well... here's my thoughts on pruning/trimming a plant...
analogy - what happens when a person (living thing) is in an accident and they lose an appendage (spelling???) ... they go into shock - same for a plant. if the appendage is infected greatly or destroyed, then amputation is most times better for the whole - same goes for a plant.
topping of a plant is probably the worst trim that could be done, as it will now have to reroute it's "head" to another part of the plant. but it will, in time.
it you take too many trimmings, or appendages, off the plant, you will kill it - put it this way... how healthy do you think you would be if people started removing your fingers, toes, hands, arms, legs, etc. everything more you remove is going to upset the biological ecosystem of the plant.
only remove things that pose a hazard to the rest of your baby. don't forget - the fan leaves are the "lungs" of the plant. they are the lungs that are added to the plant in order for it to be able to grow the branch that sprouted from it. if it didn't need that extra leaf, the plant wouldn't have grown it. when the fan leaf is no longer needed, it will die on it's own.
I only remove leaves that are infected/infested and pose a threat to my child. the ones that die on their own will eventually brown and fall off on their own. when this happens, they will accumulate on the floor around the grow room and on top of the dirt in the pots. every time you go in to look in on the grow, remove these leaves for 2 reasons - these rotting leaves promote bugs, and the second is, pouring your water over these dead leaves will change the ph of your dirt. so get rid of them and keep the grow area clean.
ya... I've got an opion on everything... 
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