If you know what you are doing...
> 
> ...



Good info here. unfortunately, I am growing with hydro slabs and only use one res. can't leech only one plant. it is all or nothing i am afraid. I would love to know a way to keep any cost down and maximize yields. I am only growing 1-2 times a year and with only having 4 plants each time, i have to make sure i get the most bang for my buck. Can you look at the pics in my earlier post and tell me if things are looking good or if there is something you see i should be doing differently? I know it is hard with pics but any honest criticizm/help would be greatly appreciated. I love to learn and sometimes that means being told you are doing something wrong so please do not sugar coat it. If it looks bad, I want to know so I can change it!! Thanks Old Skool

Sincerly, New Skool!!!


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## scatking (Nov 4, 2009)

Recently finished up a white russian grow.  IMO leave the fans leaves alone.  Any trimming at this point will just stress out the plant when it is nearing the end of its life cycle and putting its energy into flowering.  Your girls depend on those big fans for survival at this point.  You won't change the yield significantly or improve the popcorn on the lower branches in the next 3 weeks After receiving a lot of good advice from the folks here, I have stopped flushing and found that starving my ladies for the home stretch has no benefit.  Keep feeding them gently and chop them when the trichs are right.


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 5, 2009)

scatking said:
			
		

> Recently finished up a white russian grow.  IMO leave the fans leaves alone.  Any trimming at this point will just stress out the plant when it is nearing the end of its life cycle and putting its energy into flowering.  Your girls depend on those big fans for survival at this point.  You won't change the yield significantly or improve the popcorn on the lower branches in the next 3 weeks After receiving a lot of good advice from the folks here, I have stopped flushing and found that starving my ladies for the home stretch has no benefit.  Keep feeding them gently and chop them when the trichs are right.


What kind of yields did you get? Setup? looks like the Russian is a good thick producer.


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## scatking (Nov 5, 2009)

didn't bother ti weigh it out but the trimmed bud from 2 plants filled 6 1/2 gallon glass jars plus a bit more.  Potency was very good across the entire plant. Extremely sticky though...


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## noobiewithadoobie (Nov 5, 2009)

scatking said:
			
		

> didn't bother ti weigh it out but the trimmed bud from 2 plants filled 6 1/2 gallon glass jars plus a bit more.  Potency was very good across the entire plant. Extremely sticky though...


In a fececioous tone...."I hate it when my buds are too sticky!" 
Thanks for that info. I can't hardly wait the few weeks i have left. I touch the leaves and it smells like a fruity explosion of deliciousness. They should call it Super Fruity Ishkabubble Skunk #9 if you ask me! I cannot believe I am talking about a plant right now. Life....It's the little things!


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## scatking (Nov 5, 2009)

Too true noobie - the little things are what's getting us through these crazy times.  Good luck finishing up your grow and:48:


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